Page 104 of Collateral Love

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“We don’t turn on each other without proof,” I said.

Xavier looked at me.

“I’m not turning,” he replied. “I’m checking the math.”

Kenya’s voice echoed in my head like a warning.

Math doesn’t care who you love.

I stared down at the subpoena.

Then I lifted my head.

“Alright,” I said. “Then we do what Kenya would do.”

I looked at Joel.

“Build the box,” I ordered.

Joel nodded.

I looked at Xavier.

“Check every variable,” I said.

Xavier’s eyes stayed on Miles.

“I already started,” he said.

I looked at Channy.

“Get your legal armor on,” I told her. “And don’t speak to anybody without me or X present.”

Channy nodded, face set.

Then I looked at Miles.

And smiled like a man who hadn’t decided what kind of lesson was coming yet.

“Miles,” I said, voice calm, “you gon’ keep being helpful.”

Miles nodded quickly. “Of course.”

I leaned closer, letting my tone drop into something that sounded like kindness but felt like a warning.

“Good,” I said. “Because we're about to find out who's really on our side and who's just been standing close enough to cut us.”

And somewhere in the city, Charles was probably smiling, thinking he’d turned the board upside down.

He didn’t know the truth yet.

Kenya and I had trained ourselves for this kind of war before we ever had money.

Before we ever had marble.

Before we ever had children.

And I wasn’t going to kill Charles yet.

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