Love Games

04|| Smurf vs Everyone

⚡️Easton

The buzzing of my phone jolts me awake. I lazily toss an arm over Kayla to grab my phone. Falling onto my back, I squeeze my eyes shut against the invading sunlight. "What?" I growl into the phone.

"We need to talk."

"Rob, what the hell? It's 6 in the morning."

"Look, you want this information or not?"

"Who you talking to?"

"Woah, East, I'm just saying this is important," he corrects himself.

"Call Drew; he can relay the message. Don't bother me unless they're about to kick my door in," I growl. "You got it?" I ensure he heard me before he hangs up with an "Alright, man."

I immediately stand up, ready to leave. "Where you going?" Kayla asks.

I glance back at her. "My crib. Your mattress is hard as hell," I mutter, getting dressed.

Sitting up, she protests, "My mattress is not hard," as the springs creak beneath her.

I snicker. "Yeah, well, my back has a different story to tell," I say, walking out.

She follows. "You never invite me to your house, so just deal with it. Or buy me a new one."

"I see you when I see you," I reply, walking out as she locks the door behind me.

After leaving Kayla's place, I head home, my mind already shifting to the day's challenges. The sensation of hot water running down my back is a welcome escape from the early morning chaos. Wrapped in a towel, I grab my phone to the sound of its insistent buzzing – Jo calling.

"East, we got the package from where Mark left it. Everything's stashed safely," Jo reports, his voice carrying a tone of assurance.

"Great. Meet me at the car dealership's meeting room later this afternoon. We need a gang meeting," I instruct, already plotting the next moves in my head.

Once off the call, I make my way to the dealership, the familiar scent of leather and polished metal hitting me as I step inside. Drew and my dad are already there, discussing something over a stack of papers. Drew, noticing my arrival, shoots me a nod.

"Drew was just telling me about Rob's call. Tia's putting in a request to subpoena phone records," my dad updates me.

I lean against the hood of a sleek car, absorbing the gravity of the situation. "I'm not worried," I state confidently.

Drew raises an eyebrow. "Why not? This could be trouble."

I smirk. "I've got VPNs on all our devices, separate work and personal phones, and the phone isn't even in my name. It's under someone else's. All roads won't lead to me."

Drew's skepticism lingers, but I can see a flicker of relief in his eyes.

As we gather around the polished table, Jo flips through reports, the rustle of paper filling the room. Josh leans back in his chair, sharing updates on shipments and potential expansion areas. The boardroom becomes a stage where we seamlessly blend the mundane with the dangerous, an orchestrated performance honed through years of clandestine operations.

Jo looks up from the reports, meeting my gaze. "East, we've been tracking the latest trends, and it seems the demand for the Blue Haze batch is spiking."