“Ding, ding, ding. This shit is all over social media.”

  “That motherfucka is exiled. What the hell are they having a welcome home party for? He’s not safe here if I have a say-so.”

  “Well, nigga, you might need to say so. Because this is a bold move, and it’s gon’ speak loudly if we don’t do somethin’.”

  “Say less.”

  Chapter 15

  Curiosity nipped at Adrian like the cold in a winter in Nebraska. There was no way he was going to be able to wait until Friday to confront his opposition. He didn’t know what he would be walking into and needed to do some deep-sea diving. That was why he decided to leave work early the next day. He and Kiesha had wrapped up all the finishing details of the showing, but his head wasn’t there, especially when he started to connect the dots.

  He kept asking himself what Drako and Steelo had in common for them to do business together. What would put them on the same team? And that was when something clicked with him. If anybody would know anything, it was Milk. He was an old friend from high school. The two of them were on opposite sides of the fence, being that Milk had worked for Jerry, but they had remained cool over the years. Adrian made a call to him and set up a meeting in the hope that he could shed a little light on the situation. That meeting was why he needed to leave work earlier than usual. He packed his things into a briefcase and made to leave the office, but he almost crashed into Kiesha on the way out.

  “Oop! My bad. I didn’t know you were in such a rush to leave me,” she said playfully, putting her hand to her chest.

  “If I didn’t have to leave, I would stay here staring at you all day,” he said absentmindedly, looking at his watch. “I just have somewhere to be at three.”

  “Oh, well, um . . .” Kiesha seemed to fumble over her words, and it was then that he realized exactly what he’d said.

  “I didn’t mean to make you—”

  “I just came to bring you back your credit card,” she interrupted him and handed him the black card. “Thank you again. I found the perfect dress. And I hope you don’t mind, but I snuck some shoes into the transaction, too.”

  “Jesus, woman, wait until we’re married to take the mile,” he joked with a wink that made her look away. It seemed almost natural when he cupped her chin and gently forced her gaze back on him. His smile brought one to her glossy lips. “Much better.”

  “Will you be back today?” she asked almost hopefully when he let her chin go.

  “No, I’ll see you at the showing tomorrow. We can go for a walk on the beach after.”

  “Oh, I—” she tried to say, but he breezed right by her.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow!” he called over his shoulder as he headed for the door with his briefcase in tow.

  The moment he started his Rolls-Royce, he pulled off in the direction of the place he and Milk agreed to meet. As he drove, he loosened his tie and played with the idea of giving his father a call to let him know what was going on. However, he thought better of it. He couldn’t run crying to his dad whenever something happened. Not when he would one day wear the crown. Still, he knew his father would be a little upset that Adrian didn’t tell him that Steelo had slithered his way back into the garden. When and if Adrian did decide to make that call, it would be when Steelo was gone again or in the dirt.

  Finally, Adrian arrived at the Turner boat dock Milk had given him the address to. He’d been instructed to park by the boat named The Milky Way. Before he got out of the vehicle, he grabbed his pistol from the glove compartment. He cocked the loaded weapon and tucked it in his pants. Adrian stepped out of the Cullinan and instantly felt the sun beating on his forehead. He took a few steps toward the boat, but before he reached it all the way, Milk stepped out of it and onto the dock. He was a stocky man with average height and had skin so light that if it weren’t for the kinks in his sandy brown hair, a person would mistake him for a white man. It was how he’d gotten the nickname Milk. He slapped hands with Adrian and glanced over his shoulder as if to make sure he wasn’t followed.

  “It’s just me,” Adrian assured him.

  “Yeah, well, you can never be too sure these days,” Milk said, shaking his head. “After all that shit with Jerry, man, things ain’t been the same. Muthafuckas don’t even trust their own mamas right now.”

  “And why is that?”

  “Listen, you know how your pops runs his shit? That was the same way Jerry ran his. He was smart, way too smart to go down the way he did. The whole bust was too calculated.”

  “Hell yeah. I know Jerry kept his shit tight. He and my pops had a lot of respect for each other. They never stepped on each other’s toes.”

  “Jerry had a lot of respect, but he must have had just as many haters. Because somebody set that shit up, and that’s a fact.”

  “How do you know that?” Adrian asked, raising his forehead.

  “Jerry rotated pickup and drop-off spots every week, and it was never the same rotation. Never. But somehow the Feds knew exactly what houses to hit, and they got every last one. That ain’t no coincidence.”

  “Hell nah it ain’t,” Adrian agreed, rubbing the hair on his chin. “Damn. I hate that that happened to Jerry.”

  “Me too. They auctioned off all his assets. My guy ain’t never seeing the outside again.”

  “Who all knew the rotations?”

  “Jerry, me, my nigga Amir, and Drako.”

  “And everybody from that camp is locked up besides you and Drako,” Adrian noted, and Milk puffed his chest out.

  “Nigga, what you tryin’a say? I ain’t no fucking rat.”

  “That’s not what I’m trying to say. I’m just making an observation. I know you’re loyal. Ain’t got an ounce of snake in you. Back in school you always had my back.”

  “And you had mine,” Milk said and sighed. “I have some simple shit going for myself now, though. The money back then was good, but the risk was too great for me, you know? So I got out of the game when my girl had the twins a few years back. Bought a boat. Shit, I’ve just been living life. Jerry wasn’t a ‘one way in, one way out’ type of nigga. He was more than a boss to a lot of us. More like a big brother. He respected me and proved his loyalty tenfold when he didn’t drop my name to the Feds. Everybody else got caught up only because they were in the houses during the raids.”

  “So that leaves Drako. Damn.” Adrian shook his head as he looked out at the water.

  “I heard he was working for you now.”

  “A decision I might soon regret.”

  His heart had gone out to Drako when he found out Jerry’s whole operation had gone underwater. People had families to feed, and he could use the extra hands. That was why he extended Drako’s camp an opportunity to make some money with him. On the outside, Drako seemed thorough, but Adrian should have known better than to go based only on appearances.

  “Wait, you tryin’a say that Drako had something to do with Jerry going down?”

  “That’s what I’m trying to figure out, but it’s looking that way, yeah. I need to get some more information.”

  “Let me know what’s good with it all when you do.”

  Adrian looked from Milk to his boat. His friend had truly gone on to live a simple and peaceful life. A part of Adrian felt guilty for even bringing all of that to his attention. Milk was a soldier, one of the best shooters Adrian had ever seen with his own two eyes. Not only that, but he was also loyal. He would want to get whoever had turned on Jerry back in blood, and because of that, Adrian made the silent decision to leave it right there with Milk. He was out of the game, so he would stay out of the game.

  “No doubt,” Adrian lied through his teeth and shook his hand.

  When he got back inside his vehicle, he knew the only way he would get all his answers was to show up to the party on Friday. But first, he had to put on his professional hat.

  Chapter 16

  Kiesha was truly in awe of herself as she swayed in her bedroom mirror. The gold fabric of her dress fit perfectly over her shape. It wasn’t too tight, nor was it too loose. It was perfect. Her hair was pinned up in a bun, and her edges were laid to the gods. She couldn’t wait to arrive at the showing. She truly felt like Cinderella right before she went off to the ball to meet her prince.

  Light hums escaped her lips as she closed her eyes and danced around her bedroom. She pictured strong arms wrapped around her, holding her in a warm embrace as she nestled her head in his chest. She felt safe as a rush of happiness overcame her. She was right where she was supposed to be. Except when she looked up into her prince’s handsome face, it wasn’t Cam who was holding her. It was Adrian. His smile was like a ray of light, and when he leaned down to kiss her, Kiesha jerked her eyes open from her daydream.

  A hand went to her chest, and she sat down on her bed. She didn’t know if she was out of breath from the dancing or from her thoughts. She tried to make sense of Adrian sneaking into her daydream. Especially when Cam was the one who’d be there to pick her up any minute. She’d invited him as her plus-one since Adrian had told her she could have one. She thought it would be a cool way to show Cam what she was busy with that summer. But the butterflies she felt at the thought of Adrian were making her wonder if she had made a mistake.

  She liked Cam a lot and enjoyed talking to him, but she couldn’t deny that Adrian was starting to grow on her. She’d only known both men a short amount of time, but she had spent a good amount of it with both of them, Adrian at work and Cam outside of it. She shook the thoughts from her head. She was dating Cam, and that was who she would focus on. Adrian couldn’t like her like that anyway. Plus, he’d already told her that he wasn’t looking for anything special with any woman. Yes, he flirted with her sometimes, but he was just teasing. Probably.

  Kiesha slid into the matching golden shoes that she got to go with the dress and was glad she’d gone with the shorter, more comfortable heel. She had never been to that kind of showing before and had no idea how long she would be on her feet. After that, she put some finishing touches on her makeup and went into the living room to wait for Cam to pick her up.

  “Oh, my God!”

  The exclamation almost made her jump out of her heels when she got to the living room. There, waiting for her, were both her mother and London. Both of their jaws dropped when they saw her step out of the hallway. Kiesha was surprised to see London there. She hadn’t told her that she was coming over. Plus, she was sure that she’d told her that she had plans that evening.

  “London, I thought I told you about the showing.”

  “You did, and I decided to come over and see you off and be here when you get back so you can tell me all about your date!”

  “You’re dragging it!”

  “No, I’m not. A good friend is happy for their friend’s happiness. So I’m going to run to the store and grab us some snacks for when you get back.” London squealed and took her by the hands. “You look so gorgeous. I don’t even think you were this fine on prom night!”

  “Gee, thanks,” Kiesha teased.

  “She doesn’t mean it like that, baby. You just look really good!” Miss Simmons gushed. “This guy must really have you in a daze. You’ve been glowing since you’ve been dating him!”

  “Or it could be my job. I really like it. I want to make a good impression with the clients. Is this too much?” Kiesha asked and smoothed down the sides of the dress.

  “Not at all. Now go stand by the mantle so I can get a picture before you leave.”

  “Ma!”

  “Aht, do it now,” Miss Simmons said and pointed to where she wanted Kiesha to stand.

  Kiesha rolled her eyes. However, she did what her mother said. She posed away for the camera until the doorbell rang. She tried to get to the door first, but Miss Simmons beat her to it. She swung the door open and revealed a very dapper Cam standing on the front porch. He had a fresh haircut and wore a tailored black suit with diamond cuff links.

  “You must be Kiesha’s mother. I see where she gets her beauty from,” he said, offering a kind smile.

  “Flattery will get you nowhere,” Miss Simmons said dryly but then broke into a grin. “Except inside of this house. Come in.”

  She moved out of the way so that Cam could step inside. The smile on his face faded when he laid eyes on Kiesha. An expression of wonder replaced it as he looked her up and down. His speechlessness made her nervous. Maybe she had done a little too much with the gold dress. It wasn’t like she was walking the red carpet or anything.

  “Wow,” he finally breathed. “That dress is . . . wow. You took my breath away.”

  “Um, Mama, London, this is Cam. Cam, this is my mom and my close friend,” she said, not knowing how to respond.

  “It’s nice to meet you both,” he said and held out a hand to Kiesha. “You ready? I don’t want you to be late to your event.”

  “Oh, you’re right,” Kiesha said. She grabbed her purse from the living room couch and took his hand. “I’m ready.”

  “Have fun and be safe!” Miss Simmons called after them.

  Kiesha blew her a kiss before shutting the door behind her. Cam walked her to his SUV and held her door open for her. He didn’t let go of her hand until she was safely seated, and when he got into the car, they pulled off from the house. She kept seeing him sneak glances of her as he drove, and she wanted to laugh so bad. They’d seen each other almost every day since their first date, but every time he saw her, he made her feel like it was the first time.

  “Don’t crash trying to look at me,” she said, poking fun at him.

  “You’re in good hands, shawty. Believe that.”

  “I believe it,” she told him.

  When they got to a stoplight, Cam turned so that he could look at her without the road as an interruption. Kiesha’s eyes had a mind of their own as they traveled down to his lips. He’d just licked them, so they were glistening. She wondered how they tasted. Every time he had kissed her, it had been on the forehead or cheek. She wanted more. When she looked back into his eyes, she could tell that he did too. Slowly, they leaned in toward each other until their soft lips met. Their kiss was slow to start, but it grew deep and passionate. Their tongues danced to a tune that hadn’t been made yet, and when they parted, they had to catch their breath. By then the light had turned green, and he had to drive, but his free hand found its way to hers. She gladly held it.

  “Everything about you is amazing,” he finally said. “I’m really feeling you.”

  “I feel the same about you.”

  “Maybe after this you can come to my spot?” he suggested.

  When he said those words, she realized that she’d been dreading them without even knowing it. She still hadn’t told him that she was a virgin, mainly because she didn’t know how. Being a virgin used to be normal. However, in this day and age, people looked at you as if you were an alien. She didn’t want him to reject her after finding out, and until she knew if they were going to get serious, she didn’t want him to look for affection elsewhere. She took a deep breath and looked at him.

  “Cam, I need to tell you something.”

  “What?” His eyes got wide at the seriousness in her tone.

  “I don’t want to go back to your place.”

  “Oh. That’s cool.” His voice was even, but there was a look of disappointment, almost sadness, on his face.

  “It’s not because I don’t actually want to. I just don’t want to give you the wrong idea.”

  “Kiesha, I don’t have a problem with takin’ things slow.”

  “It’s not just that, Cam. I’m . . . I’m a virgin.”

  A silence fell inside the car, and Kiesha could tell that he was shocked by her words. She’d known he would be. They drove in silence for a while before he broke it.

  “Like, a virgin virgin?” he asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Ohhhhh. So you’ve never gotten head or anything?” he asked.

  “Nope.”

  To her surprise, he started laughing. In fact, he laughed so hard that it annoyed her. She snatched her hand away from him and faced the window.

  “Wait, shawty. My bad. I’m not tryin’a make you mad. I just don’t know what to say. I guess I’m just intrigued, that’s all. I’ve never dealt with a virgin before. But ain’t nothin’ changin’ between us.”

  “You sure?”

  “Yeah, girl. I fuck with you. You ain’t gotta worry about me pressurin’ you or none of that. I done had a lot of pussy. I’m actually enjoyin’ just getting to know your mind right now. If that’s cool with you.”

  “That’s cool with me.”

  A weight felt like it had been lifted off her shoulders. She didn’t know how truthful he was being about being okay with it, but when he took her hand in his again and kissed it, she eased up a little bit more. Only time would tell.

  Chapter 17

  Adrian was blown away at how amazing the event had turned out. The view of the ocean set the tone for the whole evening. The music, food, and drinks were just the icing on the cake. All the homes had been staged with beautiful furniture, and he’d hired a contractor to build temporary walkways from one house to another. When the sun started to go down, small lanterns lit the way. The aesthetic of the whole showing was magnificent. And the turnout? More people came out than what even he’d expected. He couldn’t wait for Kiesha to get there to bask in the moment with him. It was, after all, as much her vision as it was his.

  “Excuse me, Mr. Parks?” a voice sounded as he was making his rounds through one of the properties.

  He turned around and saw a Caucasian couple standing there with their arms linked together. The man looked to be in his forties, and the woman was way younger than him, with a deep tan. They were dressed elegantly and stared eagerly at him. He’d been in the business long enough to know what that look meant, and a smile came to his face.

  “Is there anything I can help you lovely couple with?”

  “Yes. We’re Rebecca and Rob Stephenson. This house is absolutely lovely!” the woman said, brushing her hair out of her hazel eyes.