Page 47 of Cannon (King Family Saga #3)

Queen

“Bitch, you’ve got some nerve,” Nori sassed, sitting across from me at Bridges, an upscale soul food brunch spot in Harlem.

“I know. I know, I was wrong for accusing you of stealing from me. I should’ve known that you would never do something like that to me. We’ve been friends for so long…

“Too damn long for you to think of me that way, Queen. I been down with you for years. I was so fuckin’ hurt when you accused me of stealing that money. All you had to do was ask me to look into it and I would’ve found out that it was ZaZa.”

I swallowed hard, feeling the weight of her words. “I know, and I’m so fucking sorry. I was wrong, dead wrong. My anxiety got the best of me, and I jumped to conclusions instead of trusting you.”

Nori swirled her mimosa while looking at me with judgment beaming from her eyes. “You have been going through a lot,” her expression softened.

“Yeah, but it was no excuse.”

“No, it wasn’t. And if you order me the crab cakes with lobster grits, as well as a dozen oysters and the red velvet pancakes, I just may forgive you,” she laughed.

“Anything you want, sis.”

“So what else has been going on? I heard that Sylk Road is closed right now,” Nori pried.

I took a deep breath, pushing my untouched mimosa away. The truth was about to suck all the air out of this fancy brunch spot.

“It’s more than just being closed, Nori.” My voice cracked despite my best efforts. “Jupiter’s dead.”

Nori’s fork clattered against her plate. “What? How?”

“Bad coke. Someone sold her shit laced with fentanyl in my club.” I swallowed hard, the words burning my throat like acid. “Found her in the dressing room, blue lips, not breathing. By the time the ambulance came, she was gone.”

“Oh my God.” Nori’s hand shot across the table, grabbing mine. Her fingers were warm while mine felt like ice. “Queen, I’m so sorry.”

“That ain’t even the half of it.” I blinked back tears, refusing to break down in public.

“My mama was murdered two days ago. Someone broke into her place, shot her in the back of the head while she was sleeping.”

Nori’s eyes widened in shock. She immediately stood up, moved to my side of the booth, and wrapped her arm around my shoulders. Her familiar scent of Baccarat Rouge enveloped me as she pulled me close.

“Baby girl, why didn’t you call me right away? You shouldn’t be dealing with all this alone.”

I leaned into her, drawing strength from her presence. “I kicked ZaZa out too. After I found out she was the one stealing from me.”

“Jesus, Queen. That’s too much for anybody to handle at once.” She squeezed my shoulder. “How you holding up for real?”

The question hit me like a punch to the gut. How was I feeling? The truth was so twisted, so ugly, I wasn’t sure I could say it out loud.

“I don’t even know,” I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper. “Part of me is scared shitless. Whoever killed Mama might come for me or ZaZa next. But then…” I hesitated, shame crawling up my spine.

“Then what? You can tell me anything, you know that.”

“Then there’s this other part of me that feels…

relieved.” The confession tasted bitter on my tongue.

“Like this massive weight I been carrying my whole life is finally gone. She can’t call me at three in the morning needing bail money.

Can’t show up manic, embarrassing me in front of my daughter.

Can’t remind me of what she made me do…” I stopped myself before revealing too much, even to Nori.

“That don’t make you a bad person, Queen. It makes you human.” Nori’s voice was gentle but firm. “Your mama put you through hell. Having complicated feelings don’t mean you wanted her dead.”

I nodded, blinking back tears. “And now with Jupiter gone, the club shut down for the investigation… I’m just so damn tired of it all, Nori.

” I sighed, letting the weight of everything finally sink in.

“Sylk Road used to be my dream, my baby. But now? After everything that’s happened there?

Jupiter dying there, the money problems, the constant drama? I’m done with it. For real this time.”

Nori’s eyebrows shot up. “What you saying, Queen?”

“I’m saying I’m ready to do something different with my life. Something that don’t involve watching people destroy themselves every night while I pour them drinks. Something that don’t have me looking over my shoulder wondering if whoever killed my mama is coming for me next.”

Nori stared at me for a long moment, her eyes calculating something. Then she leaned forward. “So sell it to me.”

I nearly choked on the sip of water I’d just taken. “What?”

“You heard me. Sell Sylk Road to me. I’ve been managing the account for years. I know the business inside out.” Her eyes were lit with excitement now. “I could take it over, rebrand it, make it something new.”

A laugh bubbled up from somewhere deep inside me, the first genuine one I’d had in weeks. “Sell it to you? Girl, I’ll give it to you.”

“Stop playing,” Nori said, but her voice had gone serious.

“I ain’t playing.” I met her eyes, letting her see I meant every word. “Take it. It’s yours. All that place has brought me lately is heartache and trouble. I’d rather see you do something good with it than watch it fall apart.”

Nori’s jaw dropped. “Are you serious right now? You would just… give me your club?”

“Dead serious.” I nodded slowly. “You been by my side through everything. There’s nobody I trust more.”

Nori’s eyes glistened with tears, but her face broke into a wide smile. She reached across the table and squeezed my hand. “Damn, girl. I don’t even know what to say.”

“Say you’ll take it.”

“Hell yes, I’ll take it!” She laughed, then her expression turned mischievous. “So… does that fine-ass security guard come with the package? ’Cause Cannon’s muscles got muscles, and I wouldn’t mind having that view every night.”

I rolled my eyes, but couldn’t help smiling. “Not Cannon. He’s done with Sylk Road too. Actually, he came into some money recently.”

“Oh?” Nori raised an eyebrow. “How convenient. So y’all both ready to walk away. What’s really going on with you two? And don’t give me that ‘just friends’ bullshit.”

Heat crept up my neck, and I took a long sip of my water to hide my smile. “It’s complicated.”

“Complicated my ass.” Nori leaned forward, eyes sparkling with curiosity. “Spill it.”

I bit my lip, knowing I couldn’t hide it anymore. Something about saying it out loud made it feel more real, more dangerous.

“He’s… different, Nori.” The words came out soft.

“Not like these other niggas. He sees me… like, really sees me. Not just Queen the club owner or Queen the boss bitch. He sees the scared little girl underneath all that, and he don’t run from it.

He tames the wildness in me. He gives me a space to be vulnerable and taken care of.

I don’t have to be in control with him. I can fully lose control. ”

“Mmm hmm.” Nori’s smile widened. “Go on.”

“At first I thought he was just another pretty face with muscles, you know? But then…” I shook my head, remembering how he’d held me the night my mama died, how he hadn’t tried to fix it or shut down my pain with empty words.

“He listens. Actually listens. And he ain’t afraid of my attitude or my bad moods. ”

“Sounds like somebody’s caught feelings,” Nori teased, but her eyes were soft with understanding.

“Girl, I’m drowning in them.” I laughed, the admission feeling like relief. “I tried to keep him at arm’s length, you know how I do. But he just… waited. Patient as hell, like he knew I’d come around eventually. Actually he bulldozed through my walls. In more ways than one.”

“Wait, how old is Cannon anyway? He looks younger than us.”

I rolled my eyes. “He’s thirty. And I’m forty.”

“So ten years,” Nori raised an eyebrow. “You got YN! Does that bother you? Being the older woman?”

“I think you gotta be in your twenties to be a YN. And at first, yeah,” I admitted. “I kept thinking he’d want some young thing without all my baggage. But Cannon says he’s lived enough life to know what he wants.” My voice softened. “And for some crazy reason, what he wants is me.”

“The age thing don’t bother him?”

“Not even a little. Says he likes a woman who knows her mind.” A smile tugged at my lips. “First time we were together, I tried to take control like I always do, and he just… wasn’t having it. Pinned my hands above my head and told me to let go, that he had me.”

Nori fanned herself dramatically. “And did you? Let go?”

“Eventually.” Heat crept up my neck at the memory. “Wasn’t easy. You know I don’t surrender control to nobody. But with him…” I shook my head, searching for words. “It feels safe somehow. Like I can finally breathe.”

“Damn, Queen. I ain’t never heard you talk about a man like this before. Not even Javi.”

“Especially not Javi,” I scoffed. “Cannon is everything Javi pretended to be.”

Before Nori could respond, our server approached with a tray loaded with food. The aroma of buttery crab cakes and rich lobster grits filled the air as she set down plate after plate between us.

“Damn, that looks good,” Nori said, eyeing the spread. The red velvet pancakes were stacked high, topped with cream cheese frosting that dripped down the sides. The oysters glistened on a bed of ice. “You really went all out on this apology brunch.”

I picked up my fork, pushing the food around my plate. My appetite had been touch and go these last few days, but seeing Nori’s face light up made it worth it.

“I really am sorry, Nori,” I said again, my voice low. “I should’ve trusted you. After everything we’ve been through…”

“Girl, stop.” Nori waved her hand dismissively as she dug into her crab cake. “You already apologized, and I already forgave you. We good.”

“No, we ain’t just ‘good.’ I need you to know how much you mean to me.” I reached across the table, grabbing her free hand. “You’ve been there through everything the good, the bad, the ugly. When everyone else walked away, you stayed.”

Nori’s eyes softened as she squeezed my hand. “That’s what real friends do.”

“It’s all good. And when you and that fine YN get married, I want to be the maid of honor.”

“Ha!” I’ll make sure of it.

We finished our meal laughing and reminiscing about the old days—before Sylk Road, before ZaZa, before all the complications life had thrown at us. It felt good to breathe again, like some invisible hand had finally loosened its grip around my throat.

“I gotta head out,” I said, checking the time on my phone. “Cannon’s coming by later to help me sort through some of Mama’s things.”

Nori wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. “Sort through things, huh? Is that what the kids call it these days?”

“Girl, bye.” I laughed, sliding out of the booth. “For real though, thank you for hearing me out.”

Nori stood and pulled me into a tight hug. “Always, Queen. We family. And I’m serious about taking over the club. We’ll talk details when you’re ready.”

“It’s yours.” I squeezed her back. “I’m ready for a fresh start.”

We parted ways outside the restaurant, Nori heading downtown while I walked toward my apartment, enjoying the crisp fall air. My phone buzzed in my purse, and I pulled it out, expecting a text from Cannon.

Instead, Javi’s name flashed on the screen.

(text) Our daughter just showed up at my place crying with all her shit in bags. WTF Queen? You really kicked her out? That’s some trifling-ass parenting.

I stared at the message, my good mood evaporating instantly. Another text followed before I could even process the first one.

She says you accused her of stealing from you. That’s how you handle things now? Throwing your own child on the street?

My thumb hovered over the reply button, a dozen angry responses forming in my mind. But I took a deep breath and slid the phone back into my purse without answering.

Let him deal with her for a change. All these years, I’d been the one handling everything—the therapy appointments, the medication refills, the college tuition, the constant drama.

Javi swooped in for the fun parts, the weekend visits, the shopping sprees, playing the cool dad while I was left being the bad guy.

It was his turn to parent. His turn to set boundaries and deal with the consequences when she broke them.

As I walked, the weight of everything: Mama’s murder, Jupiter’s death, ZaZa’s betrayal pressed down on my shoulders.

But underneath it all was a tiny spark of something that felt dangerously like freedom.

For the first time in forever, I was choosing me.

Choosing what I needed instead of what everyone expected.