“Been there before,” she nodded in understanding and stepped back. “You here to see Xayne?”
“Yes, ma’am,” I replied as I stepped inside. Immediately, I looked around for any signs of Xaire but came up empty. “Is he around?”
“He’s in his office talking to your daddy.” She closed the door and pointed to the back, where Xayne’s office was located.
“My Pop is here?”
“Yeah, he showed up a few hours ago,” she nodded. “Tulane is back there, too, with one of his daughters.”
“Yale?” I didn’t even try to hide the hopefulness in my voice.
“No, baby, Yale isn’t here this time,” she answered, shaking her head. “The last time I saw her was when she came to drop off Mercy’s engagement ring to Givens.”
“Alright,” I chuckled.
I hated that Tulane had given in to Yale and let her move as freely as she was, but I also knew she was doing everything in her power to gain some control over her life. She tore up his house the day after I dropped off her work case to the point that Tulane had called me, going off. I laughed, not surprised by her reaction but also prepared. I had the money deposited into his account for the repairs before we got off the phone. For the next few weeks, she drove him crazy to the point that he spent as much time away from home as he could. During the time he was away, she and her sisters dove into work, and that seemed to chill them out. Now she was using my plane, car, and debit card that I’d put in her purse the last time I was at Tulane’s house to travel for work. And I wasn’t even mad at her for it. I kept an eye on her, made sure she was safe, and she regained her passion.
“Pop, Tulane, Xayne,” I greeted them when I walked into Xayne’s office. Berkeley sat in the corner in a chair, legs crossed and a smirk on her face. “Berkeley.” I nodded at her, and she returned the gesture.
“Took you long enough to get here.” Pop stood, dapped me up, then stepped to the side so I could shake Tulane and Xayne’s hand. “How long are you here for?”
“A few days,” I answered as I sat next to him. “I’m glad y’all are here, though. I need to talk to y’all about something.”
“What’s up?” Xayne asked and sat back.
“What do y’all know about Robert Strong and his connection to the Kilmores?” I asked, looking between the three of them.
“Who told you that name?” Xayne sat forward with a mug on his face. I don’t know who put a battery in his back, but I wasn’t feeling the way he was questioning me or talking to me.
“Doesn’t matter how I know it,” I said, shaking my head. “I just need to know his connection.”
“It matters,” Xayne replied. “And no one is going to answer your question without you answering mine first.”
I looked over at Pop, whose face was twisted just like Xayne’s. They knew who this nigga was. “Pop?”
“Answer the question, Amethyst,” Pop said, shaking his head. “Who told you that name?”
“He may be the one who’s running the Kilmores,” I answered him. Pop chuckled and shook his head. “December is going to confirm it and get back to me.”
“Why do you think he’s connected to the Kilmores?” Pop asked. “And how did you even learn his name?”
I took out my phone, pulled up my emails, and showed them the picture of Robert. “This is him, right?” I asked, even though I knew the answer. “Well, he was at Grant’s funeral. When Cross realized it, she immediately got to work. Called December, who was on the same vibe she was, and now I’m sitting here trying tofigure out who this nigga is and why he’s such a fucking big deal, yet I never heard his name until today.” I sat back and shook my head.
“If Robert is involved, then it makes sense as to how Quincy has disappeared, and no one can find him,” Xayne said. “Listen, Amethyst, if he’s involved, we need you to step back.”
“I already told Cross that I would,” I nodded. “I want Quincy, though, no questions asked. That nigga owes down, and big time. I need to bring him out of hiding.”
“Go after what’s important to him,” Berkeley suggested. I turned in my seat to look at her. “His family, money, something that will make him come out. You have to find out what it is and exploit it.”
“Nah, that nigga doesn’t care about shit,” I chuckled and shook my head. “He doesn’t give a fuck about family. Shit, his wife is dead, and he doesn’t even know it yet. And the seed his wife carried that isn’t his?” I turned around and grilled Xayne. “Where is Xaire?”
“He’s safe,” Xayne replied, mugging me. “We made sure of that.”
“Pop, did Xayne tell you that he had lunch at Citrine’s hotel the afternoon everything went down?” I asked my father as I returned Xayne’s glare. “He was having lunch with Ta’lon, Gerold, and Bentley?”
“Yeah,” my Pop answered, and I cut my eyes to him. “I knew because I set it up.”
“Why?”
