Meeting with the chiefs was always an adventure because no one knew what their agenda was. They were always secretive, keeping tabs of everything. So, when a person was called to their office, no one knew what to expect. Lo sat quietly, looking between all three men, observing their body language. Normally, when he came to see them, Devyn and Meco were with him. Now that he was by his lonesome, he sat on edge, waiting for the reason he had been summoned.
“How are you, Lo?” Abel asked.
He gave a nod. “Straight.”
Grayson smirked, folding his hands on the table. “Always cool, huh?”
Lo shrugged but didn’t reply.
“Well, let’s talk business.” Ronan cleared his throat. “We like what you do in this organization.”
“And?” Lo prodded.
“And we wanted to invite you to come work with us exclusively,” Abel announced.
“Doing what?”
“Taking care of business. Basically, what you do now but you’ll work on your own.”
Lo dragged his teeth across his bottom lip. “What’s the catch?”
“The catch is that you won’t belong to any family. You’ll take orders from us and handle whatever task we need rectified.”
Lo didn’t like the sound of that. He was a Crown through and through. He belonged in his family with Devyn and Meco. Being Devyn’s underboss had served the entire organization well. Lo didn’t think his brothers would like the notion of him working exclusively with the chiefs.
“You’ll get a bigger payout. No longer would you have to attend meetings or work under anyone,” Grayson explained.
“Yeah, but I’ll still take orders from you,” Lo pointed out.
“True,” Abel agreed. “But everyone takes orders from us. It wouldn’t be any different than what you're doing now.”
Lo reclined in his seat, pondering all the information that had been dumped in his lap. This was an amazing opportunity. Lo could get even more lowkey. He could disappear and only pop out when it was time to wipe a nigga out. It was a dream position, but he couldn’t get his brothers out of his mind. They sat there staring at him in disappointment while he tried to wrestle with the idea of splitting up.
“Can I ask why you're giving me this opportunity?”
Ronan interlaced his fingers on the surface of the cherry wood table. “You're a force, Lo. You’ve been a great asset to Devyn and the entire Crown Family. You have that confidence that Dax used to have. He could walk into a room, and everyone would freeze up. It’s the same with you. You're not boastful. You're not out, drawing unwanted attention to yourself. You only speak when it matters. We like that about you and want to invite you on a bigger scale of Noir Mob.”
Lo couldn’t count the many times people informed him how much he was like Dax. Not only did he look like him, but he possessed the same manners and aura as his father. The difference between them was that Dax could turn his coldness off, but Lo wouldn’t. He was rigid in every area of his life.
“And this meeting wasn’t set to persuade you to decide now,” Grayson added. “We want you to really think about this.Go through every detail. Comb out each pro and con. We’ll still be here so there’s no need to rush and make a decision.”
Lo’s face was impassive but internally, he was in disarray. Making the decision would disappoint someone. Either his brothers or the chiefs. He had been working along Devyn and Meco for years. They fit so well together. But the opportunity the chiefs had just presented was sweet. It actually fit his personality better. He wouldn’t have to deal with other people. He could come and go as he pleased. Still, he had brothers he had to think about before he made a choice.
“A’ight, I’ll think about it.”
Grayson bobbed his head. “Please do and again, there’s no rush.”
Lo stood and shook every man’s hand before he made his exit. On the way out, he mused over the offer once again. There was so much at stake and while this was a perfect opportunity for him, he couldn’t be selfish and dismiss his brothers.
Dough had never been in a state quite like this. As he laid in the hospital bed, he could barely keep his eyes open because of the sedative he had been given. He would’ve been thankful to be alive, but the pain was too great. Every part in his body was in agony. Mentally and physically. After being beaten to a pulp with ammonia being poured into his wounds, Dough’s body felt as though it was doused in gasoline and set on fire. He couldn’t move without wincing. The pain was so great that the hospital put him on fentanyl.
Mentally, Dough’s mind couldn’t fathom how he’d been annihilated in front of Bria. His manhood had been tested, and it ultimately lost. Lo had him by the balls, catching him outside the club. Dough didn’t even see it coming. A covering was thrownover his head before he was knocked out cold. He woke up with his wrists tied up in a room. The main thing he remembered was how cold it was inside. He still couldn’t rid himself of the chills. Everything about what he went through was traumatic. He was certain he’d have to live with the tormenting memories for years to come.
The door opened and his brother, Luco, walked inside with Noble and his guard right behind him. Being that Luco was a lieutenant in The Legacy Mafia, Dough figured he would come to his rescue.
“What the fuck happened?” he badgered as his gaze looked all over his bandaged body.
“I got caught slippin’,” Dough replied weakly.
