Page 93 of All In

“I’ll alert the necessary parties,” his uncle continued. “And I’ll call Malik.” Najee went still.

He hadn’t heard his father’s name in months. Hadn’t spoken to him in even longer. His uncle must have heard the shift in his breathing. “I know you don’t want him involved. Najee said nothing. “But this is bigger than you, son.” The words landed harder than he expected.

“Your father is resourceful, he can pull traffic cameras, toll records, city surveillance, red-light footage, private security feeds.” Najee closed his eyes. Because of course he could. There wasn’t much that happened in Philadelphia that Malik Amin-Rashid couldn’t find if he decided it was worth finding.“Between Malik and the brothers, we’ll find him,” his uncle said. The certainty in his voice was absolute. “Don’t worry son.” A pause. Then, he spoke again.

“He’s not leaving this city alive.”

CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR

CASH

Cash hadn’t said much since the fitting.

Truthfully, nobody had. The second Najee told them Marcus had been sitting outside that school watching Max, the whole room changed. The wedding, the fitting, even the tension between him and Najee. None of that shit mattered anymore. Everybody got in formation.

Koi started making calls before Najee even finished talking. Montana immediately called Syxe and had her, Micah, Imani, and Sevynne taken to Abington. Newdy stepped outside for less than five minutes. Whatever call he made must’ve reached God himself because by the time he walked back inside, all five families knew what was going on. Then Monty raised the bounty.One million dollars.Cash.No questions asked. For that kind of money, a nigga’s own mother would turn him in.

Now they were riding back toward Abington in silence. Cash sat in the passenger seat watching the road blur past the window while Najee drove. His cousin hadn’t said much either. Which somehow worried Cash more. Because Najee wasn’t built like him. Cash was a killer. Najee wasn’t. Cash was used to exterminating niggas like Marcus. But when Najee got quiet, shit got dark.

His quiet was always worse. “Ayo.” Najee didn’t look over. “What?”

“Pull over.” Najee frowned. “Why?”

“Just pull the fuck over.” For a second it looked like he was about to argue.

Instead, he hit the blinker and eased the truck onto the shoulder.

The second the vehicle stopped, silence filled the cabin again. Cash looked over. Najee was staring straight ahead. Jaw tight. Hands gripping the steering wheel. Then he finally spoke. “He called him the monster.” His words came out low and broken. Cash didn’t say anything. Najee swallowed hard. “You should’ve seen their faces.” His voice cracked. “The fear.”

Cash looked away. Because he knew exactly what he meant. He’d seen that fear before. Seen it in Jackie the night Marcus put his hands on her at the club. Najee scrubbed a hand over his face. “Jackie told me Marcus never put his hands on Max.” His jaw tightened. “But Max saw it.”

The words hung between them. “He saw what Marcus did to her.” Cash felt something ugly settle in his chest. Because children always saw more than people thought they did. Always.Najee stared through the windshield. “He called him a Monster though.” This time his voice was barely above a whisper. “Max aint scared of much.” His laugh was short and humorless. But he’s terrified of Marcus.”

For a long moment neither of them spoke. Then Najee looked down at his hands.

“The worst part of it all, is Max had to carry this alone all week.” The words sounded like they physically hurt him. “And I had no idea.” Cash looked away. Because for the first time since this whole thing started, he finally understood what Jackie meant to Najee. Not just Jackie, but Max too. And suddenly none of the jealousy shit even mattered anymore. Cash let out a slow breath and dragged his tongue across the inside of his cheek. “Well, you know what we do to monsters, cuz. Najeedidn’t answer, but his hand tightened around the steering wheel. Cash kept his eyes fixed through the windshield.

“Same thing we do to snakes.”

His voice stayed calm. Matter of fact.

“We cut their fuckin’ heads off.”

Najee’s jaw flexed once. The pulse in his temple jumped, but he still didn’t speak.

The truck went quiet. Neither man needed to say anything else. The decision had already been made the second Marcus stepped outside that school. Cash finally turned his head and looked at his cousin. “Don’t even trip.” His jaw locked. “Marcus is a dead man.”

CHAPTER SIXTY-FIVE

JACKIE

The truck didn’t feel like a truck…it felt like a tank.

The doors were thicker than anything she’d ever seen. The windows looked black from the outside and barely transparent from the inside. Radios crackled up front, followed by low conversations she couldn’t quite make out. She sat in the rear seat with Max stretched across her lap, clutching his tablet, his Spider-Man pajamas wrinkled from the ride. Every now and then he shifted against her lap, and Jackie tightened her hold without even realizing it. She couldn’t stop thinking about breakfast. The way his little face had crumpled. The tears. The absolute certainty in his voice when he’d said he’d seen Marcus. His name alone made her stomach turn.How had she missed it? How had she not known something was wrong? A mother was supposed to always know.She replayed every pickup, every drop-off, every conversation, every hug, every smile, searching for anything she’d overlooked. Some sign. Some clue. Anything. The guilt sat heavy in her chest. Worse than that was the thought she couldn’t shake.MJ.Jackie knew Marcus like the back of her hand, and she knew he hadn’t shown up at that school for Max. Not really. Marcus knew exactly what he was doing. And if he’d taken MJ with him…Jackie squeezed her eyes shut.God, please protect my son.

Silence settled over the truck, heavy with the presence of armed men. Professional killers. Men trained to spot dangerbefore it appeared. One sat on either side of her. Neither spoke much, nor looked nervous. It was almost like transporting frightened women and children was just another Tuesday morning. Jackie swallowed hard and looked back out the window. The city disappeared first, then the traffic, then the neighborhoods. Until eventually the truck rolled through a set of wrought-iron gates so large they looked like they belonged outside a government building. Her eyes widened. “Where are we?” she murmured. The estate stretched farther than she could see, stone walls, manicured grounds, security cameras, guard stations, and armed men were positioned strategically throughout the property.

The truck didn’t simply drive onto the grounds. It stopped twice at separate checkpoints. Each time guards approached, credentials were checked, and the gates opened only after verification. By the time they reached the main house, Jackie wasn’t sure she’d ever seen this much security in one place outside of television. The mansion itself looked less like a home and more like something important enough to be protected by its own army. The truck finally came to a stop. One of the men beside her opened the door. “We’re here, ma’am.” Jackie nodded. Her legs felt unsteady when she stepped out.