Page 352 of Kentrell

Just watching.

Letting the shock and disbelief crackle through my living room like static.

Right in the middle of the fallout I orchestrated.

After I got Star in line with my plot against Malcolm… she turned on Yam. Started feeding me updates on his every move.

That’s how I found out he’d been spending more time with Taffy and Kendra. The daughter he spent damn near her whole life denying… suddenly cozying up to the idea she was his… now that she had a law degree and a job at Anderson & Hartman that put her in Malcolm’s circle.

Typical.

His snake-ass ego needed a connection to somebody powerful.

And now?

After thirty rounds lit up their car…

After the city’s elite son got dragged out on national TV with coke residue on his face and hookers screaming in the background…

Yam would know exactly what this was.

War.

Waged against him… not just by me…

But by every Caldwell, every Barksdale… and even the Terrells.

His punk ass went into hiding a week ago.

That’s fine.

Because even if I’m not the one who catches him slippin’… I know one of my dogs will.

I glanced across the room toward where Wani, Wave, and Oshon were posted up—laughing, still talking shit like they didn’t have blood on their hands too.

Oshon caught my eye, hit me with a sly nod, then turned right back to their conversation like nothing happened.

Keeping my mask tight…I slid right back into character. Like I was just as stunned and heartbroken as everybody else in this house.

Moving mine and Zoe’s plates off to the side table…Pushing them out the way…Then pulling her straight into my arms. Her face was already wet, tears falling harder now as she shook in my hold. I kissed the side of her face, jaw clenched tight, because truth be told… I didn’t expect this shit to hit her this hard.

Walking us out of the living room, I didn’t stop… didn’t slow down. I’d deal with Zoe privately.

“What’s wrong, Zoe?” I heard Zonda call after us, her voice thick and raspy with concern.

“Kendra’s one of the lawyers at Anderson & Hartman,” Mars explained, her voice carrying clean across the room.

“Jesus…” Zonda whispered, just as I turned down the hall.

I didn’t look back. I just took Zoe straight down the west wing… into our bedroom… closed the door…And turned the lock.

Zoe sniffled the entire time I undressed her out that emerald velour jogging set. Sliding her pants down slow, peeling off her matching panties, then unhooking her bra. She stood there, still crying… barely… more like soft hiccups now, just waiting on me. Because she knew how this went. Knew I wasn’t about to leave her standing there by herself.

I stripped down quick, tossing my clothes wherever they landed, then scooped her up again, holding her tight as I carried us both to the bed. Yanked the covers back with one hand, laid her down first, then jogged off to the bathroom and grabbed a few towels from the linen closet. That wet spot she made earlier… yeah… it was still there. Hadn’t dried yet. I’d have thecleaning lady come through and wash every damn linen in this house when she showed up Saturday.

Coming back into the bedroom, I unfolded the towels, covering the spots best I could before crawling in behind her, pulling her back tight against my chest like I was trying to keep every piece of her from falling apart. She wasn’t full-on crying no more, just sniffling, looking dazed… like her brain was still trying to process everything.

Kissing the side of her face, I felt her body shift—she craned her neck just enough to see me. “You good?” I asked, my voice low but steady. She nodded… slow. “Then why you crying so much, huh?” I pressed, still keeping my tone soft but needing to know.

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