Page 4 of Do You Understand?

Choppa let out a venomous laugh. “Who the fuck is that lil nigga right there?”

“Um, that’s her boyfriend Kevin Bird. He’s one of our assets.” Mauri answered his question.

Smoke stepped forward. “Excuse me. Did you say this fuck nigga is one of our assets? As in, he’s employed by Christianson Enterprises?”

Smoke, Choppa, and Codeine’s eyes traveled to Mont. By now, he had taken a seat with his face in the palms of his hands.

“Yes, I pulled his file already as well as ran an extensive check. He’s been with the organization for almost two years. He’s a professor at the College of Charleston. Based on conversations that I’ve had with Lyn, he’s been in his feelings about not being selected for missions.” Mauri tapped on her keys. “I can back the camera up to earlier in the night. They had an argument.”

Choppa’s head tilted from side to side. “Nah, ain’t no way I want to potentially see my niece having sex or some shit.”

“You won’t. Lyn is still a virgin,” Khiajah said mindlessly. Right now, she didn’t give a fuck. Lyn had come to her about potentially losing her virginity to her boyfriend because he was pressuring her. Khiajah told her that was the number one sign that he didn’t deserve to have it.

Mauri knew that information as well about Lyn’s sexual experience. There was an age gap between the cousins, but because of the extensive work they did together and Lyn being Mauri’s protégé, they were extremely close. “I can set my system to not display that if applicable.”

She rewound the surveillance, then tapped her keys a few more times. The footage did fast forward a little. The men in the room groaned because if it did that, then something sexual had occurred. Between Mauri and Khiajah, they did know that Lyn was proficient with her fellatio skills. Hell, they were instrumental in the lessons to get her there.

They all listen and watched Kevin bitch about his position in the organization. Once the footage got back to the start of the kidnapping, Mauri stopped it.

“Fuck! We just had a conversation about cutting this nigga loose not even two days ago!” Jacob felt this was on him and Mont. For a month or so, they felt a sense of disheartenment from Kevin. They gave him a little more of the benefit of the doubt off the strength of Lyn.

Lamik cleared his throat. “I got two fucking questions. One: What’s the fuckin’ move and two: Who the fuck is calling Trell?”

The tear finally released from Mont’s eyes as he remembered the conversation he had with his father when Jacob and Mont made the decision to formally bring Taelyn on board. She wanted to be a part of the organization since she was a teenager. Trell made Mont and Jacob put her through extra shit to ensure that she was ready, and it was what she truly wanted. It was much like he required Choppa, Smoke, and Codeine to do when Mont was onboarded.

“Son, if anything happens to my baby girl, something is going to happen to you. I get that you have cousins, uncles, a best friend, and all that shit in the organization, but this is my baby girl. Don’t think for a moment that I don’t love you or love you less than my girls. I’m not saying that, but what I am saying is the love is different. You’re a father so you know that. Don’t let anything happen to my baby girl, LaMont Trell Smith, Jr. If she so much as gets a papercut, me and you will have a problem.”

His father’s words were loud. Mont knew that he would have to be the one to make that call. “I’ll call him.”

He stood, then walked outside to the porch. The line picked up after the second ring. “Dad, I need you to come to the back.”

Although Trell was not a part of the organization formally, he had a bat phone and got down when it was necessary. Trell let his son know that he would let the live-in nurse know that he was stepping out. Over the years, Tae’s dementia had progressed regardless of the medications. There were now days when she didn’t recognize her children in their adult age. There were days that she didn’t recognize her children altogether. A year ago, Trell hired a live-in nurse and beefed up security in the house because Tae started to wake up and decided she wanted to wander from the house.

Trell immediately noticed all the cars. He knew that if his son called and asked him to come to The Ranch, then it had something to do with something or someone connected to them. Mont waited on the porch for his father. Trell opened his car door before he turned the engine of his car off. He said nothing when he stepped on the porch with his son.

“Um, Dad, um...”

Mont’s biggest fear since he was a boy was disappointing his father. He knew this news would not only infuriate his father but break his heart as well. As a father, Mont knew that it would break his had it been Xia. There was no need to go into a long explanation.

“Kevin kidnapped Lyn.”

Trell stood there for a beat, then snickered. “Nigga, you got me fucked up.”

He moved around Mont, opened the door to the house, then walked in. All eyes were on him. Smoke was the first one to step to him. “Trell, let’s sit down.”

“Nah, ain’t no sit down. Where the fuck is my baby girl?” Everyone was quiet. “Oh, no one can talk now? Mauri, show me whatever you got that lets you know she was kidnapped.” Trell needed more confirmation than just some words.

“Dad, I don’t think—”

Trell held his hand up in the direction of his son’s voice. Without looking at him, he addressed his son. “LaMont, I love you, but don’t say shit to me.” His attention went back to Mauri. “Mauri, show me the fuckin’ footage now!”

As if she needed permission, she glanced toward Choppa, Smoke, and Codeine. Yes, Mont was the current president/CEO, but this felt like it was above him. Choppa gave her the nod to show the footage for a second time. She backed the footage up to the argument then restarted it. No one said a word while they all rewatched Kevin argue with, then beat Taelyn. Tears released from Trell’s eyes.

After the footage stopped, Trell’s head dropped. He took in a few shallow breaths to calm his urge to choke his son out. He knew this wasn’t his fault overall. Lyn had been with Kevin for a while and wanted to do her grown shit, so she was allowed to. It wasn’t her fault either, but Trell felt like he should have shut the Kevin shit down a long time ago. Trell had a bad feeling about the boy from day one. Any nigga that kissed ass better than a dog licking his own ass couldn’t be trusted.

When Trell’s head lifted, he finally turned to face his son. He walked into his Mont’s personal space. “Nigga, get my fucking daughter back. When you get those lil niggas, save Kevin for me.”

Mont took a short second to gather himself after the front door slammed from Trell’s exit. His emotions weren’t welcomed there right now. “Aright, what we doing to find my sister?”

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