Page 202 of River & Crown
Before I could respond, the door swung open, and Crown stepped in. His eyes locked on Lucian with a cold intensity. Lucian's smirk faltered for a moment, then he turned and exited without another word.
Crown glanced over at me, his jaw tight.
"Fuck was he doing here?"
I kept my face neutral, but inside my mind was spinning, replaying Lucian's words. I shook my head slightly.
"It was nothing. What happened at dinner?"
Crown let out a bitter laugh. "I'm losing my mind fucking with this girl. I dug her bitch ass ex up and brought him to dinner in a duffle bag."
"Crown." I sighed, fighting to keep my thoughts at bay.
"Nigga, I know." His voice dropped heavy with frustration. "This girl got me so outta my fucking body that I'm starting to see why my pops did what he did. I don't condone it, but shit, it's gotta be easier to love a woman this deeply in death than in life."
"Maybe this is how your father felt, and instead of getting help, he let it consume him."
"Navy's been pushing therapy on me for years, but I never saw myself going through with it. What do you think? You've been through worse, and I've never seen you crash out about Navy."
I heard Crown's question, but my mind wouldn't let me answer. Lucian's voice still echoed in my head.
"You keep them caged... because you're scared, they don't need you."
That shit wasn't just a whisper. It was a fucking roar inside my head. Maybe I wasn't just protecting them. This shit was starting to feel like control. I knew about Chosyn's pops fucking with Lucian but kept that shit to myself. I had suspicions about Lynx after the spot got robbed. Ember Hill was that nigga's hood, but he claimed not to know shit. Still, I kept my suspicions to myself and pulled Honey to the side, paying her to keep an eye on him and her mouth closed. I knew River was Sincere's ex. I kept that secret, not realizing it was a noose tightening around all of us.
What kind of man lets his family fall apart while pretending to be the savior?
"Honor, you heard me?"
"Nah, what you say?" I asked, running my hand along my jaw.
"I asked what you think about my going to therapy for?—"
"I knew." I blurted it before Crown could finish his sentence.
His body stiffened. His eyes locked on mine.
"You knew what?" he growled.
"I knew River was Sincere's ex." The words scraped my throat on the way out.
Crown took a slow step forward. "I asked you, Honor. I asked you if you knew anything about her past, and you looked me in my eye and fucking lied."
I clenched my jaw. "I didn't think it was shit for you to be worried about. The nigga was dead."
"Nah, not you. You keep shit a secret that you know is a big deal. What the fuck else you been hiding?
I stood despite the pain slicing through my side. "After the spot in Ember Hills got hit, I paid Honey to keep an eye on Lynx. Something seemed funny about that whole shit. She told me the day you killed Leah that he was working with Rakim. They're the reason River got into that accident, too."
Crown's eyes widened. The room shifted, and the weight of what I said cracked the air between us like thunder.
Crown's fist flew without warning, cracking across my cheek with a force I didn't brace for. My head snapped to the side, but I didn't fall. I surged forward, grabbing him by his hoodie and slamming him against the wall.
"Chill the fuck out!" I growled.
"Fuck you, Honor! You ain't shit."
"I'm not shit, but who's the nigga who's been bleeding for you since your fucking parents died? Huh, nigga?"
