Page 69 of Torch

I had to draw a line in the sand.

After I parked my car in the garage, my phone rang. I answered it when I saw it was Kira.

“Hey, Kira. You won’t believe what happened today.”

“So, you know already?”

“Know what?”

There was a brief pause on the line. “Brit… somebody vandalized the shop.”

What the hell? I swear if it wasn’t one thing, it was another.

Chapter Twenty-Three

TORCH

“Alright, fellas. Let’s get down to business. We all know why we’re here. Cara, Sara, and Tech, what do you got for us?” Viper asked as soon as he brought his gavel down in Church.

Today we're finally going to come up with a solid plan to get rid of Smoove. Tech and the girls had been going over the camera footage nonstop. I was interested in what they had found.

I was also hoping they would be able to tell us who vandalized the salon. By the time everyone had gotten there, there was no trace of whoever did it. Luckily, the damage wasn’t too bad. The contractor told us he could get everything fixed within a week and a half.

Brit was devastated by the scene. By the time we got home, all she wanted to do was shower and sleep. I knew that day had taken a toll on her. Between her family and then the salon, it seemed like something was always happening to her.

Tech placed his elbows on the table, leaning in. “Well, for one, we have good news when it comes to Smoove. He isn’t working with any other organization. He is the head boss.”

“How the hell is he pushing so much product then? He has to have some kind of connection.” Capone frowned, glancing at Tech, then the girls.

Cara nodded her head. “You’re right. He does have a connection.”

Sara got up from her seat with a clicker. After she killed the lights, a photo of an older African American man was on the screen. “Everyone, meet Theodore Jenkinson. He is a licensed pharmacist, and he’s on Smoove’s payroll. The back of the laundromat is where their lab is set up. Theodore is cooking this crap up himself. Every Saturday, he goes in to make the supply. Sunday night, Smoove and his guys make the drop.”

As she talked, she clicked through the photos, showing us the proof to back up her claims.

“Damn, he’s cleverer than I thought. Having a pharmacist on his payroll gives him access to things he could never obtain on the streets,” Doc spoke up.

“Exactly,” Cara agreed. “The equipment they're using to make this shit could only be purchased by a licensed pharmacist.”

“We have to do something before Smoove expands his business and becomes the supplier to more people.” Thor looked around the group before focusing his attention on Viper.

Viper calmly nodded his head, and I could see the wheels spinning in his head. “This is what we’re going to do. First, I want Theodore dead. Without him, Smoove has nothing. Second, we’re going to torch that laundromat.”

“Torch it?” I asked with a smirk.

He mirrored my smile. “That’s right. I want you to light that motherfucker up, brother.”

I rubbed my hands together, feeling giddy. My road name wasn’t Torch for nothing. Since I was a kid, I had had a fascination for lighting things on fire. I couldn’t really explain it. It’s something about seeing flames that excited me.

Damn. I was really starting to sound like Cara’s deranged ass.

When the table roared with laughter while Cara glared at me, I realized I said that out loud.

“I am not deranged! I just don’t put up with anybody’s shit,” she fussed.

Viper patted her hands, consoling her. “That’s right, Hellcat. We know you’re not a complete psycho.”

“Thank you, baby. Motherfuckers need to start giving me credit. I haven’t shot or stabbed someone in months! That’s growth.”