did want to tell you face-to-face what the meeting was about.”
“No, it’s fine. I’ll go.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.” Ahli nodded and she meant it. “You saved our lives, and for that I owe you my service and allegiance. Where you go, I go.”
“That’s what I like to hear,” Sadie said and smiled. “And speaking of what I like to hear, how was your night off?”
“It was amazing,” Ahli said as a happy feeling came over her. “We went to dinner at Eddie V’s, and then he surprised me by taking me to Amor to go dancing. It’s been so long since I felt that free. It was like time stopped for a few hours. And as you see, we ended up here for the night. But now I’m thinking that I should have been with you two. What happened to Cam?”
“The same thing that happens to everyone who goes against the family,” Sadie said dryly. “His body was dumped outside his mother’s house. It’s been a while since somebody moved on us in a way like that, and hopefully this situation with Cam is a reminder not to. Now hurry up and finish getting ready. I have something that you and your sister are going to like.”
“New guns?” Ahli guessed, and her eyes lit up.
“New guns,” Sadie confirmed with a wink.
That was all she needed to say for Ahli to put pep in her step. She was satisfied with the silicon carbide–grip Glock 19 pistols she had, but she wouldn’t turn down any new weapons. Getting new firearms was like getting new toys for her and Rhonnie. Within minutes, she had everything she came with thrown in her overnight bag, ready to go. They left the hotel and traveled to Sadie’s mansion in Rhonnie’s snow white Rolls-Royce.
Rhonnie and Ahli had moved in with Sadie when they were relocated to Detroit. Sadie’s $2 million home had been built on land that she purchased, complete with a small pond and forest area in the backyard where the girls trained. The twenty-acre property was beautiful and desolate, just the way she liked it.
The gate surrounding the property opened when they got to it, and Rhonnie drove through. She took the Rolls-Royce into the garage attached to the mansion. The garage was the size of a house itself, being as it held all twelve of their vehicles. When they all were out of the car, Sadie led the way.
“They’re in the shooting range,” Sadie said over her shoulder, taking them inside the house.
They followed her down one of many long hallways to an elevator at the end of it. Besides elevators, another one of the modifications Sadie had made to the home was having a gun range built inside of it, enclosed by soundproof walls, complete with bulletproof glass and unlimited firepower. It was Ahli’s favorite place to go when she needed to let off some steam.
“I had Alberto bring this shipment directly to the house because I put this order together meticulously for you two,” Sadie said once they stepped out of the elevator and into the bottom level of the house.
The lights in the wide hallway were motion-sensor operated, and with each step, a new area lit up. Every wall was white, and the floor was marble with black-and-white furniture. They walked past the spa room, the theater, and Sadie’s office before they came to the gun range. Unable to hold her excitement in, Rhonnie hurried past them and was the first to enter.
“Goddamn, Sadie,” Ahli heard her sister say in an amazed tone.
Curious, Ahli quickly stepped around her boss and went to see what Rhonnie was talking about. As soon as she entered the bright room, she went directly to the artillery station on her left. A table had been laid out, and the top of it was covered with weapons and ammunition. Rhonnie was already standing in front of it, holding what looked to be an assault rifle, an AKM to be exact. That wasn’t all that was there. Ahli’s eyes went to two fully loaded M16 and M4 carbine tactical rifles, complete with scopes and drum mags. Next to those were four brand new Glocks 19 pistols with black frames and diamond-encrusted slides. Lastly, she took notice of the AR-15 rifles, and although her fingers were itching to shoot one, she grabbed an M4 instead. Even with all the customizations, it was still lightweight in her grip. When she saw that it had all the functionality for a soldier to use, she raised her brow at Sadie.
“Are these military grade?”
“Yes. I had them made to order. No serial numbers or any other identifiers.”
“Ghost guns.”
“Ghost guns,” Sadie confirmed.
“I like this,” Rhonnie said, putting the AKM back and grabbing an AR-15. “This AR has a carbon-fiber barrel.”
“I thought you would prefer it over a bull barrel,” Sadie told her. “But if you need one, I ordered some of those, too.”
“Cool,” Rhonnie said and went back to examining all the guns.
Ahli placed the M4 down and turned her attention to Sadie. She couldn’t wait to shoot with her new toys, but there was something itching at her in the back of her mind. “Why do we need military-grade weapons?”
“In light of this new drug, I want to take every precaution possible to avoid any chaos when it hits the streets. And if it inevitably breaks out anyway, I expect you two to contain it.”
Her answer was simple, and Rhonnie nodded. However, Ahli read between the lines. Sadie might have been her boss, but she was also the only friend she’d ever had besides her sister. She was able to read Sadie the same way she could Rhonnie, and she always knew when something wasn’t right.
“You’re worried.”
“I didn’t say that,” Sadie countered, grabbing one of the Glocks and heading over to the first shooting station.
“Then why are you expecting chaos?”
“Sometimes the world reacts to change in a good way and sometimes it doesn’t. Vita E Morte is something no other kingpin has, and it’s something they won’t ever be able to obtain . . . without me. I’m the only one with the formula, and when the market for it opens, some might not want to go through me to get it. And, well, you know what might happen after that.”
“So you are worried.”
“No,” Sadie said, aiming the gun at the paper target and emptying the clip. After the last shot rang, she turned back to Ahli and handed her the weapon. “Because I just bought you new guns, and I know you’ll use them well. Those, by the way, are just the ones that would fit on the table. You two have a few hours. Have some fun. But I need you dressed and ready by four o’clock sharp. There will be a driver here to pick us up.”
Ahli watched her walk out of the room without another word. She almost called after her but stopped herself when she realized that she didn’t have anything else to say. The only thing that she could do was trust her boss like she’d done for the past three years. In the time she’d worked for Sadie, she learned quickly that her boss was a master of covering all her bases even when she didn’t need to. It was what made her so elite at what she did. However, there was something different about her honesty that time. It was the kind of different that Ahli couldn’t put her finger on.
Instead of trying to, she grabbed a pair of earmuffs and a firearm. Taking her place in the first shooting stall where Sadie had been, she noticed that the paper target had received all head shots.
Chapter 3
A small smile was frozen on Sadie’s lips as she made her way to her master suite inside of the mansion. She had been waiting for this day for a long time, and it had finally come. It was no secret that money had always been her motivation, ever since her cousin Ray had put her on in the game all those years ago. But now she would have something to set her apart from every other hustler in the world.
Quiet as kept, Vita E Morte had been the only thing keeping her going for the last six months, not just because she was dedicated and driven to put it out, but because it had saved her from becoming a victim to