Page 210 of River & Crown
"I don't care," he flatly replied. "I made the first move with Lucian. That's me doing you a favor. Now I need one back."
A grin curled at my lips, followed by the tip of my tongue.
"Anything for you, Honor," I purred, locking eyes with Kage through the rearview.
"Choyce." His tone grew lower, even grittier. It clung to my skin, wiping the smile clean off my face.
"You must've forgotten who I am. I have no problem putting you and your fruity-loop husband in the dirt, but don't trip, Cherish is gon' be straight. Navy and I will adopt her and raise her as our own."
"I wish the fuck you would," I gritted.
"Keep fucking playing like I'm not a married man and watch what I said come to life.
I sucked my teeth and rubbed my temples to keep calm. "What do you need, Honor?"
"Pull up on me later tonight around nine at the mill and have some fun with a nigga."
"Fun?" I repeated, but he was already gone.
"What does that nigga want?" Kage asked.
"He wants me to meet him later tonight at the mill," I relayed, then leaned back against the seat. Thoughts of another life — the life I could've had if Chosyn hadn't shot my father and Chance hadn't thrown me to the wolves, flooded my mind. Then came a single haunting question.
Would I trade this life, my daughter, for the one where my sister still looked at me with love?
The sky cracked open the second we pulled up at the slaughter mill. Thunder rumbled like warning drums as the storm began to circle above.
"He's inside already?" Kage asked.
"I don't see his car, but he should be."
Kage got out first, then came around to open my door. We stepped inside the dimly lit building, and I immediately covered my nose. The air was thick with the scent of iron and something rotting.
"The fuck is that?" Kage frowned.
I shrugged and followed the hum of machinery. We headed toward the back and down a hallway I'd never noticed before.
"Let me go first," Kage said, stepping in front of me and pushing open the door.
Bright light spilled out. I stepped in behind him, then froze. A man was hanging from the ceiling, wrists chained to a rusted hook on a meat rail. His bare feet dangled inches above a steel vat bubbling with some kind of thick, chemical liquid.
"What the fuck?" I muttered.
"Choyce," Honor called out from across the room.
He stood beside a woman tied to a chair, doing everything she could to scream through the gag in her mouth.
"This is your definition of fun?" I asked, already knowing we had vastly different views of the word.
"I figured since we're working together on that other thing, it was best you saw how I handle shit when muthafuckas start to fuck with the people I love."
Honor spoke so casually, like he was talking about dinner plans, and not a fucking execution.
"Who are they?" Kage asked.
"The nigga waiting to be dunked is Rakim. He's been trying to kill Crown. And this," he nodded toward the chair, "Is his mother, Mary."
"Shouldn't Crown be here for this?" I asked.
