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I shake my head, raising the glass of bourbon to my lips for a sip. “My thoughts aren’t worth that much.”
“I doubt that, fearless leader.”
Our conversation dies down for a moment as we stare out at the club, taking in the sea of bodies swaying to the music below us.
“I hate when you do that.”
“What?” Rico’s head snaps to attention, seemingly confused by my statement.
“Try to blow smoke up my ass like I’m a bigger deal than I am. Fearless leader?” I scoff at the notion. “I’m just as lost as you are in this shit show. I’m just trying to survive.”
“You’re the one who keeps us all alive, Nick. You keep this family afloat.”
Tell that to the nineteen-year-old kid we had to bury today.
Ryan just moved here less than a month ago to live with his cousin who’s one of my dealers. He begged me to give him a shot. The boys were out on a run today to pick up an incoming shipment and decided to take him along. He was helping load up the product when his grip slipped, and he dropped a crate onto the foot of one of Yuri’s guys.
It was Andrei.
JP said the bullet was in Ryan’s brain before half the guys even realized what happened.
Yuri called me offering apologies for his lieutenant’s trigger-happy nature. He laughed off the entire thing as a misunderstanding, then wired me ten grand for “my troubles.”
I gave the money to Ryan’s cousin, along with an additional hundred grand to distribute to his family as he saw fit, with the requirement that at least fifty would go directly to Ryan’s mother. As if that would somehow lessen the blow that her baby was coming home in a fucking box.
“I’m the reason we’re in this mess in the first place.” My gaze drifts down into the bottom of my rocks glass, hoping it’s deep enough to drown my demons. “I led us straight into the fiery pits of Hell.”
“And I will follow you through all nine circles as you lead us right the fuck back out.” He leans into me, bumping his shoulder against mine. “We may have bad days, but this city is ultimately a safer place because of the Dukes. I don’t mind standing next to you in Hell, Nick. Somebody has to guard the gates to keep the evil at bay.”
“What if I’m tired of making sacrifices in the name of the greater good?” A face takes shape in my mind, her smile igniting that deep-rooted ache in the center of my chest. “What if I’m ready for life beyond this?”
“I’ve got nothing but faith in you. I’m confident you’ll pull us out when it’s time.”
“I thank the universe every day that out of all the neighborhoods in this state, your parents chose to move into mine.”
“Same, brother.” He reaches over, clinking his glass with mine. “How else would I have learned to read?”
I bark out a laugh, glancing over to find him chuckling into his drink as well. “You would’ve been fucked, dude.”
“Eh.” He shrugs. “I’m pretty, I woulda been okay.”
“You ain’t that pretty.” We playfully shove at one another, our laughter filling the immediate space before being swallowed up by the bass of the music below.
F**kin' Problems (feat. Drake, 2 Chainz & Kendrick Lamar) by A$AP Rocky (Spotify)
F**kin’ Problems (feat. Drake, 2 Chainz & Kendrick Lamar) by A$AP Rocky (Apple Music)
A series of screams and catcalls erupt from the far side of the club, pulling our attention to the opposite wall where a woman’s climbed atop the bar. Her back’s to us, providing a generous view of the way she’s shaking and swaying her assets in sync with the beat.
She drops low, the round globes of her ass practically bouncing off the top of the bar before popping back up, sending an enthusiastic roar rippling throughout the club. Bending forward, the little seductress folds her body in half at the waist as she shimmies her hips rapidly back and forth.
She’s got a body that most men would kill for a night with—a thought I’m somewhat shocked to have, given my attention is pretty much locked down these days by one siren in particular. My mind drifts back several days to the sounds of Daph’s screams while she sat on my face, and I suddenly find myself incredibly eager to ditch this entire scene in favor of seeing what my little demon is up to.
The woman on the bar pops back up, a flash of auburn red hair whipping about her head, as Rico simultaneously tenses beside me. I squint, wondering if perhaps my eyes are playing tricks on me, though I know I’m not that lucky.
Daph spins, flipping the chaotic curls up and out of her face, while each and every seductive roll of her hips has my blood pressure climbing higher and higher.
“Get her the fuck down,” I seethe. Now.”
