Moose closed his eyes, saying a quick prayer over his food before taking his fork and digging in. Making sure Ayla was out of earshot, Kong leaned toward his brothers when their father approached the table.
“What’s up with that?” Moose chucked his chin toward where Ayla exited.
“Nothing.” Kong shook his head.
“Don’t seem like nothing, bro.” Mozzi chimed in with concern. “I fucks with Ayla, and her food. Plus, me and Nari fucking with each other. Don’t mess with that girl’s head,” he warned, aiming a fork at him.
“Let’s focus.” Kong addressed in a stern tone. “Last night was cool, but it was for charity. Ayla works for me. So, we’re keeping it professional.”
Moose and Mozzi locked eyes but didn’t verbally respond as Kong collected himself.
“Aight, well what’s going on?” Mozzi queried.“What you summon us for?”
“We’re making a move on Donahue. I told Audiemar what happened with Fire last night at the shop. Moose put extra security in the area, and we all need to tighten up with how we move. That includes Coast. I don’t know what you doing with her, but now people know she’s associated with you.” Kong verbalized.
Mozzi perked up in his seat at the mention of his baby’s name. She was easily a trigger for him, and if anyone tried to bring harm her way, they would have to go through him to do it. He didn’t give a fuck about Sipes, Fire, or Donahue. All of them were as good as dead if they so much as lifted a finger to touch her.
“I’ll talk to her. Make sure she’s good when she’s working.”
“Are we right to assume that this Sipes is the father of her baby?” Audiemar joined the conversation and sipped his coffee.
Kong had filled him in on the situation. He just found it amusing that Mozzi was going around calling this girl his girlfriend, and he barely knew her. Audiemar understood the sentiment, though. When he met Jane, it was lights out for any other woman trying to compete for his attention, or any man for hers. He never thought he’d see the day when the love bug struck this one, though. Mozzi picked up a slice of bacon, eyes cold when he took a bite before looking up at his father.
“Like I told her, that’s my baby. Fuck this nigga. He want smoke, I got it.”
“Well, Sipes and Fire are both under Donahue, which means affiliation with Nickel and Riddle. We cannot be at war with everyone out here.” Audiemar voiced.
“Fuck that! We ain’t bowing down either!” Mozzi objected. “That muhfucka Nickel got it coming.”
“What did you do?” Kong’s dark eyes narrowed.
Mozzi inspected his last slice of bacon before his gaze locked with his oldest brother's across the table. He took a bite and chewed slowly. Impulsive was one way to describe the youngest of the tribe. He didn’t believe in waiting for karma; he dealt that shit himself. Not always a safe mindset to carry, Mozzi held the burden on his own two shoulders when the consequences came down. He’d never put his actions or choices on the next when somebody clapped back. His brothers knew that about him if nothing else. This tracked back to their days at Haven House.
“Moses,” Audiemar chastised.
Inhaling through his nose, he swallowed his food and shook his head.
“I did what needed to be done. By tonight, one of Nickel’s shipments is going to come up a little short.” He sneered. “On top of the one he already lost last week. This time, we’re going to intervene and reroute it through our network. So while he’s losing money, we’ll be making it back.” Mozzi picked up his glass of orange juice and took a gulp.
“This nigga ’bout to have muhfuckas on our head.” Moose snickered.
“No risk, no fucking reward,” Mozzi quoted.
“Now is not the time to get sloppy or underestimate anybody. So while you’re focused on the reward, don’t forget that you’re coming for nigga’s pockets. Men go to war for two things.” Audiemar held up two fingers. “Money and pussy. You already struck out on both.”
“My expertise has been requested,” Moose declared, eyes syncing with his brothers and father around the table. “There are a few very exclusive and expensive art pieces coming through.I reached out to Ash. It’s a fifty-fifty split; and I’m looking at a milli payout.”
Mozzi whistled and shook his head. They weren’t strangers to getting money. Audiemar always warned them to live modestly and within their means, though. To Ree Heights and the rest of the world, they ran a trucking company that contracted with different department stores, furniture outlets, and basically anything that needed to be shipped throughout the state of Kansas and a few border states. Underneath that ran a lucrative gun, heroin, and pharmaceutical ring that brought in enough money to last them a couple of lifetimes.
Blackmoor Industries was legit on paper, with Desiree as the CFO. Most of the responsibilities still fell on Audiemar and Kong at the end of the day, but Desiree had power when it came to voting, being one of the majority shareholders. It was why she was able to travel as freely as she wanted without having to worry about the state of the business. She trusted her son and grandsons to keep the generational wealth going.
“What you need from us?” Kong queried.
“Just Moz on this one.” Moose nodded across the table to his little brother. “I’m supposed to get an address at nine pm. I need you to roll with me, so we can tap into the security system. I need those cameras down.”
“Fuck it. I’m wit it.” Mozzi stroked his beard and shrugged.
“Be careful,” Audiemar warned. “What I always tell y’all?”
