I swallowed hard. “Is there anything you need? Anything I can do?”
He was quiet for a long moment. Then: “My son is coming home.”
I stiffened. “Kasim?”
“Yeah.” A faint smile crossed his cracked lips. “He’s getting out of prison. He’ll be here soon. He’ll finish what I couldn’t.”
I understood what that meant. Kasim would take over the organization, or at least what’s left of it. Would continue Rashid’s legacy. Would be the heir to an empire built on blood and money.
“I did my part,” I said carefully. “Zainab is in custody. The arrest went through. She’s been extradited to California.”
Rashid nodded slowly. “Good. That was important.”
“Prime has always been a thorn in my side.” The words came out bitter. “An embarrassment. Everything he does reflects on me, and he doesn’t care. Never has.”
“That boy loves hard,” Rashid said. “Too hard sometimes. But he’s loyal. Fierce. That’s because of how I raised him.”
“You made him a killer.”
The words hung in the air between us.
Rashid’s eyes found mine. No apology in them. No regret.
“You asked me to protect him. Said you needed someone to make sure he survived.”
I did.I’ve never liked Prentice. He looked too much like Alex and Alex was a cheater. Sure, I cheated too, but he did it so much and got that bitch pregnant. I may sound like a hypocrite but I at least had the decency to keep my affairs on the low. Alex would bring our sons around his whores. He publicly embarrassed me.
So, no I couldn’t stand looking at Prentice. He reminded me of the man that robbed me of my true happiness with Rashid. But just because I didn’t like him, didn’t mean I wanted him dead. I sent him to prison to advance my career but I didn’t want him to die there. When I found Rashid was in the same prison, I told him to look after him.
A short while later, Rashid told me that Prentice had a lot of promise. That he was a king in the making. A leader. A killer. I didn’t believe him. Prentice was a fat-ass that couldn’t even string together one sentence without stuttering.
“I wanted you to protect him,” I hissed. “Not turn him into a weapon.”
“He was already a weapon, Viv. That boy killed someone at thirteen years old. You think I made him that way?” He coughed, the sound wet and rattling. “I just gave him a purpose. Gave him skills. Made sure when he used that violence, it was strategic. Controlled.”
“You ruined him.”
“I saved him. You’re the one who threw him away.”
The accusation hit like a slap. Because it was true. I’d testified against my own son. Pushed for him to be tried as an adult. Wanted him gone so he wouldn’t destroy my political career.
I’d chosen power over my child.
And Rashid had picked up the pieces.
“We could argue about this forever,” I said finally. “But it doesn’t matter now. What’s done is done.”
“Then why you bring it up?”
“Because I need to know what Kasim is going to do. When he gets here. When he takes over.” I leaned closer. “What are his plans for Prime?”
Rashid studied me with those dark eyes that still saw too much, even now.
“Kasim will handle Prime for taking Yusef out of here and cutting off my daughter’s ear. He crossed the line with that one.”
My chest tightened. Prime was many things—difficult, stubborn, a constant source of headaches—but he was still my son. Still my blood.
“Do whatever you want to Prime,” I said slowly. “But please… spare Quest and Justice. They’re innocent in all this. They’ve never crossed you or Kasim.”
