Page 27 of His to Have
“I think he’s been flying under the radar by using niggas we know and fuck with but not in connection with us at all. Itwouldn’t raise any red flags. Especially if someone was smart enough to use neutral territory.”
I thought about Roland’s Bronx connect — Wes. He was always independent of the five families, the faction, or any other up-and-coming hustler. He paid his twenty percent operating tax to the Vitale family to work their borough, and in turn no one asked who he did business with.
“And the warehouse?” I asked.
“Shell company. Could be Orlando’s... or could be someone new who benefits from Orlando thriving and our family failing.”
She opened her mouth to ask another question, but before she could get the words out, the door to the range swung open.
“Boss, we got a problem.” One of Bash’s men stepped further in the range, tossing a wary look in my direction.
“What kind of problem?” Bash’s tone was already aggressive.
“Uh, it’s your sister’s boutique,” He hesitated, his gaze flickering to Ayanna, then back to Bash. “Someone just held her staff at gunpoint, and trashed the place.”
“What?” Ayanna screeched with wide eyes. “Was anyone hurt? Oh my God. I gotta get to my store.” She began gathering her things from the small table and frantically moving around the space like a madwoman.
Her hands shook as she stuffed her ear protection and safety glasses into her bag, then replaced her eyewear with the lavender color frames she’d been wearing when we arrived.
“I was supposed to be there,” she muttered, more to herself than anyone else. “Friday afternoons I’m always at the boutique doing inventory. Always.”
Placing my arm around her waist, I pulled her to me, hoping it would calm her down long enough for us to get answers. Meanwhile, I glanced at Bashes’ man, still waiting for him to answer her question.
“Who was hurt?”
“Ugh,” The man swallowed hard, visibly uncomfortable. “There was one injury. I’m not sure how serious it was, either. They took her to Emory.”
“What the fuck is happening?” I heard Ayanna grumble under her breath as she tried to process the news.
“Everything is going to be fine,” I assured her, trying to contain my own rage. “Whoever did this is gonna pay.”
By now, both Bash’s and my men were gathered in the room, their postures tense as they tried to piece together what had happened. Turning directly to one of my men, I demanded, “Get me the security footage. Now! And have someone stitch Roland back together just enough to be conscious. He needs to be able to answer questions by the time I land.”
While I would love nothing more than to give hisgrimeyass a slow and painful death, I needed him alive. At least for now.
“On it.” One of my men snapped into action.
The other men exchanged uneasy glances, fully aware that I was one wrong answer away from unleashing hell. Bash’s jaw tightened, his flexing muscles hinting at the rage bubbling beneath his masked exterior.
“Who the fuck was supposed to be watching her shit?” Bash barked, his voice cutting through the silence.
No one answered, each man shifting uncomfortably, and avoiding eye contact with both of us.
“I said, who was on duty?” Bash continued, his tone icy. “This wasn’t some random act. Somebody got too close to my sister’s shit. That means somebody fucked up.” His gaze swept every man standing in the room.
“If no one wants to answer, I’ll assume all of you are responsible,” I finally voiced dangerously low, my hand gripping the pistol I’d just trained with, pointing it one by one at each man staring back at me. I halted the pistol on a man who was visibly trembling, sweat beading on his forehead.
“Must’ve been you?”
“N-no, Teo, I—”
The butt of my gun connected with his mouth before he could finish. The crack of impact rippled through the range, followed by the audible ping of teeth hitting the concrete floor. He dropped to his knees, blood pouring from his lips, his hands cupping his face as he groaned.
I crouched down, tilting my head to get a better look at the damage. Two front teeth... gone.
“That’s for wasting my time with your silence,” I said calmly, wiping the blood off my gun with the edge of my shirt. I stood, surveying the rest of the room briefly catching Ayanna’s stunned expression. I didn’t see fear. Maybe understanding.
This is who I was. A protector with methods that many would deem brutal.
