"Lynx's family goes first, then Talon." I turned to Killian. "Send the word."
"I'll be in touch." Killian rose, already moving, Ghost and Grim falling in line behind him as he left the room.
"Syn, I'll reach out about the Lynx situation. I need it quick and clean."
"Choyce and I will handle it," she assured, then gestured for Choyce to follow.
Choyce didn't hesitate. She fell in step beside Syn and walked out.
I pulled out my phone and texted Wolfe.
Me
Clean up. Make it quick.
Wolfe
Busy. Hit Crown.
I hesitated, knowing things with Crown were still rocky.
"Fuck it."
Me
Need you at the mill. ASAP.
A moment later, his reply lit up the screen.
Crown
I'll be there.
The plan was moving. The pieces were in place. The world Lucian had built would burn, and by the time I made the move to kill Lucian, nothing he considered his would exist.
Crown Gravehart
I pulledup and sat out front of the mill, cutting my lights. Being here almost felt nostalgic. This life felt miles away from where I stood now. When we first started coming to the mill, we used to sit inside cutting and bagging up our shit, counting duffels filled with money, speaking dreams into existence like they were more than promises.
We laughed here, cried here, and shared some of our biggest fears here. This was where three black boys the world had given up on came to build something bigger than themselves. And we did that shit. We just didn't know things would end up like this.
Wolfe, being married with a baby, was fitting, but it wasn't what he had planned for himself. Yeah, he always wanted love, but that nigga wanted it from the woman who birthed him. He needed her to apologize for her shit so he wouldn't have to carry a burden that wasn't his to begin with. If I'd known Chosyn was gon' be the one to pull him out of his head, I would've introduced them back when I first met her. I laughed to myself, 'cause that version of Chosyn would've drove Wolfe insane. She wasn't ready to receive what he had to offer. Those two would've torn each other up before realizing they were each other's missingpiece. They happened when they were supposed to. When both their hearts were ready to mend.
Then there was me.
Everything I dreamed of outside of being a rich nigga was dreamt with the wrong bitch in mind. Em was supposed to be everything a nigga could ask for. I saw her in the vision of my mom when she didn’t deserve to know her story. Em was a mistake, but she was my greatest one. Without her, I don't think I would've known how to appreciate Four. The love I thought I wanted with her couldn't compare to the immense love I have for Four. When I look at her, I don't see a reflection of my mother. I see the woman my mother would've painted if she'd been given the brush. The woman she wanted for me. Someone just as selfish with me as I am with her. Someone who forces me to be better without having to hold my hand through it. Four did all of that for me, even while still hung up on a dead nigga. She led me into becoming the man my mother always believed I'd be.
The mill sat quietly in front of me, its walls heavy, carrying the ghosts and broken versions of the men my brothers and I used to be. So much had changed, yet so much was still the same. I cut the engine, slid out of the car, and walked toward the mill. I stepped inside, letting the door close behind me, then stopped.
"Honor!" I barked, my voice cutting through the hollow space.
Footsteps followed, not rushed, just heavy and weighted by whatever burden Honor chose to carry instead of sharing.
"Nigga you couldn't come find me," he scoffed, coming into view.
"Nah." I didn't move. I just let my eyes travel over him.
Honor looked like himself, same stance, same brooding attitude, but his shoulders sat higher than normal, like he was bracing for a hit that hadn't struck yet.
