Crown cupped her face with his gloved hands and leaned in, his mouth brushing her ear as he whispered slowly,
“Anybody who helps him get away after touching you…signs their own death certificate. But if he gives that nigga up or stays out my way, I’ll let him breathe. Just ‘cause you asked me to.”
∞∞∞
Crown, Smoky, and Black approached the back of Maino’s small home. Crown moved first, low and creeping. He spotted the pit bulls before they noticed him. Titan and Roxy lay, sensing something in the dark. One lifted its head, and the other’s eyes popped open, shifting its weight.
Crown didn’t hesitate, aiming his pistol with a silencer attached. The suppressed shots were soft, just like the ones he had used on the lock at the gate. Both dogs dropped, their bodieshitting the ground with dull thuds before they could attack or make a sound. Crown then tucked the pistol, opting for his AR to finish the mission.
Smoky gave a quick nod, and Black reached for the door, breaking in with his tool. The back lock eventually popped with a quiet click, and they slipped inside. Crown led the way, his eyes quickly adjusting to the dim light coming from inside the kitchen. Once they made it to the living room, he lifted his hand, signaling for Smoky and Black to pause. He’d heard it, a bed creak and movement. Both moved in sync, stopping to wait for his next command.
Down the hall, Maino thought he heard something, too. Nothing loud enough to be certain, but enough to pull him from deep rest. He stood near his door, already out of bed, listening and waiting. But there was nothing. Still, his hand wrapped tight around the gun he’d swiped from beneath his pillow, ready for whatever. With the mess Boe had brought to his doorstep, he could never be too careful.
Maino cracked the door and leaned into the dark hallway, scanning it carefully. He paused and listened. Still nothing. The silence, especially from his dogs, made him question himself. Maybe he was trippin’, paranoid after everything he’d learned about Boe. Titan and Roxy didn’t fuck around. If there was danger, he knew they would’ve sensed it first and alerted him. He relaxed just enough to step into the hallway and start walking. But as he rounded the corner, his world exploded, proving his gut had been right all along.
Crown emerged from the shadows and drove the butt of the AR into Maino’s face. Maino hit the floor hard, his gun skidding out of reach. As blood gushed from his nose and mouth, Crown flipped the rifle smoothly and positioned the barrel right between his eyes.
“I’mma ask you this one time. And if you lie to me, that promise I made not to kill you gets broken. I’ll put a hole in your muthafuckin’ head big enough to see daylight through.” He warned through clenched teeth.
Maino’s breath came out ragged as he stared into Crown’s dark eyes.
“Is Boe here?”
Maino’s busted lips parted, but before he could answer, a thud echoed through the living room. Muted and low, coming from beneath their feet. It was followed by the faint scrape of metal against concrete, like something being shoved aside quickly. Then came the sound of glass popping loose.
Crown's eyes darted to the floor, realizing someone was trying to escape from the basement.
“Go get that muthafucka.” He said to Smoky, who was already moving.
∞∞∞
Fuck the snitching. Crown wanted Boe's head solely for what he had done to Nivéa. That was more than enough reason for him to put him in the dirt.
The dim light inside the warehouse illuminated Boe, who stood weakly in the center of the room, supported by Black and Smoky on either side. He was bloodied and battered, with a cloth taped over his mouth. Smoky had already done a number on him outside Maino’s home when he caught him, but that was nothing compared to what Crown had planned.
Crown advanced, cocking his fist back before connecting hard with Boe’s face. The powerful impact tore him from Blackand Smoky’s grip, sending him sprawling backward onto the ground. Boe gasped for breath, feeling his teeth crumble and jaw dislocate. In an instant, Crown was on him, pressing a boot firmly against his throat as he stared up in horror, his groans of pain muffled.
“Yeah, bitch-ass nigga. Look me in my eyes. You gon’ go to the grave wishing you never touched what’s mine.” Crown said, turning to Black. “Carry his ass to the back and hang him up.”
Without hesitation, Black dragged Boe by the collar, his body slipping in and out of consciousness, leaving a bloody trail behind on the pavement. Crown and Smoky followed until they reached the designated area.
Both Smoky and Black moved with precision and speed. Smoky ripped Boe’s shirt away, and Black hoisted him onto the meat racks, the sharp hooks tearing through the skin of his back. The pain jolted Boe awake, more muffled growls escaping his lips…music to Crown’s ears.
Revenge was the sweetest satisfaction, second only to getting pussy, and Crown swore by it as he reached for a tool. That night, he vowed to make an example out of Boe. One that would send a clear message through the Hills.Nivea was his now, and touching her or Nyla was suicide.
Chapter Twelve
Same shit. Different day.
Engines lined the road leading up to the Council’s clubhouse, chrome catching the glow of streetlights as motorcycle clubs from mostly every corner of the city rolled in. All of them showed nothing but respect. Old beefs were paused, though not forgotten, because this was neutral ground, and everybody present understood the cost of disrespecting it. The Council required peace.
Boosie Badazz boomed from inside the clubhouse as the Knights pulled in. Crown led, his bike moving smoothly through the crowd. Their presence shifted the energy immediately. Conversations stopped, and heads turned as they all stood from their bikes. All the clubs had earned respect, but the Knights held a different stardom because they had been around for decades, putting in work.
Looking just like his father, Crown swung off his bike and adjusted his vest before moving forward with his club close at his side. They broke apart once they reached the entrance. Crown and Danger headed toward one of the Council’s guards. The rest of the Knights fell back, walking in the opposite direction, Smoky leading them.
“Weapons,” the older guard, Knox, commanded.
Nodding, Crown handed over both of his guns, and Danger did the same. After being thoroughly searched to be sure, Knox instructed them to follow him.
