“How the fuck did they hit Karma?”
“She don’t remember who she is?”
“Does she remember the council?”
“What about her sanction?”
“Is the council in danger?”
Cashmere’s brows pulled in, and she kept quiet. She always thought members of the council were untouchable. This was new for her. By the looks of it, it was new for everyone. Her first thought was Ivoree and if she needed to double down on her security and put her on a curfew.
Her racing thoughts came to a halt when King Ro spoke again.
“Aye, I need everyone to stay cool. This was an isolated hit and had nothing to do with the council. Nobody knows about the council.” He paused and seemed to choose his next words wisely. “I preach to y’all the importance of keeping a low profile. We got niggas who will gladly step into the limelight while we sit back and pull the strings. Utilize those people. Karma didn’t. Everyone in the hood knows the myth named Karma. They may not have been able to put a face to the name, but niggas is smart. Karma got caught up without meaning to, and now we all have to deal with the fallout.
“We need to collectively take over her sanction so shit can continue to run smoothly. You’ll see on your tablets that I assigned everyone a part of her job. I know this adds more to ourplates, but if one of us falls, we have to work as a team to keep shit smooth.”
“What happens if she don’t get her memory back?” Pop asked. He was by far the most outspoken of the group, and he would ask the questions others might shy away from.
Cashmere listened intently as she tapped around on her tablet and found her assignment.Underground fight clubs.She scanned the details of the job, which didn’t seem too hard. She just needed to set up new locations for the boxing matches and keep tabs on the fighters. That seemed pretty easy. She would have hated to oversee the brothels or underground casinos.
Karma was in charge of vices. If a person had a vice, Karma had a solution for them. Sex, gambling, fighting to the death, and everything in between. Her job was a lot dirtier than Cashmere’s, but Karma seemed to love it. Sadness overtook her as she thought about the feisty woman. The fact that she lost her memory was scary and felt like a loss to Cashmere for some reason. It could have been any one of them. It could have been Cassydie or Marcellus.
Without even thinking about it, she reached over and took Cassydie’s hand. She wasn’t normally affectionate like that, but Cashmere needed to feel her best friend, even if it was just for a second. Cassydie squeezed her hand, offering the comfort Cashmere needed.
“Then we’ll have to find someone to take her place,” King Ro said solemnly. The room erupted again, but King Ro got them under control quickly. “Look, I know this shit ain’t ideal, but we gotta do what we gotta do. We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. I’ll keep y’all updated. For now, let’s get this meeting out the way and make sure y’all are good with your new assignments.”
The meeting went on, but between Karma and Savio, Cashmere’s mind was gone.
When the meeting finally ended, Cashmere hopped up and was the first one out of the room. She wanted to lay eyes on Savio, and once she did, she instantly relaxed.
As soon as he saw her, he stood and walked over to her. His hand held her elbow gently as he asked, “You good?”
She nodded and fought the urge to bury her head into his chest.
People filed out of the room behind them. When Marcellus and Cassydie spotted them, they came to say hello.
“What’s good, Sav? How’s the job treating you?” Marcellus asked as he eyed Cashmere with amusement dancing in his eyes.
Savio looked down at Cashmere as he spoke. “It’s perfect.”
Cassydie and Marcellus exchanged a glance. Cashmere wished she could melt into the floor. She didn’t know what was going on between her and Savio, so the last thing she wanted was for them to question her.
“We should go,” Cashmere mumbled before she walked toward the elevator. She was able to slip on with Nyx, who remained quiet. She was naturally a quiet woman, but Cashmere could tell the news about Karma rattled her. “You okay?” Cashmere asked as Savio, Marcellus, and Cassydie filed onto the elevator.
Nyx nodded. “Yeah.”
Cashmere could tell she didn’t really want to talk, so she didn’t press her.
When they got down to the parking lot, they said their goodbyes and got into their respective cars.
“You good?” Savio asked as he pulled out of their parking space.
Cashmere smiled softly at him. “Yeah, I’m fine.”
Deep down, she wished she could talk to him about what had just happened, but this was just another thing she would have to keep from him.
“You sure you good, Precious?”Savio asked as they entered her home.
