Crown stood still for a moment with his hands tucked inside his vest, his mind already calculating their next steps. First-time business wasn’t something he rushed through. There was a lengthy process to this shit.
“D,” he looked toward Danger, “Separate the test batch. Hold the rest for further testing. Ain’t nothin’ hittin’ the streets until I know everything straight fasho. Once it’s cleared, then and only then do they break it down. Shut down all outside motion until then, too. We in all night until it’s taken care of.”
“Bet,” Danger replied, bobbing his head to a Jeezy record that Domo had put on.
Crown ran the Knights tight. Every move was calculated. Every package accounted for. Every member knew their role. One mistake could bring heat onto everybody and he knew it. He was protecting the Knights’ reputation, the fiends who purchased from them and their freedom.
Crown walked over to the table, grabbing the package Smoky had tested and examining it again himself before tossing it back down.
“Told you quality on point, bro.” Smoky said, walking back inside.
“The rest better be, too. ‘Cause if niggas start dropping from bad work, all eyes come back on us.”
“This nigga.” Danger kissed his teeth. “I keep telling you, Jah’s good people, bro. You go from worrying about one thing to the next.”
“Damn right I do. That’s what keeps our black asses out the pen. So, you go handle what I told you. And tell them niggas cut that fuckin’ music down. They gettin’ too relaxed.”
Danger headed to the back, not bothering to argue with Crown’s grumpy ass.
Once the music lowered, Crown moved toward the bay door and stood there for a second, looking out across the empty industrial strip while rubbing his beard slowly in deep thought. It was moments like this that reminded him exactly why retirement stayed on his mind more these days. They were standing inside a warehouse with enough product inside the building to bury everybody in prison if the laws kicked the doors in.
But until the day he stepped down as president, Crown would do everything in his power to make sure the Knights stayed on top, and that didn’t happen.
∞∞∞
The next morning came entirely too fast. Crown drove withone hand on the wheel while the other rested on the center console of his Cadillac Escalade-V. Less than three hours ago, he had been standing in a warehouse barking orders while helping break down dope. He hadn’t made it home until four in the morning. Yet here he was, right back up at seven, headed to church.
Crown was embarrassed to say that the only time he touched church grounds was to bury someone. He hadn’t been there to serve the Lord since he was about twenty-five.
Maybe he was trying to make peace with God.
Maybe he was hoping for a little grace in spite of his sins.
Maybe he was going because Kerri and Nivéa had been on his neck about it.
Either way, he was showing up. A husband and a father now, Crown was taking this family thing seriously.
Nivéa sat beside him, wearing a cream-colored midi dress with short sleeves and a square neckline. A gold Van Cleef necklace rested against her chest, while matching stud earrings peeked through her soft curls. Nude heels completed the look, giving her a simple elegance that turned heads.
In the backseat, Nyla slept peacefully in her car seat. She wore a cream-colored outfit that matched her mama’s, along with a pair of ruffled socks on her feet. Her gold bow stretched across her head, and her curls had grown even thicker.
Crown had coordinated too, wearing a cream button-down with the sleeves rolled to his forearms and a pair of slacks. A thin gold necklace rested against his chest, with a diamond cross pendant hanging from it.
The supercharged V8 carried them through the city while gospel music filled the truck. The playlist bounced from Yolanda Adams and Tamela Mann to Marvin Sapp and Donnie McClurkin.
‘We Fall Down’ resonated with Nivéa the most, nearly bringing her to tears. Crown nodded his head smoothly to the lyrics, holding her hand the rest of the ride until they reached church grounds. Effortlessly, he backed his truck into the lot and hopped out to get his family.
Kerri was already waiting for them, excitement radiating from her. She got out of her Benz at the sight of Crown’s truck and met them across the lot, wearing a brown church dress with a matching hat perched neatly on her head. A pearl necklace rested around her neck.
“There go my babies.” She said, a smile stretching across her face.
Nivéa smiled as she climbed out. “Good morning.”
“Morning, baby. How are you?”
“Tired. This one here kept me up most of the night being fussy.” Nivéa pouted as Crown retrieved Nyla from the backseat.
“Aww, she just needs some of my love. That’s payback to y’all butts for getting hitched in Vegas without her Grammy present.”
