Page 77 of Crown: Phase 4

Shirtless, with a torso covered in ink, Maino stood in front of him with one pistol raised and another hanging at his side. His face was half-hidden beneath the darkness, but the threat in his presence was clear. He had heard the motorcycle pull up outside, but he hadn’t known who was coming through that door. It could’ve been Smoky. It could’ve been another Knight. If Crown had finally decided he needed to die, Maino wasn’t about to make it easy for whoever came to put in that work. A Draco leaned against the wall nearby, within reach. He was going to fuck a nigga up, and he put that on everything he held dear to his heart.

“So, you gon’ kill me?” Smoky asked, breaking the silence.

Maino’s grip tightened around the gun. “I didn’t know who the fuck it was. You or another Knight.”

“You had the locks changed. You left me no choice but to break in this bitch.”

Maino’s eyes narrowed. “You wasn’t about to give my key to that nigga.”

“You think I would do that to you?”

The question settled between them. Maino kept the gun against Smoky’s head, but the longer he looked at him, the harder it became to keep his anger in place. Smoky looked the same as he always had. Tall, dark, and handsome. Also, solid and calm in a way that often used to piss Maino off. It was as if nothing in the world could shake him. Smoky could walk into the room, take control of the air inside that muthafucka, and leave Maino trying to remember how to breathe.

“If that’s the case, I would’ve done that the first time.” Smoky added.

Maino said nothing as he studied Smoky’s face, searching for the lie. A part of him felt maybe Smoky had come there because Crown sent him, because it would be easier to kill him that way…when his guard was down with the man he cared deeply about. But he detected no fuckery. Tonight, there was something different in Smoky’s eyes. Something tired. Something that looked too much like the same ache Maino had been carrying around since they crossed that line with one another.

“I don’t want no smoke wit’ you, baby.” Smoky admitted in that deep baritone of his.

Staring into Smoky’s eyes, memories came rushing back full force, hitting Maino like a brick. He remembered the first time Smoky had touched him. The way his hand had rested against the back of his neck, firm and warm as if he’d already belonged to him. He remembered every late night Smoky had slipped into this house, the deep conversations, the tender yet firm kisses…the way they had held on to each other when neither of them wanted to admit how deep this shit had gotten. Maino remembered how easy it had been to love Smoky in the dark, and how painful it had become when morning came.

Slowly, he lowered the gun. “Then why you here?”

Smoky’s eyes stayed on him, his gaze softening with every second that passed. For a moment, Maino thought he might finally say it. That he chose him. That he missed him. That he was sorry. Not about the bullshit that started because of Boe. Nah, that was on Boe. But about feeding him hope every time they linked up and then walking away as if what they shared meant nothing. He wanted to hear him say that he tried living life without him, but it was intolerable. Maino wanted the words so badly it almost hurt to stand there waiting for them.

However, they never came. At least, not like that. Instead, Smoky stepped closer, pulling him into his arms. Maino’s body went stiff at first, caught between wanting to push him away, in case it was false hope, and wanting to disappear inside the embrace. Then Smoky’s hand settled against the back of his head as he lowered his mouth beside his ear, his voice barely above a whisper.

“For you.”

The words broke something open inside Maino. He gripped the back of Smoky’s vest, holding on like he might vanish if he loosened his hands. “Fuck does that mean, Smoke?”

“That I wanna be with you, and I don’t give a fuck what no one thinks about it. I talked to Crown. I talked to Tanya.”

Closing his eyes, Maino’s face pressed into Smoky’s neck, and for the first time in weeks, he let himself breathe. Smoky held him tighter. Neither of them said anything else. They didn’t need to. Both just wanted to live in the moment. Maino had spent too long wondering whether Smoky would choose him, and now that he was making it clear he had, that was all that mattered. Smoky was standing in his arms, ready to live in his truth and do life with him. Finally.

“Better late than never, baby.” Maino replied.

∞∞∞

Nearly a week had passed since Preach’s men attacked Crown’s firm, and Crown had been quiet. Preach might’ve thought he’d cut him down at the knees, but he was sadly mistaken. Crown wasn’t the type to react off emotion. He was methodical. While dealing with the investigation surrounding his firm, he had been doing his homework. Now he was ready to respond to Preach and anybody standing with him. That included Lawson. But first, he needed proof.

With a swagger worth a million dollars, Crown strolled through the trap house on 5th Avenue. The way he walked through the spot caught the attention of every naked woman cooking up around him. They all spoke at once…some even tried to make conversation, but he wasn’t for it. He hit them with a head nod and kept it moving. They were there to cook his dope, nothing more.

With deliberate steps, Crown made his way up to the second floor, where Anna sat in her office behind a small table, counting stacks of cash. Money that had already been counted was spread across the surface in neat piles alongside a money-counting machine and a notebook. She looked up when Crown’s large figure came through the doorway, her face lighting up like a Christmas tree.

“Hey, Crown.”

“Sup,”

“What a beautiful surprise. I haven’t seen you come by here in months. If it ain’t Domo, it’s Danger or Smoky.” She stood, already walking toward him.

In her fitted black Chanel pantsuit, Anna looked every bit the boss-bitch she was. The jacket was slightly open, revealing a black lace bralette underneath, while the tailored pants hugged her waist and hips. Six-inch designer heels completed the look, along with layered gold necklaces and a matching watch. Her sleek hair and flawless makeup only added to the polished image she carried. She moved in for a hug, but before she could get close, Crown lifted his hand and waved her off.

“Nah,”

“Oh. Wow, okay.” She nodded and stepped back, slightly hurt and offended.

Crown was always known to be a mean-ass, but there had been a time when he treated her with respect and kindness, allowing her affection even if he never returned it.