Disrespectfully, Relic

Chapter 6

“What kind of date with a kid takes place in the middle of nowhere? If you’re trying to murder me and hide the body, just know, I’m not going down without a fight, and I stay strapped.”

Kennedy patted the purse in her lap before shooting a warning glare at Relic that went unacknowledged as he drove down a one-way road with nothing but trees as far as the eye’s reach. Her statement had been made in jest, but she couldn’t settle the faint stirring in her gut from knowing Relic was fully capable of the act she’d mentioned. It didn’t register until she’d climbed into his car that she didn’t know a single thing about him outside of the sordid rumors from her girls that didn’t mitigate her reservations. The fact that Relic hadn’t spoken a word the entire drive made her uneasy.

She’d allowed sheer curiosity to coax her into leaving with him after informing Savvy of their arrangement. The suggestive expression she’d received from her friend almost made her change her mind, but she was too invested in figuring out what Relic wanted with her of all people—why he’d offered her a salon, to run his business, and to act as a partner for his label. All signs led to there being a motive. She doubted he’d go to such lengths to fuck her when women were lined up for the position of his personal bed warmer.

“Are you afraid of me, Kennedy?” Relic broke his silence without so much as a glance in her direction. She screwed up her face.

“I’m far from afraid of you. I just don’t trust you.”

“Why is that?”

“Why should I?” she countered. “We’re not cordial, and outside of trying to use me for your business purposes, you’ve never said more than a few words to me. You either stare or ignore me.”

“Because I don’t know how to talk to you.” His honesty threw her but calmed her skepticism to where her body relaxed against the seat. “Just about every interaction I have with women is either calculated or insincere, depending on what I need from them. Even then, I’m known for saying the wrong things, so I rather skip the small talk. We don’t have to get to know one another.”

“How can we work together, then? You planned to let a person you don’t know from Adam or Eve control your business and money? And don’t say you’ve done your research, because you can do all the digging in the world, but you’ll never learn more about me than from me.”

“Funny, coming from a person who just said I barely speak to them, yet claimed to know enough about my ass when I said you didn’t know shit.”

Kennedy pursed her lips with a nod. “Touché. I was just saying that I’ve heard about you. I’m also not one to judge based on other people’s opinions,” she made sure to add. Relic removed his eyes from the road to aim at her.

“Believe what you’ve heard, Kennedy. Eighty percent of that shit is true, and the other twenty percent is worse than what they’ve told you.”

His admission stupefied her as he set his sights back on the road.

Her eyes remained on his side profile—tracing his strong jawline that tensed, and then his Adam’s apple that bobbed from a swallow accompanying the subtle flair of his nose. Relic had told her one thing, but his enticing features exposed another. She bit her lip while mulling over if she should bring it up or leave well enough alone.

“Are you finished analyzing me, or do you need more time?” Relic cut his eyes at her as she continued her perusal.

“Since you asked, I’m almost done. Give me another minute.”

“Why? So, you can tell me, you don’t believe what I said, or that I’m agreeing to whatever people think about me since it’s easier than defending my name.” Confusion lined her forehead with wrinkles when he expressed what she’d been thinking. “It’s hard to read a person when they’ve learned to show you exactly what they want you to see. Play therapist with the next nigga. Did you come up with a solution to my problem you pointed out about the studio?”

Relic’s change in topics was so swift that Kennedy scrambled to keep up. She was still stuck on figuring out if he read her thoughts because it was the truth, or what he’d purposely portrayed.

“Focus, Kennedy.” He snapped his fingers in her face, and she swatted his hand away.

“I’m focused! I said to hire a security team.”

“That’s all you got? I need you to think bigger, baby. Anyone can suggest I hire other muthafuckas to take money out of my pockets. How does that benefit me?”

“Everything won’t always be beneficial to you, Relic.”

“That difference in logic is the reason I’m where I am in life, and you’re where you are.”

His statement was a slap to the face, sending Kennedy’s head jerking back. Her mouth opened to shoot out a rebuttal, but she paused since she could hear her brother telling her the same if she was being small minded. Koda’s thought process with every move he made had been to create a plan and then expand it because the first draft was always the smallest out of fear or comfortability.

“What if you start your own security company? Nothing big, but a solid team of guys who you know aren’t afraid to protect your artists. You’ll still come out of pocket, but eventually, you can bring money in by servicing clients,” she suggested, noting the corner of his mouth tugging upward as he nodded.

“Big dog muthafuckin’ Kennedy. Now, we’re getting somewhere. So, I can do what I’m already doing and use my soldiers but put them on payroll.”

“Not soldiers or workers. They’re young men you’re saving and giving legal jobs to keep them off the streets. You can pay for their training and licensing, so if a situation arises where they put a body down, they’ll be documented. Same with your record label and giving them a means to change their lives. That’s the angle you need to portray as a businessman. Reformation. Pierre is your poster child.”

“Ain’t shit changed ‘bout that nigga.”

“And I doubt you’ll change either, but the outside world doesn’t know that. It’s about appearances. I don’t like Pierre’s ass, but he plays the part well. You need to do the same because you’ve been reckless.”

“I’ve been reckless?” Relic pointed to his chest and pressed, “How so?”

“By thinking you’re untouchable but not taking the precautions to ensure you are. Your skin isn’t bulletproof, and your dick may get you in trouble. You need to look at your label like you do the drug game, and right now, you’re shitting where you eat.”

Her assessment made him crack a smile before he asked, “What else?”

“The game is sold not told, partner .”

Relic hummed with a bob of his head before he slowed down, hooking a left turn on a path cut through a thicket of trees. He drove until the dense woods opened to a clear view of dirt, grass, and manmade mounds the size of mini mountains. Once he spotted Los’s car parked alongside a row of metal bung barrels, he rolled to a stop beside it and killed his engine as faint pops echoed into the car.

“What the hell was that?” Kennedy lurched upright in her seat, alert.

“The person I hired to murder you and hide the body.”

Relic didn’t wait for her response as he exited the car and strolled around to her side—opening her door before reaching past her to pop open his glove compartment. He grabbed the folded pages of paper to drop on her lap and then stood to prop an arm on the door.

“I have more fucking money than I know what to do with, so the game being sold doesn’t move me. I can afford to be told everything I need to know, and if I don’t like what I hear, I can afford to change it. That’s your contract.”

Kennedy gave him a skeptical stare before unfolding the pages, skimming her title and the vague but standard requirements of her position. When she flipped to the next page, she wasn’t surprised to see a non-disclosure agreement. With the illegitimate moves he made behind the scenes; she was glad to see he’d covered the bases when it came to keeping his businesses concealed.

The last page housed lines at the bottom to sign, but as she glanced over the fine print at the top, her eyes damn near popped out of her head at seeing the mid-six figure salary, along with a signing bonus which was ten percent of her base pay.

“Did you read over this?” she verified, holding it up. “Your lawyer did this, or you?”

“It was a joint effort, Kennedy. Is there a problem?”

“Yes. Why in the hell would you pay me this much with no prior experience, no qualifications, and without an interview?”

Relic smirked and stepped back, tossing his head for her to get out as those faint pops grew louder in the near distance. Kennedy stuffed the contract inside her purse for safe keeping before exiting the car so that he could lock it.

“Every time you were in my presence, I interviewed you,” he told her, tugging her forward by her blazer before placing a hand at the small of her back to guide her steps. “You don’t say much, which says a lot. Your work ethic could use a little work, but you’re more focused than any other woman I can tolerate outside of Savvy.”

“My work ethic is fine, and why not let Savvy keep her position if she’s a better fit?”

“Because of the experience and qualifications that you believe you don’t have. What I need isn’t some shit that looks good on paper, Kennedy. This position requires more than being able to add up numbers and find talent. Savvy was green just a couple of years ago. She’s ripening up, fucking with my brother, but—”

“She’s not street smart,” she finished, catching his drift. Relic was paying her to aid and abet his illegal activities, and the thought crossed her mind to request more money.

“Exactly. How the hell can she help convert my street and legal enterprises into one entity when she doesn’t know shit about the one that brings in the most bread? You understand now?”

“I do, but you offered me the position before you knew about my brother.”

“You had potential, so I planned to give you on the job training to see whether you could fill those shoes. Lucky for me, you’re already an asset.”

“And if I weren’t?”

Kennedy lifted her eyes from the ground and placed them on Relic. His stare remained straight ahead.

“You’re either an asset or a liability, Kennedy. If you were the latter, I’d really be leading you to the person who’d murder you for me and dispose of the body.”

Kennedy’s steps faltered, but Relic gripped her back firmer while forcing her to continue. One corner of his mouth quirked before he peered down and chuckled at the deep frown she wore.

“That’s not funny.”

“Never said I was joking. Grab the earmuffs and gun you prefer,” he directed, guiding her toward a picnic table where an insulated tote and duffel bag set on top. His eyes flicked to her as he unzipped the duffel and suggested in a cavalier tone, “Or you can use the one you claim is inside your purse.”

Kennedy snorted at his jab and dug inside her bag, removing the gun she’d tucked there before leaving the house. She waved it in the air and then dropped it back into its rightful spot. Relic laughed.

“I’m going to have a lot of fun with you, big dog Kennedy.”

“You think so? I bet that’ll piss your cousin off since he’s waiting for... what was it, he said?” She tapped a finger against her chin in mock recollection. “For you to stop playing with your food. I must’ve missed it when I became an issue to either of you. I don’t bother anyone.”

“P talks to hear himself speak.”

“Pierre says exactly what the hell is on his mind because he can back it up. He meant it.”

“You’re right.”

Relic left it at that and chose one of the guns Los had brought with him to train the kids. Kennedy followed his lead—picking up a Glock to test the weight in her hands before grabbing the magazine, feeding the bullets inside to load it. Once she was done, she slapped the mag into the well with her palm, hooked a pair of earmuffs around her neck, and then glanced at Relic. She couldn’t see those piercing eyes through his shades, but she felt them because they either seared her like a raging fire or gave her the iciest chills. The third reaction they caused her body; she ignored.

“You can’t pull out a gun on someone and think shit is sweet,” he stated, tossing his head to summon her. She strutted to his side as he began walking. “P has killed niggas for less, but he let you off easy because of Tek and Savvy.”

“No, he let me off easy because of you, and I bet it’s since you need me for your master plan. Good thing, I’m an asset and not a liability, huh?”

Relic smirked as they neared the target setup where his folks were. Kennedy was off point but too close for comfort, making him wonder if he’d made the best decision to utilize her for his benefit. Her cleverness could end up either a gift or a curse for him.

“You have a very active imagination, Kennedy. You put all that together from one statement?”

“Don’t be fucking condescending because you know, I’m right. Let that be the last time you lie to me, Relic.”

A hearty laugh burst from him at hearing the warning he’d given her tossed back at him, and Kennedy grinned at its genuineness.

“I never said that you were right or wrong, but I will point out that you’re alive. Do with that what you will, and if you believe it’s because of me, you’re welcome.”

That subtle admission caused her steps to lag as Relic sauntered toward where Los was resetting up targets with his daughter, Nairi, and Jahleel by his side. The men dapped up one another in greeting while Kennedy kept her distance, debating what the hell she was getting herself into if she signed that contract. She was uncertain whether the money was worth it.

Relic was the kind of nigga that she couldn’t figure out and shouldn’t trust—the kind her brother had been to everyone outside of those he loved. Koda hadn’t hidden his lifestyle from her because he’d rather she stayed prepared for anything, but he made her feel safe in his chaos. Relic made it crystal clear that one false move could land her on the wrong side of his gun.

His position meant one order could have killers on her head because that was the type of power he held in the palm of his hand. Kennedy should’ve been afraid of Relic, but she wasn’t. A part of her wanted to decline the offer and stay far as hell away from him, but the side she’d been keeping dormant yearned to dive into his world headfirst because she saw the method to his madness. Whether to play Relic close or to avoid him rested on a balance scale that wavered each time he spoon-fed her bits of himself. The cash he was offering sprinkled on that Blaise dust he’d told Treasure about and tipped it in his favor.

“Kenn dog! Why the hell you over there, looking crazy? I ain’t sleep with you last night, girl. You can speak.”

Los’s definition of a greeting pulled her out of her conflicted thoughts. Kennedy plastered on a smile, making her way to them as Jahleel and Nairi raced to meet her halfway, throwing their arms around her waist.

“Hey, Ms. Kennedy! What you doing around my daddy without my momma?” Nairi asked. Her voice was sweet, but her stare held an accusation that made Kennedy laugh.

“I’m here with Relic. Nobody wants your dad but yo momma, Nai.”

“Right! Ms. Kennedy is Relic’s girlfriend. Everybody knows that,” Jahleel voiced, making Los snort a laugh.

“Shit, I missed the memo, Jah. When did that happen?”

“It didn’t happen. Worry more about your ex-wife you’re still tricking on while she’s fucking another nigga, and less about my shit. Jah, let me see what you’ve learned so far,” Relic requested, heading toward the shooting table where the kids’ guns were placed.

“He didn’t hit a target yet!” Nairi snitched, running to one side of the table while Jahleel rushed to the other. “Yo son ain’t got no aim.”

“Los said you ain’t hit nothing when you started either.”

“Well, you should’ve started the same time as me. My daddy been teaching me, so if a boy ever puts his hands on me when I get older... boom!”

Nairi shaped her fingers into a fake gun and aimed it at Jahleel, who frowned. Relic stepped behind him but glanced at Los over a shoulder.

“That must be why you ain’t ever teach her momma how to shoot, huh?”

“Shut the fuck up. Why you even here, nigga? I told you, I’d drop him off.”

“Kennedy owes Jahleel a date, and I want to see if she can pull a trigger. Figured I’d kill two birds with one stone.”

“Oh, damn right! I forgot she upped her shit on my brother. She can’t know how to shoot, ‘cause the first rule of pulling your gun is, you better use that muthafucka. I told Nai, it ain’t no warnings. If a nigga pushed you that far to where you gotta threaten him with it, finish what the fuck you started.”

“It’s too late for him,” Relic cosigned with a nod. “He either gon’ think she won’t do that shit and try her again, or he’ll retaliate. Both ain’t a good look.”

“Neither is pulling just to show you got it because it ain’t a flex. Your gun isn’t meant to handle every situation. Not checking your fucking temper to prove a point could lead to yo family attending a funeral.”

Los’s smokey gray eyes that stoned in warning landed on Kennedy, but then he smiled to show her there wasn’t beef on his end. She turned away without returning the gesture.

Although she understood him because she went just as hard for her nephew, she didn’t take well to a man threatening her as if there were nuts and a dick between her thighs. If her brother were alive, Los would’ve been checked or killed with a single call, and she missed having a protector to hold her down without having to lift a finger or raise her voice. Kennedy didn’t trip about it since Koda had taught her to defend herself in the exact manner that Los was training up Nairi.

“Let me get your spot, Nai,” she requested, positioning herself within the table’s body gap once Nairi stepped aside. When she pulled on her earmuffs, Jahleel beamed and copied the act.

“You’re about to shoot with me?”

“Yep. This is our date, right?”

Jahleel nodded, carefully picking up his gun to hold with both hands before he reminded her, “But you’re ‘pose to be on a date with Relic. He needs a girlfriend, so he can stop being a grouch.”

“Who the fuck said that?” Relic snapped, but Kennedy fanned him off.

“We were supposed to go on a date, but your dad and I decided that wasn’t the best idea since neither of us want a relationship, Jah. We rather be friends.”

“So, you really don’t like him, but you’re too nice to say it?”

Los choked on a laugh, and Nairi fell into a fit of giggles that made Kennedy bite back a smile. The dismayed expression Jahleel wore wouldn’t allow her to release it.

“It’s not that, Jah. Where did that even come from?”

“Because I like a girl in my class, but she said she just wanna be my friend. Uncle Shabu said that’s called a friend zone, and I should move on ‘cause she doesn’t like me for real.”

“Oh, my gosh.”

Kennedy rubbed her forehead, growing thankful by the second that she didn’t have children. Tekken was a teenager who could deal with girl problems on his own for the most part by the time he’d moved with her.

“Your uncle is a dumb ass. Come to me next time, Jah, and I’ll give you advice on dealing with girls,” Relic stated, but Jahleel gave a vehement shake of his head.

“Uncle Shabu said never go to you because you’ll only make it worse.”

Kennedy cackled, slapping a hand over her mouth when Relic whipped his head in her direction. The corner of his mouth twitching gave away his urge to laugh as well. She addressed Jahleel after regaining her composure.

“Definitely don’t go to your dad, Jah. Relic doesn’t talk to girls like a gentleman, and he’s mean. Plus, he doesn’t like them unless they can give him something.”

Jahleel smiled wide with a bob of his head. “Like the girl at the grocery store that gives me free candy because she likes him!”

“Mhmm, but don’t talk to girls just ‘cause they like you. You should talk to ones that you like back and want to get to know because they’re smart or stand out in a good way.”

“Like you stand out?” he confirmed, his eyes shifting to the scars on her face as her smile waned. “You don’t look like other girls.”

“True, but I don’t stand out in a good way.”

“Says who?” Relic butted in, strolling behind her as the skeleton stamped with her name tried breaking free from his internal closet. He ignored it and pointed at the targets. “Y’all are talking too much, and I’m trying to see whether Los did his fucking job with my son.”

“I’m ready. You good, Jah?”

“Yep,” he answered, placing his earmuffs over his lobes.

Kennedy watched with a small smile as his expression grew serious, and hands clenched the gun’s grip while his thumb swiped the safety off. She did the same, aimed, and then examined the targets. A row of paper ducks taped to cans were lined on a slab of wood, a string—wrapped around two trees—with bullseye pictures clipped to it was a few feet behind those, and two human silhouette pictures pinned to wooden stands was furthest back.

“Are we going for the ducks, bullseye, or silhouette targets, Jah?”

“The ducks. We’ll go on the count of three.”

“I’ll count!” Nairi shouted, adjusting her earmuffs before backing up. “One, two, three...”

Kennedy winced as she pulled the trigger. The gun’s power shocked her for a split second because it’d been years since she had to used one. Her eyes rolled when a derisive scoff from Relic sounded over her shoulder.

“I thought you’d be better at this shit. It’s looking like me and Los didn’t have to step in when you tried my folks because you would’ve missed anyway.”

“Shut the hell up.”

“I would say make me, but you just proved that you couldn’t even if I gave you the gun and bullets to do it. My judgement was off about you, Kennedy. I guess my old age is making me rusty.”

“Don’t listen to him. My daddy can teach you with me and Jah,” Nairi told her in a consoling tone. “You ready to go again?”

Kennedy placed her pointer finger near the trigger and shifted her aim an inch. Before she could give Nairi the go ahead, a solid body pressing against her backside like it belonged there made her shudder.

She refused to glance back as Relic grazed both hands down her arms and then planted them overtop hers like she required his help. His mouth rested at her ear while his thumb rubbed the keloids along her hand as her teeth clenched. If she hated nothing more, it was being seen as a helpless bitch, incapable of getting shit done. Relic’s actions made it obvious her minor slip had placed her in that category.

“You don’t just aim and shoot. Use your front sight to focus on the target,” he coached, tapping the tiny post on her gun’s barrel near the muzzle. She tucked her lips to not respond. “Inhale, let it out, and shoot at the pause before you inhale again. Don’t fucking breathe until they’re not, and don’t hesitate because real life doesn’t give you a moment to contemplate your move. Remember, it’s always them or you, Kennedy. Go again.”

“On the count of three,” Nairi reiterated before starting. “One, two, three...”

Kennedy and Jahleel pulled their triggers in unison, both knocking down a duck as Nairi cheered them on. Jahleel missed his second and third duck but hit the last one standing, while Kennedy hit each mark. She didn’t lower her gun when Relic removed his hands.

“I finally did it! You saw that, Relic?” Jahleel exclaimed with a broad smile.

“I did. You got more work to do, but not bad for your first time. Me and Los will bring y’all here once a month to work on your skills. We’ll even invite Kennedy again since she needs it. Sounds good?”

“Yep. You hear that Ms. Kennedy? Relic said you can come again.”

Kennedy heard him but was too busy replaying Relic’s taunting words on a loop in her head to respond. Hell would freeze over before she’d let him believe she couldn’t protect herself without his guidance. She raised her gun higher to aim at the silhouette furthest away and then did what Relic had recited but Koda had taught her well before she knew she’d need it. Kennedy inhaled, exhaled, and then held her breath as she let off three shots into her target.

After lowering her gun with a squint, a small smirk eased onto her face at seeing the holes gaped into the image at the head, heart, and groin for added measure. She pivoted in her heels to face Relic, noting her skills wiped the smugness off his face.

“I was thirteen when my brother taught me to shoot, so I guess my old age made me a bit rusty, too. It’s coming back to me, don’t you think?”

“I think your chest shot is off.”

“And I think maybe you should take those damn glasses off to see better because that shit is perfect.”

She reached for his shades, but Relic tipped back and then caught her hand at the wrist. A shrieked slipped out when he tightened his hold to yank her against his chest.

“Don’t try that shit again, Kennedy, and this is as nice as I’ll ever be about it,” he stated in a stern tone before releasing her.

“Your best bet was to let me go, or this gun was about to be upside your damn head. It wasn’t that serious, Relic. They’re just glasses.”

“He doesn’t like taking them off because he’s cursed,” Jahleel stepped in to explain, and Los chuckled.

“Folks, why the hell did you tell him about some shit like that?”

“Was it a lie?”

“Wait.” Kennedy glanced between them before inquiring, “What do you mean, you’re cursed?”

Los clapped his hands. “Aight, we’re about to wrap this up, so grab your guns and put them on safety to take to the table. We’ll eat, and... walk!” he shouted, shaking his head as Jahleel and Nairi dashed away before he finished his sentence.

Kennedy fell in line with him and Relic as they strolled toward the table behind the kids. She was itching to bring up the question again but respected their privacy. Los had changed the subject for a reason.

“Dyab je ble.” Relic speaking a language she couldn’t decipher made her peer at him with pinched brows. He translated, “Blue eyed devil. There are superstitions that surround our eye color dating back generations. It was said that our great, great, great grandmother was a priestess, who’d been raped by a white man. He soiled our lineage with a fair skinned, blue-eyed baby that became the talk of the town since her husband was as dark as night. After that, they did everything to ensure it wouldn’t trickle down the line, but here we are.”

He lifted his shades and then lowered them just as fast before pointing at Los. Kennedy frowned because she couldn’t recall a time she witnessed Los shielding his eyes from the world.

“Is one color worse than the other?” she pried.

Relic walked off at the inquiry, but Los eased by her side after noting the genuine confusion etched in her features.

“Nah, one ain’t worse than the other, and on some real shit, it’s not a big deal in our culture or households. Just in his. That’s what his mother called him, not because of a superstition, but because that’s how she saw him. My manman would never call me no shit like that.”

Before she could delve further into their pasts, Los headed toward Relic, where he stood at one end of the table, scrolling through his phone. It wasn’t Los’s place to tell Kennedy about Relic, but he was damn sure interested in hearing about whatever the hell Relic was cooking up with her. Los usually caught on to his cousin’s ploys, but the sticky situation regarding Kennedy was one he hadn’t figured out.

“Since when are you so buddy buddy with Kenn? Where the hell are you going with this?” He didn’t beat around the bush as he turned away from the table so that Kennedy couldn’t read his lips. Relic did the same.

“That’s for me to know and for you to find out.”

“Yea, aight. You’re playing with fucking fire, and you know it. The problem with yo ass is, you don’t know when to leave well enough alone. When she denied the salon, you should’ve kept your distance then, but you think you’re smarter than everyone and that your bullshit will never catch up to you.”

“It hasn’t caught up to me yet.”

“What goes up must come down, nigga,” Los reminded him, stepping closer to look him square in the face. “You’re almost out the game. I’d hate to see you fall behind a bitch after all the work you put in.”

“You know me better than that. I’d put her body on ice first.”

“Will you? Because after you let a witness make it, stopped P from doing her in after she threatened him, and then tried to give her a free business, I’m starting to think you like the damn girl. Either that, or you feel guilty about her being a casualty to your and Mya’s bullshit.”

Both accusations caused Relic’s brows to furrow before he rolled his neck, trying remove the immediate tension there. He slipped his phone in his pocket and proceeded to trek away but stopped short to give Los a quick reminder.

“Ask Jessica how far like or guilt gets a bitch with me, folks. Oh, wait. You can’t.”

Los’s face dropped, and a satisfied smirk covered Relic’s as he went to sit beside Kennedy. She was chatting with Jahleel, but his presence made her pause to give him her undivided attention. The pitying gaze she pinned on Relic almost made him get up.

“Are you alright?” she asked in a concerned tone he didn’t know she possessed. He’d gotten used to her talking shit.

“Without question. Why would you think I’m not, big dog Kennedy?”

Because he had a fucked-up mother who’d convinced him that he was defective when he was far from it, tried climbing its way up her throat. Since Relic was a man of little to no emotion, Kennedy swallowed that down and chose another route.

“Oh, so I’m a big dog again?” she pointed out, stuffing a chip in her mouth. He propped an elbow on the table and angled his body to face her.

“To be determined. Ask me again after tomorrow night.”

“What’s tomorrow night?”

“I have a business meeting, and I’m bringing you along. Might as well show you what you’re in for. Right, partner?”

Relic held out his hand, and Kennedy shook on it before biting the half sandwich that Jahleel had shared with her. It was the most she could do to play it cool. Nausea struck her after the second bite, but it had nothing to do with her food and everything to do with being sucked into a lifestyle she’d sworn to avoid after losing her brother. It didn’t surprise her that Relic was the nigga she’d allowed to convince her to stick her foot back into familiar waters.