Page 44 of Cannon

“Like you’re asking them on a date instead of giving orders.” Javi moved further into my office, uninvited.

“I’m just trying to be more professional. Why are you here?” I asked.

“I looked into Alfred Dixon,” Javi said, leaning against my desk uninvited. “Found something interesting.”

I crossed my arms, trying to keep my face neutral. “What about him?”

“Motel owner in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. Small place called the Pine Ridge Inn.”

My heart skipped a beat. “And?”

“And he’s dead, Queen. Murdered thirty years ago in his own establishment, in a hotel room. They think it was a robbery gone wrong or something to do with a prostitute.” Javi watched my face carefully. “Single gunshot to the head. Case went cold. No suspects, no leads, nothing.”

I nodded slowly, relief washing through me like a wave. Thirty years. Documented as a murder with no leads. My shoulders relaxed slightly. The murder haunted me but at least he was truly dead.

“Keisha’s going to be disappointed to learn her uncle is dead,” Javi continued, his eyes narrowing. “Funny thing though…I couldn’t find any connection between Alfred Dixon and anyone named Keisha.”

“She’ll be devastated,” I said, ignoring his implied question. “Thanks for looking into it.”

“You want to tell me the real reason you’re interested in a thirty-year-old unsolved murder?”

“I told you why.”

Javi shook his head. “You always were a good liar. Too good. Is this a crime your mother committed?”

“No. Are we done here?” I asked, reaching for my phone. “I got work to do.”

“Actually, I wanted to talk about ZaZa,” he said, shifting gears. “When’s she getting released?”

“Tomorrow morning. Doctor said she’s stable enough to come home.”

“Home with you, you mean.”

“That’s right.”

Javi leaned forward. “I’ll be there. To help bring her home.”

“You don’t need…”

“She’s my daughter too, Queen. I’m going to be there.”

I sighed. “Fine. Ten o’clock in the morning. Don’t be late.”

“I won’t.” He stood up, adjusting his jacket. “And maybe you could leave your new bodyguard at home. Let this be family time.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Cannon has nothing to do with this.”

“Doesn’t he? The way you look at him says different.” Javi’s voice dropped. “The way he looks at you too.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I know you, Queen. I know when you want a man.”

Something inside me snapped. “You lost the right to have any opinion about who I want when you bent that bitch over our dresser.”

“That was years…”

“And let me make something crystal clear,” I continued, my voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. “You step out of line with me, try to control who I see or what I do, and I’ll put another bullet in you. But this time, I won’t aim for your leg.”