About the Green (Shades of Vengeance #3)

Chapter 1

“Hey, Vert, can I talk to you for a second?”

He looks at me, already halfway out into the hallway, and pauses there. There's a few other people who are in the meeting as well, that walk around us as we stand outside the doorway.

Soon as it's clear, I get very close to him with my biggest smile and say, “I am Racquelle’s most prized possession. Not only am I her most prized possession, I'm also one of her greatest assets, so I'd really appreciate it if you'd stop trying to fuck me over.”

For a moment Vert looks completely stunned by what I've said, and then his grumpy face returns to its usual brooding nature, thick eyebrows casting shadows over his deep set eyes. “That right?” he asks with a voice that brokers no amusement. “And why would that have anythin’ to do with me?”

I stand my ground, and raise my chin, “I know you've been snooping around, and I don't like it. I'd actually like for you to get out of my way.” Poking him in the chest with my long nails before mirroring his crossed arms. “If you could do that as soon as possible, it'd be fantastic.”

“Well, that'll be difficult, considerin’ we're workin’ together for the next who knows how long.” His words are dry and not at all hinting at pleasure in being close to me for an indefinite amount of time.

How… weird?

Maybe he’s not into women?

I’m everyone’s type.

Instead of letting go of whatever beef he has with me to get close, he’s sticking to his ire.

Fucking vamp.

“Oh, don't worry. As long as you stay out of my way, I'll stay out of yours,” I say in a cheery voice, flipping my bubblegum pink hair over my shoulder and heading out the hallway to catch up with my ride home.

I don’t care if he’s not into me.

I don’t.

I have more important things to consider.

As soon as I fall into step behind my Queen. Racquelle looks back at me. “Are you going to stay over tonight?”

“Of course, my Queen” I say, picking my purse up a little higher on my shoulder, making sure that my jumpsuit hasn't fallen out of place, and that my boots are still as fluffy as they should be. I hate being at my apartment alone. It’s not as pretty as my place in Atlanta and quite frankly, it’s boring.

“When did you start calling me that?” Racquelle asks.

“I just noticed that the guys do it around here, and I think it's fitting. Maybe we should make everyone call you that. I think that originally it was supposed to be a rude thing they're saying, but honestly I think it suits, since they called Blue the King, right? And you are royalty.”

She thinks over my words for a moment, “I guess,” she says. “Better than being called bitch to my face…” Then she shakes her head, “I’m not making anyone call me Queen though. Dupont is with that codename thing. Lafayette isn’t going to adopt that practice.”

I nod, knowing that I’ll still be calling her Queen. Even if it is just me from our family. “Is Blue going to be there?” I ask, knowing that she's genuinely happier when he is around, and a happy Queen is happy times for me also.

“I'm not sure. I think he has more business to follow up with. He's got to do something about the fact that he lost his fourth in command after everything that went down.”

“It is unfortunate what happened to him, right?” I ask, trying to gauge if I should be feeling any type of way.

My Queen is the most important factor of my outward appearance.

If we’re sad over this, I’ve got to know since I wasn’t close to her partner’s court.

Maybe by design since we trust no one, and with good reason it seems.

Obviously from how Vert basically said he was going to continue being a pain in my ass.

“It really, really is. Good thing we don't have to worry about that,” she says with finality as our main guard, Lidia, comes to join us at the truck.

“Exactly,” I confirm. “I would never ever put you in the position that Geno put Blue in,” I say, assuring my Queen to make sure that she knows exactly where my loyalties lie, if not with words, but with the commitment I've shown to keeping her where she should be–in charge.

Long before she became the Queen, I knew that she was destined for something as great as this, and if I only played a small part in paving the way for her to step into that role easier, that is still an accomplishment for me.

I owe her my life. Her and my Liezel are the reason why I give my all. Why I always will.

“Do you think Liezel will ever come back to Louisiana?” I ask, hoping that one of my other role models will be here to see exactly how well Racquelle is doing after her takeover.

“I don't think so. Ever since I moved her up to run everything, as well as we know it should be running, at the Chrome Flame, I... I think she's found her stride. There's no need for her to come here anyways. Especially when we have whatever is going on back in ATL.”

“Right,” I say, scrunching my nose up. “It is unfortunate that there are so many people who oppose your ascension.”

As we get into the armored truck, I get my phone out to play a candy crushing game. I'm sure you've heard about it, and people say a lot of negative things, but puzzle games/problem solving games are the superior way to spend your time on your phone instead of scrolling on social media.

Not to say that I haven't checked out any of the other platforms or other games, but I have to say that any puzzle games involving, crushing or popping, or anything like that to get prizes and points up, that is absolutely my favorite.

When Lidia gets into the front seat, I know I feel far more secure, even though the entire vehicle is bulletproof.

There's something about Lidia that just makes it seem like she will protect you from any terror, though in this case I think I might be the most terrifying thing in this vehicle right now.

I have to say that neither of them are slouches as far as that goes.

“Decide on what you want, okay? And we'll order it,” Racquelle asserts again.

“Okay,” I say, looking through the limited amount of delivery options that we have in this tiny little town in Louisiana.

Coming from Atlanta to Clayton Terrace has been a big shift.

I went from being able to have any kind of food I could possibly imagine, in no less than an hour, to maybe they have warm pizza when it finally gets to you.

I think we have a few options as far as like American food goes, but I definitely can't get any good Thai out here.

Pity.

But I settle on what I can find and order enough for an entire hoard, because who knows how many people will actually be at the house by the time everything's said and done.

There's one thing about these Louisiana boys in the house, between our staff and Blue's staff, it's important that we have enough to feed both, so that no one gets angry… or I guess I should say hangry.

When everyone begins trickling in for dinner, I half expect to see Vert again brooding on the edge of the room, but I don't.

He is nowhere to be found.

I didn’t look that hard but he never places himself among the crowd. There are only so many walls to look for him looming by.

I casually ask one of the other Duponts, Marcell, “What's going on there?”

And he just says, “Evenings with his kid.”

Do none of the men in this family use subjects in their sentences? Or formulate them to be longer than grunts and four words?

Ew.

It’s definitely getting old.

“His kid…” I did know he had one of those. I didn't know he was around for it.

I mean, Jesus, he’s literally head of security for one of the most lethal and volatile crime families in Louisiana.

How’s that even work?

“Come here and sit by me,” Racquelle says, and I stop my searching to go and sit beside her.

Of course, I'd meant it when I told him that I was her most prized asset. I have the ability to go with her wherever.

Though I question whether it's out of guilt over true achievement sometimes.

I like being cared for in this way.

In the same light, I don't necessarily have to do anything or really offer anything while I'm here.

Since what I was in charge of for her to get to where she is in this family is no longer on the docket, I've been making my way through my own agenda for quite some time.

It is somewhat of an auxiliary project that is not crucial to the main purpose or goals of Lafayette.

I have plenty of time to accompany Racquelle to her meetings and meals. If she wants to have company when everyone is busy doing their own things, I'm here for that too.

She's sort of like a big sister that I never had, followed closely by Liezel.

Though I would say that they are pretty neck-and-neck in terms of how they both care for me and protect me as if I'm made of porcelain. In so many ways, I am fragile in that way, but I refuse to believe that I am still the same girl that they picked up years ago.

That girl is still somewhere inside me, but you would never know it seeing me in my all-pink jumpsuit that hugs my slim body tight and cinches into my knee-high, furry pink boots.

I am sweet.

I am bright.

I am fun.

It's not quite hot enough for the outfit, but considering how thin the jumpsuit is, I don't feel overheated as we wait for everyone to join us at the massive table in Blue's house.

The man in power comes shortly after I have taken my place beside Racquelle, and he takes the one on her opposite side.

Lidia is on the other side of me, as we both know that she has to have eyes on everything that's happening.

Though her number one is not here, she is going to do her best to make sure Racquelle is never in a position of vulnerability, especially after the events that happened when she wasn't here.

There's an opportunity for me to let my brain turn off as I’m both safe and not needed with present company. The floaty sensation of daydreaming pulls a smile to my cheeks that remains even as I relax further into wandering.

It seems that everyone at this table is carrying a little bit of guilt over how the other person has lived their life, but we can't protect everyone from everything that's ever happened — something that I can attest to with the utmost certainty.

I sit with my head in my hand, playing with my tongue ring, it swirls over my lip gloss, getting a little bit sticky, and I'm careful to not make a mess of my makeup by letting it go farther than my lip line.

I do feel a few eyes on me from Dupont's side, as most of Lafayette knows better than to do anything inappropriate toward, or say anything even remotely untoward to, me.

I get to have fun, but only so much, and I love a good tease.

It's been rather low energy after the news about the massive traitor and his subsequent end. If there's something that any of these crime families cannot deal with–it's a traitor amongst them.

Conversations start to unfold as the food arrives and it's being doled out. My mind wanders some more as I try to wait patiently for my food to arrive. There are just under twenty people at the table right now, and I better be getting some of that salmon that I keep seeing floating around.

Lidia snags a plate for me and puts it in front of me with the salmon and sweet potato that I like from this restaurant.

Though Lidia is intimidating and oftentimes mistaken for a man, she has better manners than most of the individuals here, especially when it comes to me.

I think she thinks of me as Liezel's little sister more than anyone else at the table, because she is much closer to Liezel than anyone else here is–bar Racquelle.

It's easy when your life is planned out for you and you don't really have any sort of drastic opposition to be fighting, but I know that I have a purpose that most people wouldn't peg me for.

Conversations go on as I zone out at the table, not wanting to converse with either of the people next to me, and both of them know that I have my moments of silence, where I just want to sit and be observed. The more quiet I am, the deeper I am in thoughts of crimson liquid and pained groans.

I can feel my smile stretching my cheeks further when my thoughts drift that way.

People are willing to overlook many things if you're pretty, and that's something that I know firsthand.

So, as I finally dig into my food, I continue my thoughts of revenge and wait for the moment where I can start exacting it again without Vert's interference.