Chapter 6 #2
Before Lonzo could say another word, the bullet knocked the wind out of him as it hit his chest. Seeing his body go limp in the chair, ate Phoenix up inside. He wasn’t a killer—was he?
Kannon pulled a blunt out of his pocket, lit it, and took a deep inhale. The cherry glowed bright as he exhaled a cloud of smoke. He nodded to his security, signaling them to clean up the mess.
"Welcome to the big leagues," Kannon said to Phoenix, offering him the blunt. "Get used to making tough calls."
Phoenix accepted the blunt with trembling hands, taking a slow drag. As the smoke filled his lungs, he forced himself to calm down, knowing that proving his loyalty to Kannon was crucial.
"Good job," Kannon said, clapping Phoenix on the back. "Now, let’s get back to business. There’s always more work to be done."
Phoenix nodded, handing the blunt back to Kannon. As they walked away from the gruesome scene, the security team efficiently handled the cleanup, ensuring no traces of Lonzo’s betrayal remained.
Phoenix spent the morning trying to clear his mind of what he’d done to Lonzo, drowning his thoughts in a relentless gym session.
He wasn’t the kind of person to kill, let alone kill one of his own.
Taking on this deal with Kannon seemed like the right move, but he didn’t expect to get his hands dirty so soon.
After his workout, he headed to the kitchen for his daily lunch ritual.
“Hey Daddy,” Portia greeted, sliding into a bar stool at the kitchen island.
Phoenix was startled by her greeting, lost in his thoughts. Turning around with a smile as he made his usual BLT sandwich for lunch, his eyes met his daughter’s.
“You okay?” Portia asked, concerned. “Did I scare you?”
“No—no, sweetheart. I’m fine,” Phoenix assured her. “How was AA?”
“It was pretty good today. I’ve actually been enjoying it lately,” Portia began. “It’s giving me an outlet to really express myself and explore why I feel the urge to drink in the first place.”
Phoenix walked over to the island and sat next to Portia. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, squeezing her into a tight hug, and placed a kiss on her cheek. Her presence made all of his worries disappear.
“You know I’m proud of you, right?” Phoenix said. “You’re making so much progress in such a short amount of time.”
“I know,” Portia said, giggling as she wiped her father’s sloppy kiss off her cheek. “You tell me every time I see you.”
Portia was starting to truly feel that she and her father were getting to a good place.
Since she stopped drinking, there had been no rift between them.
She had been attending her group meetings each week, staying out of bars, and finding new ways to fill her time.
Portia really felt the trust coming back into their relationship after all these years.
She even felt freer knowing that he had cut back on questioning her whereabouts.
“Keep it up, and I’ll loosen your curfew,” Phoenix said, biting into his sandwich. “Give you the freedom you’ve been wanting.”
“Pleeeease,” Portia whined. “9:30 is way too early. I promise I won’t be hanging out at the bars. I just want to be out as long as I choose to.”
“Alright, well, let’s make a deal,” Phoenix said. “Make it to three months sober, and I’ll remove it completely. I’ll lighten up on security, but you’ll still have a driver taking you where you need to go. I still want to ensure your safety at all times.
Portia knew that wasn’t a problem. She was only three weeks away from reaching her three-month soberversary. "Deal," she said, reaching for her father’s hand as they shook on the agreement. “Thanks, Dad!”
She gave him a big hug and slid out of the bar stool. Just before her feet hit the floor, she grabbed her father’s infamous BLT sandwich and made a run for it.
“Hey!” Phoenix exclaimed, throwing his hands up in disbelief. He had been anticipating that meal all day, and it disappeared in an instant.
“Anything for you, sweetheart.” He laughed to himself.
“I need some advice,” Sage said, gazing out the window and watching the trees and cars blur by.
“What’s up?” Salem said, looking at Sage. “You’ve been off these past few days, so I know something’s been on your mind.
Sage rolled her eyes. There was nothing she could keep from her twin. They both knew when something was bothering the other. Their twintuition was strong.
“I was just waiting for the right time to tell you,” Sage said, releasing a huff. “Me and…”
“You and Portia been hookin’ up,” Salem said nonchalantly with a straight face.
Sage's mouth dropped open in shock. But was she really surprised? She couldn’t get anything past Salem, especially with him being Mr. FBI. If you needed to snoop or figure some shit out, he got it.
“Well, we haven’t been hooking up,” Sage said. “I am feeling her, though.”
“I can tell,” Salem chuckled. “The way y'all were looking at each other that night at the gala–there’s something between y'all.”
“I know,” Sage said in agreement. She placed her face in her palms. “I don’t know what to do. I want her sooo bad, but I don’t wanna put the operation at risk.”
“What you always tell me?” Salem said, keeping his eyes on the road.
“You always gotta go for what you want,” Sage mumbled.
“And…” Salem said, prompting her to continue.
“By any means necessary,” Sage finished.
"Is this a big risk? Yeah. Would Pops be pissed? Probably," Salem acknowledged. "But would you regret not seeing what's between y’all? Hell yeah."
Salem's words did little to calm Sage's nerves.
She looked at him, still not convinced. “Pops would kill me. You see what he does to niggas that cross him. I don’t wanna be another statistic.”
Salem chuckled. “Sage, be soooo fucking forreal. Pops would never lay a hand on you. Get out ya head. He may not talk to you for a few weeks, but you’re a grown ass woman that has to make your decisions for you.”
“You right,” Sage said, laughing at herself. “I be trippin’ sometimes, but you’re right. I gotta make this choice for me.”
“Exactly,” Salem reassured her. “Plus, with the vamps now on our side, Pops may not even be that pissed. Seems like everyone’s turning over a new leaf and shit.”
Sage nodded, absorbing everything Salem was saying.
He had a point. The vamps and humans were now in alliance, which changed everything.
Sure, Pops had a bad past with them, but he was able to look past his own reservations for the betterment of his business.
Maybe he would do the same with her. Sage had a lot to think about, but she was leaning more towards her heart.
Salem parked the car in front of Eastbourne Hills Hospital. “Look, don’t think too much about it. Just go with your gut. You know I’m here for you–whatever you choose to do. I got your back, as always.”
“Thanks bro,” Sage said, hugging him.
“Alright, alright.” Salem pushed Sage off him. “Enough with the feelings. We gotta get our shit together to see our sick ass brother.”
Sage and Salem were at the hospital to see KJ and the progress of his healing from the virus.
Kaliyah and her staff have been working day and night to get him all the treatment and meds he needs.
Although the Washingtons were still in business mode, they couldn’t help thinking about KJ’s health every second of the day.