Caged: The Underground

Her face screwed into a frown. “How so?”

“Because if they think you’re attached to me, no one is going to try and use you as leverage.”

The urge to argue for the sake of her dignity nearly overruled her good sense but when she grumbled, “I guess you’re right —only a crazy fucker would dare square up to you. I suppose there is safety in appearing to be cozy with a man built like you.” I knew she’d do as she was told, which was a relief.

I already had one crazy fucker on my ass, I didn’t need two.

Still, I couldn’t resist a sidewise glance, saying, “That’s it? No, ‘fuck off, fucker, I ain’t your woman,’ bullshit?”

“I’m trying to stay alive. Besides, you and I both know that it’s fake.”

I grunted with a nod, “Right. Good. Let’s go” and exited the truck.

But even as I snapped my fingers, getting her to move closer to me to start playing the part, I knew it wasn’t entirely an act on my part.

I wanted her.

I wanted Charlie so bad it was making my eyes cross.

And that pissed me off.

Women were trouble.

Especially women like Charlie.

But choices and free will weren’t an option just yet.

I had to ride this bad boy of a fucked-up situation all the way to the bitter end.

We walked into the Thai restaurant, Asian spices hitting my nostrils like a slap in the face.

I blinked against the strong smell. Maybe I was allergic to cumin.

Two stone-faced thugs erupted from their post to block our way.

“We’re here to see Terrance Johnson,” I said.

“Who are you?”

“Someone who has information he might want.”

“About?”

“Louie Davonte.”

The magic words.

“Wait here.” One of the men disappeared behind the beaded curtain, returning a few moments later with a curt, “You got five minutes” before leading us to the inner sanctum where Terrance held court.

Terrance Johnson, a solid black man with shrewd eyes, roughly about the same age as Davonte eyed us as we walked in, his gaze going straight to Charlie before returning to me, sizing us both up.

Terrance pushed aside his plate of noodles and wiped his mouth. “You have information? Speak.”

Time to put my balls in the vise and hope that Terrance wasn’t in a cranking sort of mood.

“Davonte is getting ready to move on your territory.”

Terrance chuckled — not a good sign, in my book — and gestured to one of his men, saying, “Bring oliang,” before returning to us. “Have you ever had Thai iced coffee? No? You’re missing out. I’m feeling generous. Have a cup with me.”

A server brought the oliang in thick mugs and we were compelled to take a seat. My nerves were strung taut. I felt like I was gearing up for a fight and my opponent was known to fight dirty.

If it were just me staring down the fucker, I wouldn’t even think twice but having Charlie there made everything seem more menacing.

My hands dwarfed the mug, making it look like a dainty tea cup.

What the fuck was this shit? Fancy coffee? Or was it tea?

I waited for Terrance to sip his and then slurped my own. It wasn’t bad; it wasn’t good.

It was just wet as far as I was concerned.

Charlie sipped hers, her gaze darting between us as if she could feel the tension in the curling around us like hash smoke.

To her credit, her expression remained appropriately submissive, which was a fucking miracle.

I don’t think the woman had a submissive bone in her luscious body.

“Does she belong to you?” Terrance asked me directly. When I grunted with a nod, barely casting Charlie a look, Terrance chuckled again. “She’s a prize. That red hair…is it natural?”

“The drapes match the carpet,” I answered, causing Charlie’s cheeks to flush wildly.

Damn woman, don’t go doing that.

She was already hotter than a fire.

Now she was blushing like the virgin she was and I wanted to throw her over my shoulder and punch that v-card.

Terrance smiled with approval. “Nice. So many women are fake these days. Fake tits, fake lips, fake hair…it’s hard to find a woman with all her God-given parts.”

I know Charlie was uncomfortable to be discussed like a brood mare, but women were collateral in our world — and Charlie was prime property.

I wasn’t interested in discussing Charlie’s God-given parts with this thug.

I didn’t want Terrance envisioning what Charlie had going on. It was hard enough keeping my own thoughts in line.

I didn’t need Terrance thinking of Charlie beneath him, too.

“Davonte’s been getting brave, talking about shit in broad daylight, around people he shouldn’t,” I said abruptly, dragging the focus back to the point of our meeting. “He’s had his eye on your down river territory for a while now but something’s made him think that you’re vulnerable and primed for a take-down.”

Terrance lost his casual, lingering interest in Charlie and his hard gaze locked with mine. “What are you talking about?”

“I don’t know the details, I’m just saying that I’ve heard things. I know you and Davonte have been squaring off for years — hell, everyone knows that — but it sounds like he’s tired of playing nice. The question is, what are you going to do about it if it’s true?”

Terrance relaxed with an unimpressed chuckle. “People talk. Means nothing. You have to come with better information than that or else you’ve wasted my time and interrupted my lunch.”

“I got people on the inside willing to work with you to take him down,” I said. “Davonte’s been breaking toes and fingers too much. People are sick of his shit.”

“People are like sheep, needing someone to herd them. Business matters sometimes require blood.”

We were losing him. Terrance was smarter than Davonte. He wasn’t going to jump at the first little worm dangled in front of him.

Desperation prickled at the back of my neck but I remained chill.

“You’ve got a shipment coming in from New Orleans. Davonte has his eye on taking it. Something tells me that wouldn’t go over very well. Especially when your distributors find out that you’re too weak to defend your territory.”

Terrance stilled. “Keep talking.”

“Davonte has a shipment coming in, worth about a hundred thousand, from what I hear. I say, you take his shit first before he does it to you. I think it’s time The Underground had different leadership, don’t you?”

Terrance regarded me with flat eyes. ‘Was he lying to me’ was the expression traveling across Terrance’s face.

I took a gamble and pushed a little harder.

I chuckled ruefully. “This is why Davonte thinks you’ve grown soft. I’m coming to you with good intel and you’re more concerned about your lunch going cold.”

“Careful, young stud,” he warned, pinning me with a cold stare. “I shit bigger turds than you.”

I had the balls to snort. “Not likely.”

I felt Charlie stifle a nervous laugh. I was going to get us killed.

At this rate we were going to meet our maker on the floor of this Thai restaurant.

I was going to die with ginger and cumin stuck up my nose for all eternity.

But just when I thought Terrance was going to end the meeting with a signal to slit our throats, he actually guffawed, a big, throaty laugh that seemed out of place wi

th the situation.

“You got some balls, son. I like that in a person. Not many people have the stones that you do.”

I wasn’t about to dance a jig just yet. “So I’ve been told. You interested or not?”

“Maybe.” He paused, then asked, “What’s in it for you?”

“I got no allegiance to no one.”

But Terrance’s gaze returned to Charlie, sizing her up, before surmising, “It’s got something to do with her, doesn’t it?”

Sometimes the truth was more compelling — or at the very least a variation of the truth.

“Maybe.”

Terrance smirked. “Maybe you ought to share.” As in, you better start spilling details or he was out.

“Davonte wants me and I don’t want him,” Charlie blurted out, her voice strong in spite of the tremble I sensed in her body. I didn’t waste my energy shooting her a look to keep quiet. The fact that she managed to hold her tongue this long had been a damn miracle.

Terrance leaned forward with interest. “And why wouldn’t you want to be his woman?”

“Because she’s already mine,” I growled, every fiber in my body echoing this unfortunate truth. Unfortunate for both of us, really.

Terrance pinned Charlie with his straight stare. “That true?”

She bobbed a nod, swallowing. “Yes.”

My heartbeat thundered in my ears, a mixture of adrenaline and something far worse — excitement. Charlie was not my woman, this was an act, but even pretending had sent ripples of awareness through my body.

“She worth dying for?” Terrace asked me.

Instead of answering, I said, “I protect what’s mine. Are you interested or not?”

“Sweet story but it’s missing a certain something. What’s stopping you from just leaving Detroit with your bitch in tow? No, there’s more to this little drama than you’re giving me and I don’t jump without knowing what’s below my feet.”

“You want to know what happened?” I pressed toward Terrance with a husky growl rivaling that of a Rottweiler protecting its turf. “He tried to take my girl and I broke his nose for it. He’s lucky I didn’t break more than that. No one takes what’s mine.”