Page 14 of Dom 3
“Y’all think this is funny?” she snapped. “’Cause I don’t. I can’t breathe without somebody clockin’ me. I took Amour to the park, and one of your little soldier boys was pushin’ her on the swing like he the damn daddy!”
That did it… it took a lot to make me laugh but even I cracked a grin, though I kept it small behind my shades. I didn’t order them niggas to do all that.
Dique was straight up laughing now. “Oh yeah? Did she like it? I bet she did. ’Cause that’s what real protection look like. Our daughter gon’ be guarded at all times. Get used to it, Keondra. Ain’t nobody touchin’ her, period. You think I care about your lil’ neighbor side eyes? They can kiss my ass. My child safe.”
She huffed so loud the speakers crackled. “Ugh, you so damn aggravating. Put Dom on the phone, since you think this cute.”
That wiped the smile off real quick. She was Dique’s headache, not mine but somehow, I always ended up playing baby daddy or peacemaker. Both Tone and Dique turned to look at me. I took the phone and remained silent for a few seconds before I spoke. “Yeah Keondra?” My voice was flat, yet stern.
“Heyyy, Dom. Look, I was just sayin’, all this extra security is blowin’ me.”
“Keondra,” I cut her off. “Don’t ever call again complaining about protection. Not when it’s about a Royal child involved, you hear me. I don’t give a fuck if you feel watched, uncomfortable, or embarrassed. That little girl gon’ be covered every second ofevery day. You don’t like it? Go back to the hood, she’s stayin’ though.”
“But…”
I didn’t raise my voice, because I didn’t need to. “You wanna go back to payin’ two hundred dollars rent on a Section 8 voucher? You wanna be back in the hood with no soldiers, no security, nobody but randoms walking past your door knowin’ you got ties to us? ‘Cause that’s what it sound like. Otherwise, shut the fuck up and let my men do their job.”
Silence.
Tone muttered, “Checkmate.”
Keondra finally huffed again, sucking her teeth but softer this time. “Fine, whatever, but they better not be pushin’ my baby on no swings like they her daddy again. That’s your job, Dique!”
Dique snatched the phone back, laughing so hard he almost choked. “Girl, bye! You so pressed. Don’t worry ‘bout who pushin’ her on swings. Just be glad it ain’t Blanca’s people pushin’ you in a ditch.”
Tone was dying in the backseat, slapping his knee. “Man, she gon’ drive you crazy before Blanca do.”
“Um excuse me, Blanco who?” She quizzed sounding confused.
“Don’t even worry about it, crazy ass girl. I’ma call back later.” Dique ended the call, tossed his phone on the seat, and let out a loud laugh that echoed through the truck. “Man, I swear, Keondra got me weak as fuck right now. Talkin’ ‘bout my soldiers out here pushin’ the baby like it’s a daycare. She don’t even get it… she’s livin’ better than she ever did in her life and still complaining.”
Tone wiped his eyes, still cracking up. “Bruh, I can’t stop picturing one of the hittas on the monkey bars wit’ the baby like, ‘Don’t fall, lil’ mama, Uncle got you!’”
Dique hollered, slapping his thigh. “Facts! And she mad about it! If she knew how many bitches in Miami would kill to have that kinda security, she’d shut the fuck up.”
Tone leaned forward between the seats. “She wanted that ‘cartel wife starter pack’ so bad, now she got it. Guards, cameras, black trucks, the whole nine. What she thought it was gon’ be, a muhfuckin’ Disney movie?”
I let them talk that shit for a second, but my patience was short. Their laughter filled the truck, bouncing off the leather, but my mind was still on Victoria’s face on that camera feed — wrists zip tied, cloth over her mouth, the look in her eyes when they shoved her into that van.
“Enough of that shit,” I said.
The truck fell silent again, and not from fear but from that understanding: when I said it, it wasn’t just talk. Tone cracked his knuckles while Dique grinned, showing all teeth and gold. I leaned back, cool as ever, already in my head.
I nodded slowly letting the hum from the engine fill the silence for a second before I spoke. “We get through Ramon’s funeral clean. Show our respects front row and then handle business. After that, every last corner of this city gon’ get turned inside out. El Blanca thinks he can send roses and shit but he’s about to find out. This shit is about to be over.”
I outlined it simple, like I always did when I wanted no room for questions. “Tone, this weekend double up on the perimeter. Hospitals, funeral home, and the church. You and two teams on each entrance. I need the cameras swept, but don’t want no heat. Dique, you handle crowd control and make sure Miss Twyla can move through smooth without any goofy ass shit. Keep the family tight.”
They both nodded, already running the plan over in their heads and sending out encrypted messages to the Cartel. Theway they listened told me they knew the order of things, which they always did… honor first, retribution second.
“And when that service ends?” Tone asked. “What we doin’?”
Dique was grinning hard, that same look when he was ready to paint the city red. “We find him, and we end that pussy ass nigga.”
“Even if I have to pull his ass out of Cuba, I’ma find him.”
Tone nodded his head. “We on that, bro. We fasho on that.”
“Good,” I said. “But while Miami watches us mourn, don’t give ’em no reason to think we weak. We do it right for Ramon and we show the world what loyalty looks like.”
