Page 72 of Vega

Wise looked ready to throw my glass at him.

“I never promised Tasha exclusivity,” Wise continued. “We were having fun. Rain had no business involving herself in my dick’s business.”

“Why was Rain talking to her about you anyway?” I asked.

“Because that bitch hates me. They ended up at the same charity event. Apparently, Tasha mentioned me, and Rain decided to provide a full character assessment.”

Knox chuckled, telling us, “I’ll be back. I need a refill.”

He walked toward the opposite side of the bar, where he began flirting with one of the bartenders.

Vega joined us a moment later, dressed in a Gucci tee, denim shorts, and Gucci sneakers, despite the formal dress code. He had arrived with Wise but spent most of the party staring at the live view of Sonnet like a fucking creep.

“You done being a stalker?” I jabbed.

“Fuck you, nigga,” he bit. “She almost escaped today.”

I raised an eyebrow. “How?”

“She convinced me to bring her a laptop. She broke part of it off and used the metal to get through the lock. Luckily, I caught her.”

I laughed. “She tricked you into giving her a tool to escape. I like her more every time you talk about her.”

Wise lowered his voice while saying, “You can’t keep her locked in that house forever.”

“I know.”

“Do you?” I pressed with a raised brow. “We need to start figuring out how to kill Roman before he finds out this nigga has fallen in love with his eyewitness.”

Wise agreed, nodding. “There’s no reason for us to start hitting trap houses since he’s already at war with the Bellamys. Roman can lose every soldier and every dollar he has, but if he survives, Sonnet still isn’t safe. She can prove he murdered Donovan and started this entire war with a lie. He’s never going to stop looking for her as long as he is alive.”

“We can’t kill a man we can’t locate,” Wise reminded us.

Vega replied, “Roman still thinks I’m searching for Sonnet. I can use the updates to get close to him.”

Wise studied Vega. “Then we need to be ready when you make that call. Roman won’t meet alone, and wherever he chooses will be controlled by his people.”

“We need to meet with the Cartiers,” I said. “Our agreement with them depends on us staying out of their way. Killing Roman is the opposite of that.”

Wise picked up his glass. “I’ll call Icon tomorrow.”

My grandmother’s favorite song began playing, and my mother waved impatiently for me to join the family near the dance floor.

Grinning, I headed toward my mother, telling Wise and Vega, “I’ll be back.”

Ma met me before I reached the dance floor and took my hand like I was still a little boy she had to guide through a crowd. She smiled as she pulled me toward the center of the floor, and I placed one hand at her waist. Ma rested hers on my shoulder while we moved to the old-school song the quartet had turned into something smooth and elegant.

“You look handsome,” she said.

“You’ve told me that three times.”

“I’m your mother. I’m allowed.”

I laughed and turned her beneath my arm. She came back smiling. Ma had always known how to bring out a softer version of me, even when I worked hard to keep that part buried.

“Ma, the PI said that he found evidence of my father possibly living under another name when he left Chicago.”

As soon as “the PI” left my mouth, my mother’s previous joy vanished. Her shoulders sank, tired of this same old song I had been singing for years.