Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 108768 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 544(@200wpm)___ 435(@250wpm)___ 363(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108768 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 544(@200wpm)___ 435(@250wpm)___ 363(@300wpm)
Banks scoffed. “You think a few victories against the Council is enough? You haven't seen the real darkness that lies within the Four Aces.”
His words stung but I refused to let doubt creep in. “I understand that there's more to their world than what I've experienced so far. I know their cruel and very dark history.”
“You don't know it.”
I considered the Essence of the Cloud Dragon. “I know more than you think.”
There was a lengthy pause before Banks finally spoke, “I don't want nothing to happen to you.”
“I know.”
“I don't like that Lei has gotten his fucking claws into you, and you've been mourning. You may be emotional and not thinking clearly—”
“Banks. . .”
“Yes?”
I closed my eyes. “I like Lei. . .a lot.”
Banks let out a heavy sigh. “He's dangerous, and he has a lot of enemies. Getting involved with him is a risk.”
“I understand the risks.”
“And. . .not to mention the fact that he gets obsessed.”
I opened my eyes. “I'm well aware of that too. Lei may be ruthless and powerful but I'm not afraid of him.”
“Of course you're not. It's clear that he must like you too. Especially if he won't let you go and Chen already sees you as Mountain Mistress.”
“I want you to pull your men back from the mountain.”
“That was Marcelo's doing, not mine.”
“Then, tell Marcy to stop.”
“You're going to have to tell him yourself.”
I blinked. “Fine.”
“Marcelo won't be happy about this at all.”
“He should be happy—”
“And why is that?”
“I've read the history between the Four Aces and Rowe Street Mob. You all are fair to think that negotiations and deals have been bullshit.”
“Lei always sided with Romeo due to Chanel having a leash on his cock. And the West hates the South.”
“Why?”
“Old history. Crownsville shit.”
“But, Banks, our people are from Crownsville too.”
“Yeah, but not all of Rowe Street Mob is like that. Some of these white boys with us. . .well, their great-grandfathers were really about that racist life. Now they're not, but. . .Killer Crows have a long memory.”
“They have to let it go.”
“There's something else. I don't know if you have caught it or not, but. . .”
“What?”
“Chanel and Romeo. Their last name is Jones.”
Now it was my turn to pause and even sit down on the bed.
Wait a minute. Is he for real? What are the odds?
“You heard me, Moni?”
“Y-yeah, but like. . .how close are they related to Ralph Jones?”
“That was their great grandfather.”
“Oh.” I widened my eyes. “Like. . .our great grandfather. Allegedly.”
“Don't start that allegedly shit, Moni.”
“Listen, Banks. Toward the end grandmother was a bit crazy. Remember how she would go outside in the rain in that housecoat and stare up at the sky like an alien ship was coming.”
“Grandma said that was her father. I believe it.”
An odd throbbing hit my head.
This is so fucking weird.
I had never for one second considered the fact that I could be related to Chanel. I wasn’t even sure how I would approach that with Lei.
You know what? Don’t stress. It may not be anything at all.
Our grandmother would watch us when we were kids and she always talked about how we got our family house.
According to grandmother, her mother had been Ralph Jones's secret mistress in the South. Apparently, he had given her a 5-bedroom house that we all considered the family home. It was where Banks lived now with his mother. But even more, if anybody in the family needed a place to stay, we understood that there was a room for us there.
“But back to Romeo and Chanel, their father was Kenneth Jones, Ralph Jones's son.”
For us, he had been an odd man who used to come to my grandmother's house every now and then, and hand her an envelope, then leave.
Banks always pointed to that being proof of our connection. Banks guessed that Ralph Jones had ordered his son to keep up with taking care of his sister.
I sighed. “Okay. So. . .that's. . .odd.”
“You think Leo knew that?”
“I don't know.”
“More important, does Lei know that?”
I shook my head. “No.”
“But he knows your last name is Jones.”
“Well. . .he doesn't.”
“Moni.”
“Don't start.”
“You mean to tell me that Lei is over there kidnapping women and giving them titles but don't know their last name?”
“We never got to that.”
“Yeah, but I bet you both got to other things.”
I rose from the bed. “Listen. Let's move on. I don't know what we can really do with that information right now.”
“Romeo and Chanel always acted like they knew we were related. Anytime I was present at a meeting, they leaned more in our favor as if to say, we got your back, cousin.”
I returned to slow pacing. “But did they ever say anything?”
“Okay, but check this out. Before Rowe Street Mob was even together, I got arrested for some serious shit—”
“What shit?”
“A little homicide situation.”