My phone rang, and seeing who it was, I cursed and checked my watch before standing and leaving the floor. Ignoring the call was not an option, but so was answering it. I pretended not to feel Abel’s frustration at my lack of focus as he shadowed me down the dark hall.
I closed myself inside Roshaun’s old office at the Diamond Lounge and sat at his desk. I’d still been his silent partner at the time of his death, so shutting the club down for fumigation had been easy. Roshaun’s share had already been transferred to Coby. I planned to gift her mine as well, giving her full ownership to do whatever she wanted with it, including burning it down if she chose.
“What’s the matter, sweetheart?” I asked after answering the video call.
“Nothing,” Coby mumbled with a fist on her cheek. She was pouting as I knew she would be. “Just bored.”
I hummed. “Where’s Hunter?”
“Playing cards with Kellan. Where are you?”
“Around,” I said, not wanting to reveal too much on the phone.
“You’re safe?” she asked absently. Her gaze was busy searching my background for clues, so I brought the phone closer to my face.
“Always.”
“We haven’t seen you in days,” she whispered while pouting still. “So, how would I know?”
We’d finally gotten to the crux of this phone call.
I kept Hunter and Coby updated whenever I was in the streets as promised, but Coby was spoiled as fuck. Anything less than seeing me every day was unacceptable. I couldn’t fault her, sinceI felt the same way. “I know, baby. I miss you both, too. Did you get my gifts?”
She rolled her eyes. “Gifts aren’t you.”
I grinned at that. “I know. Diamonds can’t fuck you like I can. Can they, pretty girl?”
Coby blushed and fingered a ginger curl behind her ear to slyly show me that she was wearing them now. Her hair had grown a lot in the last few months, reaching toward her shoulders. I could even see the natural light brown color taking over the copper. “That’s not what I meant, nasty.”
“Sure.”
Coby changed the subject, and I gave her my undivided attention as she talked a mile a minute, her brown eyes glowing as she updated me on the rest of our secret plans. I was content to listen, even though I hadn’t caught most of it because I was more fixated on watching how her pink mouth moved as she talked.
When Coby mentioned making a trip into the city tomorrow to meet with the caterer, it snapped me right the fuck out of my trance. I told her it would have to wait until I returned, which sparked an immediate argument.
“Well, when will you be back?” she whined.
Before I could answer, there was a knock on the door. I glanced up to see Abel poking his head inside the office.
“He’s here,” Abel informed me.
“Who’s there?” Coby’s nosy ass questioned.
I looked down at the screen. “Baby, I got to go.”
“Why?”
“Coby.”
She hung up the phone without saying goodbye, I love you, fuck you…nothing. I made a mental note to check her little ass about it later.
Right now, I had a meeting with my father.
“He’s alone,” Abel announced as soon as I stepped out of the office, and we started back down the hall.
I stopped in my tracks. “What?”
“The smug fuck actually came alone. No guards. And he wasn’t armed when my men checked him.”
