Page 20

T he sun barely cracked through my curtains, but I was already up, ass naked, and gliding across my bedroom floor like I was the only girl in the world.

I’d left the balcony doors cracked just enough for the Miami breeze to blow in lightly wisping through my hair.

The scent of chicken souse filled the air from the kitchen, with that rich and citrusy scent, making the whole condo smell like a restaurant.

"Alexa, play ‘ Come Over’by Aaliyah," I yelled. My voice was still a little raspy because I’d just woken up.

As the beat dropped, her smooth voice filled the condo as well.

I hopped in the shower and was out in ten minutes.

I grabbed my favorite sweet almond and rose body oil started massaging it into every curve of my body.

I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and smiled.

I knew the camera was somewhere, but Dom had it hidden real good.

That first time, I was low key pissed about it.

.. but now I could care less. I grabbed the remote and pointed it to adjust the lights and the glow hit just right.

I sat on the edge of the bed, spread my thighs and then slipped my hand between them real slow wondering if he was watching.

If he was watching, I wanted him to suffer knowing it was nothing he could do about it right now.

Yes, I moaned as I played with my pussy, but my moans weren’t for the camera, they were just for him.

I took my time massaging my swollen clit making it look real sexy, while a little messy at the same time until my legs began to quake like a striper on the damn pole.

The phone rang and I had a feeling it was Dom. “Yeah, I’m watchin’,” he said, in a dominant tone. “Don’t clean that shit up. Put yo’ fingers in yo’ mouth and taste what’s mine.”

I did what he said, moving real slow and teasing him as my eyes locked on the black dot in the corner of the ceiling. “Good girl,” he said, in a possessive voice. “That’s how I like you.”

When I caught my breath, I slid my robe on and laid across the bed, with my chest heaving and my skin glistening. “I miss you,” I whispered.

“I know,” he said. “I miss you too. But listen, I need you to do somethin’.

” He informed. Here we go, I thought to myself as he continued talking.

“I need you to get Victoria moved into another condo. It don’t have to be nothing fancy.

Just a regular spot, something in the Royals’ name so it’s tight on paper and we don’t have no issues.

I’m done havin’ her up in my shit,” he said. “I’m not used to it.”

I rolled over on my side, staring out the window, being sarcastic. “Oh? What happened? The little cartel princess ain’t fitting in with the King’s lifestyle no more?”

“You funny,” he replied, unbothered. “But nah... she needs her own space. I’ll have shadows on her.

She’s still a target and I ain’t stupid.

Also… set her up with a job. I want her at the front desk at the spa…

it’s safer that way and keeps her out of our business.

Have the paperwork fixed too. She can’t live in Miami with that Blanca name. That shit gotta die.”

I sighed, even though I already knew I’d handle it. “Okay,” I said. “I’ll get everything in motion by this afternoon.”

“I appreciate you,” Dom he let me know. It was something about his voice that always got to me.

Before I could respond, my stomach turned hard and fast like something I’d never felt before. “Damn,” I mumbled to myself. “What the hell was that?” It was damn near like bubble guts.

It passed after a moment, and I wrote it off as stress.

I needed to start taking my vitamins and getting back in the gym on a consistent basis.

Sometimes, I forgot to take care of Carmen, especially when business came first. I brushed the feeling off, threw on some biker shorts and an oversized tee, slid into my sneakers, and headed out.

Making sure that I was strapped, I left without grabbing a shadow.

I just needed a quick run to Starbucks to get a medicine ball tea and clear my head.

Miami felt weird today though. Even with the sky blue and palm trees swaying, it was something in the air and I always felt it.

Those hairs stood on the back of my neck with that feeling like somebody was watching me but keeping their distance.

I brushed my hand across my gun in my purse just in case.

I was waiting for my order when I heard someone call my name.

“Cee?”

I turned around recognizing that voice and there he was.

Dru stood there clean as hell with the same clean fade.

He wore a white tee and had a Diamond stud in his ear.

He still had that lazy ass confidence and fine-ass smile that got him in trouble.

He looked better than the last time I saw him, but I’d be lying if I said my heart didn’t skip just a little. He walked up slow and taking his time.

“I knew that was you,” he said. “Damn… so what’s up? You disappeared on me.”

I gave him a look and tried to keep it light. “I been busy Dru.”

“Yeah, I can tell,” he said, stepping closer. His cologne invaded my nostrils. “What’s the deal though? You ain’t just ‘busy.’ You moved like somebody wit’ secrets. You know I ain’t stupid, Cee.”

I glanced around before replying. “Dru, you don’t know what you think you know. Just leave it alone, please.”

He leaned in slightly getting to close for my liking while lowering his voice. “You got me laid out in the trunk like a sacrifice… then vanished? You think I ain’t gon’ want answers?”

I shook my head because I couldn’t say Dom’s name... not even if I whispered it. I’d never tell Dru shit. “You don’t need to know nothing. What happened… it was deeper than you and trust me both, trust me. It wasn’t your fault.”

He stared at me for a second. “You dangerous, Cee,” he replied with a grin. “And I must be a sucker for punishment, ‘cause I ain’t even mad. That just made you more interesting. Shit, if these niggas trippin’ over you like that... you gotta be worth it.”

I exhaled and shook my head. “Don’t call me again.”

“You blockin’ me?” he asked, laughing but serious.

“I’m saving you,” I whispered. What part of this shit doesn’t he get? I thought to myself. He doesn’t even know who kidnapped him because if he did, he surely wouldn’t be in my face right now. He’d be trying to stay as far away as possible.

He watched me walk off, not knowing I was doing him the biggest favor of his life.

As I climbed into my AMG 63, I looked in the mirror one more time and still had that eerie feeling, but I wasn’t scared especially not when I was strapped.

Hell no, scared of what? I was a Royal. I had just pulled out the Starbucks parking lot when I noticed Dru’s reflection in my rearview mirror.

That damn smirk was back on his face, and this time, instead of walking away, he doubled back toward the truck like he had something to prove.

He gently knocked on the tinted window like he had all the time in the world.

I rolled the window down just enough for my voice to carry. “You don’t listen. I told you, stop popping up on me.”

His dimples were deep as he leaned on the door with his eyes scanning my face like he missed it more than he was willing to admit. Dru didn’t even know me. We had one interaction, and he was acting obsessed. “You ain’t tell me you was married to the game, Ma. I could’ve handled that… maybe.”

“You couldn’t handle shit,” I said sarcastically, but in a softer voice. Truth was, Dru wasn’t a bad guy, at least not that I knew of. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and caught up with a woman whose life was tied up in more chaos than he could begin to understand.

He slid his hand into his pocket. “I’m a sucker for punishment, Cee and if a nigga had to get tied up and damn near smoked just to learn that… then maybe it was worth it.” His tone turned serious. “You good, though? For real?”

I stared at him for a little, letting his words linger before I gave him the smallest smile.

My eyes shot to the ring on his finger. “You’re cute…

but this isn’t the fairy tale you think it is.

” I rolled the window back up slowly and pulled off, leaving him standing there looking like he didn’t know whether to chase me or let me go.

No more than two minutes later, my phone lit up with a call from an unknown number. I smirked, already knowing who it was before I even hit answer. “You’re so predictable and persistent.”

His voice came through smooth. “You left me mid thought. You always do that.”

“You always say shit you shouldn’t,” I replied, still amused. “You shouldn’t be talking to me at all.”

“I’ll be around,” he said before hanging up.

I sighed, shaking my head. Dru had no idea the type of fire he was playing with, but my amusement didn’t last long.

That nausea came back, and it was stronger this time.

It felt like a deep roll in my stomach that made me have to grip the steering wheel with both hands and take a deep breath through my nose.

The tea had settled wrong, or at least that’s what I kept telling myself…

even still, I had to ignore it because I had things to do.

I headed across town to the Midtown condo; it was the one I decided would be best for Victoria to settle in.

It was clean and modern, and nowhere near as flashy as a penthouse, but it was discreet and heavily surveilled.

I walked in and was greeted by the manager, who handed me the access key cards.

I did a quick walk-through to make sure it was clean and still fully furnished.

It was two bedrooms, high-end appliances, a small balcony with a city view, and already stocked with all the essentials she would need.

I could’ve easily said fuck Victoria, but I had never been a bitter woman in my life.

The place was perfect and wasn’t too lavish, but comfortable enough to make Victoria feel like she wasn’t a prisoner, even if she’d still be under watch.

From there, I drove off to my real mission to the storage unit.

I parked in the back lot of a nondescript warehouse and used the code to enter the side entrance.

Once inside, I passed down a row of dimly lit corridors before stopping at my unit.

I had always been proud of this place. It was one of my most sacred possessions and couldn’t be tracked because it wasn’t in my name.

It was damn near like identity central in my unit.

I went to the black file cabinets which always held everything Dom and I ever needed to disappear or help someone else disappear.

I pulled the drawer open and dug through until I found a folder labeled, ‘Valerie Mercado’, a new alias I had for a while that I never got to use.

It took me a little over two hours to prep that file for Victoria to become Valerie, but I did it.

The file had everything from birth certificate, social, driver’s license, credit cards, fake work history, even a LinkedIn page that painted her as a spa coordinator who relocated from Denver.

I ran my fingers along the edge of the manila envelope before sliding it into my Chanel tote bag.

I stood there for a second as my eyes bounced around the unit with nothing but the cold air around me.

That damn stomach of mine did it again and even harder this time.

Something deep and low in my gut that made me lean against the file cabinet.

My mind screamed tea, stress, maybe hormones…

but my body whispered something else. I ignored it once again.

There was no room for weakness in my life.

I locked the unit, slid my shades back on, and stepped into the Miami heat all calm, cool, collected, and ready to handle anything else that I needed to do.