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Blaze and his big ass mouth was announcing that he never missed a target. “Capri, what happened?”

“Um, I knew before you… so pipe down. I actually had to talk her from jumping off the bridge.” Zoya shot back.

Blaze jumped in her face and laughed. “I hope when he shoot them chocolate babies inside you, your epidural don’t work.” Then he stuck his tongue at her, causing spit to fly on both her and Goon.

“That shit is nasty, Meer!” Zoya shoved him.

“What’s going on?” Anjo asked, confused as hell.

Capri leaned forward. “Twins, B.”

Her eyes lit up and she went to jump up and I gave her that look. “Calm it down… you still got my baby in your stomach.”

She climbed over me, as if I wasn’t here and hugged Capri. “Congratulations, Capri and Meer. I love this for you both… two babies… shit.”

“Thanks, Blair. For reminding me that two babies have to come out of me.”

She broke out into laughter. “Hey, Zoy.”

“Hi babes, how are you feeling? You cooking up my baby girl in there. Wait, did I tell you I purchased her and Cherry these cute matching bathing suits?”

“Already shopping for her and she not even here yet.”

“Look, my girl got her a brand-new Chanel for her first birthday… I’m the rich auntie; I’m supposed to do that.”

“Getting Ryder those fucking shoes that come dirty wasn’t real rich auntie, was it?” Blaze was back on her ass, and she flipped him off.

“Getting her the dirt bike next, hoe!”

Blaze paused and held his leg, and we all grew concerned. “Fuck… my leg is telling me that Zoya is a bitch.”

“The baddest, too,” they both started laughing and dapped each other up.

“Sigel is an undercover cop!” Capri blurted.

Blaze stood back up. “Baby, you having a stroke,” he hugged her head, and she shoved him away, and leaned forward.

“Everything was happening at the time with Lucia holding Irie hostage, but I walked past the conference room, and Sigel was there with a badge on… he’s an undercover cop, and he had a picture of Khaos, and Menace’s name on the board.”

“Oh brother, didn’t the last person that put his nutty ass on a white board learn?”

I looked at Zoya. “Finding out that he’s a fucking cop doesn’t surprise you?”

“I’m a numb person, Quasim. I don’t feel much, and I always expect the worst so when the worst comes, it isn’t shocking to me.”

“Fuck.” Blaze whispered, as we all stared at her.

It was how nonchalant she was when she said it, and that was what made it that much more sad. I remember when I felt like that about life. Never feeling anything because the two times I did, I ended up losing two people I cared for.

The one thing I had noticed about Zoya was how unaffectionate she was. She loved Capri and Blair, and I knew that, but Capri and Blair were overly affectionate, always giving hugs, and Zoya would always make jokes about them always hugging.

Or whenever they went in for a hug, they would almost give her a warning before doing it.

I met Menace, and knew that he raised his siblings, so it made sense why Zoya was that way.

Goon was the complete opposite, as he rubbed her thighs and couldn’t keep his hands off her, I could tell them together was going to be interesting.

“We gonna work on that, hear me?” He looked up at her, and she looked away. Taking her chin and redirecting her. “I said do you hear me, Zoya?”

She was in a battle with herself, not wanting to fold, but knowing that Goon wasn’t that person. He wasn’t Sigel, or any of the men from her past. He didn’t fold easy, and he wasn’t allowing her to get away.

Their stare was intense as she stared down into his eyes. “Yes, Goon.”

She tried to look away and he held her face in place. “Who?”

“Gerald.”

He smirked. “I’m patient and bull headed, too… me and your brother got that meeting, baby cakes.”

“Awe, this is so sweet… but what the fuck are we doing about Sigel?”

We all looked at Forty. “You know four and zero, we always finding some shit out late… how the fuck didn’t you know about this?” Blaze questioned.

“Meer?”

“Yeah?”

“Fuck ya.”

Blaze leaned back in the chair and as we watched Forty. “He can’t be touched. If they moved his ass in like this, he’s been undercover for some time. Sigel has street ties and shit… which means he been in the game for a minute.”

“That nigga was in prison with me.”

“Committed to his assignment… nine times out of ten, they don’t know that he killed your cousin. He’s deep into his assignment where he doesn’t know what his job is and what’s his life.”

“Makes a lot of sense.” Zoya spoke. “He was always asking about my brother, wanting to meet him. Claimed our relationship was fake because I hadn’t introduced him, and I started to feed into it… feeling bad because he was a secret.”

“Should have never let that nigga touch you,” Goon said, no longer rubbing her thigh, but squeezing the arm of the chair.

“Well, sue a girl for wanting to be in a relationship.”

“Should have waited for me.”

“Gerald, I didn’t even fucking know you.”

Blaze cleared his throat. “I mean, you knew you had a husband doing time… should have waited for him.”

She looked at me and I shrugged. “Kind of fucked up, Zoy.”

Zoya was in disbelief as she stared at us men. “You all are fucking delusional.”

Meer chuckled. “You call it delusion, but I say it’s speaking it into existence, right Sug?”

She blushed. “Right, Meer cat.”

“Capri, you just as delusional.”

She looked at Blair. “Girl, I been about that… followed this man around.”

I kissed her head. “And I followed you back.”

“Watching mine now… better not be nobody picking you up for this so-called girl’s night.” Forty spoke into his phone, then pulled it back to watch whoever was on the screen.

“The hell?” Blaze said.

Forty shrugged. “Any fucking way… you can’t touch him. No matter how much we want to touch him, that shit could fall back on us hard. My office is looking into those paintings that are being stolen, which makes sense why Khaos’s face is up there… what does Menace have to do with it?”

“Underground galleries… Menace is purchasing those paintings. Stevie is into art, and knows a shit ton about art.”

“Not all the art goes to him… Dane Amante is heavily into art, and we have a few overseas buyers that purchase, too.” Goon replied.

“One fire at a time. Sigel isn’t an immediate threat, and I’ll look further into shit to see what he has… right now, we need to handle Mercer and Thea.”

“His court date isn’t until a few months and Kora made sure that he didn’t get bail.” Zoya got comfortable on Goon, who wrapped his arms back around her.

“I want him.”

“Can’t take on the world, Pop,” Blaze said, looking over at me.

I looked past him at Elijah who was enjoying playing the game, experiencing peace. This was probably the most peace he had ever experienced since everything happened. Mercer took my boy’s innocence, and while I couldn’t take on the world, that man had to see me about my son.

He needed to die by my hands, and I wouldn’t rest until it was done. The world needed to be rid of him. “Polo skipped town after Pops sent that basket to his house.”

“He running right into the trap that has been set. Miami is where he’s going to run… he has a bitch down there; think she got a baby. Polo is going to get comfortable, and we’ll let him get comfortable.”

“Tyshawn thinks I want to be back with him. He’s not a threat, either… if anything, he’s enjoying not being broke now that the vipers are back eating.” She shoved her phone into my face, and I watched as this nigga was pleading for my wife.

Wanting her back and trying to make her believe that she needed to be back with him. The nigga really thought I was dead, and that shit was hilarious. “I’m not taking that from you, Anjo. If you want to be the one to do it, I’m with you.”

“Me too, B.” Blaze said.

“Let me hold his head, ugh… hate that man,” Capri said.

Zoya looked at her. “As your defense attorney… I’ll be there in spirit.”

“Cause baby cakes gonna make sure her man stays free.”

“Not my man.”

“Yeah, you right,” he agreed.

“See, now you’re being reasonable.”

“I’m yo fucking husband, Zoya Caselli.” His lips brushed against her earlobe, and she shuttered.

Blaze looked at me. “Pop, Cherish was the one who shot me… don’t know what the fuck her reason is.”

“And she the same one who had them shoot up Kobe’s house.” Anjo added.

Havoc told me about the shit that went down, but he never mentioned Cherish’s name. I understood they were all trying not to stress me, but the shit had me pissed. That dusty booty bitch was always smiling in my fucking face, wanting to fuck me, knowing I was with her cousin.

Now the bitch was on some crusade on avenging her cousin’s death.

“Sim…I know this may be hard to understand, but I need you to know that Rich didn’t kill Cherie.

He only took credit for the shit because of Lucia.

She admitted it to me before she killed herself.

I believe only half of what people say, but something is telling me that she isn’t lying. ”

Anjo kissed my hands as I leaned back and took in what she said. “Why the fuck would she kill her?”

“Rich wouldn’t leave Cherie alone… Lucia was sick in the mind, and very jealous. She was never chosen, and seeing Rich choose a woman who was in a relationship and a mother did something to her. It was easier for Rich to pretend and play big dawg, knowing he never had the heart to take her life.”

“All I know is that bitch has to die… she fucking shot me. I knew when I told her that her teeth was fucked up, she had beef with me.”

I chuckled while still in thought. “This man done sat me down again, let me handle it.”

“Yeah, and I’m gonna go shake my ass at Yasin’s club tonight,” Blaze replied.

Capri looked at him. “Then you need to go and get ready.”

“I’m dead serious, Sug.”

“I’ll go wit….” Anjo’s voice trailed off as my gaze lowered and looked at her, and she gave me a nervous smile. “Kidding.”