Rico tried to shift toward cover. He tried to put a man between him and the bullets. I saw his eyes flash with irritation and panic when he realized his men were dropping too fast. His eyes cut around the room, searching for an opening that wasn’tthere. He locked eyes with me for a second, and I saw that he finally understood the Cartiers weren’t coming to negotiate.
Saint riddled him with bullets, and his body hit the floor. His hand twitched once near his weapon. Big A stepped forward and ended him with multiple shots to the head.
The last few Crown soldiers in that room tried to plead. Some of them tried to hide behind the furniture. Others tried to shoot until their magazines ran dry.
But we ended all of them.
Saint looked around the room like he was taking inventory. Big A did the same. One of our soldiers checked bodies, to make sure nobody popped back up.
I stood there and watched Rico’s people laid out around him. The Crowns’ top was gone. The backbone was gone. The fear they used to move with was gone. And what was left was blood, silence, and bodies.
And to every other opp that wanted to attempt to come against us, we’d just left a message that was going to travel faster than the police report ever could.
28
RHYTHM BROOKS
Istood in the middle of my studio grinning so hard my face hurt. It was my first day not clocking in at a nine-to-five, and I still couldn’t believe it. I was officially an entrepreneur. Nobody was waiting for me to answer emails that had nothing to do with my purpose. Nobody was calling me into meetings that drained me. Nobody had control over my time but me.
But I had still gotten to the studio bright and early. I had come immediately after dropping my kids off at school.
I looked around the space Sincere had gifted me and smiled all over again. My easel was set up. My supplies were lined up the way I liked them. The big sign on the wall still made me pause every time I saw “Rhythm Brooks Studio”.
I had on black leggings, one of my old, oversized T-shirts, and my locs pulled up because I planned to paint all day. I was standing at my table sorting brushes when I heard the door open behind me.
I turned fast, and my whole face lit up. “Baby? What are you doing here?”
He came in carrying a drink tray in one hand, a bakery bag in the other, and an obnoxiously big bouquet of sunflowers tuckedunder his arm. He looked too good for it to not even be ten in the morning yet. He was dressed casual and expensive in a creme two-piece pant set. Looking at this man was like sex. I couldn't tear my eyes away from Sincere, looking like pure temptation in that open jacket draped over his frame. The jacket was open and showed the undershirt clinging to his athletic build. His broad shoulders filled out the fitted sleeves of the jacket perfectly, and those slim-fit pants wrapped around his long, thick legs, hugging the muscles in his thighs with every subtle shift of his weight. His warm, brown skin looked kissable, and that short, neatly groomed beard framed his strong jawline, drawing my gaze to his full lips curved into a subtle, knowing smirk that made my clit pulsate like a heart beat. His dark, intense eyes locked onto mine with a direct stare, partially shadowed by his glasses, but piercing enough to make my breath hitch. His head tilted just a bit as if he knew exactly what he did to me.
He exuded effortless masculinity. Those layers of expensive jewelry, three gold chains layered around his neck, added to his sex appeal. Every inch of him screamed humble confidence, and my pussy got wet just from drinking him in.
I pressed my thighs together, feeling the ache intensify as I pictured those chains swaying over me while he pinned me down and thrust deep inside me. That smirk on his lips had my pussy clenching around nothing. Suddenly, I was desperate for him to close the distance and take what he wanted.
He held the flowers out first, wearing that big, corny grin. “Good morning, entrepreneur.”
I took the sunflowers from him, blushing. “Thank you. These are beautiful.” Smelling them, I asked, “What are you doing here?”
“When we were on the phone, you said you were mad because you didn’t stop for breakfast and coffee before you got here.”
His consideration made me swoon. “I was just going to order Uber Eats. You didn’t have to come by.”
He set everything down on the table and started unpacking it. “And miss my chance to be your personal delivery driver?”
I walked over to him and kissed him quickly. “Thank you.”
He had brought fresh pastries, fruit, juice, and coffee exactly how I liked it. He even remembered the little things, down to the extra cream and the type of Danish I always picked at Starbucks.
I shook my head, still blushing. “You pay too much attention.”
“I’m supposed to.”
That hit me right in the middle of my feelings, and he knew it from the way I looked at him.
He handed me my coffee, lifted his mug, and said, “To the last day you ever gave to a job that didn’t deserve you.”
I tapped my mug against his. “I’ll drink to that.”
We ate in my studio, talking in between bites, and for a second I just watched him while he talked. This man had really walked into my life and started making space for my future without even taking credit for it.
