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Meeting with the chiefs was always an adventure because no one knew what their agenda was.

They were always secretive, keeping tabs of everything.

So, when a person was called to their office, no one knew what to expect.

Lo sat quietly, looking between all three men, observing their body language.

Normally, when he came to see them, Devyn and Meco were with him.

Now that he was by his lonesome, he sat on edge, waiting for the reason he had been summoned.

“How are you, Lo?” Abel asked.

He gave a nod. “Straight.”

Grayson smirked, folding his hands on the table. “Always cool, huh?”

Lo shrugged but didn’t reply.

“Well, let’s talk business.” Ronan cleared his throat. “We like what you do in this organization.”

“And?” Lo prodded.

“And we wanted to invite you to come work with us exclusively,” Abel announced.

“Doing what?”

“Taking care of business. Basically, what you do now but you’ll work on your own.”

Lo dragged his teeth across his bottom lip. “What’s the catch?”

“The catch is that you won’t belong to any family. You’ll take orders from us and handle whatever task we need rectified.”

Lo didn’t like the sound of that. He was a Crown through and through. He belonged in his family with Devyn and Meco. Being Devyn’s underboss had served the entire organization well. Lo didn’t think his brothers would like the notion of him working exclusively with the chiefs.

“You’ll get a bigger payout. No longer would you have to attend meetings or work under anyone,” Grayson explained.

“Yeah, but I’ll still take orders from you,” Lo pointed out.

“True,” Abel agreed. “But everyone takes orders from us. It wouldn’t be any different than what you're doing now.”

Lo reclined in his seat, pondering all the information that had been dumped in his lap.

This was an amazing opportunity. Lo could get even more lowkey.

He could disappear and only pop out when it was time to wipe a nigga out.

It was a dream position, but he couldn’t get his brothers out of his mind.

They sat there staring at him in disappointment while he tried to wrestle with the idea of splitting up.

“Can I ask why you're giving me this opportunity?”

Ronan interlaced his fingers on the surface of the cherry wood table.

“You're a force, Lo. You’ve been a great asset to Devyn and the entire Crown Family. You have that confidence that Dax used to have. He could walk into a room, and everyone would freeze up. It’s the same with you.

You're not boastful. You're not out, drawing unwanted attention to yourself. You only speak when it matters. We like that about you and want to invite you on a bigger scale of Noir Mob.”

Lo couldn’t count the many times people informed him how much he was like Dax. Not only did he look like him, but he possessed the same manners and aura as his father. The difference between them was that Dax could turn his coldness off, but Lo wouldn’t. He was rigid in every area of his life.

“And this meeting wasn’t set to persuade you to decide now,” Grayson added. “We want you to really think about this. Go through every detail. Comb out each pro and con. We’ll still be here so there’s no need to rush and make a decision.”

Lo’s face was impassive but internally, he was in disarray.

Making the decision would disappoint someone.

Either his brothers or the chiefs. He had been working along Devyn and Meco for years.

They fit so well together. But the opportunity the chiefs had just presented was sweet.

It actually fit his personality better. He wouldn’t have to deal with other people.

He could come and go as he pleased. Still, he had brothers he had to think about before he made a choice.

“A’ight, I’ll think about it.”

Grayson bobbed his head. “Please do and again, there’s no rush.”

Lo stood and shook every man’s hand before he made his exit. On the way out, he mused over the offer once again. There was so much at stake and while this was a perfect opportunity for him, he couldn’t be selfish and dismiss his brothers.

Dough had never been in a state quite like this.

As he laid in the hospital bed, he could barely keep his eyes open because of the sedative he had been given.

He would’ve been thankful to be alive, but the pain was too great.

Every part in his body was in agony. Mentally and physically.

After being beaten to a pulp with ammonia being poured into his wounds, Dough’s body felt as though it was doused in gasoline and set on fire.

He couldn’t move without wincing. The pain was so great that the hospital put him on fentanyl.

Mentally, Dough’s mind couldn’t fathom how he’d been annihilated in front of Bria.

His manhood had been tested, and it ultimately lost. Lo had him by the balls, catching him outside the club.

Dough didn’t even see it coming. A covering was thrown over his head before he was knocked out cold.

He woke up with his wrists tied up in a room.

The main thing he remembered was how cold it was inside.

He still couldn’t rid himself of the chills.

Everything about what he went through was traumatic.

He was certain he’d have to live with the tormenting memories for years to come.

The door opened and his brother, Luco, walked inside with Noble and his guard right behind him. Being that Luco was a lieutenant in The Legacy Mafia, Dough figured he would come to his rescue.

“What the fuck happened?” he badgered as his gaze looked all over his bandaged body.

“I got caught slippin’,” Dough replied weakly.

“Slippin’ how?”

Dough’s gaze traveled to Noble, who stood at the foot of the bed. He was the head chief and a man of few words. With his hands tucked in his pockets, he watched intently.

“Those fucking Noir Mob niggas got me.”

Noble’s brows rumpled. “Which one?”

“One of those fucking Crown twins.”

“You know which one?” Luco quizzed.

Dough winced at the pain from his back. “It was that nigga, Lo.”

Luco snorted. “I think that’s the one that got the club. What’s the motive?”

Dough thought about concealing the truth, especially from Noble.

He was a man of great character and if he told him that he fucked with Lo’s wife, there was a big chance he would cancel any plans to retaliate.

But Dough was a man who wouldn’t lie about his dealings with Bria.

Despite what he had gone through, he still had a lot of love for her.

“Don’t tell me this shit is over a woman,” Luco said.

Dough nodded. “She’s my bitch though.”

Noble scoffed and walked over to the window. Luco looked at him, awaiting his response.

“What you thinking?” Luco asked him.

“So, now we supposed to go to war over a bitch?” Noble asked in a calm voice.

Luco sucked his teeth. “Nigga, do you see my brother? We can’t let this shit slide. Plus, they been sending shots at us anyway since Douglas jumped ship.”

Noble chuckled. “I don’t do emotions, my nigga, especially when this shit tied to a fucking woman.” He turned and looked at Dough. “So, is this your woman or what?”

Dough cleared his throat. “She was until Douglas made her marry ol’ boy.”

Noble’s brows rose. “You fighting a nigga over his own wife?”

“I ain’t fighting over shit. The nigga came at me because he couldn’t keep his lady happy.”

“And now that nigga need to be dealt with,” Luco declared.

Noble shook his head. “I’m not going to war over no bitch. Business, yeah, but a woman, hell no.”

“Man, what the fuck!” Luco hissed. “Do you see what kinda condition my brother in? You gon’ let those niggas think they can slide on us and get away with it?”

“Yeah, what’s the problem, Noble? Why all of a sudden you trying to be all self-righteous and shit?”

“You wanna know why I’m the boss? ‘Cause I paid that fucking price. You wanna know how I did it? I didn’t get emotional about dumb shit.

From what I heard that man beat your ass for fucking with his wife.

You know niggas don’t play about they ol’ lady so why the fuck you think I’m about to suit up for your dumb-ass decisions? ”

Dough couldn’t believe the words he heard.

He was a part of the mafia, The Legacy Mafia to be exact.

He had paid his loyalty with blood and sweat.

His sacrifices cost him so many relationships that he would forever be bankrupt.

Dough wanted revenge and it didn’t matter if Noble complied or not. Lo would feel his rage.

“So, as the chief, you cool with Noir Mob thinking we sweet?” Luco asked.

Noble pulled at the hairs in his beard. “I’ll tell you what, you do what you gotta do. I won’t fault you for it. If you need men, take ‘em. I just don’t want this shit falling on me or the TLM.”

Luco looked at Dough. “You hear that? You get better and then once you good, we’ll come up with a plan to take this nigga out. Cool?”

That actually sounded like words to Dough’s favorite song.

“Yeah.”

“Until then, rest up ‘cause I want you to suit up when it’s time to take Lo’s ass out.”

“As soon as I’m better, that nigga is dead.”

This would’ve been the perfect night if it was weeks ago.

The ambiance was radiant as the chandelier sparkled all over the space.

The soft classical music floated through Bria’s ears as she sat across from Lo.

On the outside, they appeared to be a couple enjoying each other’s presence.

Internally, Bria was terrified. Everything about the man across from her scared her.

Even after he fucked her to sleep the other night, she was still horrified by the person he had turned into.