*Leo*
I wasn’t a man who liked to run errands. Hell, I had people for that.
But when Bianca gave one of those sweet, almost pleading looks, I found myself pulling on my jacket and heading out the door.
It was just a quick trip, she’d said.
A simple request for so fancy ice cream—her new craving, of course. The strange things a pregnant woman wants, but I wasn’t about to argue.
If I did, she’d give that pout that made my heart lt. Depending on her hormone levels, she might burst into tears, and I couldn’t have that.
At the convenience store, I browsed through the coolers. She gave a very specific description of what she wanted: vanilla with the right amount of caral swirls, organic, and no artificial flavor.
Because if Bianca didn’t get exactly what she asked for, she’d send back out with that “you should know better” look.
There was plain vanilla, caral swirl with chocolate, caral and pecan. There was a caral ice cream for every day of the week.
And since when did they make organic ice cream?
Keeping a pregnant woman happy was not easy.
I found her brand and the flavor that t all her expectations and tucked a carton under my arm.
It would all be worth it when I brought her this ice cream and her eyes lit up and she looked at like I was the only man in the world.
I lived for those monts and if a little ice cream was what it took to get one from Bianca, she could send out at 3 am and I’d do it.
I was headed back to the car when I collided with a tall, dark figure.
I scooped the ice cream into my arms like a football to protect it. The last thing I needed was to smash it all over myself.
Damn! That was close.
I’d have to go back to the store, cold and soggy, and get another carton. Short of dying or getting seriously maid, there was no valid excuse for not to return ho to Bianca without her ice cream.
“Sorry,” I muttered, steadying myself.
The hooded figure didn’t respond. They brushed past , moving just a bit too quickly, their shoulder knocking into mine harder than necessary.
“Fine! Watch where you’re going!” I shook my fist at their back as they headed down the busy street. So much for courtesy.
I touched my shoulder where they bumped . There was sothing chalky on my jacket. I pulled my hand back and rubbed my fingers together.
White powder?
Hooded figures and white powder... that wasn’t suspicious at all.
This wasn’t a high drug area, and what kind of dealer walked around with their stuff so exposed it could brush on soone’s jacket?
I groaned and shook my head. Okay, maybe I was jumping to conclusions because of my work.
It would have been pretty careless for a dealer... then again, it seed too coincidental. Maybe it wasn’t careless at all...
I looked around, but the person was already gone. I frowned, instinctively looking around to see if I could catch sight of them again.
Nothing. The street was busy, people moving in all directions, none of them a tall, hooded figure.
My gut twisted. I wasn’t a fan of coincidences. The universe didn’t work that way, not when I was involved.
Sothing about this whole encounter felt off. It was like they’d been waiting for outside the store.
Too perfect of a setup.
Without a second thought, I followed the path I saw the figure take, weaving through the crowd, eyes scanning for any sign of movent.
I saw joggers, power walkers, pedestrians, and shoppers but no one in a dark hoodie.
They were gone.
I wasn’t sure what to make of it yet, but I wasn’t about to ignore the suspicious nature of these events.
Pulling out my phone, I headed to my car. I was just about to start the engine when the phone rang. It was Franky.
Like he was reading my mind.
“I was just about to call. What’s up?” I answered, still trying to shake the feeling that I was missing sothing.
“We’ve got a problem,” Franky’s voice was sharp and tense.
I leaned back in my seat. “What kind of problem?”
“The kind where things go sideways, Leo. The Angels are backing out of the treaty.”
“Why would they do that? Do they rember we killed their leader?” I asked tersely.
“I did remind them of that,” Franky said with a dark chuckle. “They’re refusing to sign, and it looks like we’ve got a new head calling the shots.”
I felt my stomach drop. The treaty was supposed to solidify our position with the Angels and prevent any more mutual setbacks. It was practically in the bag since Andre was out of the picture.
No one in their ranks had the balls to stand up to or take charge the way Andre had.
So why were they pulling out now? And what the hell did Franky an by “new head?”
“Who the hell is this new leader? Do we know him? Because the rest of them were ready to piss their pants in my presence after Andre died.” I demanded, already reaching for the envelope of papers I kept tucked under my seat.
If there was sothing I needed to know about the Angels, it was critical that I knew it yesterday.
“They’ve been keeping it quiet,” Franky explained, his voice low. “But we’ve been hearing whispers—word on the street is that the Angels are getting deeper into sothing darker. There’s been a surge in the market. A new product. ‘Snow.’”
“Snow?” I repeated. My mind imdiately went back to the powder.
“Yeah. Snow. New variant. And our business is taking a sizable hit because of it.”
“Define sizable. Do we need to be worried?”
Franky sighed on the other line. “Possibly. They’ve been flooding the streets with it for weeks now. Our numbers and projections aren’t looking great.”
“And the Angels are behind this new line? Are you sure? How could they put all that together while dealing with the fallout of Andre’s death?” None of this made sense or we would have seen it coming.
“Most of the new stuff is coming from so guy calling himself ‘Jack Frost.’”
I froze, my fingers curling around the wheel. “Jack Frost?”
“Yeah. Cute, right? But this guy’s not playing around. He’s been taking over, pushing the Angels to do business his way.”
“Has he made direct contact with us? Is there a possibility that Jack Frost is the new leader?” I threw my questions at Franky in rapid fire.
“Hey, you know what I know. I’m looking into it and I’ll update you as I learn more.”
A new drug. A new leader of the Angels we knew nothing about. And a new dealer. This ‘Jack Frost’ guy sounded like he was going to cause so trouble.
That was the last thing I needed right now. I needed to know more.
I sighed and looked out the driver’s side window. Sun glinted off sothing on my jacket.
Like freshly fallen snow, specs of white powder glittered on the fabric.
I swiped my finger across the powder and stuck it in my mouth.
Cold and bitter, almost tallic.
I felt the blood drain from my face. I knew what it was before the taste even settled. ‘Snow.’ That’s what Franky had called it.
I rolled my window down and spit it out on the pavent. The taste lingered and I spit again.
I grabbed my water bottle from the center console and took a big swig. I swished it around and spit again.
That was better.
Now I was sure this wasn’t a coincidence. Soone was sending a ssage.
“I’ve got to go, Franky. I’ll deal with it. You’re right about one thing—this Jack Frost... I need to find out everything I can about him.”
“Leo, you okay?” Franky asked.
I hung up without answering and hopped out of the car, slamming the door shut. I wasn’t going to let this go.
The Angels weren’t going to get away with screwing us! Not after all the shit they pulled.
I turned and walked toward the store again. I didn’t know what I was looking for exactly, but I was sure as hell going to find sothing.
As I walked through the aisles, trying to ignore the weight in my chest, I couldn’t shake the feeling sothing had shifted.
I was no longer hunting down business deals and treaties. I was hunting sothing much more dangerous now. Sothing that could derail everything I had worked for.
When I got back to the front door, the clerk waved at .
“Can I help you find sothing else, Sir?”
I half-smiled back and shook my head.
He glanced at the security cara over the door.
Right, he probably thought I was casing the joint for a robbery.
“I thought I dropped my keys...” I patted my pockets and my keys jingled. I held them up. “Oh, well, here they are.” I shook them back and forth.
The clerk nodded and turned back to his computer.
As I tucked my keys away, I glanced out the full glass-paned door at the busy sidewalk.
My eyes caught a quick flash. It wasn’t much, but between the pedestrians across the street, I caught sight of sothing out of place.
I didn’t know who it was, but I recognized the familiar posture: hunched over, hood low. The sa damned person I’d bumped into earlier.
My blood ran cold.
I took off, pushing my way through the crowd. “Move!” I demanded.
“So rude,” an old woman muttered.
“Get ahold of yourself,” a man shouted after .
I ignored them, focused on that hooded figure. By the ti I made it through the crowd, he was gone again, of course.
Did I really expect anything different? I was being taunted.
I searched the imdiate area.
Nothing out of place. Nothing to indicate more Snow lying around.
This guy wasn’t lurking around as a dealer. He was here because I was here. Everything he did was on purpose.
That little stunt with running into and brushing my jacket with Snow. That was his way of telling there was a new competitor in town and he was coming after my empire.
I kicked the curb. “I’m coming for you, ‘Jack Frost!’” I hissed. “Next ti, show your own face instead of sending so flunky.”
Whatever this new guy was peddling, it wasn’t good. Sending this hooded guy after was a power move.
And I wasn’t about to ignore it.
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