Page 46 of Finding My Bodyguard

“Yeah, Pop,” I answered him.

“Return the girl,” he ordered. His voice was calm and menacing, as always. My father thought everyone was supposed to bend to his demands, which was exactly how he spoke.

“That girl you speak of is my wife. So, you can see why I can’t do that.” My father didn’t scare me. I was no longer the little boy that listened and obeyed. I was my own man.

“A wife that you unlawfully obtained, Royale.”

“I didn’t know stealing a nigga girl was an unlawful crime,” I joked, knowing it was pissing him off.

“It’s a law of the streets. You know the code you turned your back on.”

“I didn’t turn my back on anything, Pop. I’m doing exactly what you raised me to do, be a man. I’m carving my path and standing on my own two feet.” It was a time when my father's disapproval of my choices got to me, but I’d stopped seeking his approval long ago. I accepted that his opinion of me didn’t matter because his values and goals weren’t aligned with mine, and they would never be.

“Standing on your own two feet and hiding behind the cartel support. Something is not adding up.” He laughed.

“Is this why you called?” I was done with this conversation. It was pointless. Monroe wasn’t going anywhere.

“The cartel is not going to support you through no war over a girl!”

“Last I checked, Pop, that wasn’t your decision,” I said before hanging up the phone. I didn’t have anything else to discuss with my father. He was still controlling the cartel, but Meechie was the acting boss. He didn’t need my father’s approval. He took his orders out of respect, not obligation.

“Yo’ wars are my wars, bro.” Meechie turned to face me as he pulled out of the Iris estate. “Is that what he wants?”

“His offer was his heir or go to war.” I unballed the piece of paper that Contessa had handed me. It was a handwritten note that appeared to be written in a hurry. The words caused me to still in my seat. The air was knocked out of my lungs as I processed the words.

They know where she is.

“Shit, the meeting was a decoy. They going for Monroe.” I turned the note for Meechie to read. His head dropped before his jaw clenched.

“How the fuck do they know where to find her?” He was just as stunned as me. That was exactly what I was asking myself. Nobody knew where my safe house was located. My flights to and from the island weren’t reported. Tessa could have told, but she’d alerted me, so that couldn’t be it. Suddenly, it hit me like a ton of bricks.

“It was Pop! Fuck!” My voice thundered. My father knew about the safe house—he’d had it built. He knew all its secrets. I pulled up Monroe’s contact information and dialed her number. Maybe Tessa had alerted her already, and she was safe.

“I’ll have them get the plane ready,” Meechie informed me as he typed on his phone.

“Hey, London.” Monroe picked up the phone.

“They know where you are. You not safe in the house.” I rushed out. I didn’t know how long she had before they had reached her. I cursed myself for not having security watch her. I truly thought she was safe in the house. It was a rookie mistake, and I fucking knew better.

“What?” I could hear her breathing increase.

“You have to go to Aunt Vanessa’s. She’ll be able—”

“There’s a noise at the door,” she interrupted me. Hearing how afraid she was threatened to tear my heart right out of my chest.

“Get to the shelter!” I demanded. I was hoping my father wasn’t expecting Monroe to know about it. It was a long shot, but it was all I had. “Go now! You know the one I showed you in the greenhouse. I’m locking the house down now. When I do that, everyone inside with you will be locked inside.” It was a fail-safe mechanism. Nobody in and nobody out. It would buy time until I could alert the local authorities. If Kashus had someone there, the police should be able to take care of it.

“Aye, if he breaks a bunch of air traffic laws, Jake said he could get us there in an hour and forty minutes,” Meechie said. The tunnel under the house led to the other side of town. It would take Monroe about an hour to make it to the bunker. I would have the local authorities meet her there. It was all beginning to make sense. Meechie and I had walked right into a damn trap. This was why they’d set the meeting up in Bristol City instead of coming to Miami or meeting in a mutual location. They knew it would take me too long to get to her from here. I dropped my head as Monroe moved around the house. I could hear her rapid breathing through the phone.

“Monroe,” I called her name. I needed to make sure she was listening.

“Yes,” she whispered.

“Once you are in the safe shelter, this call will drop. You will have no phone service. Follow the tunnel, it’s about an hour’s walk. It will lead to a bunker. I will have a Cuban officer there to meet you. He will take you somewhere safe until I get to you.”

“Okay, I’m in the greenhouse now,” she whispered. “I heard voices at the front door.” She was scared, and I couldn’t even fake the shit. I was too. I ain’t know what her father or Kashus would do to her if she were back in their possession.

“Move fast; the door automatically closes and locks behind you.”

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