Page 5 of Smoke After Hours

I nodded, already prepared for that in case they asked. “Of course. I’ll just connect my laptop to the projector and get to it.”

A minute later, Jordyn nodded, indicating that I could begin my presentation. “Elevated Express has become the premier cannabis delivery service on the East Coast and beyond. Last year, we teamed up with First Class Fantasy sex club and Black Lush adult entertainment business to do a local test run of our High Hoppers membership. An exclusive, invite-only event that offered cannabis connoisseurs a chance to explore their sexual desires and love of weed by hopping to different locations similar to how one would participate in a bar hop. Each location focuses on a different cannabis encounter. The results were amazing, so we expanded to other businesses, like restaurantsand spas, around the holidays. Now, we want to take things to an even higher level.”

“We love the idea,” Jordyn stated, clapping her hands together. “Crayson and I are so proud of you and Volley.”

“It’s really all Bentley,” Volley interjected. “I’m just the muscle that makes sure these fools stay in line when she’s making deliveries.”

“It’s both of us,” I corrected, giving him a stern look not to argue with me on that. It was true that he may have agreed to work with me at Elevated Express as the brawn since his role at Heavenly Hash Dispensary and Undefined Sanctum Cigar Lounge included him being security for those locations. However, despite his quiet nature, once you got Volley to open up, everyone liked him. He put people at ease, and whenever someone saw my Elevated Express truck, they expected the both of us to be close by. We were a package deal.

“I’m in agreement with Jordyn,” Jade stated. “I feel great about this idea. As a board member of Black Lush and the owner of First Class Fantasy, we’d like to accept an official partnership with Elevated Express on behalf of both businesses to roll out your program. Do you have a name for it?”

I grinned, trying to maintain my composure, and failing miserably. Last year, I had called the trial The High Hop, which was great, but now, I wanted something that would get the people talking and better represented what it was about.

“Yes,” I answered. “I’m calling it Toasted: A Tease & Taste Smoke Hop. This Elevated Express experience will kick off in April and take place once a year over the span of two weeks between several states leading up to National Weed Day on April 20th. Those who joined the trial last year will get first dibs on our new High Hoppers program before we launch.”

Jade nodded, flipping through the pages of her planner, and stopping on the calendar. “We’re already well into March.Do you think you can get this program rolled out in a couple weeks?”

I nodded. “Yes, I’ve already been prepping in case the opportunity was approved.”

“Consider it a done deal,” Jordyn stated. “Jade and I will work with you on the final plans. However, there is another reason why we called this meeting today.”

She turned her attention to Jackie D and Patrón. Neither man was looking at me though. They had their eyes on Volley.

“You’ve done well,” Jackie D told Volley. “We never expected this assignment to be this long.”

Volley ran his fingers through his thick beard that framed a chiseled jawline many didn’t get to see unless he shaved his beard down. Personally, I liked him … I mean it, thick. It added to the rugged aura that surrounded him.

He’s wondering what their angle is for being here.After all these years, I knew his tells and mannerisms better than anyone.

“Is everything still going according to schedule?” Volley asked.

“Yes,” Jackie D stated. “You can give me an update in private, but you’re still on assignment for the next month. However, we believe the threat on Bentley’s life has lessened.”

My ears perked at the mention of my name, prompting me to ask, “Are you sure? It’s been a decade, and I don’t want to get my hopes up if you aren’t positive.”

Usually, when discussing anything about my case, I would have done so in private. However, everyone in the room was aware of my situation.

Jackie D stood and walked toward me, prompting Volley to step closer to me on instinct, despite the fact that Jackie D wasn’t a threat.

“I spoke with your father,” he explained. “And we both agree that if you choose to, you can return home when you’re ready.”

My eyes widened in surprise. “My dad isn’t being protected anymore?”

“He still is,” Jackie D confirmed. “As are you. But the threat has been eliminated and you’re free to live your life without hiding under another identity.”

Free?I lost concept of the word years ago. Even before I went into protective custody if I were being honest. Jackie D Crowne owned a security firm that had less than conventional methods for protecting their clients and ties to several mafia and crime organizations. Witness protection wouldn’t have done shit to help my dad and I, yet Crowne Security had gone above and beyond to ensure that I was safe and could live as normal of a life as possible.

Although I grew up in Canada with my mother, Elene, my father, Abraham, had served several prime ministers in Ethiopia. We’d never been super close because his position in our home country was so intricate and important, which required most of his time. During the positions he held, he was instrumental in bringing structure to the country. Yet, not everyone liked his decisions, nor did they appreciate the influence he had over the prime ministers he served. After a failed assassination attempt, he went into hiding. That’s when they came after my mom and I in Canada.

The day they took her while we were hiding at a friend’s place was the last time I saw my mother, more than fifteen years ago. I still remember how difficult it was trying to find anyone who could help me. I quite literally ran into Jackie D Crowne when he was in Toronto for whatever reason. I hadn’t known if I could trust him, but my options were limited, and I found myself telling him all about my mother’s kidnapping.

I was terrified, but he helped me get across the border by hiding me in the truck and driving us to his Chicago hometown. His family even located my father and helped him escape off thegrid. That’s when I learned that the Crownes weren’t your typical affluent family. I was young, but I’ve always soaked up anything I learned.

From there, I was given a chance at a new name. New identity. New life. Figgy Blackwood was the cook at the Crowne estate, and I took to her immediately. She had me call her Aunt Figgy, and I got close with her nieces, Nessy and Lyric. I also grew a special bond with Figgy’s cousin, Cora. When Cora moved to New York, everyone agreed it would be best for me to move there as well. They didn’t mind when I told them that I wanted to take on their last name. According to Figgy and Cora, they were honored.

As for choosing Bentley, that was easy. It had been the dream car my mother always wanted. She often said it like a joke when she was play-rapping for me to clean my room, but fake dream or not, it was one that I would have loved to make come true if I was holding out hope that she was still alive. In the depths of my heart, I knew she was gone, just like I’d known the exact moment a couple years ago that a virus took Cora from me before I made it to the hospital.

“Where is home now?” I asked.

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