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“Yup, done handled my business and enjoyin’ the sunshine, bitches, and my last day of peace before you muhfuckas drag me back to the madness.”

“Keep talkin’,” I said dryly. “War done touched our front door and I need you back. ASAP.”

He got quiet and serious now. “How bad is it?”

“El Blanca just made it official. He shot at Tone, Victoria, and two of our people.”

“Damn,” he mumbled. “Alright slime, give me twenty-four. I’ll be on the next thing smokin’.”

“You better be.”

“And yo,” he added, “that test come back yet? Sis ain’t said shit?”

I paused before responding. “We gon’ talk when you get here.”

“Oh shit…” He said in a low tone. “Don’t tell me I’m somebody daddy.”

I ignored his comment. Now wasn’t the time to tell him he’d be dealing with Keondra for the rest of his life. “Twenty-four hours, Dique. Don’t make me come get you.”

Dique must’ve felt it in his gut ‘cause he hung up. He was probably sweating bullets right now. I made a call to Keondra next, and the phone rang twice before she picked up with that familiar ghetto fabulous voice.

“I didn’t do shit this time Dom!”

“I’ma keep this simple Ke. You bet not hit Dique with them results. Don’t call him, don’t text him, don’t tag him in no memes… I mean that shit.”

“I wasn’t even about to…”

I cut her off. “I said, you don’t say shit. I’ll tell him when it’s time. You remember that cease and desist?”

“Yeah,” she mumbled.

“Good. You wanna keep eatin’? Play yo’ part.” I could sense an attitude coming, but she knew better. “And tell me somethin’ else, Keondra. Who the fuck that baby look like? ‘Cause it ain’t us, but DNA don’t lie.”

She sighed long and hard. “She look like my great grandaddy, okay? Everybody says that shit. He was light skinned, big eyes, them strong ass features. What you want me to do… it ain’t my damn fault but I always knew Dique was her daddy. I’m ghetto, not a ho, I know who I lay down with.”

I shook my head, chuckling under my breath.

“Yeah whatever. I’ll be in touch soon.” I hung up.

It wasn’t shit else to talk about as far as I was concerned.

Dique fucked up, but it was now our duty to make sure that Keondra and my niece were taken care of.

Dique having a kid out there for real was scary, ‘cause and that meant any child with the Royal blood would always have to be protected. Having a niece scared me just like me having my own child did. If the enemy knew your weakness, they knew what to attack. I needed to have a talk with him when it was time, and now wasn’t it.

Carmen hadn’t said a word during either call. Instead, she stood there beside me in her all-black travel fit… it was sleek leggings, a fitted cropped jacket, Hermes slides, and the dark-ass Chanel shades that hid her eyes, but they damn sure didn’t hide her mood.

“You good?” I asked her.

She slid those big ass shades down just enough for me to see her pretty eyes. “Always,” she said. “Let’s go.”

I wasn’t surprised that she wasn’t just beside me, she was with me watching everything around us like my third eye.

She knew when to stand down and let me handle my business without doing much talking.

We hopped into the lead truck. I sat shotgun, and she slid in the back.

As soon as the doors shut, the convoy of trucks pulled off looking like some shit out of a movie like we always did.

We moved through the city fast as the bright sun hit the tinted windows.

People were turning their heads when they saw us glide by in awe wondering who was behind the tints of the trucks.

Of course they didn’t know, however, the way we moved screamed power and importance.

By the time we arrived at the penthouse, the valet was already waiting to park the trucks as soon as we entered the private garage.

We didn’t have time for shit else besides to get inside.

The building staff snapped to attention the moment they saw who stepped out.

Upstairs, the penthouse door opened and that familiar Royal scent hit me…

it was a mix of expensive cologne, leather, and Cuban cigars.

I took a slow breath as I stepped inside lowkey glad to be back home.

Carmen followed behind, unzipping her jacket as she kicked off her slides at the front door.

Everything was in place, the same as I’d left it and the security cameras were blinking, meaning that they were doing their jobs.

My backup guns were still stashed in key spots, the bulletproofed windows still crystal clear, showing off the Miami skyline like a damn painting.

I stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows for a second, watching the city.

Carmen came up behind me and spoke in a calm tone as she folded her arms across her chest. “What’s the next move?”

I looked down at her, with a hard gaze. “You know how we do… and we start by makin’ sure El Blanca knows.

.. I ain’t the one to be played with. Get the Mayor on the phone when you can.

He needs to know his city is about to be bleedin’, and he needs to do what he’s paid to do, stay the fuck out of the way. ”

She nodded. “Will do.”