Chapter 42
Blood Money and Broken Trust
I woke up still irritated from the night before.
That bitch really tried to throw that ran-through pussy at me, thinking she could play me like that.
I wasn’t even going to tell my baby; I was just going to let her know we weren't taking care of her kids anymore because their father was a federal judge—a detail I really didn't like.
I needed to do some serious research on that maggot to see what he was really about.
A rich, comforting scent drifted into the bedroom—fresh biscuits, sizzling bacon, and eggs.
The smell alone managed to settle my nerves a bit, so I pushed the covers back and headed to the kitchen.
Gold was already there, meticulously plating the food and pouring a fresh cup of orange juice.
I pulled out a stool and sat at the bar.
She placed the warm plate right in front of me and leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to my lips.
"Good morning, my king!" she said, her voice bright and excited. Looking at her, you couldn't tell me she didn’t genuinely love me.
"Good morning, my fiancé," I replied, softening. "I'm about to eat real quick, then go sit and talk to Mario. He didn’t seem like himself last night. I wanted to catch him before people start flooding his spot."
"Junie called me at 5:45, bae. I called her back at 7:00 when I woke up, but her phone is going straight to voicemail."
"She's probably upset because her man is gone with our grandfather. Dream is throwing her a surprise birthday party. She said she wasn’t telling you because you can’t hold water."
"I mean, her location pinged at Mercedes' house, I guess. I'll stop by there for a few minutes to check on her." She wiped down the counter, grabbed her things, and headed out of the kitchen.
"Aye, baby, you ain't going to eat?" I yelled over my shoulder with a mouth full of food.
"I’ll get some later. Let me make sure June is alright," she called back.
I sat there for a moment chewing slowly, then went back to our room.
Gold had changed into a burgundy two-piece set that hugged her in all the right places—she looked incredible in it.
She grabbed one of my spare car keys, gave me another quick kiss, and headed out the door.
Me and my girl shared everything; there were no real secrets between us.
I got dressed myself, keeping it simple since I didn't feel like doing too much. I threw on a clean black jogger suit, grabbed my keys, and hopped into my car to make the drive over to Mario’s apartment.
When I pulled up, I knocked on the door, but nobody answered.
I waited a second, knocked again—still dead silence.
Frowning, I walked down to the leasing office and grabbed the master key since I owned the entire apartment complex.
I walked back up, slid the key into the lock, but realized it wouldn't turn because the door was already unlocked.
My stomach dropped instantly. As soon as I pushed the door open, the sight hit me: Mario was laid out flat on the couch, completely lifeless.
Bullet holes gaped in his head and chest.
One glance told me this wasn’t just a botched robbery; this execution was deeply, unmistakably personal.
His pants were undone, his dick exposed, meaning a female had been here. Was it a setup from the jump?
My hands were steady out of pure shock as I pulled out my phone and dialed Rizz, Silk, and Trent back-to-back.
Rizz pulled up first. I was sitting outside on the porch, staring blankly into space while burning a blunt to steady my nerves.
"What’s going on, Clo? What's so urgent?" he asked, stepping out of his car and shaking like he already expected the worst.
"I got here, and he’s dead, Rizz. They caught him the worst way," I said flatly.
"Man, who's dead?" he yelled, his voice cracking. I stood up and pulled him into a tight hug, and right there on the porch, he completely broke down.
A minute later, Trent and Silk pulled up side-by-side. We all walked back inside the apartment together and stood staring heavily at Mario's body.
"Damn, man," Trent muttered, his legs giving out as he slid straight down the living room wall.
"Where the fuck are the workers?" Silk demanded, scanning the quiet rooms.
"Don said he was dropping off three extra bricks last night at 10:00 so we wouldn’t run low," Trent answered, his voice hollow.
Rizz wandered off toward the back bedroom. A second later, the sickening sound of a fist crashing into drywall echoed through the apartment. He came back out, tears streaming down his face, and punched the wall again.
"They took everything. The dope and the money are gone."
He dropped his head and sobbed uncontrollably.
Even Silk, hard as he usually was, showed a rare flash of raw sympathy.
He stepped over, pulled the younger man into his arms, and held him close, like a father holding his grieving son.
Silk lowered his voice to a dangerous whisper, speaking almost to himself: "I’m going to make sure whoever did this—and their mama—feels this exact pain."
"What are we going to do with his body?" I asked, looking around the room. "We can’t just leave him here like trash or let the police turn this into a circus."
I pulled out my phone again and dialed Rudy.
"Baby, you're not okay, mama can feel it," she answered almost immediately. "Is something too heavy for you right now?"
"Rio's dead, Rudy. I need you to call Aunt Nivea and ask if she can handle a cremation off the books. I got 100,000 ready—I refuse to treat him like trash. Yes, take him over there now. She owes me a favor, make sure she knows it's me."
Working quickly, we carefully wrapped Mario's body in sheets and carried him down, placing him securely across the backseat of my car.
The rest of the guys piled into their vehicles and followed closely behind mine.
When we pulled up to the back entrance of the facility, Aunt Nivea—my mom's best friend—was waiting with the heavy metal door already swung open.
Together, we carried the weight inside and placed him directly into the cremation chamber.
"I’ll bring the remains to you when it's done," Nivea said, her face tight with worry. "I don’t want to get caught up in whatever street mess this is."
"Trent, call Dream. Tell her to open Gold's lounge early so we can all go sit down and eat together as a family. Rizz, call your people, too, so we can break the news."
"For what?" Rizz snapped, wiping his eyes. "Nobody cares about him anyway because my aunt's a junkie. Fuck it, I’ll just keep the remains myself. I just... I really want to know why they would do this to him."
Needing answers, I pulled out my phone and FaceTime-called Tammy. The video connected to show her lounging in bed, gently cuddling with Junie, who was curled up and sobbing heavily into her shoulder.
"What’s wrong with my sister?" Silk asked immediately, leaning into the frame.
Before anyone could fully explain, Silk cut the feed, jumped straight into his car, and peeled off down the street.
"When I woke up this morning, Junie was balled up on the floor crying," Rizz said, staring at the screen. "I thought her and Don were just going through one of their usual fights, so I didn’t bother her. You good, sis?"
"There's just too much going on right now, Tammy," I said, keeping my voice level. "Meet me at the lounge I named after you as soon as you're free."
With that, I hung up the phone, ready to figure out who signed Mario's death warrant.