Page 84 of Cannon

Silence. Then, her voice sharpened. “What are you talking about?”

“Don’t play dumb. I’m looking at the books right now. Thirty stacks are missing. You’re the one with the logins. Explain it.”

“I didn’t take your damn money,” Nori shot back, her voice rising. “I’ve been keeping your books straight since day one. You really calling me a thief? You don’t even have the decency to ask me rather than accuse me. What the fuck is wrong with you?”

“No one else has access, Nori. Where is my money?”

“You know what? Go to hell, Queen,” she snapped, her voice cracking with fury. “After everything I’ve done for you, this is how you treat me? Like I’m one of these girls trying to finesse you? I’m not some hood rat trying to skim off the top. I have a fucking CPA license and a reputation. I don’t need your money!”

“You better hope you don’t, because if my money don’t turn up, your reputation gonna be the least of your problems,” I threatened, my voice dropping low. “I built this club from the ground up. Nobody steals from me. Nobody.”

“You threatening me now? After all these years?” Her laugh was bitter, like spoiled honey. “Check your new boyfriend’s pockets before you come at me. What’s his name? Cannon? The young boy that just got out of prison?” she jabbed. It was insane since she was the one who was pushing me to get with him.

My blood went cold. “Don’t you dare?—”

“I quit.” The line went dead.

I slammed my phone down so hard the screen cracked, spiderwebbing across Nori’s contact photo. How could my best friend steal from me? And to blame it on Cannon? He didn’thave access to my books and he would never do something like that to me. Would he?

The cracked phone still sat on the desk, taunting me. Cannon walked in just as I was pacing behind it, my chest tight with leftover rage.

He looked from me to the broken screen, then back at me. “What the fuck happened in here?”

“Don’t worry about it, just go do your job,” I yelled.

I blew out a breath, rubbing my temples. “I just got off the phone with Nori. Thirty grand is missing from the books, and I…” My voice dipped. “I accused her of taking it.”

Cannon’s eyes narrowed, that cold edge sliding into place. “And?”

“She went off on me. Said she’d never steal from me, told me to go to hell, and then she quit.” My voice cracked, not from weakness but from how raw it all felt.

He shook his head slowly, the disappointment in his eyes cutting deeper than if he’d yelled. “You fucked up, Queen.”

I barked instantly. “Excuse you?”

“You heard me.” He stepped closer, towering over me until I had to tilt my head back to keep eye contact. “You don’t throw accusations at people who been riding for you unless you got proof. Hard proof. You do the work, you check the receipts, you make damn sure before you put that kind of dirt on someone’s name.”

“I was angry,” I snapped, trying to defend myself.

His voice dropped, low and dangerous. “And you let your anger run the business. That’s sloppy. You’re better than sloppy.”

The words hit like a slap. I opened my mouth to fire back, but the truth of it burned too hot in my chest. He was right. I’d lost my cool, let suspicion get the best of me, and maybe cost myself my right hand in the process.

Cannon reached out, gripping my chin with his bandaged hand, forcing me to hold his gaze. “Don’t ever come at me yelling like that again, either. I don’t take orders, and I sure as fuck don’t take misplaced anger. You mad at her? Fine. But don’t bring that shit to me.”

My breath caught, anger mixing with a sharp pulse of something else. Something darker, needier. “You think you can just check me like that?” I whispered.

His mouth curved into that slow, dangerous smile that always unraveled me. “I don’t think. I just did.”

For a moment, the silence pressed heavy between us, my pride clawing at my throat. But then I let it go, shoulders sagging. “You’re right,” I admitted, the words tasting strange but necessary. “I should’ve done my homework before going at her like that. I let my temper win. And I’m grateful you said it straight, even if I don’t like how it feels.”

“Good,” he said, releasing my chin but letting his fingers trail along my jaw in a way that was more claim than comfort. “Because I’m not here to stroke your ego. I’m here to make sure you stay sharp. You slip, you bleed. You bleed, you lose everything.”

I swallowed hard, nodding. “I hear you.”

“Good,” he repeated, softer this time, like an oath. His thumb brushed my bottom lip, lingering there. “Now stop spinning out. We’ll find that money. Together.”

His thumb on my lip felt like a brand, and my pulse quickened beneath his touch. The anger that had been boiling inside me suddenly transformed into something else—something hungry and desperate.