Page 181 of Vega

At one point, Prodigy and I might’ve been able to sleep together and pretend it meant nothing. We couldn’t do that now. We’d become real friends. We knew too much about each other’s pain to reduce what was growing between us to sex. It could’ve become something beautiful if we weren’t both in love with people we couldn’t fully have.

I couldn’t build a future with him while unfinished history still controlled so much of his heart. Prodigy couldn’t build one with me while I was carrying Kash’s baby and still waking up in tears over him.

Neither of us was whole enough to move on. Still, every conversation brought us closer. Every meal, every visit, and every moment of silence made the space between us smaller.

32

DREAM GRANGER

Days after my father was killed, I stood at the head of the table and looked at the men who had spent years answering to my father. The top members of the Granger outfit filled the room, along with the men who bought weight from us and distributed it throughout the city. Most of them had known me since I was a child. They still expected me to sit quietly while they decided what happened next.

That wasn’t happening anymore.

“My father is dead,” I announced.

Voices erupted around the table.

“What the fuck happened?”

“Who got to Roman?”

“When did this happen?”

I lifted my hand, and the questions gradually stopped. “He died because he murdered Donovan.”

Several men stared at me in disbelief. Others glanced at each another, waiting for somebody to laugh and tell them I’d lost my mind.

Cedric sat three chairs down from me. He kept his eyes on the table.

One of my father’s captains leaned forward. “Who told you that?”

“I saw the proof with my own eyes.”

“What proof?”

“Audio recordings, messages, cell phone and vehicle records.” I looked around the room. “And the woman who watched him do it told my mother exactly what happened.”

Nobody spoke because they were all in pure disbelief.

“My father accused Donovan of positioning himself to take over before his time. Then he shot his own son and dumped his body in the lake.”

A few men cursed beneath their breath.

I refused to let my voice crack with any weakness. I’d already cried until my face hurt. I couldn’t fall apart in front of these men.

“I’m taking over the Granger outfit.”

One of the older men frowned. “Promise—”

I interrupted him, “Choose your next words carefully.”

He kept his mouth closed.

I placed both palms on the table. “Let me make this clear: I dare any motherfucker in this room to question my authority or try to take my place.”

No one said a word. I saw a few men fail to hide their disdain with this. Others smiled at me proudly.

“The war with the Bellamy crew is over,” I continued. “I met with their boss this morning. I told him the truth about Donovan and my father. We agreed to a truce. We’ve lost enough people fighting a war built on his lie. There won’t be another body dropped over Donovan’s murder.”