Page 26

Denial. Anger. Bargaining. Depression. Acceptance.

Those are the five stages of grief.

Guilt. Anger. Bargaining. Regret. Murder.

Those are the feelings that I go through.

Guilt that I allowed Essence’s mayoral run and her mere existence to consume me to the point of distraction.

Anger that they dared fuck with my woman and take her from me.

Bargaining with God to please return her safely home to the boys and me, even if it means that I have to give up my life for hers.

Regret that I never married her, thinking that would protect her from law enforcement if they ever came after me, not to mention protecting all the material goods by putting them in her name. Not marrying didn’t protect her either.

Murder.

It comes down to that simple word. When I find the dumbasses who took my woman, and I will, there will be no bargaining. There will be no questions because I don’t want or need answers.

It will be murder, pure and simple.

I try dialing Bayleigh’s number again with no success.

When she called me right back after she’d hung up the first time, I didn’t think much of it. We often hang up and call one another back because we forgot to say something.

What I hadn’t expected was to hear another nigga’s voice calling me from my woman’s phone. I didn’t instantly suspect something funny was going on.

I knew.

In my heart and soul, I knew there was some fuck shit going on and that my woman was in danger.

I think back on the call now as I head down to the garage.

“Hey, my love.”

“No. Sorry, this isn’t your love. But I know where she’s at.”

“I don’t know who the fuck you are. But for the simple fact that you’re calling me from her phone, I know you’ve fucked up. When I find you, and trust me, I will, you’ll realize that you’ve fucked with the wrong one.”

“Zaire!”

Her scream rips right through me, and my heart roars to life with murder and vengeance at once.

“I don’t know what you want, and I don’t give a fuck. Let her go, and you can meet with me face to face. We will handle this man-to-man. Let her fucking go now!” I seethe.

“No. You’re not in a position to make demands. I simply wanted a meeting with you. But you were too fucking arrogant to make that happen. Turning down my calling card wasn’t in your best interest, sir.”

And I know. It’s that cat who eyed me at the club a couple of months back when we celebrated Hakeem’s birthday. The one who sent me the bottle of Macallan.

“Don’t let a hair on her head be touched.”

He laughs.

“You really don’t know who you’re fucking with. You want a meeting? Let’s meet right now. We can meet on your turf, Stage 21, and settle this shit once and for all.”

“It’s too late for that. The only thing that I want now is to take you down and take over your empire.”

“Like I said, don’t let a fucking hair on her head be touched.”

The last thing that I hear is Bayleigh screaming my name, “ Zaire!”

“Bayleigh! Hey! Hey!” I shout into the phone.

Pulling it away, I see that the call has ended.

“Where to, Bossman?” Ghalen asks when I hop into the passenger seat beside him.

Ignoring his question, I speak into the phone as soon as Aris answers.

“Do you have plates, a location, anything?”

“Not a location yet, sir. I’m working on it, though.”

“What do you have, Aris?” I ask impatiently.

“I have the plates, but they trace back to the same rental company that the limo did earlier this year. The last time we spoke with him, he claimed not to know anything.”

“His ass is gonna know something tonight. There’s no way in hell these guys keep using him, and he’s innocent in all this. If he doesn’t know a muthafuckin’ thing, he knows that there’s some shit in the game. He’s got to give me something,” I grumble as Ghalen pulls out of the garage.

“Ryland’s Rentals?” Ghalen asks, glancing at me.

Nodding, I turn my attention back to Aris. “What now?”

“I’m doing a triangulation on the area around her shop. You did say that’s where she was last, correct?”

“Yeah.”

I had called Aris, Parker, Janel, Jamal, and Malik no sooner than that bastard hung up on me. They were all in different locations, but they instantly dropped what they were doing and went on the move, searching around the city for anything suspicious.

I called Kim and asked her to pick up Zaccai and Zayn and escort them back to the house.

Parker called men in to come and secure the home and watch over my family until I could return.

He also called Noble to see what he could track down.

I had placed Aris on searching through traffic cams and other data.

My other line rings, and I glance at the phone.

“Let me hit you back, Aris.”

I end the call without waiting for her response.

“Hey, I got your nine one one. What’s up?” Damascus asks.

“They took Bayleigh.”

“Who took Bayleigh, Z?” he asks in disbelief.

“I don’t know who these assholes are, but I know they’re after my business. Malik’s on his way to Stage 21 to check out the scene.”

“All right. Let me check into some things, local gangs, and things like that, to see what I can find out. I’ll hit you back as soon as I can.”

“Thanks, D.”

“Z?”

“Yeah?”

“If you find anyone . . . anyone at all that has her, call me in and let me handle it, okay?”

“The fuck? You know it’s not that type of party, D.”

“Normally, I’d agree, but it’s an election year, and she’s gunning for you.”

“Essence Hamilton is the last thing on my mind. Fuck Essence if she gets in my way,” I growl, ending the call.

I immediately dial Aris back, and she answers.

“Hey, Bossman.”

“What you got for me?”

“You’re not going to like this.”

“Give it to me.”

“One of the men’s faces was caught on camera.”

“And?”

“He’s a former bodyguard of Essence Hamilton.”

This ain’t a fucking coincidence.