Page 28 of His to Have
When I looked back at the men, I asked, “Anyone else not talking?”
“I sent Jeremy to switch out with Marcus, but Jeremy never showed up.” One of Bash’s men quickly spoke up, not wanting to suffer the same fate. His eyes darted nervously between everyone in the room.
Bash’s fists clenched at his sides, the veins in his neck bulging with a barely restrained emotion. “And why the fuck are you just now saying something?” He took a menacing step toward him. The gun tucked behind his waist was suddenly in his hand. The silent threat was clear.
“I-I thought Jeremy was running late. Probably in traffic. I figured he’d show up soon, and everything would be fine.” The man stammered, only making Bash’s glare intensify.
“Find Jeremy,” I instructed coldly, locking eyes with the man. “And bring him to me. Alive.”
“If you don’t find him, consider this your last day.” Bash growled.
It was obvious the man understood the threat. Bash wasn’t just talking about his last day in his crew. Fear etched across his face, and each step he took seemed weighted with dread as he left the room.
When he was gone, I asked no one in particular. “Who’s cleaning it up?”
“Local PD’s already involved. They’ve got statements from the staff and secured the scene, but... the news is already there covering the incident.”
Bash exhaled sharply, muttering a curse under his breath. The last thing any of us needed was media eyes on our operations. With Ayanna being a Reed, it was only a matter of time before they tried to link her boutique to the nefarious dealings tied to her family.
I turned to Keem, my right-hand man. “Find the woman who was hurt. Get her family what they need. Pay for everything—medical bills, security, the works. I want her to know she’s protected.”
Then I turned to Bash. “I don’t care what you have to pull or who you have to shake down. I want the name of whoever green-lit this, and I want it yesterday.”
“Already on it.”
Ayanna’s voice broke through the tension. “Teo, I have to check on whoever was hurt. Those are my employees,” she whispered.
I placed a reassuring hand over hers. “Once we find out who was injured, I’ll take you personally, Amore. But then we are getting you out of the city. No ifs,andsor buts.”
Her lips pressed into a thin line, but she gave a small nod, deciding not to fight me, for once.
“Let’s go,” I told her, guiding her toward the door. To my men, I said, “When you find the one responsible, bring them to me. Alive.”
They all nodded, understanding the weight behind my command. Bash was already on his phone, barking orders to his crew as we stepped out.
When I got Yanna situated in the car, I slid into the seat next to her instructing my driver to take us to my safe house. Then I dialed the one person I knew could get me some information without raising any suspicions.
“Steph, it’s me,” I said as soon as she picked up. “I need a secure line.”
She didn’t ask questions, just acknowledged the urgency in my voice. “Give me a minute.” The background went silent for a beat, before she returned all business on a secure line ready to discuss my issue.
I wasted no time getting down to what I needed. “I need a full account of Roland Harrison, Orlando Moccasin, and Bianca Moccasin. I want to know every move they’ve made in the last 48 hours. Who they’ve talked to, where they’ve been, and what resources they’ve tapped into. And I want it now. If anyone so much as blinked wrong during dinner last night, I want to know about it.”
“Got it.”
“Oh, and you need to handle a media situation for me. My girl’s boutique just got hit.” I glanced at Ayanna, her body tense as she stared out the window.
Two days in a row, someone had tried to get at my girl. And that shit wasn’t sitting right with me.
“Shit. Tell me everything.” Steph’s voice cut through my thoughts.
I went on to give her the details knowing she would have the media under control in a matter of minutes. Stephanie had indeed grown into the powerhouse her aunt knew she would be, and was now the best fixer in the country. When she felt like she had enough information she confirmed she’d start diggingimmediately and would have the information to me within an hour.
I hung up, feeling a little more in control. Yanna, however, was still lost in her thoughts. It gave me an opportunity to think about how I was going to handle Roland. This wasn’t random, and he knew more than he was letting on.
I had a feeling that this was just the beginning. A war was brewing, and the Reeds andDonatelliswere the prime targets.
eight
