Page 101 of Omar

Kadeem swirled the whisky in his glass. "Supreme's gonna wake up tomorrow and find out his money's gone from two locations he thought were untouchable. His crew's gonna be calling him all morning. He'll be rattled, unfocused, trying to figure out how we knew where to hit."

"Good. Rattled is what we want going into tomorrow night."

Kadeem set his glass down. "Tomorrow night."

"Tomorrow night."

"Supreme's warehouse. Crown Heights. The main operation."

"The man himself."

Kadeem looked at me across the table in Ma's kitchen, the same table where Pops used to sit before he disappeared. The same kitchen where Ma made us breakfast every morning before school. The same house where everything Baptiste started.

"Tomorrow we finish this," Kadeem said.

I finished my whisky and set the glass in the sink. "I need to check on Asha before tomorrow. Make sure she's good."

"Go. Get some rest. I need you sharp."

"I'll be sharp."

I drove to the apartment. The streets were empty at this hour, Brooklyn quieter than usual. I parked outside the building, checked the block, went upstairs.

Asha was asleep on the couch with the TV still on. Nene was in the bedroom with the door closed. I turned off the TV, put a blanket over Asha, and sat in the chair across from her.

My phone buzzed. Devon: Laptop data is gold. Full transaction history for Flatbush going back eighteen months. James found similar at East New York. Supreme's entire financial pipeline is in our hands.

I read it, put the phone down, and looked at Asha sleeping on the couch. Tomorrow night Supreme's operation would be finished. The warehouse, the product, the records, the man. All of it coming down.

I let myself think about what that meant. Asha free. The territory secured. Pops' disappearance one step closer to answers.

And Supreme, who'd kept my girl in a cage for three years, would be answering for it.

Tomorrow.

I closed my eyes for a minute. When I opened them the first light was coming through the blinds and Asha was still sleeping.

I didn't wake her. She'd need the rest for what was coming.

Chapter 40

Asha

Kadeem's guards were posted at the front door of the building, two men in chairs at either side of the hallway, watching the entrance. I'd gone out through the fire escape at the back, down the metal stairs to the alley, and around the block to the bodega on the corner. Ten minutes for groceries. Fresh air without an escort. The guards were watching for threats coming in, not for me going out.

I was walking back with a bag of groceries when the black sedan pulled up beside me.

It rolled slowly, matching my pace. The windows were tinted dark enough that I couldn't see inside. My chest went tight and my legs wanted to run but I kept walking because running on this block would draw attention and attention was the last thing I needed.

The back door opened. A man stepped out. Tall, broad, wearing a black jacket I didn't recognize. He didn't grab me. He just stood on the sidewalk between me and the direction I was walking, blocking the path without touching me.

A second man came around from the other side of the car. Same build, same jacket. He positioned himself on my left, cutting off the side street.

"Get in, Miss Asha," the first one said. His voice was polite, almost bored. "He wants to talk."

My groceries were in my right hand. My phone was in my back pocket. I thought about screaming but the street was quiet, just a couple walking on the other side half a block away. These men weren't Supreme's regular people. I didn't know their faces. He'd brought in outside crew for this. People who wouldn't be recognized in Bed-Stuy.

"I can walk," I said. "I don't need a ride."