Chapter 24 #2
Clutching his iron, Kross sped back to his condo, cleaned out all the paper he had stashed there, and stuffed it into a duffle bag.
With a bag filled with close to fifty-thousand dollars, he left the condo and got back into his car.
He sped straight over to Remedy’s shop and used the spare key she had given him.
It was close to three in the morning, so he was sure he wouldn’t run into her or any of the other barbers.
He rushed into her office and gained access to the safe where they kept the paper she collected from the drops she made.
He emptied the safe of all the money, filling the duffle bag to capacity.
Nina was nobody to play with, and she wasn’t a cheap bitch, so he had to make sure he came correct.
Just as he was locking the shop back up to get in his car, his phone vibrated with a call.
Usually, Kross would never miss a phone call, but he was so locked into tunnel vision, he missed the call.
When his phone started to vibrate again, he reached into his pocket and saw that it was Remedy calling.
“Kross, what the fuck are you doing at the shop at three in the morning?” she stressed.
She got an alert on her phone from the cameras he had installed.
As hard as she tried to go to sleep, she spent the entire time tossing and turning, concerned about his safety.
He was a real street nigga through and through, so it went without saying that the niggas who spun on his homie were about to get knocked off.
He leaned his head back against the headrest of his seat and let out a heavy sigh. His heart and mind were heavy, and even though it sounded like Remedy was about to chew his ass out, hearing her voice brought him a sense of peace.
“Don’t worry about it, shawty. You need to be sleep.”
Remedy sat up in bed, glad that she was able to get him on the phone. “I couldn’t sleep without knowing if you were okay. How is your friend? Is he okay?”
Kross ran his hand down his face as a defeated groan full of pain dispelled out of him. “Nah, Rem. We lost him,” his baritone voice weakly sounded through her ears.
This was a back-to-back loss Kross was suffering. Absolutely nothing would be the same.
“Damn, Kross,” Remedy sympathized with him, her voice full of sorrow. “I’m so sorry, baby.”
“This shit hurt, Remedy, but I’m used to it.” He shrugged his broad shoulders.
“I know, but we’re gonna get through this, together this time,” she assured him, causing a faint smile to grace his face. Having somebody in his corner who understood what he was feeling and wasn’t afraid to tackle the pain head on with him was a blessing. “What do you need from me?”
His eyes shifted to the duffle bag full of paper he had in his passenger seat. He was road running and getting shit together so they could slide on them Zone 7 niggas for what they did to Los and Cassie. He didn’t have a minute to chill with her to get his mind right.
“I’m gone send you some paper to get us a room at The Setai. I’ll meet you there when I’m done.”
“Kross, just meet me there now. I can hear it in your voice that shit is not right with you, and I don’t want you doing anything crazy.”
“I can’t do that right now.” Kross shook his head. “I promise I’m good, shawty. I’ll meet you at the hotel in a minute.”
Accepting her defeat, she let out a sigh before agreeing. “I’ll see you later. Please stay safe.”
“I’ll make it back to you. Don’t trip, shawty,” he assured her before they mutually decided to end the call.
With no hesitation, he sent a few bands her way so she could secure the hotel room.
In the midst of him doing that, Noonie hit him with the location to meet Nina.
He appreciated Nina’s tenacity to make her money.
She heard the urgency in Noonie’s voice and knew the Paper Chase Crew always came through with whatever her asking price was, so it was no stress to her to make it happen for them during the wee hours of the morning.
Kross drove for miles on the interstate until he reached West Palm Beach.
On the road, he met up with one of the Paper Chase soldiers, Ace, who would be moving the artillery back to the city.
He couldn’t risk getting caught up with anything, so he was playing his cards right.
Kross and Ace stood in front of the Maybach and Escalade they rode in as Nina and her crew seemed to emerge from the shadows of the beach.
Right where the tide crashed onto the shore underneath the pier, Nina came rolling ten deep with her men.
She and the Paper Chase Crew had one hell of a relationship, but she didn’t trust anyone, so she always made sure her security was tight.
Kross and Ace were surrounded by all of Nina’s security who had guns aimed at them.
“I thought we moved past all of these crazy-ass security measures, Nina,” Kross said as his eyes darted around, taking note of each gun that was pointed at him.
If he even thought about breathing wrong, they would light his ass up.
“I can never be too careful, papi.” She shrugged her shoulders before flipping her thick mane of dark brown curls over them. “How have you been? It’s been ten years, hasn’t it?”
“Seven,” he corrected her. “But I’ve been working. Nothing new.” He wasn’t in the mood to chit chat, so he kept his reply brief.
A light smirk graced Nina’s beautiful face as she nodded. “What’s the occasion?” she asked before snapping her fingers for two of her henchmen to open the doors of the van that was carrying some of the ammunition and arsenal they smuggled from all over the world.
“Payback. They dropped Los today,” Kross throated out with his jaws clenched.
Nina was shocked to hear Los had passed. She had done a few transactions with him just off the strength of the business relationship she had with Kross. He seemed like a good guy who was about his paper.
“My condolences. Make them motherfuckas pay.”
Kross nodded as he relieved himself of the duffel bag and tossed it to the ground so one of her henchmen could retrieve it. “$150k. It’s all there.”
One of the men snatched up the duffle bag and checked its contents to ensure that Kross wasn’t pulling any shiesty shit on Nina.
Once one of her men shot her a curt nod, confirming that all the money was there, she motioned for Ace and Kross to take a few steps forward so they could approach her at the van.
“I have dracos, uzis, and M5s for you. I can add in a sniper if you agree to an extra 25k,” she attempted to upsell Kross.
He shook his head while he marveled at the heat he was about to rain down on the Zone 7 Disciples. “Nah, no snipers needed, shawty. I’m getting these niggas at close range for what they did to my family.”
“Suit yourself.” She shrugged. Her men made the smooth transfer of the crates filled with the fully automatic guns and rounds to Ace’s Escalade. “Always a pleasure doing business with you, papi.” Nina stuck her hand out to him.
“Likewise.” Kross shook her hand.
Kross and Ace hit the interstate, making sure to abide by the speed limit and traffic laws the entire way so Ace wouldn’t get pulled over with the guns in the car.
They stopped in Pompano to unload the Escalade and stash the weapons in one of the units at the complex.
It was about to be a blood bath, and Kross wasn’t holding anything back when it came to Cassie and Los.
From Pompano, Kross headed back to Miami to meet Remedy at The Setai.
Fortunately, she was able to snag another last-minute suite.
This time, they were settled in a one-bedroom ocean view suite on the 29th floor.
With the key Remedy left at the front desk for him, he entered the suite.
The motion sensor lights turned on, allowing him to see Remedy sound asleep on the couch in the living area.
She tried waiting up for him, but fatigue got the best of her.
He craned down, brushing some of her hair out of her face before kissing her cheek. “Rem,” he softly whispered to her, not wanting to startle her too bad.
She stirred in her sleep a little bit before her soft eyes fluttered open.
It took her a brief moment to adjust her eyes, but as soon as she realized it was him, she sat up and wrapped her arms around him.
A light chuckle escaped him due to how tight she was holding him, but he understood she was concerned about him.
“Thank goodness,” she mumbled as she clung to his chest.
Kross sat a kiss on top of her head as he wrapped his arms around her. “Relax, love. I just had some moves I needed to make.”
“Okay. As long as you’re good, that’s all that matters,” she told him with a look of relief still webbing her eyes.
He took her hand and led her to the room with the king-sized bed. Already dressed in a set of silk pajamas she packed in her bag, she got into bed.
“I went to a Walmart around six in the morning and picked you up some sweats, briefs, and a few white tees. It was the best I could do so early in the morning.” She pointed to the bathroom where he was able to see the clothes folded nicely on the counter, ready for him to slip into after a shower.
He averted his eyes back over to her, and they were filled with so much gratitude for her. As small as the gesture was, the fact that she went out of her way meant a whole lot to him.
“Damn. Thank you.” He shuffled over to her and craned down for a kiss, which she granted. “I’m about to hit the shower. Get some sleep.”
“I’ll wait up for you.”
Another chuckle escaped him since he knew Remedy didn’t listen to anyone but herself.
As tired as she was, she was committed to waiting up for him until he got out the shower.
Kross went ahead and cleaned the long-ass day he had off him.
Thoughts of Los flashed in his mind as his heart ached.
Losing his lady and his best friend in the same year would never sit right with him.
The shit was unfair! How the fuck was he expected to heal from two traumatic back-to-back losses?
The only way he knew he would make it was if he spilled blood in the streets.
After his shower, he dried himself before busting open the pack of briefs Remedy bought him.
He made his way back to the bed, where Remedy was scrolling through her phone, waiting up for him.
He took the side of the bed closest to the door, and she retired her phone so she could nestle her body close to him.
“I’m starting to feel like l’m losing everybody,” he throated out as he gazed up at the ceiling. The lights were off, but with the sun rising on the horizon of the ocean, it illuminated through the room.
“I know this is hard, and I can’t even begin to imagine how you’re feeling right now, but remember, the pain you feel today is the strength you’ll feel tomorrow,” she reminded him encouragingly.
He shifted his head to peer down at her as her head rested on his chest. A shocked look panned across his face once he came to terms with the fact that she had just recited the same quote his uncle Buddha’s wife told him after he sprayed down King of Diamonds.
He was so full of anger and turmoil that night as he sought revenge for what was done to Cassie.
Now, here he was again, full of that same anger and turmoil because Los was taken out of his life.
He held her tighter in his arms before sitting another kiss on the top of her head.
“I appreciate you, Remedy.”
A smile masked her face as she basked in his hold and words of affirmation. “I appreciate you too, Kross.”