MasukI took my time, slowly walking over to the bed.
"Bianca," I said, keepin' it low and real, "you gotta breathe, girl."She whipped her head away real fast, wipin' her face all aggressive. "I don't need nobody feelin' sorry for me!"Gabriel stood his tail up once I got close.I looked at everybody else standin' around lookin' like spectators. “Y’all need to step out.”Sophia and Emma traded looks like they had somethin' to say, but they kept it cute and walked out quiet withGabriel gave zero damn fucks. He jacked that hammer right back up and brought it straight down on the old head’s collarbone, snapping that shit instantly. Harrison slumped forward, barely even conscious, straight drowning in his own pain. Gabriel casually dropped the hammer, reached behind his back, pulled a thick-ass leather strap out his belt, looped it around Harrison’s throat from behind, and yanked back with everything he had.We were sitting there watching the whole damn thing in horrifying detail. The old man’s face turned straight purple, his legs kicking all frantic against the concrete, eyes bulging out until the damn blood vessels popped. Gabriel held that choke for two long-ass, agonizing minutes, watching the life drain right out the man with a cold, dead-ass stare. When Harrison finally went limp, Gabriel let that strap go and let the body slam face-first onto the floor like a sack of rocks.Then he pulled a crisp white silk handkerchief out his pocket, wiped the blood o
Bright had his foot buried in that gas pedal, speeding down the road. He dragged us way out to the boonies—some quiet-ass, desolate area where nobody in their right mind was gonna be looking for us.Finally, he slammed hard on the brakes and pulled that raggedy-ass sedan into a dusty lot right in front of this low-key little building. It wasn't talking about much from the outside, but front and center on the brick face, a big ol' glowing sign said: LOCAL BROADCASTING STATION.The second the engine cut out, I leaned all the way forward from the back seat, staring at those front doors with my eyebrows scrunched all the way up."What the hell are we doing here, Bright?" I snapped, voice dripping with pure suspicion. "What is this place? Why the hell you bring us to a damn news station?"Bright turned around in the driver’s seat, slinging his arm over the headrest, his dark eyes looking dead-ass serious in that dim dashboard light."I’ve been running this broadcast station under the radar
"My dad? Shit, nah, I mean Evan—because that motherfucker officially stopped being my father five years ago," Bright spat. A bitter, twisted-ass smile played on his lips. "That bastard laid up with my goddamn fiancée. And you know what he told me when I confronted him? Looking me dead in my eyes, he told me to do my fucking worst because nothing was gonna happen to him. Told me he runs this city, not me."I was speechless for a split second, taking in the pure, rotten corruption running through that man's blood."So the second I heard your fine ass got out of prison, I was the one who hit your burner with that encrypted text," Bright added, his voice low and heavy, dropping gears as he rounded a tight curve. "I want blood just as bad as you do, Emily. I knew if we linked up, we could tear his entire world apart and make that nigga pay for everything he did to us."Stacy, clutching her purse to her chest in the back seat, leaned forward, her voice trembling. "Listen to me! I got the fl
I stepped up out that restroom, but I damn sure wasn’t bout to go mingle with the rest of the party. Nah, I ducked straight into a blind spot in the cut, slamming my back flat against the wall. My eyes stayed glued to the far end of the hallway. Sure enough, two of Gabriel’s ice-cold hitters were posted up, leaning real casual-like, but their hands were buried deep inside their coats. They were just waiting on the drop.Seconds later, the restroom door creaked open, and Stacy strutted out.I watched her through the dark. You could tell she was trying her best to play it cool, but her eyes were bouncing everywhere, frantically checking her surroundings just like I told her ass to do. The second her heels clicked past those goons, they uncrossed their arms and fell right into formation behind her, closing the distance like wolves on a stray lamb.Stacy caught their reflection in the mirror hanging on the wall, and pure terror hit her like a lightning bolt. Her pace picked up—fast. Her h
My heart was hammer-boxing against my ribs, but I didn't let my face show a damn thing. I had to keep my composure. You don't get to be a bad bitch by folding the second a nigga points a gun at you. I took a slow, deliberate breath, letting my shoulders drop, and looked Stacy dead in her eyes."First of all, sweetheart, you can think whatever," I said, my voice smooth, cold, and entirely steady. I didn't even look at the weapon pointed at my head. "But you need to tell your boy to lower that toyshop strap before he does something we both gonna regret. Because you got the whole damn script wrong."Stacy raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. "Oh, really? Because from where I’m standing, you’ve been crawling all over Evan and Gabriel’s crew. You’re his little shadow, aren't you? So why shouldn't I put a bullet in your chest right now and save myself the headache?"I let out a dry, sarcastic laugh, shaking my head. "Me? Working for them? Bitch, please. If you think I’m on team Gabriel or l
And who the hell you think it was? Gabriel.He didn't just grab Evan’s wrist—he squeezed that shit until I literally heard the bones pop. Then he flung his arm away like he was tossing straight trash in the dumpster.Gabriel stepped right up into that space, his big-ass frame completely blocking Bianca from that clown. The whole hallway went dead silent. Nobody—and I mean nobody—wanted to draw the attention of the devil himself."What the fuck gave you the right to raise your hand at my daughter?!" Gabriel growled. His voice dropped so low and heavy, it was giving pure chills.Evan stumbled back, shaking like a leaf while trying to wipe that sticky-ass red wine out his eyes. His little pretty-boy face went completely ghost-white under all them dark stains."G-Gabriel... hold on, man. It ain't even like that, don't take it there—""So you was really out here laying up with my lil girl, Evan?" Gabriel cut him off. He took a slow, terrifying-ass step forward, and the pure, heavy-ass rag
My stomach flipped so hard I thought it was gonna come out my mouth.I’d only been in this bitch one damn night—still couldn’t carry a tray without nearly drowning my own boobs in whiskey.Who the fuck was already calling for a private? I hadn’t even hit the pole yet.Sophia caught my
Emma leaned in close, her eyes dark and hungry.“When they say stripper, they fucking mean it, girl. You dance on stage, spin on the pole, give private dances. Guys get to grab your ass and if they tip big, their fingers slide right over your clit while you’re grinding. The club takes fi
“Fuck, Emily,” Sophia laughed low and rough, yanking me into a hard hug that mashed her boobs right up against mine. “You look like you’re about to slit throats with them murder eyes, girl. We told your ass that the world out here don’t give two fucks about ‘innocent’ when your papers s
As I walked up, Emma’s whole face lit up.Curly hair wild and free now and no more tight prison braid pulling it back.She yanked me into a hard, fierce hug, arms thick and strong from years of scrubbing floors and lifting heavy shit inside.“Finally, bitch,” Emma murmured, voice all







