Page 149 of Heavy Is The Crown

Rico turned to her, scoffing. “That what you think?”

Malik chuckled, leaning back in his chair. “Nah, that’s what I know. Only two types of people see K9 in person; the ones who never speak on it…and the ones who don’t live long enough to.”

Rico held his smirk, but something about that chilled him.

A slow beat of silence passed.

Then Malik let out a quiet laugh. “Look, I get it. You don’t like taking orders. But you know how this shit go. It’s law. They said fall back, so fall back.”

Rico exhaled through his nose, rolling his tongue over his teeth. He wasn’t stupid; he knew better than to press this conversation any further.

For now.

“A’ight,” he said again, tapping the table once before stepping away.

Karma glanced at Malik, exchanging something unspoken before standing. “I’ll see y’all later.”

As she moved toward the front of the lounge, Rico barely paid her any mind because that’s when someone else captured his attention.

A woman had just walked in, her presence sending a ripple through the already tense air.

She was soft, her floral two-piece swaying gently against her frame as she moved, long, silky curls cascading over her shoulders. She looked out of place in a room filled with power-hungry men and silent shot-callers.

At first, Rico dismissed her. Probably some Midtown pretty thing who had no idea where the fuck she was. But then he noticed the way people reacted to her.

The doorman straightened the moment she stepped in. The staff subtly adjusted their posture, like her presence alone meant something. Even the big names in the room flicked their eyes her way, quick, unreadable glances that weren’t just about admiration. They respected her. More importantly she wasn’t alone.

Two men moved with her, dressed in clean, understated suits, their attention locked. Not on the crowd, not on their surroundings, but on her making sure that she was good was their only job.

That wasn’t some rich girl’s entourage; that was security. The kind of security only bosses had.

Rico’s eyes narrowed.

Who the fuck is that?

Karma, still silent, walked over to her. She murmured something low, and the woman nodded slightly before continuing toward the back of The Obsidian.

Malik, catching Rico’s expression, stood, grabbing his glass. “You straight?”

Rico barely looked at him. “Yeah.”

Malik watched him for a long moment, then simpered. “Good. ‘Cause I ain’t gon’ say this shit again, you know what’s expected of you.”

His voice was steady, even, weight behind it.

Rico dragged his gaze away from the mystery woman and back to Malik.

A slow, knowing nod.

Then Malik clapped him on the shoulder. “Enjoy your day, Rico.”

With that, he strolled off, leaving Rico standing alone, jaw tight, mind racing.

He had already been thinking about K9. About what it would take to get him out of the picture, to finally move on Trinity Bay without looking over his shoulder.

But now he had a new question:Who the fuck was that woman?

And what was she the reason nobody ever saw K9? His mind spun. The wheels turning fast, slow realization settling in his gut.

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