28. Damier
T he bass of the music thumped through the walls of my office at the club, but I barely noticed it. My focus was locked on the phone in my hand, waiting for any kind of lead from Lil Ken. The place was packed with people celebrating the relaunch, but tonight wasn’t about business or celebrations—it was about finding Dream.
Lil Ken sat across from me, dressed in an all-black Nike tech sweatsuit, his matte black MacBook open on the desk in front of him. He looked better—his lupus flare-up had calmed—but his usual laid-back vibe was gone. He was here to work, not party.
“Thanks for pulling up,” I said as he started typing away.
Ken nodded, not looking up. “Ain’t no way I was sitting this one out. How you holding up?”
“Barely.” I leaned against the desk, the gun at my side feeling heavier than usual.
Ken nodded. “Before we get into what you brought me here for, I checked out the tape. It was an old woman who dropped the baby off. I put in for the ancestry test, though. Shouldn’t take too long to find the baby’s family. But I am working on finding out who the woman is.”
“Good,” I said, my voice clipped. “But right now, it’s all about Dream.”
Ken nodded again, his fingers flying across the keys. “Got a name?”
“Lamari,” I said, sliding him the number that had called me earlier.
Ken started running his programs, but before he could finish, my phone buzzed. I glanced at the screen—a new number.
I answered, pressing the phone to my ear. “What?”
“Thought I wasn’t going to call back so you can get your bitch back, did you?” His tone was cocky, but I could hear the edge of uncertainty beneath it.
I smirked, my heart pounding as anger boiled in my chest. “Oh, I knew your broke ass was gon’ call back. Took me a second, but I know who you are now, Bitch Boy Lamari.”
The line went quiet for a moment, and I could picture him freezing on the other end. But then he recovered, sticking to his script.
“Yeah, it’s me. So what?” he said, his voice hardening. “You know what this is. Four million dollars in cash, and you can have her back.”
Ken was already whispering beside me, “Keep him talking. I need at least a minute to trace it.”
I clenched my jaw, forcing myself to keep my cool. “Four million?” I said, letting out a low chuckle. “That’s what you think she’s worth? Seems low.”
“She’s worth more to you than anyone else,” he shot back. “You’re lucky I’m keeping it this simple.”
My grip on the phone tightened, my free hand curling into a fist. “Let me talk to her,” I demanded, my tone calm but sharp.
“No,” he said flatly. “Not until I have the money.”
“Stop being scared and send the address for the drop-off,” I said, my voice dropping.
The line went silent for a beat, and then Lamari muttered something under his breath.
“I’ll send it. But rushing me won’t make me move faster,” he warned before hanging up.
I exhaled sharply, lowering the phone as Ken cursed under his breath.
“Fuck,” Ken said. “I got his drop, but the app’s acting up. I need more time to get the location, but it’ll kick in eventually.”
I slammed my fist on the desk, pacing the room. “How much time?”
“I don’t know,” Ken admitted. “Could be minutes, could be longer. I’ll let you know the second it pings.”
I didn’t have the patience to wait. Grabbing my gun, I turned to Ken. “Keep working on it. I’m hitting the streets.”
$$$$$
I signaled for King and Hocus to follow me.
King’s black Cadillac SUV cut through the quiet streets of Compton like a knife. The car was built for this—untraceable, bulletproof, and intimidating.
I sat in the backseat, my gun resting on my lap, my thoughts spiraling. Dream didn’t deserve this. Her innocence, her sweetness—it was everything I loved about her, and now it was being violated by a man who couldn’t even hold her down.
The thought of Lamari’s hands on her, the sick shit he might be doing, made my stomach twist. My anger burned hotter with every passing second. If something happened to her, I’d take out Lamari and anyone tied to him.
I stared out the window, my jaw tight. I might end up in jail for murdering Lamari’s whole family.
We pulled up to the first address, which was the one on his driver’s license—a run-down house with a flickering porch light. The yard was a mess, and the screen door looked like it hadn’t been replaced since the ’90s.
King didn’t hesitate. He kicked the door in, the sound echoing through the quiet street.
Inside, an old man and woman sat on the couch, their faces pale with fear. They looked like they’d been dragged out of sleep, their thin frames trembling as they stared at us.
“Where’s Lamari?” I demanded, stepping inside, my gun raised.
The old woman shook her head, tears spilling down her cheeks. “We don’t know!” she cried. “We haven’t seen him in months!”
“Lying ain’t gonna help you,” I said coldly, my eyes darting around the room.
The old man shifted slightly, his hand reaching for something beside the couch. My instincts kicked in.
“Don’t do it,” I warned, but he didn’t listen.
The moment I saw the glint of a gun, I pulled the trigger. The old man slumped back against the couch, the weapon falling from his hand.
The woman let out a wail, but I didn’t flinch. Her cries grated on my nerves, and I made a decision I didn’t want to make. I couldn’t leave loose ends. With one swift move, I raised the gun again and pulled the trigger.
The silence that followed was deafening.
King and Hocus rushed in from the back of the house. King took one look at the scene and shook his head.
“Damn,” he muttered. “They done released the beast.”
I didn’t respond, my jaw tight as I moved past them. “Nothing in the back?”
“Nothing,” Hocus confirmed, his tone grim.
“We keep moving,” I said, my voice flat.
The night dragged on as we hit every address Ken had dug up, each one leading to another dead end and a dead body. My patience was wearing thin, the weight in my chest growing heavier with every second Dream was gone.
My phone buzzed at 4:00 AM on the dot, and I snatched it up. Ken’s name lit up the screen.
“I got it,” he said, his voice sharp. “The phone’s pinging in Compton. Sending you the address now.”
“Good,” I said, my voice steady. “We’re already in the city.”
As the address popped up on my screen, my grip tightened on the phone. My blood boiled, my resolve hardening.
Lamari’s time is up faster than he ever saw it coming.