Chapter 41 KODY
KODY
Mid-flight, I checked the notifications pinging on my phone. It was a video of my Rolls Royce carrying Heir home. Sitting up, I pressed play and watched as the Royce switched lanes. The surveillance picked up a non-descript van a few cars behind locked in on my Royce.
Without hesitation, I called Dex.
“You got a black ‘Burb on you. Two cars back.”
“I got two on me,” he clarified.
Shit! For the first time in my life, I felt myself panicking.
“Get my lady home, aight,” I stated. I trusted Dex with my life. Trusting him with Heir’s life seemed simple until I wasn’t there to have his back.
“I got you,” he replied.
I hung up with him and immediately called Adir.
Me and this nigga coexisted better these days.
“Lock every fuckin’ thing down.” There was no time for small talk.
Seconds later, my phone alerted me to another notification from the Royce’s camera.
I put Adir on speaker and could’ve crushed the airplane in my hands at what I saw.
The luxury sedan was flipped over, resting on its roof.. Heart running a hundred miles an hour, I watched helplessly as a figure stalked past, carrying my woman with him.
Nerves settling, something else took over. Smirking a little, I leaned back against my seat and mumbled, “Someone has her.”
“The fuck you say?” he growled.
Gulping down the lump of fear that tried to rise, I stated, “Someone has Heir. Lock everything down. Meet me at my place.”
I hung up, then stared at the phone. My hands trembled.
Roy took notice, cleared his throat and said, “Who the fuck is crazy enough to come for you?”
Stretching my fingers out, they trembled even more. “Someone who’s ready to meet the devil.”
“Surely, they are,” Roy seconded.
Throughout the rest of the flight, a million thoughts raced through my head. Above all, I knew my baby had to be terrified. I had to put her aside, though, and focus on who the fuck I had to lay down.
After what seemed like forever later, Roy pulled into my driveway. It was flooded with blacked-out vehicles. I walked inside my house, met by the Bells, Cooley, the elder Gunner, Kim, and my mama who was being consoled by Katrice. As soon as Charnice laid eyes on me, she ran into my arms.
“I’m okay, Ma.” I cupped her face and kissed her forehead and couple of times.
Her eyes were red from crying. Kim looked upset, too.
I opened my arms for her. She came to me and put her head to my chest. I embraced her for a minute, thankful that she and my mama were safe.
“Take Mama in the living room and give me a second,” I told her.
Nodding, she took my mother’s hand, and Katrice followed them into the living room.
Turning to Adir and Cooley, their scowls matched mine.
“Good lookin’ out,” Adir murmured. “We got hit by a sniper. Gunner narrowly made it through surgery.”
Which explained why the elder Gunner was here. His eyes were hard and bore the signs of a father ready to avenge his son.
“Anyone else?” I questioned.
Cooley shook his head.
“The party was a decoy to have y’all scrambling. Whoever did this knew there was a party tonight. They also knew that I was out of town and that Heir would be on the move without me.”
“So, this is about Heir?” Cooley asked.
Reluctantly, I admitted so. “If they wanted her dead, she would be. Instead, they took her. There haven’t been any ransom calls…nothing.”
“So, what the hell are we looking at?” Gunner quizzed.
I didn’t have the first fucking answer, and it churned my gut.
Walking away, I worked out a few kinks in my neck and scrolled down the rolodex of niggas who’d attempted to fuck with me in the past. There weren’t many, and definitely not anyone with the nuts to pull off some shit of this level.
Snipers…kidnapping… Fucking with two of the deadliest families in the southern hemisphere.
That shit seemed over the top even for me.
“Please stop bringing him up!”
My mama’s hushed but stern tone reached my ears. Glancing into the living room, I saw her stand from the couch and storm away from Katrice. Kim was right there to mediate between the two women. This was interesting. I’d never seen my mama and Katrice at odds—ever.
“I’m sorry, Char. I’m just trying to help.” Katrice approached my mama, but my mama backed away.
“Help? How are you helping me by bringing Dub into this? He’s not here!
Leave him where the hell he’s at!” My mama’s voice escalated some, drawing my attention even more, so I went into the living room to diffuse the situation.
I hated seeing my mama so upset, and the night was already crazy enough.
Katrice stood there, worrying over a ring on her left ring finger as her and my mama engaged in a stare-off. Tilting my head at the startling diamond band surrounding Katrice’s finger, I paused. Heat surged through me, and I had to chuckle to keep from exploding.
“Where’s Stanley?” I questioned Katrice. She’d been married to the same nigga since before I was born, yet that nigga barely came around. In all these years, the two never had children.
Confusion marred Katrice’s face. “Huh?”
“Stanley,” I reiterated. “Where is he?”
I walked up behind Katrice, then slowly circled her. Her eyes danced over my face, quizzically. She looked so fucking innocent and pretended to be so na?ve.
“Is there something the matter?” she questioned.
“I like that ring,” I mumbled.
She brought the ring up and peered at it. Her eyes flew back to me, and she still looked confused. Hm. The night was about to get crazier.
“It’s one of my favorite pieces of jewelry,” Katrice remarked.
Smirking, I gently touched her fingers, then lifted her hand to get a better view of the custom diamond band.
“You know what’s funny?” I asked her.
Nervously, she chuckled and shook her head. “No, what?”
Carefully, I slid the ring off her finger to locate what I was looking for. There, in tiny script, was the message.
“What’s funny is, I was with my father the day he purchased this ring.
We were in deep discussion about moving K.
M. Liquors out of the country. Peru to be exact.
” Chuckling, I added, “Peru was a second home to my father. That’s how you met my mama, right?
On a trip she and my father took to Peru.
Y’all bumped into each other at a resort, right? ”
Katrice’s gaze flashed to my mama’s questioning gaze. Charnice’s heart was too pure to see where the hell I was going with this. Her heart would break further once everything was laid out for her.
“If I remember correctly, you and Stanley were just dating at the time. He took you out of the country for your birthday, and you bumped into my mama. That’s ya story, right?”
She blinked at me stupidly.
“Over the years, the two of you became close. So close that when my father died, you and Stanley uprooted ya lives from Miami and moved here. You were adamant about helping my mama through her grieving process.” Katrice nervously fidgeted as I continued to inspect the ring.
“Only one love,” I stated. “That’s what’s written on the inside of this ring. Care to explain how you got this?”
“Katrice,” my mama prompted when Katrice remained silent.
“And here I thought this ring was for my mama,” I said.
“You want to know what I think? I think my father invited you to Peru, and you purposely bumped into my mama. I believe you intentionally befriended her. As long as you didn’t say shit, neither did my father.
His puss’ ass was having his cake and eating it too.
” I snarled at this wicked ho. “Am I right?”