A Stone Cold Love In Miami

V O S

I hung up the phone in my office, pleased that my business meeting with my new potential partner went well. I hadn't had such a far-reaching business venture before and I was in a great fucking mood about where I was directing my cartel.

I leaned back in my leather chair and rubbed my chin, gazing out the wide open windows into the dark. I could hear the gentle rustling of the palms on my property and the lapping ocean beyond that. The moon shone on the glassy, black surface of the water. There wasn't much going on, but I felt like celebrating.

I sat up straight and grabbed my cane, which had been propped against my desk, and exited my office. A few of my men waited outside the door in formation and wordlessly followed me as I strode down the hall, my cane tapping a steady tempo. Even in the safety of my own home, I had protection detail 24/7, as well as patrols on my property.

I made it to the huge, vaulted foyer of my mansion, descending down my side of the dual staircase, and was caught off guard at seeing my daughter Kapriya standing by the front door. She was dressed in a purple tracksuit with matching hair, twirling an unlit blunt in between her fingers. Her gaze landed on me at the same time, rounding slightly.

Though we lived together, we almost never saw each other unless I sought her out for business. When I had decided to move after my wife Condra and my sister were killed, I let Kapriya choose the house we currently lived in. She had loved the Mediterranean carved archways of the house and the big common spaces with white walls, plants, and eye-catching tiles. It wasn't the most locked-down type of architecture that would've been ideal, but my daughter had begged for the house and I relented, since she was the new future of my organization. I wanted her to be comfortable as I raised her to follow in my footsteps and the mansion was big enough to have the distance I needed to work unhindered by my kids. I took the east wing of the mansion and Kapriya and my son Jamarico grew up in the west wing, before it became Kapriya's fully once my bitch ass son had dipped.

The waterfront property spanned two-thirds of an acre and I'd secured it with tall gates and a security system, as well as the patrols. I'd made sure the courtyards and lawns resembled a manicured jungle with flowers, shrubs, and tons of leafy palms to obscure the house and block anyone from seeing what was going on, even from the air and especially from the vantage point of the ocean.

The spaciousness made it unusual for Kapriya and I to run into each other, but then again she wasn't usually standing around the house looking like she was up to shit.

My eyes flicked to the three cartel members standing silently behind her, who served as her protection, then back to her. I saw the underlying uncertainty behind her eyes.

"'Sup wit'chu? Why's it lookin' like a party by my front door?" I questioned, my voice echoing in the open space.

I saw Kapriya's men shift nervously in my periphery as I came to stand in front of her.

"I'm having someone over for dinner, Vos. There ain't no party," Kapriya replied in a bored voice.

I had to hand it to her, my daughter had bigger balls than any other nigga I knew, apart from myself. But then again, I'd raised her that way. I knew what it took to get to the top and earn lasting respect. A nigga had to work his ass off and stay focused, and black women were no exception. No jits of mine, male or female, would fear another soul in these streets and my intent was to have every Stone successful and feared. Kapriya showed great potential but what pissed me off about her was she acted like she knew it all and our success was already in the bag. She had no idea the hustling and killing didn't stop. It couldn't stop if we wanted to remain on top of the food chain and become absolutely untouchable. Most times it felt like I was the only nigga willing to do what was necessary to ensure all of our wealth and power didn't crumble at our feet. And it easily could at any moment. Shit wasn't sweet and the game wasn't for the weak. Kapriya needed to be on her toes at all times, like when she'd first hit the streets as a teenager. She'd become too pampered and spoiled, and that shit wasn't gonna fly.