Chapter 17 Kennedy
Kennedy was a bad bitch, but Abiza Morrone was an advanced version that Kennedy aspired to emulate by the time she was that age.
Boss energy radiated from Abiza as they strutted through the building that appeared vacant to Kennedy until they rounded a corner and entered a glass door.
Paralegals were tucked inside cubicles while a single woman with a greasy ponytail and bifocals perched on her nose sat behind a desk near a large office Kennedy figured belonged to Morrone.
As soon as they neared, the woman peered up and jumped into action.
“Mrs. Morrone! So good to see you. Let me buzz Mr. Morrone—”
“Don’t bother,” Abiza clipped, walking past her.
“He’s with a client! I—oh.”
Kennedy tried not to laugh as the woman jumbled her desk phone, trying to catch Morrone before his wife could barge into his office unannounced.
It was futile because by the time she caught up with Abiza, the woman as fiery as her hair burst through the wooden door, causing the black blinds secluding his office to rattle.
Kennedy stood behind her attorney, watching Morrone rise from his chair at the most leisure pace while Relic leaned back in his seat with a faint smile.
They seemed familiar with Abiza’s intrusions.
Both men’s expressions shifted before they glanced at one another after Kennedy moved from behind Abiza, making her presence known.
“Hello, Mario. I guess we’re both on the clock today.” Abiza greeted her husband with that gibe and patted the laptop bag hanging from her shoulder.
Her laptop and a pair of heels were the only thing she had grabbed from her convertible before hopping into the car with Kennedy. She’d tapped her fingers against it non-stop as Kennedy drove while telling her details about the pending agreement.
Kennedy knew Abiza was the perfect attorney for the job when she’d kept her mouth shut and didn’t try to give her input on the absurd things Relic had requested in their agreement. Abiza did her fucking job and nothing more.
“Abiza, my love,” Morrone started, adjusting his suit jacket. “I’m in the middle of an important discussion. Can we do this later?”
“Do what later? Did you not hear what I said? I’m on the clock. Ms. Sutton hired me as her attorney. Should we move this to the conference room?”
“She did what?” Relic stood with those thick brows settling over a brooding glare. Kennedy smirked.
“Well, the dummy mission you sent me on led me to this stunning attorney. Country clubs are a great place to network, don’t you think?
Anyway, she warned me that Morrone handling both parties was a conflict of interest. I found that funny since when I called him and asked if he could point me in the right direction of my own attorney, he assured me it wasn’t necessary. Good thing I met your wife today.”
Creases formed in Relic’s forehead before he glanced at Morrone. “You didn’t mention that she called you.”
“Client-attorney privilege. You asked me to represent her. You didn’t pay me enough to run everything back to you that we talk about.”
“The hell if I didn’t!”
“Abiza, let’s step out for a moment. We need to have a discussion,” Morrone told his wife, ignoring Relic.
He didn’t give her a chance to decline before storming in her direction to grip her arm and drag her off. Kennedy stepped in, closing the door behind her as Relic waved his hand for her to sit in the chair he’d occupied.
“When did you reach out to Morrone?” he questioned while leaning against the desk with folded arms.
“After the detectives showed up at my salon. Do you have cameras in my office?”
“No, but I have one inside my safe, and I expect every fucking dollar to be there when I check. Don’t ever in your life steal from me again, Kennedy.”
His icy tone and colder glare made her stomach lurch as she shied away from his stare. She’d taken the money to pay Tolliver for his help but planned to replace it once she could gradually pull the large amount from her account.
“You said I could take money from it, Relic, and I was going to put it back. Nu told me once that Los never takes out more than ten grand because it raises flags, so I didn’t want to do that.”
“At least some good came from all the fucking talking y’all do. A currency transaction report is done for over ten grand. Why didn’t you tell me about the detectives?”
“Who told you?” she countered instead of giving him an honest answer.
“Rocco. He spotted them well before they went in. He stepped inside Nu’s shop because he figured they’d make a move once he wasn’t patrolling, and they did.”
“Damn, so he’s not feeling my girl?”
“Focus, Larenn.”
“I am! I just—” She stopped and blew out a frustrated sigh. “I don’t get why you let me stress for days when you already talked to Tolliver.”
“I did it to prove a point,” he confessed as if it were as simple as that. Relic reached across the desk for a manilla folder and tapped it against his thigh. “You would’ve had this the next fucking day if you’d come to me.”
“I could’ve had it today, but you interfered!”
He pinched his nose bridge and huffed a breath at her missing the point. Relic knew certain shit only went over her head when she wanted it to.
“You know why you always feel used Kennedy? You know why this shit feels so one sided to you? It’s because I’m not afraid to use you when I see you’re better suited to handle shit, but you’ve convinced yourself that you can’t do the same.
This could’ve been handled at the snap of my finger, but you chose to work harder and not smarter as if you don’t have a made nigga with unlimited reach at your disposal.
You do know that I’m good for more than giving you dick, diamonds, and designer, right? ”
Kennedy wished she could confirm his stance, but he had proven too many times why she struggled to come to him.
He’d watched her spiral for damn near a week just to fuck with her head, but took no issue calling her out about a phone that grated his nerves.
He had set her up, but then taken care of the bitch who’d robbed her with Lomar.
The nigga had scarred her mentally and physically, but for the past few months, he’d tried everything to redeem himself for his sins.
Relic was her nemesis, or her hero, depending on the circumstances, and Kennedy was never sure which side of him she’d summon.
“I know you’ve been let down. Your last nigga fucked your head up, and I’ve done my part as well,” he admitted as he moved beside her.
She gazed up with soft eyes as his fingers combed through her real hair he was seeing for the first time.
“If we’re partners, you have to let me pick up in places you lack.
As your man, you should come to me for help when you need it. ”
“I feel safer taking care of myself, Relic.”
“So, did I, but I’ve adjusted since meeting you. I trust you, Larenn, which is why I’m giving you this folder and hoping it doesn’t bite me in the ass later.”
He held it out, and Kennedy stared at the unknown in fear of what she’d see before she finally accepted it and sat it on her lap to flip open.
Her heart dropped at the blown up picture of her at Jahleel’s game.
She knew it was recent because she recalled her outfit.
There were a few more of her doing miscellaneous tasks, and she was happy as hell that they’d spent their time since returning from their trip working.
When Kennedy flipped to the last page, her bout of relief dissipated as she skimmed the information with haste.
The pages ruffled as her hands trembled, and that nauseous sensation she hadn’t experienced in a while hit her like a fucking Mack truck.
An ache started in her chest as Relic tapped a finger under her chin to make her look at him.
“They’re not trying to charge me for Lomar’s death,” she murmured, and he shook his head. “They want me to turn federal.”
“They do. For whatever reason, they think you know about my operation. One conversation with you, and they were convinced you could help them.”
“I didn’t tell them shit,” she stressed, and he smiled.
“I know, Larenn. If anything, you were too smart and cunning to them. I have spent almost every goddamn day with Aura since we came home, and they interrogated her once about her kidnapping before tossing her back like the small fish she is. Even they know she could never stand by my side.”
“You used her to throw them off my scent,” Kennedy deduced, and he nodded. She couldn’t decide whether she felt dumb or relieved by that. “I don’t get why they think I know anything. Hell, Savvy, or any of the girls should be who they’re looking at. Not me.”
Relic thought to tell her that adding her name onto his business card might’ve sent up the red flags.
Transferring a portion of the salon to her name didn’t help matters.
She visited his son more than anyone, including himself, and he knew for a fact that eyes were on Jahleel.
Kennedy was on their radar because he’d moved her in his home to keep tabs on her sneaky ass, but each of those decisions equaled her being his woman more than a partner to outside eyes.
The Feds didn’t give a damn about family when they had a potential link connected directly to the big fish they had yearned to hook for years. Versus Relic bringing those details to her attention; he told her the one that mattered most.
“I think my house has an infestation. There’s someone in the inner circle giving up information.”
“So, that’s why you requested that info from Tolliver. Was the answer there?”
Relic sighed and rubbed his forehead. “No. Only one person who isn’t credible or worth the time to hunt them down. They’ll testify and embarrass themselves. The other name was redacted.”