Page 94 of His to Have
My fingers tightened around my device, nearly cracking the screen. Not even a second later, two more messages came through.
404-555-2001: We could’ve been a power couple. But you wouldn’t listen. Instead, you chose the weak.
404-555-2001: If you could see her now. She’s not so mouthy now...LOL... Look at her.
Attached was a picture of Yanna badly bruised, blood staining her clothes, and her face swollen beyond recognition. Crying was never an option for me, not even when my grandfather passed away. And I loved that man dearly, but this was different. The sight of the woman I love nearly brought tears to my eyes.
I never been a nigga to put my hands on women. Never had to. I had plenty of made women in the family who didn’t mind getting their hands dirty. Who dealt with bitches who got too comfortable or crossed lines that shouldn’t.
This was different. She had to die.
Typing out my final message, I ignored the ache in my chest and delivered a promise I had every intention of keeping.
Me: You will suffer. You will beg. And you will pray that I end it all for you. Mercy won’t be on the table.
Me: I put that on everything.
She responded immediately.
404-555-2001: That’s funny, because I won’t. Wanna know why?
404-555-2001: Because we are gonna make a deal. Especially if you want her to live. I’ll give you the men who took your precious Yanna and guarantee her life. And you will give me a seat at the table. You want to negotiate further. Meet me at 8734 Hollyborne Rd. And Teo... keep yourlil’ guard dogs in check.
A seat at the table? This woman was out of her damn mind.
I looked up just as Keem brushed past Bash with an empty duffle, his laptop, and his phone pressed to his ear. Whoever was on the other end was at the receiving end of a rapid-fire stream of commands.
“I don’t give a fuck about Atlanta PD,” Keem snapped, not bothering to lower his voice. “Get the job done. Clean the area. I want the whole industrial district swept. Anybody still breathing’, I want them in the trunk or on their knees.”
He paused, his jaw tight, eyes flashing as he slung the laptop onto the ruffled table.
“Aight...bet.” He hung up, looked toward me and said, “I was able to get a hold of Sham. They were ambushed in the old industrial district. Four SUVs, multiple masked men. Three of those men were able to grab Yanna. Loaded her in the back of a black Yukon and sped off. Arlo... is gone, and Sham is hanging on by a thread.”
That made sense that she was in that area. I knew she was going to see ol’ girl from her boutique. But what I couldn’t quite comprehend is how they found her. We had kept her movements on a tight leash, ensuring everything about her schedule stayed low-profile today. Only a very small number of people even knew her schedule. The men in this room and the two men in charge of guarding her.
“Get me a location on the phone.” I tossed him the phone, while I still racked my brain about how they got to her. “And find out who leaked her movement,” I added, my voice dangerously low.
“Got it, and I’ll hit you when I get names and addresses.” Keem assured while inserting a flash drive into his computer, his finger moving a mile a minute over the keys.
“Bet...I’m going to pay little Isabella a visit.” I told both of them heading for the entrance. “If either one of you hear something before I get to her let me know.”
“What? Nah, I’m coming with you,” Bash said, grabbing his strap from the table.
“No.”
“The fuck you mean no?” he scoffed, then chuckled darkly. “Nigga, she my sister.”
“And she’s my fuckin’ wife!” I snapped, a bit more aggressive than I meant to be. “You run these streets. Act like it. I need your people on the ground now. Not you riding shotgun like a fucking sidekick. Let me handle Isabella and you flood the fuckin’ streets.”
He flexed his knuckles and his jaw locked. Bash wasn’t happy, but he knew I was right. With Samuel laid up in his home dying, Bash was the one running the Reed family. I needed him to be Bash, unhinged and unchecked.
“I’ll call you when I get some more information,” he brushed past me, pressing his cell to his ear. He didn’t wait for a reply,only began issuing orders to his men, instructing them to spread out and cover every inch of the city.
He left without a second glance at me, and my attention went straight to the most important task… to find my wife.
Pulling out my phone I dialed the only other person in this city that I trusted. “Rocco, I need you to fall off that arms deal. Leave Darnell to handle it. Grab Alex and meet me at the address I’m about to send.”
“Bet.” There were no questions asked, only movement on the other end. Once I hung up, I dropped a pin on the location, and slid into the driver’s seat.
