Page 3

Chapter Three

Kilo

The first thing that hit you walking into Vault was the energy.

Thick, loud, charged like the air before a thunderstorm.

The bass from the music rumbled under your feet.

Money exchanged hands in the shadows. Drinks were being poured, dice were being thrown, and somewhere in the back, you could hear the occasional shout over a busted bet.

Vault was Buck’s domain—grimy, dangerous, and thriving.

Tonight was fight night, and the real heat was downstairs in the basement where the fights took place. Me, Stacks, and Buck posted up near the VIP section. Nic and Kasha were seated with in their men’s laps while Mel was posted in mine with my hand rested on her belly.

“You see the way he dropped that hook?” Buck said, watching the ring. “Nigga got hands but no footwork. I’d bet my left nut he don’t make it out the second round.”

Stacks laughed. “That nigga ain’t making it out the first one, you ask me.”

I glanced over at our cousin, Sophi. She was sitting off to the side, fidgeting with the straw in her drink, biting the inside of her cheek like she was holding something in. She hadn’t smiled once since we walked in.

“You good, Soph?” I asked.

She looked up quick, like she didn’t know I was talking to her. “Yeah. I’m straight.”

“You sure? You been quiet as hell.”

She hesitated, then sighed. “It’s just… Malik gets out in a few weeks.”

All of us became alert at the sound of her bitch ass ex’s name rolling off her tongue. Buck responded first. It wouldn’t be right if he didn’t.

“That bitch ass nigga?” Buck leaned forward, voice sharp. “Say the word cuz, and he’ll never breathe free air.”

Sophi gave a weak smile. “I don’t want all that. I just… I don’t know what he’s thinking. He keeps thinking that we’re going to be together when he gets out. Like, why would he even think that’s an option?”

“You scared of that nigga?” I asked, keeping my tone level.

She didn’t answer. That told me everything I needed to know.

Buck stood up, adjusting his watch like that was the end of the conversation. “Cool. So when he gets out, we’ll welcome him back with a blunt force trauma to the face. I ain’t finna have nobody fuckin’ with my people.”

“He don’t want that kind of smoke,” Stacks added. “Not from us, anyway.”

Sophi nodded but still looked like she had a weight sitting on her chest.

We dropped the conversation for now just as Juke walked in.

This nigga was the undefeated Underground King.

Built like a brick wall with eyes that stayed half-lidded, like he was always high or always plotting.

Maybe both. He was one of the few niggas who could walk into Vault unannounced and not get a single side-eye.

We respected him, and the feeling was mutual.

“Damn, y’all brought the whole city out tonight?” Juke grinned, dapping me, then Stacks, then Buck.

“You know how I do,” Buck said, nodding toward the ring.

Juke glanced at the two fighters, unimpressed. “These niggas hitting like they in middle school.” That caused the room to fill with laughter.

“You here scout or talk shit?” I asked.

“Both,” he grinned.

His eyes landed on the women’s section. He dipped his head in acknowledgement.

“Lemme know when y’all want me back on the card,” he said. “I need some real competition.”

“You ain’t fought since you cracked Boom’s shit,” Buck said, grinning.

“Ain’t my fault the nigga can’t fight.” He shrugged.

“You know he still wants that re-match?”

“Set it up. I can use the practice,” Juke jested.

The fight ended in a second-round TKO, just like Buck said. We spent another hour watching side matches, placing light bets, and keeping an eye on Sophi, who finally loosened up after a few drinks and laughs with the girls.

Once the night died down, we headed out in pairs. Buck stayed behind to make sure everything was handled. Stacks and Kasha left with me and Mel in tow.

Once we left the parking lot, Mel took off her shoes and leaned sideways in the passenger seat, placing her feet in my lap, giving me that look. I squinted in her direction as I gripped the wheel harder.

“You keep lookin’ at me like that, and I’m gone park this truck,” I muttered.

She smiled slow. “You scared, Franklin?”

“Nah,” I laughed. “But you should be.” I gave her a look that matched hers.

***

We didn’t even make it upstairs once we got home. No sooner than we walked inside, I had her on the kitchen counter, legs spread, and my mouth buried between her thighs like I was starving. She gripped my head with both hands, hips rolling, moaning my name like a prayer and a threat.

“Sss…Ki—shit,” she moaned as she wet my beard up. Since I was greedy nigga, I kept sucking until she came again. Before she came down from her high, I was sliding inside of her.

“Gah damn,” I growled.

“Oh, shit,” she panted. “Don’t stop. Shit, don’t stop.”

Little did she know, I’ain had no plans in stopping no time soon. I was gone die in this pussy if I could.

***

It seemed like I’d been here all damn day when actually it’s only been a few hours.

I’d wrapped up two meetings back-to-back and was finally taking a second to breathe.

Mel had texted me a picture of her belly poking, captioned “Your son ain’t lettin’ me rest.” Little shit like that is what made me smile like a damn fool.

I was just about to call her when the intercom buzzed.

“Mr. DeLuca?” Rachel’s voice flowed through.

“Yeah.”

“You have a visitor. Says it’s personal.”

I paused.

“Personal? It’s a man or a woman?” I asked.

“Woman.”

I squinted because that didn’t matter. I wasn’t expecting anyone and clearly it wasn’t Mel or any other woman in our family.

My right hand dropped under the desk and pulled out the Glock I kept stashed in the locked drawer.

I clicked off the safety and placed it flat in front of me.

Whoever this surprise visitor was, would know I’ain got time for the bullshit.

“Send ’em up,” I ordered.

When the door finally opened, I didn’t expect to see the person who walked through it.

My ex-girlfriend, Shayna. I hadn’t seen her in a damn decade and her she was strolling in my office like she was welcomed.

I mean, I didn’t have shit against her, but I closed that chapter of my life at eighteen and didn’t look back.

She was too meek for me and couldn’t stand up to her parents, so I let her go so her people wouldn’t be on her back.

Now here she was, standing in my office like she was ready to pick up where I left her ass.

Same soft brown skin, and deep-set eyes.

Her frame was a little thicker, but it was her, no doubt.

I sat up straighter, but didn’t touch the gun.

“Franklin,” she said, her voice softer than I remembered.

I blinked once. Still couldn’t fully process why she was here..

“Shayna?”

She smiled, awkwardly. “Yeah. It’s me.”

I stared at her, chest tight with confusion but face blank. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

“I’m not here to start anything,” she blurted. “I just… I needed to see you.”

“After all these years? Why now?”

“I moved back a few months ago. I figured you’d be out by now and probably be here. I didn’t want to go to your parent’s house. I just needed to see you.”

She took a few steps in, then noticed the gun on the desk. She paused before looking around the office like she was trying to figure out who I’d become.

“You look good.” She complimented. “Grown.”

“Fuck you want, Shay?” She was getting on my nerves just standing there.

“I guess I needed to know if I ever crossed your mind.”

I raised an eyebrow. “You serious?”

She shrugged. “Maybe not the way I crossed yours. But yeah.”

“You don’t. Not since the day I ended that shit.”

Her mouth opened like she wanted to say something slick, but the door swung open before she could. Buck walked in without knocking, as usual.

“Why the fuck this door closed? The fuck you in here doing, Franklin?” he asked, walking in like he was in his office and not mine. He stopped short when he saw her. His face turned into a mask of amused disgust.

“The fuck the ghost of bullshit’s past doing here?” He pointed his thumb at Shayna.

“Hey, Buck.” She smirked.

He blinked slow. “Don’t ‘hi’ me. The fuck you doin’ here? In case you can’t read the room, you ain’t welcomed.”

“I’m not here to start shit,” she said calmly.

“That’s good. Because if you were, you’d be leaving through a window instead of that door.”

I rubbed my jaw. “Buck.”

He waved me off. “You entertaining this bitch?” He frowned.

Shayna looked at me, eyes a little dimmer now. “I just wanted to say hi, and that I’m proud of you.”

“You done?” Buck asked.

She rolled her eyes at Buck and gave me one last look. “I’m done.”

She left without another word. The door clicked shut, and Buck turned to me with the most disrespectful smirk I’d seen all week.

“You really let that hoe walk in here on some Aaron Hall I miss you type shit?”

“I didn’t know it was her.”

Buck dropped into the chair across from me like this was his house. “You miss that bitch?”

“Nah.”

“Then why you ain’t said shit yet.”

“I’m just… surprised.”

“Well, get over that shit. I need you to ride with me.”

I gave him a blank stare waiting on him to explain.

“Don’t ask no questions, just bring yo’ big bald-headed ass on. I’ll be in the truck.”

When the door shut again, I sat in silence.

Shayna hadn’t said much. She didn’t need to.

I hadn’t thought of her in years. But the way she looked at me…

like she’d been waiting for something. Maybe closure.

Maybe a second chance I wasn’t ever offering.

Either way, it didn’t matter. Because the only woman on my mind now was probably at home, barefoot, snapping at the TV, with her belly out.

And I wouldn’t trade that for shit.