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“Here.” My mother placed her hand on my shoulder, handing me a duffle bag.

I was thankful for my brother, but what was up with Noemi?

I hope she wasn’t thinking about leaving me because of this bullshit.

“I know you wouldn’t have wanted to wear hospital clothes, so I went and bought you something from the penthouse.

” Nodding to the bathroom, she added, “Go get dressed so you can come out here and tell me about Noemi Boudreaux.”

Hearing my brother chuckle, I shot a glare at him before kissing my mother’s cheek and heading to the bathroom. Once inside, I gripped the sink as I looked at my reflection in the mirror. There were a few cuts and bruises on my head, as well as stitches on my face and shoulders, but I was okay.

As I got dressed, I said a prayer for my baby girl.

I had just got her, and I’ll be damned if I lose her already.

She was my heart, and there was no way I would be able to live without her.

Not only Gianna, but Noemi too. I was glad to know she was okay, but she won’t be for long if she thinks leaving a nigga was an option.

I know this shit happening wasn’t in the plans, but neither was falling in love with her.

She could fuck around and find out if she wanted to, but this shit with us was forever.

I didn’t care about her so-called marriage because once she gave herself to me, she entered the only “till death do us part” contract that mattered.

“Boss man… what the hell are you doing here?” Jerome asked as I entered the club.

I’ve been out of the hospital for two days and still haven’t found my daughter.

I also hadn’t seen or heard from Noemi. I’ve called her cousin, hoping our bonding over killing muthafuckas would get me an in on where she was, but instead, he claimed that when she was ready to speak to me, she would reach out.

I wanted to hop on a flight and go show my ass in Florida, but I was doing enough of that here at home.

“You need to be at home resting, Bossman.”

“You need to shut the fuck up and do what you’re paid to do!” I snapped at him as I made my way around the bar. It was a Tuesday evening, and even though we had a nice crowd, it was the slowest night of the week. “Do you need anything?”

Jerome didn’t deserve to be the target of my anger, but I didn’t feel like hearing his mouth. I had enough shit going on, and this club was the last place I wanted to be. However, even with all that was going on, I still had to make sure the businesses were running smoothly.

“If I did, what good would it do with you being the way you are right now?” He mugged me and placed his hand on his hip.

Glaring at him while I poured myself a shot, he wasn’t fazed at all.

Jerome was never influenced or bothered by my attitude, and that’s how he’s been able to stay around for so long.

“The girls have been managing things just fine. You left the best in charge.”

“Is that right?” I nodded while I threw back another shot. “I appreciate you stepping up. Help running a club wasn’t in your job description, but?—”

“Then add it,” he said over his shoulder, cutting me off to serve another guest. “Add the money that goes along with it too.” We shared a laugh, but we both knew he was serious.

“But in all seriousness, I have everything under control here, Skip. You have other things going on.” He gave me a sympathetic look, causing my jaw to twitch.

“I will call you if you’re needed, but I promise you… I got this. So, go on, grumpy pants.”

Slapping him on the back, I left him and the two girls at the bar to do their thing. Since getting rid of Irene, the vibe here had been different, and the girls had been happier. If I had known she was causing such hostility in the workplace, she would have been gone.

“Shit…” I groaned once I made my way upstairs to my office. My side was healing, but it was still tender as fuck. It didn’t help that I’ve been on the go since I left the hospital. “I’m killing everybody and their mama’s for this shit.”

“We're right there with you on that one.”

Snapping my head up, I saw Money and Wild waiting outside my office door.

My brother looked tired as hell, and I know it’s because he’s been searching the streets non-stop for Gianna.

I appreciated the fuck out of him for that, and I couldn’t think of anything I could do to show him the depth of my gratefulness.

“What’s up, y’all?” I slapped hands with them both as best as I could. “What are y’all doing here?”

“We came to get your ass.” I frowned at Wild as he spoke. “This club is fine. I been by to help Rome with whatever he needs. Outside of wanting to beat his ass for hitting on me, he has it all under control here.”

“Everything is still booming at the houses too,” Money chimed in as he pushed off the wall. “With us not knowing who was behind the shooting, I didn’t want to spook them or raise suspicion until we came up with a plan. You don’t have to do this shit alone, bro. We got you.”

Leaning against the wall, I dropped my head and took a breather. I’ve been overwhelmed like hell for the past few days, and it was getting to me. Still, I had shit to do and niggas to kill.

“Aight, let’s get out of here.” I nodded toward the exit. “Let’s go to the warehouse—the one in Sunset Valley.”

Without question, they followed me out. Getting into the car with them, I rested my eyes as Wild drove us. I had almost dozed off until Wild spoke up.

“Say, Skip… has Gia tried calling you.” I popped an eye open and caught his stare under the street lights. “Mama has been trying to reach her for a couple of days now and has been getting her voicemail.”

“That bitch ain’t dialed my number at all. She wasn’t calling before Gi Baby was snatched, but you’d think she’d reached out by now, knowing the hood knew what the fuck was going on.”

The day my baby was taken, I made it clear that regardless of whether a report was filed or not, I was killing those responsible.

My brother had a lot of connections in high places and assured me he would keep it under wraps as long as possible for me to do my thing.

I didn’t want to believe Gia would do something so heinous and reckless but knowing she’s with the nigga that calls himself wanting to take over the streets in my city, I didn’t put shit past her.

“Good thing you kept Irene alive,” Money said as we pulled up to the warehouse. “For her sake, I hope she has the answers to whatever you want to ask.”

Entering the facility, the eeriness hit you right away.

This place hasn’t been used since Dre decided to kill the lieutenant governor, but to me, you could always feel the souls of all the lives taken here lingering and roaming around.

As we got closer to the room where Irene was held, we heard a bit of commotion.

All three of us pulled our Glocks instantly because there was no way anyone else should have been in here.

As we crept closer, the sounds of whimpering filled the air.

“I’m going to ask you one more time… where the fuck would your brother get the money from!”

Scraping sounded throughout the building as I pulled the door open.

I noticed the figure in the corner right away.

I said nothing as I walked over toward the one hovering over a whimpering and now battered Irene.

Before I could reach them, they turned toward me, removing the familiar hoodie in the process.

“Hey, baby,” Noemi smiled, greeting me. It was then that I noticed the Beretta in her right hand. “What are you doing here?”