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It’s a dream. It’s just a dream.

He kept telling himself that over and over, but it seemed so real. He hadn’t dreamed about his mother’s death in years, and then to see Chelsey’s face…

Shit.

Parker tossed the pillow he was holding to the other side of the bed and dropped back down as he continued gasping for air. It was only a dream. His mother was dead, but Chelsey was alive.

The hum of the air conditioner kicking in was the only sound in the house as he forced himself to take deep, steadying breaths.

His eyes had adjusted to the darkness, and Parker didn’t know how long he stared at the ceiling. He just tried focusing on breathing normally.

Chelsey’s okay.She’s fine.

He knew that. Still, he was on edge. His woman might be fine now, but if Wolf ever found out Parker was alive, no one he cared about would be safe.

“I can’t live like this anymore,” he mumbled into the darkness.

He also could no longer keep his secrets buried. Those who were close to him might one day be in danger, and they needed to know why.

Parker had never been the type to sit back to wait and see what happens. He was the type to make things happen. If he wanted Wolf to no longer be a threat, it would be up to him to get rid of his father.

Even if it means I start another war.

Chapter Eight

The next day, Parker strolled into Supreme Security still shaken from the dream he’d had of his mother. Her death had traumatized him. It had been one of the darkest times of his life. He’d been a twelve-year-old kid living in an adult world doing adult things. Illegal things forced upon him by his father.

But the hardest part about his mother’s death was keeping the “incident,” as his father referred to it, a secret. Parker wanted to call the police and have him arrested. He didn’t care if it meant ending up in foster care. Unfortunately, he couldn’t and he hadn’t said anything to anyone. Being a member of the Kingz meant you kept their business in-house, and you sure as hell didn’t snitch.

His dad hadn’t meant to hurt her, and he sure hadn’t meant to kill her. Wolf had been obsessed with Mina and treated her like fine china. Then, as Parker got older, his parents’ relationship started changing. It started when Wolf insisted that he wanted his son to one day rule over the Diego Kingz. That meant Parker had to work his way up the ranks, starting with selling drugs at a young age.

He ambled through the quiet halls of Supreme while trying to forget about his past, the memories. But his mind kept being pulled back. After he and his father cried over Mina’s body, willing her to wake up, Wolf moved into action as if on autopilot.

One of Wolf’s roles in the Diego Kingz, before he became the leader, was a cleaner. He was responsible for disposing of bodies and then cleaning up afterward.

By the end of that day, Mina’s body had disappeared, and the kitchen was spotless. As if nothing had ever happened. No funeral. No memorial. Nothing.

Wolf attempted to placate Parker with promises that it would all be okay, but even at that age, Parker knew it wouldn’t. Nothing would ever be okay again.

If anyone asked about his mother, he’d been instructed to say that she was in Europe taking care of her sister who was sick. Months later, if anyone asked about her, he’d been instructed to say that she had decided to move there.

It wasn’t like she had many close friends outside of other wives who were a part of the Diego Kingz crime syndicate. Parker was sure others knew he and his father were lying about Mina, but no one was bold enough to question them in depth.

Accidental death or not, Parker would never forgive Wolf for killing his mother. Even as a teenager, he had vowed that he’d make Wolf pay one day. It had taken Parker five years to learn everything he could about his father’s business—the Diego Kingz’s business. Five years to drum up enough courage to take his father down, and five years to put a plan in action.

What had initially been a solid plan, ended up backfiring, though. Somehow, Wolf found out about Parker’s betrayal, and how he had started a war between the Diego Kingz and their biggest rival—Euclid Disciples.

Parker’s cell phone vibrated and snapped him out of his thoughts. Digging the device from his pocket, he glanced at the screen.

Laz:meet me in the kitchen

Parker had been on his way to the small conference room where they usually met before an assignment but turned back the way he had come. Passing several pieces of artwork hanging on the walls, he barely spared them a glance as he mentally got into work mode.

They still had over an hour before they needed to pick up the client, but it wasn’t unusual for them to eat before a job. One of many things he loved about working at Supreme—they took good care of their employees. Egypt and her admin team were great at having a fully stocked kitchen at any given time.

When Parker entered the large space, with its cream-colored walls and top-of-the-line appliances, the blend of various spices reached his nose. Inhaling deeply, he could tell the scent included garlic, cloves, and maybe cinnamon, but also something sweet and savory.

Laz was peeking inside of several white Chinese food boxes. There had to be at least ten of them spread out on the center island, along with spring rolls, crab rangoon, pastry puffs, and potstickers, to name a few. Considering all the food, no doubt there were other teams on assignments tonight.

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