Page 30 of Dutch

"Boss, what about the mole? Is it connected?"

"It's possible. Watch what you say and to who. Keep your old ladies in the dark for now." I weighed my words carefully.

I thought of Makari and the irony of me telling them not to tell their women. However, Makari was built differently, and whether I liked it or not, she was already in this.

"Questions?" I asked, wrapping up the meeting.

The room was quiet as everyone processed the information.

I nodded. "Okay, keep your mouths shut and eyes open. We'll meet later as a full crew. It's business as usual until then."

I looked at Saint, and he hung back. "You good?"

I rubbed my temples, headache threatening to take over. "Makari heard part of our call this morning. I have to tell her something. My dumb ass forgot she could decode what I was saying."

Saint's eyebrows shot up. "Are you sure that's a move you should make?"

"It's not a move I want to make, but keeping Makari in the dark now might be more harmful, especially since she knows tidbits of info."

He nodded. "All I know is the more people who know?—"

I cut him off. "I know, Trust, I'll give the bare minimum. With Jahlil out there, I can't have her flying blind."

Saint walked away, and I was left to my thoughts. The weight of all this shit pressing on me was a lot to balance. Still, it came with the duty of leadership, living with consequences after making the hard calls.

I headed to my office and sat in the leather chair at my desk. I needed a minute to gather my thoughts and try to ease this headache. I picked up my cell phone and texted Rico.

Me:

Keep me posted.

My phone buzzed.

Rico:

All is quiet.

I nodded, feeling satisfied. I dialed a number I very rarely used.

"Yo, I need everything you can dig up on Darian Hunter. The usual dirty laundry, associates, and financials. I need it ASAP."

I disconnected the call and tapped on the computer to see what I could dig up since I probably had a few hours before Makari would call.

I walkedaround my shop preparing for my customers. I checked my watch. I still had an hour before my client was due to arrive. Shit, this was my opportunity to get to the storage unit.

I hadn't had the guts to go there in years but after the video…

"Fuck it." I grabbed my bag and peered out the window, looking for any sign of Jahlil's goons or Dutch's crew, for that matter. I blew out air, steeling myself.

I slipped out the door, leaving the shop dark. As I headed through the morning crowd, the street was busy. My mind raced as I thought about Dutch finding out I had left the shop.

I'm a grown-ass woman. Stop letting that man get in your head.

I entered the coffee shop on the corner and ordered a latte while I waited for the ride-share car I had ordered. As I waited for my drink, I thought about Malakai, how he always joked about me drinking my bougie coffee, and how he laughed. I shook my head when the images from the video hit me.

"Makari," the barista called.

I grabbed the cup with my name on it and headed for the door. I tapped the screen on my phone and checked the car icon as it approached the shop.

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