Page 35 of Into the Blue

Fucking cake walk.

Now cutting them out is proving more difficult because I can’t have eyes everywhere. I can’t rely on the people I’ve put in place. I can’t rely on the dealings I’ve made.

That is becoming more and more clear.

I just don’t know why.

Colorado was easy when it was Colton and his men. My brother may not have been a part of this in any way, but his best friend, Drea, had been my first key into how I could expand the Dupont name past state borders and take advantage of American produced weed. Getting the good shit and charging even more for green where they couldn’t get it legally in the US.

Medical grade marijuana was nothing to sniff at. Profit margins were higher because everybody wanted this shit in comparison to the reggie I was dealing with before. I don’t know if it was because Senior was making bad choices on suppliers or if the quality degraded from the region he got it from.

Either way, I had to level up if I was going to expand. After making that connection with Drea’s ex, I began to really hit my stride. My next connect in Cali was easy. Same process, just a new location.

It was—until it wasn’t.

This is more calculated than just randomly picking off something by accident.Someone is hitting us slowly.Making me distrust my men, forcing me to chase down these itty bitty ass problems while something larger is surely brewing.

With Redd behind the computer screen doing whatever he does, I’m stuck thinking over every interaction I’ve had with all parties involved. Time passes before anyone says anything over the radio.

“Umm, someone left a body here. She’s at the back door, boss.” I snatch the radio from Redd’s hand. He rolls his eyes, focusing back on the screen.

It’s been two days and I haven’t heard from Diamond and she’s not been to work. What we had was only the start. I’d hoped to finally put some ofthe fun extras in the private room to work, starting with those chains on the back wall above the bed.

She wasn’t there though.

Figured she was just uncomfortable after Jimmy accosted her. But I told her that I’d taken care of that problem. I put my number in her phone and aside from the first call she placed so that I’d have her number, my phone was dry.

She never hit me up and she wasn’t working.

My gut churns thinking about what could have happened to her. A suspicion enters my mind and I don’t want it to be true. I grip the radio so tightly that the metal stings against my damaged hands. “Who is it?”

There’s a pause before a crackling response comes through the radio again. “Don’t know. She’s not conscious.”

She.

Fuck, no.

I look over to Redd and he shrugs. Pressing the mic on, I ask, “Dead?”

“Should I check?”

“The fuck? Yes.” I’m already headed down the four flights of stairs to the security at the back.

The secured and barred doors buzz to let me through. I can still hear Redd following behind me, but I don’t wait for him.

Normally, we receive any illegal product through these doors. It’s a precaution to have the men here to keep an eye on any deliveries and to make sure someone can’t just walk out with my shit. The other door on the west side is for standard deliveries for any of the legal fronts.

The only people who know of this entry are the ones involved with the green. This reeks of Junior and I need to get to the bottom of it.

“Open the door,” I bark when the outside door is still locked.

With another buzz, I’m able to push through and I see her there at the foot of the short steps leading to the door.

My Diamond.

Racquelle.

The concrete runway is empty for once, My steps pick up. Rushing and practically leaping off the steps to get to her, my black heart cracks wide open at the state she’s in.