Chapter Ten
With Smoky and Danger riding closely behind him, Crown pulled onto Preach’s property and parked.
The three dismounted their bikes, Crown leading the way as he peeped his surroundings.
The compound was on point. Open gates, tracking cameras, and a few henchmen posted along the perimeter, weapons visible.
Preach’s right-hand, Benjamin, stepped forward, searching and disarming them one by one. “You two wait here.” He said, nodding toward Smoky and Danger.
Crown gave a slight nod to both before following the man. The path was long, the back eventually opening into a private training space where Preach was pushing weights. A few of his armed men were scattered around, watching intently as Crown entered the area.
Preach finished his set before acknowledging him. He sat up, grabbed a towel, wiped his face, and stood. When he reached Crown, he extended his hand.
“Crown, what do I owe this early meeting? I thought we handled everything the last time we spoke.” He asked as they shook.
“I got somethin’ I need to run by you. It couldn’t wait.”
Preach nodded as he lay back on the bench and started another set. “I’m listening.”
“I got word from my source that you have a snitch on your hands.”
The weights slammed back onto the rack immediately. Preach sat up just as quickly as he had lied down, his expression tightening as he locked eyes with Crown. The energy shift was immediate, and the men around the room straightened without being told.
“And who the fuck is this source?”
“My source is my source. That’s as far as that goes. I come to warn you.” Crown made clear.
Preach stared at him for a long moment, then stood as he reached behind his ear and collected his blunt. He reached for his lighter and sparked it, smoke curling through the room as he paced a few steps.
“You think I need you to warn me about my business? You think I’m incapable of handling my business, Crown?” Preach asked as he stepped directly in front of him. “Don’t let the situation with our product shortage confuse you on the fuck I am.”
Crown remained unfazed, looking him in the eyes.
“I’m here because I do business with you, so that makes it our business, especially when the informant mentions the Knights as one of your buyers. That’s a problem for me.”
Preach studied him once more, then smirked as if amused. “Crown, you got some heavy balls coming in here checking me about my shit.”
“I ain’t checking you about nothin’. I’m just telling you what I know for both of our sakes.”
Preach took another pull from the blunt, inhaled deeply, then exhaled before nodding his head in understanding.
“Hmm, I see. Well, as you know, I respect your business. And I also respect you coming direct. However, the Dessalinés Mob can handle our own.” He tilted his head to the left, gesturing ahead. “Walk with me.”
As they navigated the maze of hallways, Preach took a pull from the blunt and said,
“Let me tell you something about the Baptistes. About my father Malcolm Baptiste.”
Crown walked nonchalantly, not particularly interested in hearing shit about Preach’s father. Still, out of respect, he listened without interruption. You didn’t get as far as he did without knowing when to stay quiet.
“That nigga came from nothing. Haiti. Dirt floors. Hunger. He didn’t inherit power.
He clawed his way out of the mud and taught himself how to make money in a country that wasn’t familiar to him.
He came over here and built an army. Brick by brick.
Man by man. And with that, came power and respect.
Thousands on his payroll. Politicians. Police.
Judges. People who told him everything for the love of money.
But most importantly, because of fear. When he was murdered, those same people worked for my brother.
And once my brother fell ill, they began to work for me. ”
Preach stopped in front of the door and finally turned, meeting Crown’s eyes fully.
“So, when a nigga thinks he got one up on me, trust I already know what he’s plotting and how.”
Preach gestured to his henchman to open the door, and when it did, Crown’s stomach twisted. He’d seen a lot in his life, had done a lot, but this was different. His world had rules. No women, no children.
“Who the fuck is that?” He questioned as a young woman’s body was being butchered.
“This was my little sister, Fabienne. That’s what happens when you betray me.
I was alerted by my source as well, and the information I received revealed that someone close to me told Boe certain things, things I know for a fact went beyond what was shown to him.
So, I recently had Fabienne followed by my PI, and it turned out to be true.
She was fucking the help. So, there’s no need for you to worry about our little birdie.
I’ve already been made aware, and he will be handled soon, him and everyone he loves.
Our business is still good. I’ll send you the new details for the next meeting. ”
Crown’s heart raced inside his chest, the first thought being that if Preach could do that to his own sister, it would be nothing for him to touch Nivéa. “About that birdie, there’s something else we need to address.” He quickly added.
Preach’s jaw tightened, his gaze narrowing. “Something else like what?”
“Boe’s child’s mother is with me now. So, whatever you got going on with that nigga needs to stay with him and whoever else. But her? She’s mine. She ain’t got nothing to do with this shit.”
The energy shifted once more. Preach’s men reacted all at once. Guns came up, barrels trained dead center on Crown. But he didn’t flinch. He stood there, calm as ever, knowing exactly how dangerous that line had been but meaning every word of it.
∞∞∞
“You been quiet since we got here, bro. Wassup? What P say?” Danger asked.
They had made it back to the clubhouse in one piece, but Crown looked more burdened than usual as he sat at the bar. And that said a lot, because Danger knew the nigga was always stressed.
“He’s giving us seventy-two hours to get Boe. And he wants me to pay him.” Crown revealed.
“Say what?” Smoky snapped, disbelief etched on his mahogany-colored face.
Crown exhaled heavily. “To guarantee Nivéa’s safety, Preach wants me to cover the shipment that got seized because of Boe.”
Pissed, Smoky pushed off the wall where he was leaning with his foot. “Nah. Hell nah. That’s bullshit, bro. That muthafucka got us fucked up. Knights don’t roll over for nobody. We ain’t paying him for another nigga’s mistake.”
Crown poured himself another drink, remaining silent. His silence prompted Danger and Smoky to exchange worried glances, then turn back to him. They knew they could talk all the noise in the world, but the decision was ultimately left up to him.
“Bro, I know you ain’t thinking about paying that. I get that you feelin’ Nivéa, and I’m willing to go to war over her on the strength of you. You know that. But it’s just that…war. We ain’t paying a nigga nothing. That ain’t your debt.” Danger said carefully, limping toward him.
After all the work he’d put in over the last few days, he was feeling it, but even with the ache, he was ready to ride out on Preach for fucking with his big brother.
Danger didn’t even have a clue as to how they could defeat The Dessalinés Mob.
But gettin’ down on a nigga was better than lying down in his opinion.
Still, Crown didn’t respond. He lifted his glass and sipped, tuning them out. When it rained, it poured. Once he finished his drink, he slammed the glass down, stood up, and told Smoky,
“Go find that nigga.”
As Smoky nodded, Crown headed out the door, hopped onto his bike, and sped off.
The entire ride home, he mulled over everything weighing on him.
It was hard to believe he had gotten wrapped up in so much bullshit at once.
The realization that he was ready to go to war for a woman he’d just met was astonishing.
It made his head spin, forcing him to confront whether his feelings for Nivéa made him stupid.
But just as quickly as that thought entered his mind, it vanished. It didn’t matter that they had just met. What truly mattered was that he’d marked her as his, and he cared for her deeply. Because of that, he would protect her with his life.
∞∞∞
With a blunt in his hand, Maino sat on the porch, trying anything to calm his nerves. He was smoking, breathing in the fresh air, and letting his eyes drift across nature. The fact that his cousin was out every day gambling and chasing hoes instead of handling his business was eating at him.
Boe had only been staying with him for a few days, and he was already getting on Maino’s nerves.
He’d discovered a small casino in town and swore it was just another way to stack quick cash.
But Maino knew better. Growing up close meant he understood Boe’s habits inside and out.
Gambling wasn’t a hustle of his. It was a weakness.
Maino wasn’t just irritated; he was worried. He loved Boe like a brother. That’s why he let him crash there even after being told he was skipping town on bail. The agreement was to lie low, stack money, and get his next move together. In and out before anybody noticed.
Now, Maino wasn’t so sure that was going to happen. He feared that Boe would get caught up. And the last thing he needed was for him to get caught while staying in his home. He was hoping that if cops ever did come knocking on his door looking, Boe would be long gone.
These last few days reminded Maino of why he had distanced himself from his family in the first place.
None of them seemed to want to prosper; they thrived on chaos.
He wasn’t perfect, pushing poison. But he was a low-key kind of nigga, preferring to make his money and stay out of the way.
Boe’s presence was throwing that balance off.