Chapter Sixteen.
Danger headed into the bathroom and took care of his business, still half-asleep.
It wasn’t until he glanced toward the bathroom counter that something felt off.
All of Caresha’s things were gone…her box of period panties, hair products, skincare, toothbrush, and everything else she’d brought during her stay had vanished from beside his things.
Danger’s eyes narrowed as he walked out of the bathroom, scanning the bedroom. He checked the other side of the bed and noticed her gym bag was missing. “What the fuck?” He mumbled as he headed into the hallway and jogged down the stairs.
“Ree!”
Danger got nothing back, just the sound of his own voice echoing off the walls.
He pulled out his phone and checked it, making sure he didn’t have any missed calls from Crown.
If Caresha had called Nivéa to pick her up, he knew he wouldn’t hear the last of that shit.
But there was nothing from anyone important, just missed calls and texts from his old hoes.
Scrolling to Caresha’s name, he called her.
When she didn’t answer, Danger tried again and again.
Every call went to voicemail, filling him with worry.
He couldn’t tell if she wasn’t picking up because she was pissed at him or if she’d called an Uber or Lyft and something had happened.
He didn’t trust any of that transportation service bullshit.
His anxiety shot through the roof. The liquor and weed that had dulled his emotions the night before had faded, leaving him feeling regretful.
Dressed in a T-shirt and sweatpants, Danger slipped his feet into his Jordans by the door and rushed to the usual spot for his keys, but they weren’t there.
He checked the entry table, the kitchen counter, and the hooks on the wall.
He searched through his vest and pants pockets, retracing his steps, convinced he’d just misplaced them.
Still nothing. Then a feeling in his gut urged him to check the garage.
Danger rushed through the door and stopped cold.
One of his cars was missing, and in that moment, he realized how Caresha had gotten away. She’d taken his Hellcat.
“This lil muthafucka done stole my whip. Fuck.”
Now, Danger was really worried. He grabbed his spare keys and gun, locked up the house, and jumped on his Hayabusa.
He pushed through the city, headed straight toward Caresha’s side of town.
He called her twice while stopped at a traffic light, but still got no answer.
His mind raced as he pulled off on green, replaying their argument last night, and regret consumed him all over again.
As he got closer to the freeway, he noticed traffic on the feeder was backed up. Danger initially figured it was just regular morning congestion and began cutting through the cars to get around it. Then he saw the flashing lights: police, an ambulance, and several cars pulled onto the shoulder.
Danger slowed, his eyes scanning the scene ahead. Then he realized it was his car that was flipped over in the ditch near the next exit. And if that wasn’t enough to make his heart cave, he noticed the black paint was scarred where rounds had slammed into the body. His heart shattered.
“Ree…”
∞∞∞
Crown sat in his office, dressed in a tailored Armani button-up and matching slacks. He was focused on a video call with his client in Las Vegas. A set of construction plans covered one side of his desk while his laptop displayed Claus and two members of his project team.
“As of right now, we’re still on schedule. The crew will arrive Monday at ten a.m. They’ll start mobilizing that morning, and the first phase of construction will begin the following day.” He said, scrolling through the updated timeline.
Claus nodded from the other side of the screen. “Great. Do you all need anything else from my wife or me?”
“No. We’re good. My project manager was already out there earlier this week. Everything the crew needs will be on-site before they arrive. I’ll keep you updated if anything changes.”
Claus began to ask another question when Crown’s office door suddenly opened, stealing his attention.
Kerri walked in, looking worried, with Shanise following closely behind her, an apologetic expression on her face.
It was clear she had tried to explain to Kerri that Crown was in an important meeting, but his mama hadn’t been willing to wait.
Crown gave Shanise a small nod, signaling that it was fine. She quietly exited, leaving them alone.
The look on his mama’s face made Crown’s heart race.
He immediately sensed something was wrong, especially since he’d told her to stay in the house.
He knew Kerri wouldn’t go against him unless she felt the absolute need to.
She looked shaken, almost scared, and that alone was enough to bring the conversation on his laptop to an end.
“Alright, gentlemen. I have an emergency that just popped up I need to tend to. I’ll reconnect with you all at a later date. Claus, if you have any further questions for me specifically, you can reach me by email.”
“Will do. I hope everything is okay, Mr. Knight.”
“Appreciate you. I’ll be in touch.”
After saying his goodbyes, Crown shut the laptop. “What’s wrong, mama?” He asked, bracing himself for impact.
“Me and your brother tried calling you, son. You didn’t ans—” Kerri stopped, her eyes filling with tears as she struggled to get the words out.
“Is it Nivéa? Ny?”
Kerri’s hesitation confirmed his worst fear, he thought.
Without another word, Crown shot up from his chair, grabbing his phone with one hand while his other hand slipped beneath the desk, returning with the gun he kept hidden there.
He tucked it into the back of his waistband beside the other one.
If something had happened to his family, he was ready to do damage, even if it meant ending up in prison.
It didn’t make sense. He’d told Nivéa to stay put too, but he was already bracing himself for the worst in case she didn’t listen to him.
Kerri quickly shook her head, wiping away her tears. “No. They’re fine. It’s Caresha. She was driving Danger’s Hellcat this morning, and it got shot up.”
“What?” Crown’s jaw tightened as his heart nearly stopped. He knew what his wife’s best friend meant to her, and anything that affected Nivéa pained him.
“Why the fuck would D let her drive his car while we're at war? I told him to park that muthafucka.” Crown lost his cool, cursing in front of his mama…something he never did.
“I don’t know the whole story, baby. Something about them getting into it, and she took his car to go home.
Your brother is losing it, so he’s not properly explaining everything.
I don’t know all the details. We have to get back to Niv and then go to the hospital.
I didn’t have the heart to tell her yet. I just left and came straight here.”
“Is Caresha alright, though? I did make him get the car armored when he first got it.” Crown went straight to Plan B. He always had a Plan B if these niggas didn’t listen to him.
Kerri took a deep breath and shrugged. “I’m not sure. The damage made her lose control and flip.”
“Ah, fuck.” Crown gripped his head, cursing himself for putting his phone aside for an hour to focus on this meeting.
He snatched up his coat and was slipping it on when gunfire suddenly erupted outside. The first shots shattered the windows of his office, sending glass flying across the room as bullets tore through the walls.
“Fuck! Mama, get down.” Crown barked, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her behind the desk.
Another burst of bullets rattled the building, causing Kerri to scream louder.
“Mama, look at me. I need you to calm down.” Crown cupped her face until she quieted down and seemed focused. “I want you to stay right there. Do not move. You got your gun on you?”
Kerri swallowed hard, her heart racing as she nodded and pulled her pink 9mm from her Hermès bag.
“Do not move.” Crown reiterated, pointing at her. “But use it if you have to.”
She nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation. It meant that if something happened to him and his security, she would need to protect herself. Ahmad Sr. hadn’t put her in the gun range for nothing. He wanted her to be capable of defending herself if push came to shove.
Confident she’d be fine, Crown pulled the guns from his waistband and moved toward the doorway, ducking as another round came through the hall window. He looked back at Kerri, ensuring she was still down before closing the door.
By the time Crown reached the first floor, his armed security was already handling shit.
The new team he’d hired after relocating his firm consisted of retired military personnel, so he was confident that anyone outside wouldn’t make it inside.
Some guards were firing through the shattered windows, while another moved his assistant out of the line of fire.
“Aight, bitch.” Crown nodded, stepping out of the elevator, dressed like he’d just posed for the cover of GQ Magazine.
Livid, he was about to tear some shit up.
No matter how rich he was, you couldn’t take the hood out of him.
He aimed and busted back through the broken glass.
His bullets ripped through the side windows of the two SUVs, chewing into the frames.
Beside him, his guards poured more rounds into them as well.
“I don’t give a fuck who's passing by. Don’t fuckin’ let up!” He told them.
The SUVs were pounded relentlessly, bullets ricocheting off the metal with a deafening clang. The volume of gunfire rattled Preach’s soldiers, forcing them to retreat.
Noticing them backing off, Crown snatched up one of the rifles he kept at the firm, stepped outside for a clearer shot, and targeted their back windows.
He wasn’t finished yet. With steady aim, he pulled the trigger, shattering the glass as he advanced further down the street on foot.
One deep…on a busy road…broad daylight…he didn’t give a fuck.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! His bullets found their marks, striking each nigga seated in the backseat of both SUVs, hitting them squarely in the head.
The vehicles were severely damaged, yet the skilled drivers managed to keep going.
When Crown finally let up, he turned around to assess the damage to his firm.
Pissed was an understatement; the destruction was significant.
To make matters worse, he could already hear the sirens approaching in the distance.
“Fuckkkkk,” he yelled.
Both of his worlds had finally collided.