Page 114 of Sweet Dominion

Banks and Marcy exchanged one more last look at each other then nodded at me.

I eyed them. “So. . .does that mean you all will stop the bullshit?”

Banks wanted to say something but kept that big mouth shut.

Marcy shrugged. “We raised the law. It will need to be discussed but we can put a pause on it for now.”

“Please do.” I scowled. “Don’t make me get Aunt Betty over here to whip your little bad asses.”

Banks rolled his eyes but he stayed silent, knowing I would do just that.

Because in the end, I bet Aunt Betty didn’t care about a Diamond or a Syndicate, when it came to her boys acting up. She didn’t even care that they were grown ass men. She would pop them right on the heads in front of anyone. It could have been the President of the United States.

And next she would go into a long tirade for a good hour on how she had sacrificed too much for them to be acting that way.

Movement came from the front.

I looked that way.

And oddly. . .and too my surprise. . .Dimitri handed the leash to his guest right as the cat was getting ready to charge for those two crows. The change with the leash, dragged the cat back a little which caused a strangled, disappointed sound to leave its furry throat.

I thought Dimitri was about to make some grand statement.

Instead, he dove his hand into his jacket, pulled out a tiny notebook and yellow pen. Then, he just. . .scribbled in it.

O-kay.

No one stopped me, so I kept on, “I am glad you all will put a pause on discussing the law now and I am not in the Diamond Syndicate, but this law is about me. Right, Banks?”

He sighed. “Listen. Lei knew you were my cousin and took you away without your knowing shit. Kidnapped you even. Had you on the mountain and shit, wearing blue like you was his chick. When I gave you men, he injured them.”

“Let it go.” I raised my voice higher than I intended. “All of you. That’s quite enough.”

Dimitri smirked and scribbled some more.

“And I like this garden a lot.” I gestured around at the plants and flowers. “I don’t want a bunch of nonsense and fighting. You all are not going to do what you did to the hotel, to my garden.”

Dimitri looked up from his notebook. “Yourgarden?”

I swallowed.

Lei stepped forward.

Rowe Street Mob snapped their views to him.

He got next to me and wrapped his arm around my waist. “I agree with Moni. Either we have a cookout and co-exist in peace, or you all leave.”

Banks sucked his teeth. “I bet you second us leaving.”

Lei held a wicked grin. “I sure do.”

At Dimitri’s feet, the cat got back onto its mission, slowly creeping toward the crows.

Meanwhile, those birds, still perched confidently on the helipad, seemed unaware of the danger lurking just a few feet away.

Dimitri wrote something else down and didn’t close the notebook. “Lei, I think this is an amazing opportunity to introduce me to the new Mountain Mistress.”

I tensed.

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