I chuckled and ran my hand up her thigh. “You already know how I’m coming behind you, mama.”
She didn’t answer, just hummed and nuzzled against me. She wasn’t pushing me away—I wasn’t sure if that meant we were finally turning a corner or she was baiting me before she bailed again.
“We got a problem,” I said as I stepped into the farmhouse.
Cash glanced up while rolling up his sleeves. “Bigger than this dickhead?” He nodded toward the man tied to the chair in the middle of the room.
I leaned against a crate near Slim and glanced at Bruno Conklin. His spray-tanned face was busted up—one eye swollen shut, blood crusted on his chin. He was breathing shallowly through his nose with a dirty rag stuffed in his mouth. This shit should’ve been handled weeks ago, but Cash had been too caught up in shopping for the baby with Jasmine to finish the job. Jelani offered to take care of it, but Cash gave Bruno one last opportunity to run him his money.
White men like him always thought they were bigger than the program. But now he was about to pull Money Banks out of retirement.
“The Order knows who we are.”
Jelani punched Bruno in the ribs. “Nigga, that’s not news. We got hella motion in the city—everybody knows who we are.”
Bruno let out a muffled whine through the gag, twisting in pain in the chair.
“This is different,” I said, shaking myhead. “They’ve been watching. They got pictures of you and Monica. Slim. My sister, my nephew. Jasmine. Cash—everybody.”
That made Cash pause. His jaw ticked as he walked over to a table and picked up a pair of latex gloves. He put them on like a surgeon getting ready to operate.
“When’d you find this out?”
“Nai told me last night.” I skipped the part about having Gunnar with me—didn’t need another lecture about that. “They want her to work for them and pay off her pops’ debts. They’re holding her relationships with us over her head to keep her compliant.”
Bruno started thrashing in the chair like he was about to piss himself.
Cash cut his eyes at him. “I think this man wanna say something.”
Slim stepped over and yanked the gag down.
“I can help—” Bruno gasped. “I have some connections in the Order.”
I crossed my arms. “How’s that supposed to help us?”
“I’ve been setting up dummy orgs for them for years,” he wheezed. You boys don’t know how deep this shit goes.”
I exchanged a look with Cash, Jelani, then Slim.
“The Order has their hand in everything—gambling, drugs, trafficking. What if I can get you names?” Bruno said shakily, sweat beaded on his forehead.
Cash rubbed his jaw. “Nuh uh. I want the four hundred bands you owe me. Matter fact—make it five. I want interest on my shit. Baby girl gon’ need a college fund.”
Slim snorted. “This nigga.”
“Yes, yes, I can get it,” Bruno said, nodding like a bobble head. “The money, names, whatever you want, Cash. I just need?—”
“Time,” Cash finished for him. “Always fucking time with you, Bruno.”
He turned to Jelani. “Get the sledgehammer.”
“Wait—wait!” Bruno’s eyes went wide. “I’m trying to help!”
“Oh, we lettin’ you help,” Jelani grinned, eyes wild as he grabbed the hammer off the table. “But you still gotta pay for being a disrespectful, scammin’ motherfucker.”
CRACK.
Jelani brought that thing down like he was wielding Thor’s hammer, snapping Bruno’s arm like a drumstick. His whole body seized against the ropes and his face turned a deep beet red as he let out an ugly, gut-wrenching scream.
