Page 152 of River & Crown
I chuckled 'cause like me, this nigga didn't know what to say.
"I love her, but I don't trust shit she says. When Emily started her bullshit, what she said didn't matter because her actions gave her away. Four?—"
Realization set in, and I couldn't do shit but grin 'cause the joke was on me and it landed like a muthafucka.
"Aye, you good?"
"I'm straight. But I was saying Four was on flaw shit, and I never saw it. Everything she said matched her actions. Even after she said she hated me, I still saw love in her eyes."
"Chosyn said y'all were spending a lot of time at your crib, tho'."
"Yeah, after she told me she loved me. She never really wanted to be at her spot after that."
"She might've been trying to break whatever habit grief put her in. A dead ex can fuck your head up, especially if love was still there when he passed. How did that nigga die?"
"You remember the nigga I killed for fucking Emily?"
"Not really. Honor handled that shit. What's he gotta do with this, tho'?"
"That's Four's ex." Staggering back, Wolfe coughed hard as fuck, caught off guard by what I said.
"It fucked you up, huh?"
"Wait, you're serious?" he rasped with his hand out for the blunt. I passed it back to bro and nodded my head.
"That's fucking?—"
The doors of the mill opened, grabbing our attention. I took a pull from the blunt as Choyce sauntered over with the same unspoken confidence as Chosyn. I chuckled to myself because the two were more alike than either was willing to admit.
"This meeting is a little light, don't you think?" Her gaze drifted between Crown and me.
"Honor's still in the hospital," Wolfe answered, kicking his foot against the wall.
"I know where Honor is. After getting shot, I'm sure little Ms. Perfect won't be letting him out of her sight for a while." The disdain in Choyce's tone didn't go unnoticed.
"Watch how you speak on my sister," I calmly stated. I didn't know shit about the beef between Choyce and Navy. I didn't give a fuck about it either, but respect needed to be shown for Navy, whether she was in the room or not.
"Calm down. It's not that serious. I was more so asking about the rest of your crew. I'm a busy woman with better things to do than spend my time at a torture playground." Choyce smacked, gesturing for the blunt.
I passed it to her as Syn walked into the mill.
"Sorry, I'm late. I got caught up with..." Her voice trailed off when she spotted Choyce.
"Don't get quiet on my account," Choyce teased, blowing smoke.
"A bitch could never put me on mute," Syn responded coolly. "I don't talk business in front of people I don't trust."
"Syn... is it?" Choyce frowned, tapping ash from the blunt.
"Emersyn to you."
"Emersyn," Choyce mocked. "Everyone in this room has something to lose if any of us were to be disloyal? To be here means trust isn't optional. It's required."
The tension between Syn and Choyce didn't seem as bad as the expressions on their faces wanted it to seem. The two were dominant forces, and in most cases, that was a recipe for disaster, but not with them. Choyce needed an ace who wasn't tied to Lucian. Syn had the potential to be that for her, but both women had to step outside their egos.
"I gotta get a sign that says leave the catty shit at the fucking door," I said, nudging Syn to stand down.
"I'm fine," Syn answered, brushing past Choyce. "Where's Rize and Lynx?"
