When Cam got to Adrian’s door, he banged on it. And when it wasn’t answered right away, he banged on it again. Adrian finally opened the door wearing only a pair of Nike shorts, and he had a toothbrush dangling from his mouth

  “Cam, what the fuck?” he asked, looking at Cam like he was crazy.

  “Don’t ‘what the fuck’ me!” Cam exclaimed and pushed Adrian hard in the chest. Adrian stumbled back, and Cam entered the condo, letting the door shut behind him. “Why would you snake me?”

  Adrian didn’t waste his time looking confused about what he meant. Instead, he took the toothbrush from his mouth and set it on the island.

  “She chose up, man. Ain’t nothing more to it,” he said, giving Cam a bored face. “I was feeling her before you even knew she existed.”

  “I hollered at her first. You shoulda had enough respect for me to fall back.”

  “Respect?” Adrian scoffed. “Nigga, you don’t respect me. So why would I give a fuck about shit you’re talking about? Like I said, she chose up.”

  “Nah, she’ll be back. She knows a real nigga when she sees one.”

  “I know. And that’s why I was her first.”

  His words stopped Cam in his tracks. He couldn’t have said what he thought he’d said. Visions of Adrian with Kiesha flooded his mind and made him clench his fists.

  “Nigga, you aren’t about to shove me like you just did without me busting your ass. So if you take a swing, just know how I’m coming.”

  Cam wanted to fight Adrian. He wanted to slam his fist into his face, but if he did, an inevitable fight between two savages would ensue. He didn’t know if he was angrier about Adrian being with Kiesha, or about the fact that she had chosen up. He was the one who received the cutoff message, not Adrian. He unclenched his fists and let out a big breath before rubbing his face.

  “You good?” Adrian asked.

  “Nah. But I will be. Bitches come and go every day.”

  “It was nothing personal, man. This was just one of them crazy things that happened. We can’t let it come between our business.”

  “Nothing would ever get between me and my money. But you better treat her right, or else a nigga like me will come swooping back in. She’s a good girl.”

  “I know it,” Adrian said and began to say something else, but his phone rang. He looked at the phone and made a face before showing Cam that it was Drako. He answered it and put it on speaker. “Hello?”

  “You niggas thought you were on to somethin’ last night at the club, huh? All you did was piss Steelo off.”

  “You and Steelo can suck a fat one and get the fuck on. You know what it is with me. If I see you again, it’s sparks, nigga.” Adrian’s lip curled as he spoke.

  “Nah. I think we can work something else out. Something everyone can benefit from. And by everyone, I mean Steelo and me.”

  “Nigga, get off my phone. I said what I sa—”

  “Adrian! Adrian, help! Please help me!”

  The terrified cries of a woman stopped him midsentence. They weren’t the cries of just anybody. It was Kiesha.

  “Kiesha!” Adrian shouted, and Cam grew more alert. “If you hurt her, I’ll—”

  “Too late. I already punched the bitch in the face a few times. But you can save her life by doing one simple thing.”

  “What?”

  “Hand over your crown. He wants your connect and complete list of clientele.”

  “You sound crazy!” Adrian exclaimed, but he wished he’d bitten his tongue when he heard a loud thud, and Kiesha screamed again. “Stop it!”

  “I will once you do what I ask. You have five minutes to decide or she dies. Damn, nigga, didn’t your pops ever teach you to hide your heart? You made it too easy to find last night at the club.”

  On that note Drako hung up the phone, leaving both of them dazed. Adrian paced back and forth while Cam put his hands on his head. He didn’t know what they were going to do. There was no way they could give Steelo what he wanted.

  “Adrian,” Cam said but got ignored. “Adrian!”

  “Hold on, I’m thinking. I’m thinking!”

  “Thinking about what? We can’t give him what he wants!” Cam shouted.

  “We can’t just let him kill her either.”

  “I know. Fuck!” Cam wanted to punch a wall. “What we gon’ do?”

  Adrian didn’t say anything. And before they had come up with a solid plan, the phone rang again. It was Drako.

  “I’m here,” Adrian answered and put it on speaker.

  “Did you decide?”

  “Yeah. Yeah, man. I’ll do it,” Adrian said to Cam’s surprise.

  “Good. Steelo wants to meet you today and get this shit squared away expeditiously. Then you and your bitch can ride off into the sunset.”

  “Where?”

  “Turner.”

  “The dock?”

  “Yup. You know where that’s at?”

  “I’ll be there.”

  “Five o’clock sharp. And come alone. Don’t pull any of the shit you did last night at the club.”

  He hung up again and left Adrian staring at the phone in his hand. Cam couldn’t believe he had made such a decision. He stared at him incredulously.

  “Nigga, what did you just do?”

  “Bought us some time.”

  Chapter 27

  Five o’clock came both too fast and too slow for Adrian’s taste. Cam tried his hardest to talk Adrian out of going to the dock alone, but his mind was already made up. He wasn’t going to let Kiesha die due to a part of his life that she didn’t even know existed. She was innocent in it all, and she had a long life ahead of her. The decision made itself, really.

  There was a small building on the dock that Adrian had been instructed to arrive at. When he parked his vehicle, he tucked one gun in his pants and another on his ankle. He didn’t know what to expect, but Steelo was the type to play dirty, so Adrian assumed the worst.

  He grabbed a small suitcase from the passenger seat, got out of his car, and walked to the entrance of the old building. As soon as he walked through the door, the strong aroma of fish invaded his nostrils. The building must have been an old packing spot, because there were blood spots all over the ground and a few old tables still set up.

  Adrian was immediately greeted with hostility as men armed with assault rifles checked him for weapons. They took the gun that he had on his waistline and a knife that he had in the pocket on the inside of his suit. Once they were done, they let him pass. He didn’t have to walk too far being that Steelo was standing in the main area of the building. He, too, was wearing a suit. His was black, and he wore the shades on his face to match. Upon seeing Adrian there on time, he pretended to give him a standing ovation.

  As Adrian approached them, he noticed two hallways in either direction that led off to God knew where, but it seemed as though Steelo’s whole entourage was right there waiting for him. He stopped walking and rested with his hands in front of him, holding the briefcase. Malcom and Draco were among the people there, and when Drako stepped to the side, he revealed a bound and bloody Kiesha. She was tied to a chair, and the fear in her eyes tugged at Adrian’s heart. Her hair was disheveled, and there was a gash under one of her eyes.

  “Adrian!” she cried when she saw him standing there.

  “I’m going to get you out of this, Kiesha, I promise,” he assured her.

  “How . . . sentimental,” Steelo said, stepping forward. “I’m glad that you decided to take this matter seriously. I’m pleased that you aren’t a hothead like that father of yours. Did you bring what I asked of you?”

  “It’s right here.” Adrian patted the briefcase. “The name of our connect and our list of clientele.”

  “And how can I trust their cooperation with the new management change?”

  “Once they find out that I easily folded for a girl, they’ll cut ties with me. You shouldn’t have anything to worry about. Unless they find out that you’re a snitch.”

  Steelo let Adrian’s words settle. Once they did, a chuckle escaped his mouth. He nudged Drako and pointed at the briefcase.

  “Go get it,” he instructed.

  “No,” Adrian said and tightened his grip. “You won’t be getting anything until she’s cut free and standing at my side.”

  “And why do you think we won’t just kill you and take it?”

  “Because you need a code to unlock it. The inside is riddled with explosives, so if you try to open it without the code, it will explode.”

  “Nigga, this ain’t Indiana Jones!” Steelo exclaimed, but the look on Adrian’s face told him that he was serious. “Fine. Untie the girl. And go get the briefcase.”

  Drako gave Steelo a funny look at first, but he eventually obliged. He cut Kiesha free and walked her to Adrian with a gun to her head. When they got to him, he snatched the briefcase and glared at Adrian.

  “What’s the code?” he asked, but Adrian’s eyes were too fixated on Kiesha’s injuries. “Tell me the code or I blow her brains out!”

  “It’s three, two, eight, two,” Adrian said without taking his gaze off of Kiesha.

  Drako tried that number combination, and the briefcase unlocked. He glanced inside and saw the papers. After nodding at Steelo, he shoved Kiesha toward Adrian and took his boss the treasure. When he shoved Kiesha, she lost her footing, but Adrian caught her before she fell to the ground. Her tears hit his neck as she sobbed, and he held her tightly. Words couldn’t express how sorry he was to her, but that wasn’t the place to try. He hurried to put her behind him and watched as Drako handed Steelo the briefcase. Once it was in his hand, he chuckled. Quickly that chuckle turned into a laugh of mania.

  “So good doing business with you,” he said. “But you know I can’t let you walk out of here alive, right?”

  “You slimy bastard. We had a deal!” Adrian exclaimed.

  “Do you really think I’m going to make the same mistake your father made with me? He should have killed me, because shit like this festers. It turns into rage, and rage turns into get back. And it’s time for me to be king again. I don’t have time for you to come biting at my ankles in the future. Nah, I’m going to end you now. Kill him, Drako.”

  “Hold on, let me get the AK for this. I wanna fill their bodies up.”

  Kiesha whimpered behind Adrian when Drako went to grab the automatic weapon from one of the other men. While he did that, Steelo opened the briefcase to take a look at the files. Curiosity had gotten the best of him. Adrian watched with pleasure as Steelo’s victorious smile turned into a scowl as he looked at the papers.

  “What is this?” Steelo bellowed.

  “What’s wrong? Not what you were looking for?” Adrian asked innocently.

  “This isn’t what I asked for! These papers aren’t filled with anything but restaurants and addresses!”

  “Shoulda had your mans double-check.” Adrian shrugged.

  “This was very dumb of you, Adrian. You’re going to die. But first I think we’ll have some fun with her and make you watch. If you were gonna do something so stupid, you shouldn’t have showed up alone. Get the girl!”

  Steelo’s men made a move at Adrian and Kiesha, but he snatched the .22 from his ankle. Upon seeing the gun, Steelo began to laugh, but Adrian pointed it at the closest man to him in all seriousness.

  “What are you gonna do with that? Give him a bruise?” Steelo asked, still laughing.

  “Nah. Worse.” Adrian aimed at the man’s chest and mouthed, “Boom.”

  Boom!

  The gunshot was so loud that it was obvious it didn’t come from the .22 in Adrian’s hand. However, the man he was aiming at was sent flying back when a bullet opened up his chest. He fell to the ground dead, and Steelo’s eyes widened.

  “You asked me to come alone. You didn’t say I couldn’t already have people here.” Adrian grinned as his shooter ran out from one of the hallways in the building. Cam was one of them and Milk was another. Milk was the one holding the smoking shotgun, and he stared at Drako with contempt in his eyes.

  The moment Drako told Adrian the meeting spot was at the Turner dock, the tables turned to favor him. It was the same dock Milk had a boat at, and the building was one he knew like the back of his hand, including a sliding-door room where fishermen used to store their supplies. With his help, Adrian was able to send his men hours ahead of him to hide out in that room until it was time for the meeting. The only thing was the room was so far back that Adrian had just hoped they would come to his rescue on time. Luck seemed to be on his side.

  “Kill them all!” Steelo shouted, and Adrian jumped out of the way with Kiesha as automatic rounds began to spray.

  “Adrian, are we going to die?” Kiesha breathed.

  “I didn’t do all this for us to die. Plus, we just got together last night. I’m trying to at least make this relationship last more than a day. Here.” He handed her the. 22, and her eyes grew into saucers.

  “What am I supposed to do with this?”

  “Stay behind this table. If anybody comes up to you, aim and shoot.”

  Before she could say anything else to him, Adrian took off to where Cam was taking cover behind a pillar. As he ran, bullets ricocheted off the ground, missing him with each step he took. By the time he reached Cam, his adrenaline was pumping, and all he wanted to do was put a bullet between Steelo’s eyes.

  “I need a gun!” he said to Cam over the gunfire.

  “First you take my bitch. Now you take my gun. Here, nigga, damn!”

  Cam handed him a Glock 19 and went back to shooting the enemy. He caught one man in his neck and the other in the forehead. While he did that, Adrian scoped out the scene in search of Steelo. He spotted Milk and Drako exchanging fire. Not too far from them, he saw Malcom sprawled out on the ground in a pool of blood with a face full of bullets. Finally, his eyes found Steelo sneaking out the back of the building.

  “Cover me!” he shouted, and Cam nodded.

  Adrian took a breath and ran after Steelo. As he ran, men aiming at him dropped like flies. Cam’s aim was impeccable. When Adrian got to the back door, he burst through it, ready to shoot, but Steelo was nowhere in the distance.

  “Ahhh!” The shout came from his side.

  He tried to aim his gun, but Steelo tackled him before he could, knocking the weapon out of his hand. The two of them wrestled on the ground, throwing punches when they could. For an older man, Steelo was strong, Adrian had to admit. His nose leaking blood was proof of that, but still he didn’t give up. He’d come to Miami and not only caused a ruckus, but he also tried to kill Kiesha. That was unforgivable. Summoning all his strength, Adrian knocked Steelo to the ground and made a quick grab for his gun. When he pointed it at the defeated man, Steelo began to clap again.

  “I guess I underestimated you.”

  “You did. Your first mistake was assuming I was like my father. Your second was being shocked that I wasn’t,” Adrian spat. “Not knowing your enemy was your demise. I guess that comes with playing nice with the Feds. You start to believe you’re really untouchable.”

  For the next words he had to say, his trigger finger did the talking. By the way Steelo’s face nodded with each bullet entering it, he got the message. Adrian spat on his dead body before going back into the building. The gunfire had subsided, and everyone Steelo had come with was laid out dead on the ground. Including Drako.

  “He had it coming to him after what he did to Jerry,” Milk said when Adrian approached him.

  “They all did. Thanks for coming through, man. I’m sorry I had to bring you out of retirement,” Adrian said and slapped his hand.

  “I don’t think you can ever really get away from this life,” Milk said and looked around. “You all better get out of here before the police come. The boats are too far away from here for their cameras to have picked up anything, but I’m sure somebody heard the shots.”

  “What about you?” Adrian asked.

  “Me? I was never here.”

  Milk winked at him and made his way to the door. Adrian would be quick to follow, but there was someone he had to check on first.

  “Adrian!” Kiesha ran to him.

  Her lip quivered as she looked around at all the dead bodies. Adrian took her gently by the side of her face and forced her to look at him.

  “Don’t look at them. Look at me. Are you okay?”

  “I . . . I’m alive. But they . . . they—”

  “They’re dead. But we’re alive,” he said, and they locked eyes. “Now you know about the other side of my business. But you can’t tell anyone, okay?”

  She didn’t say anything at first. She pulled her face out of his hands and looked around at the ground again. Her gaze jumped from one dead body to the next. Finally, she turned back to him and shocked him by hugging him.

  “You came to save me. You saved me.”

  “I’ll always be here to save you,” he said, tightly hugging her back.

  In the distance, Adrian saw Cam looking at them. His eyes were hard to read, but Adrian gave him a nod. Cam sent one back and left the building with the others.

  “Come on,” Adrian told her, taking her by the hand and leading her outside. “You have to go see a doctor about your bruises.”

  “The hospital?”

  “Nah, you can’t go there. Not after something like this has happened. We have a family doctor for shit like this. I’m going to have him come check you out at my house. Afterward, if you make the choice to rock with me, I’ll let you know a little bit about the family business.”

  When they were outside, they walked quickly to his car. He helped her inside and shut the door. He was sure that when she signed up for the internship, her last thought was that she would take part in something like this. But he hoped she would have an open mind. He thought he would be able to ease her into his complete line of work, but the universe had had other plans.

  He got into the driver’s seat and pulled off from the dock, and when they’d been driving for about five minutes, his phone rang. It was his father.