LUCIOUS & COOKIE: TUG OF WAR (REMASTERED)

SMELL THE ROSES

Seated behind my desk, I'm going over a few documents for Hakeem and Tianna's new tour. When they presented the idea to me, I thought that it was a great one, so I'm all over finalizing every detail. Most venues have already sold out and Hakeem's album is steadily climbing the charts since its release.

Since the engagement, things between Lucious are actually better than they were in our younger days. I can't front, at first, I had my doubts about if he could change his spots, but he's been true to the words he offered me when he got outta jail and he's really proven that he's different.

Of course, he's still as grouchy and grumpy as he's always been at times but the fact that he's trying to rebuild his relationships with the boys and spoiling the hell out of Laylah at every turn, I can't help but love him more and more with each passing day.

"Cookie, Cookie!" Carol howled, bursting into my office with panic written along her features.

"Carol, calm down what's going on?" I probed as she walked up next to me with a manila package in her hands.

"Cookie, we got problems. I need to talk to you alone for a second." She worriedly blurted while casting a glance towards Porsha, who's sitting next to Laylah on the sofa in the corner of the office scrolling through her phone, as usual.

"Porsha, take Laylah across the hall to Lucious for me, and then take the rest of the day off. I'll call if I need you." I instructed.

She grabbed her purse and Laylah's carrier then headed out the door, shutting it behind her as I turned back to my sister.

"Okay now Carol girl, what's going on?" Carol laid the package on my desk.

"This shit right here is what's going on Cooks." I lifted the package with no name or address on the outside.

"What the hell is this?" I asked.

"Open it." Carol chirped.

Lifting the seal on the package, I dumped the contents onto my desk and a rush of red rose pedals poured out.

I glanced over at my sister, a look of pure fear on her face as I reached inside to find a lonely white piece of paper within, with three words written on it.

"SMELL THE ROSES."

"Where'd you get this Carol?" I asked, sliding the pedals and the letter back into the package they came from.

Carol began to pace with her hand on her hips, "I told you I was going down to Philly to get the rest of me and the kid's stuff from out the old house and when I got there, THAT was sitting on the damn front porch. I don't know who put it there or how it got there, since we had Jamel handle Teddy McNally, but Cookie I'm telling you something is up. I don't know how Frank found out about what happened or that we were even involved, but you know this ain't good." She frantically spilled.

I rubbed my temples and shifted within my seat; my mind is tossing around a ton of ideas about this situation. This got Frank's ass all over it.

"What we gone do?" She frantically asked, finally taking a seat across from me.

Hell, I don't know my damn self.... only me, her, and Jamel knew about the hit we put on Teddy's ass but now suddenly Frank's Hannibal tha Cannibal ass, is sending us cryptic messages.

DAMN, things were just starting to come together and now my past is trying to haunt me.

I told Agent Carter that I had a feeling I was going to suffer badly if I testified against his ass in front of the Grand Jury. I knew the Fed's couldn't protect me and I know the game.