Page 118 of Cruel Devotion

I rubbed my forehead. “You don't think. . .she understood why I had to leave?”

Duck yawned. “We talked about this yesterday, Lei.”

“And I got her a present.” I held out my hands. “Plus, I've planned this surprise for today.”

Duck shrugged. “If she's wearing white then yesterday’s present wasn't enough.”

“Let’s not forget.” Chen took a deep breath. “The dress could be a very, very pale blue.”

Mount Utopia came into view.

A sense of urgency knotted in my stomach.

The mountain, with its imposing presence, always had a way of making everything else seem insignificant. But right now,every little detail felt amplified, each one a piece in the intricate puzzle that was Monique's presence in my life.

Hurry up and get us there.

“Wait a minute.” Hu intently peered through the window and broke his silence. “Hey, do you all see that?”

“See what?”

Hu's tone was urgent. “Look at the bottom of the mountain.”

I leaned forward, trying to see what had caught his attention. Far below, at the base of the mountain, several dots of green were scattered in a pattern that seemed too deliberate to be a coincidence.

“Damn it.” I sneered. “That's all I fucking need right now.”

Chen squinted. “Rowe Street Mob vehicles. Our men said that Marcelo has been slowly surrounding the area with his people all morning.”

Duck shook his head. “Banks hasn't heard from Monique and his men for over two days. They're probably going to start shit soon.”

Irritation surged through me.

Hu eyed me. “What do we do?”

Duck frowned. “Kill everyone except Banks, since that's Monique's cousin.”

Chen shook his head. “If I remember correctly, she has more than one cousin with Rowe Street Mob.”

“Then, let's figure out who tonotshoot and then go to war with the rest of the South.”

Chen scowled at him. “You think we have the time and energy to now add a war to the already rising mountain of problems before us?”

Duck shrugged. “After yesterday's huge waste of time, I just want to shoot several people.”

Chen began to speak of potential dangers and strategies to deal with Rowe Street Mob, but my focus remained elsewhere.

Why is she wearing white? I gave her a gift.

Monique’s choice for that color overshadowed everything else.

I stared down at my hands, needing some answer.

This is bullshit. At some point. . .I should get an advisor to help me with Monique.

I had no idea what I was doing. When it came to men, I could just slap and kick them around. Once that happened, they did exactly what I wanted.

But when I had to deal with women. . .

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