Chapter 11 #2
"And him," Killian's eyes shifted to the quiet man, "the teal with a thin ribbon of burgundy is Solace. He speaks for the family that governs Crimson Falls."
"Fuck they need a spokesperson for?" I frowned.
Solace's fingers stopped tapping.
"They don't need anything," he calmly stated. "I'm here simply because they prefer anonymity. I figured you could appreciate that… considering no one knew what Lucian's prodigal son looked like until now."
I let my gaze slide between them. "I'm not shit to Lucian, but apparently I must've missed the memo for who was gon' be in attendance tonight." I looked toward Killian. "This is starting to feel like an ambush."
Righteous' laugh rumbled again, carrying a warning I caught.
"It's never an ambush with me. I like my kill to see me coming," he noted.
"We don't kill guests," Solace added, his voice calm, "not unless they disrespect the table."
Crown's jaw clenched. "Disrespect how?"
Solace's eyes flickered to him, then back to me, "By forgetting you're a guest at this table. Neither of you holds a position in this shit."
"Says the mouthpiece for another nigga," Crown scoffed.
Solace licked his lips, then pushed his chair back, slowly rising to his feet. My hand went to my waist. Killian stepped around the table, palms open like he was soothing wolves. "Sit down."
Solace stared at him for a long second, then lowered back into his seat, doing it out of respect for Killian and not because he had to. I waited a second, then pulled my chair out, never taking my eyes off Righteous or Solace. Crown followed a second later.
"Righteous," Killian said, settling back, "you have the floor. I already know Honor's intentions."
"Not that it's a secret, but Solace and I are only here as a favor to Killian. Most outsiders never get a chance to stand before us and ask for a request as big as yours. However, I'm intrigued to hear your reasoning. From what I know of you, Lucian gave you and your brothers an okay life."
Solace's eyes locked onto me. "I don't know shit about any of you," he flatly said, "Lucian or otherwise. I'm here as a courtesy, meaning I don't give a fuck about your why."
He stood up.
"My vote is no."
Solace dapped Righteous, nodded once at Killian, then walked out like the meeting didn't deserve another second of his time.
"That's how y'all do business?" I nodded toward the empty seat.
"Solace is his own man." Righteous shrugged.
"I can respect that," I said. "Crown is his own man, but disrespect is disrespect." My voice lowered. "So I'm gon' make this clear. If I ever run into Solace again, the disrespect he displayed in here will be dealt with."
Righteous didn't flinch. "Do as you wish, just understand Solace doesn't run alone."
"Neither does Honor." Crown smirked.
Righteous nodded. "Back to the matter at hand."
I leaned forward slightly.
"I don't know who told you Lucian gave me something, but they lied. Lucian didn't hand me and my brothers shit. Everything we got, we bled for. We earned it the hard way… and the way we had to earn it is exactly why I want him dead."
Righteous watched me closely as my words came out cold and controlled.
"Lucian doesn't build men. He creates pawns.
He puts you in a position where you gotta do dirt to survive, then turns around and acts like you owe him loyalty because of it.
The man you break bread with, negotiate and operate with doesn't understand shit that ain't tied to his own gain.
He'll use anybody to get what he wants. Family, friends, innocent children, it doesn't matter. "
My jaw clenched.
"I can't keep letting the people I love become target practice for him."
"Has Lucian killed anyone you love?" Righteous asked.
My throat tightened as memories of my mother, like an unexpected punch.
"My mother," I answered, swallowing hard. "She stole from him and he—"
"An eye for an eye," Righteous cut in. "Has he killed anyone you loved without having a reason?"
"No," I forced out through clenched teeth.
"Then my vote is no," Righteous declared, standing.
I stood too, and when Crown went to rise, I pressed my hand against his chest and pushed him back into his seat.
"This was a formality," I seethed. "I don't need your permission to do shit."
"I never said you did, and as a man, I can respect you not letting our decision stop you from getting revenge. A mother is a boy's first everything. That bond is sacred. However, as a businessman, I gotta put those feelings aside and follow the rules of this organization."
"Do what you gotta do," I told him, "and I'ma do the same."
Righteous nodded, walked over to Killian, and shook his hand before leaving the room. I looked at Killian. He stood up, with Grim and Ghost rising with him.
"I told you," he said to me.
"And I told you this was just a formality."
"I wouldn't expect anything less from you." He quietly chuckled before his gaze sharpened on me.
"Honor…" he said, like my name held worth, "a man who bleeds black but not just regular black… obsidian. It's not empty or hollow. Your aura has layers. Crimson runs through you like a brother's blood, only this bond was forged in war."
Killian's eyes narrowed as if he were seeing something deeper.
"Beneath that is pale amber, a color that shouldn't belong to a man like you."
My jaw clenched because his truth was one that I whispered to myself whenever I was around Navy.
"She's the reason. It's the only soft thing about you, while not being soft at all. It's proof that when a man like you finds love, it doesn't look like flowers. It looks like graves."
He paused like there was more sitting on his tongue that he didn't want to say.
"Just say it," I muttered.
A shadow passed before his eyes. "Gray lands on you. You're exhausted—"
"I get it," I cut him off. "You still got me when the time comes?"
Killian didn't hesitate. "You found me my wife when nobody else would, so you have my word. Just let me know when."
He stuck his hand out, and I gripped it firmly, then stepped aside so he could pass. Crown stared after him, brows pinched like he was still trying to make sense of what the fuck just happened.
"Why didn't he tell me what color bleeds off me?" Crown asked.
"You say it like it's that nigga's superpower."
"That nigga just read you like a book you didn't write," he said, then his eyes narrowed like thought hit him. "Maybe I should bring Four 'round him, and he can tell me what color the babies are radiating."
"Next time you see him ask."
Crown nodded, then looked at me, concern dancing in his eyes.
"What we doing next since them niggas said no?"
I stared at the door Righteous, Solace, and Killian all walked out of. "We gon' do that shit anyway."
Crown's smirk came in slow. "Bet."
"Talon just gotta die first."