Chapter 7 Teo #2
I met her gaze unflinchingly. Regret wasn’t a part of my vocabulary.
I wasn’t sorry for running up on him and beating him within an inch of his life back in the day when he rolled up to her crib drunk, pounding on her door in the middle of the night.
Lucky for him she wasn’t home, or I would’ve done more than just beat his ass.
“What did you do?” Her eyes narrowed, as if that mattered. He was of no consequence to me.
“Focus, Amore. That’s not important.”
She opened her mouth to argue, but Bash cut in. “What’s important is Roland ain’t calling the shots. He’s answering to someone with longer reach.”
If I had to guess, I’d put my money on the only nigga that’s been giving us problems for the past six years.
” I noted. “The little bitch confirmed that he’d been working for Orlando for years.
Ever since his auntie married Orlando. Doesn’t know how Yanna played in any of this.
Just knew she was key to gaining power in the East.”
“What’d you mean? I don’t have enemies. No one should think I’m the key to anything.” She frowned, confusion etched all over her pretty face.
“No, you don’t have enemies, but we do.” Bash’s voice stayed steady.“And unfortunately, being close to us means you’re caught in the crossfire.”
“I’ma handle it though. I should’ve taken care of this years ago.” I rubbed a hand down my face. Exhaling, I motioned for Bash to continue.
“So, the warehouse wasn’t some small operation. They had high-end surveillance equipment, military-grade weapons, and enough blow to supply half the city. That shit costs serious money.”
“How they go undetected from you and daddy?” Ayanna asked.
“I think he’s been flying under the radar by using niggas we know and fuck with but not in connection with us at all. It wouldn’t raise any red flags. Especially if someone was smart enough to use neutral territory.”
I thought about Roland’s Bronx connect — Wes. He was always independent of the five families, the faction, or any other up-and-coming hustler. He paid his twenty percent operating tax to the Vitale family to work their borough, and in turn no one asked who he did business with.
“And the warehouse?” I asked.
“Shell company. Could be Orlando’s... or could be someone new who benefits from Orlando thriving and our family failing.”
She opened her mouth to ask another question, but before she could get the words out, the door to the range swung open.
“Boss, we got a problem.” One of Bash’s men stepped further in the range, tossing a wary look in my direction.
“What kind of problem?” Bash’s tone was already aggressive.
“Uh, it’s your sister’s boutique,” He hesitated, his gaze flickering to Ayanna, then back to Bash. “Someone just held her staff at gunpoint, and trashed the place.”
“What?” Ayanna screeched with wide eyes. “Was anyone hurt? Oh my God. I gotta get to my store.” She began gathering her things from the small table and frantically moving around the space like a madwoman.
Her hands shook as she stuffed her ear protection and safety glasses into her bag, then replaced her eyewear with the lavender color frames she’d been wearing when we arrived.
“I was supposed to be there,” she muttered, more to herself than anyone else. “Friday afternoons I’m always at the boutique doing inventory. Always.”
Placing my arm around her waist, I pulled her to me, hoping it would calm her down long enough for us to get answers. Meanwhile, I glanced at Bashes’ man, still waiting for him to answer her question.
“Who was hurt?”
“Ugh,” The man swallowed hard, visibly uncomfortable. “There was one injury. I’m not sure how serious it was, either. They took her to Emory.”
“What the fuck is happening?” I heard Ayanna grumble under her breath as she tried to process the news.
“Everything is going to be fine,” I assured her, trying to contain my own rage. “Whoever did this is gonna pay.”
By now, both Bash’s and my men were gathered in the room, their postures tense as they tried to piece together what had happened.
Turning directly to one of my men, I demanded, “Get me the security footage. Now! And have someone stitch Roland back together just enough to be conscious. He needs to be able to answer questions by the time I land.”
While I would love nothing more than to give his grimey ass a slow and painful death, I needed him alive. At least for now.
“On it.” One of my men snapped into action.
The other men exchanged uneasy glances, fully aware that I was one wrong answer away from unleashing hell. Bash’s jaw tightened, his flexing muscles hinting at the rage bubbling beneath his masked exterior.
“Who the fuck was supposed to be watching her shit?” Bash barked, his voice cutting through the silence.
No one answered, each man shifting uncomfortably, and avoiding eye contact with both of us.
“I said, who was on duty?” Bash continued, his tone icy. “This wasn’t some random act. Somebody got too close to my sister’s shit. That means somebody fucked up.” His gaze swept every man standing in the room.
“If no one wants to answer, I’ll assume all of you are responsible,” I finally voiced dangerously low, my hand gripping the pistol I’d just trained with, pointing it one by one at each man staring back at me. I halted the pistol on a man who was visibly trembling, sweat beading on his forehead.
“Must’ve been you?”
“N-no, Teo, I—”
The butt of my gun connected with his mouth before he could finish. The crack of impact rippled through the range, followed by the audible ping of teeth hitting the concrete floor. He dropped to his knees, blood pouring from his lips, his hands cupping his face as he groaned.
I crouched down, tilting my head to get a better look at the damage. Two front teeth... gone.
“That’s for wasting my time with your silence,” I said calmly, wiping the blood off my gun with the edge of my shirt. I stood, surveying the rest of the room briefly catching Ayanna’s stunned expression. I didn’t see fear. Maybe understanding.
This is who I was. A protector with methods that many would deem brutal.
When I looked back at the men, I asked, “Anyone else not talking?”
“I sent Jeremy to switch out with Marcus, but Jeremy never showed up.” One of Bash’s men quickly spoke up, not wanting to suffer the same fate. His eyes darted nervously between everyone in the room.
Bash’s fists clenched at his sides, the veins in his neck bulging with a barely restrained emotion. “And why the fuck are you just now saying something?” He took a menacing step toward him. The gun tucked behind his waist was suddenly in his hand. The silent threat was clear.
“I-I thought Jeremy was running late. Probably in traffic. I figured he’d show up soon, and everything would be fine.” The man stammered, only making Bash’s glare intensify.
“Find Jeremy,” I instructed coldly, locking eyes with the man. “And bring him to me. Alive.”
“If you don’t find him, consider this your last day.” Bash growled.
It was obvious the man understood the threat. Bash wasn’t just talking about his last day in his crew. Fear etched across his face, and each step he took seemed weighted with dread as he left the room.
When he was gone, I asked no one in particular. “Who’s cleaning it up?”
“Local PD’s already involved. They’ve got statements from the staff and secured the scene, but... the news is already there covering the incident.”
Bash exhaled sharply, muttering a curse under his breath. The last thing any of us needed was media eyes on our operations. With Ayanna being a Reed, it was only a matter of time before they tried to link her boutique to the nefarious dealings tied to her family.
I turned to Keem, my right-hand man. “Find the woman who was hurt. Get her family what they need. Pay for everything—medical bills, security, the works. I want her to know she’s protected.”
Then I turned to Bash. “I don’t care what you have to pull or who you have to shake down. I want the name of whoever green-lit this, and I want it yesterday.”
“Already on it.”
Ayanna’s voice broke through the tension. “Teo, I have to check on whoever was hurt. Those are my employees,” she whispered.
I placed a reassuring hand over hers. “Once we find out who was injured, I’ll take you personally, Amore. But then we are getting you out of the city. No ifs, ands or buts.”
Her lips pressed into a thin line, but she gave a small nod, deciding not to fight me, for once.
“Let’s go,” I told her, guiding her toward the door. To my men, I said, “When you find the one responsible, bring them to me. Alive.”
They all nodded, understanding the weight behind my command. Bash was already on his phone, barking orders to his crew as we stepped out.
When I got Yanna situated in the car, I slid into the seat next to her instructing my driver to take us to my safe house. Then I dialed the one person I knew could get me some information without raising any suspicions.
“Steph, it’s me,” I said as soon as she picked up. “I need a secure line.”
She didn’t ask questions, just acknowledged the urgency in my voice. “Give me a minute.” The background went silent for a beat, before she returned all business on a secure line ready to discuss my issue.
I wasted no time getting down to what I needed.
“I need a full account of Roland Harrison, Orlando Moccasin, and Bianca Moccasin. I want to know every move they’ve made in the last 48 hours.
Who they’ve talked to, where they’ve been, and what resources they’ve tapped into.
And I want it now. If anyone so much as blinked wrong during dinner last night, I want to know about it. ”
“Got it.”
“Oh, and you need to handle a media situation for me. My girl’s boutique just got hit.” I glanced at Ayanna, her body tense as she stared out the window.
Two days in a row, someone had tried to get at my girl. And that shit wasn’t sitting right with me.
“Shit. Tell me everything.” Steph’s voice cut through my thoughts.
I went on to give her the details knowing she would have the media under control in a matter of minutes.
Stephanie had indeed grown into the powerhouse her aunt knew she would be, and was now the best fixer in the country.
When she felt like she had enough information she confirmed she’d start digging immediately and would have the information to me within an hour.
I hung up, feeling a little more in control. Yanna, however, was still lost in her thoughts. It gave me an opportunity to think about how I was going to handle Roland. This wasn’t random, and he knew more than he was letting on.
I had a feeling that this was just the beginning. A war was brewing, and the Reeds and Donatellis were the prime targets.