“What?” Royal growls.
“I did not,” Duke says, pushing past Gloria and Colt.
“You said tonight was as good a time to get rid of me as—”
I break off, my gaze moving from his unmarked jaw to his hoodie, which he’s wearing, to his leg, which has no blood on it.
“Ohhh,” he says slowly, nodding.
“Baron,” Crystal says, glancing around.
“Right,” I say, feeling stupid. I almost forget they’re identical because I know them so well, it’s easy to tell them apart. I should have fucking known. From the moment he grabbed me, when he didn’t smell like beer and weed, something went off in my brain, but I was too busy fighting for my life to register it. It should have taken more than a change of clothes and losing the glasses for him to fool me.
Guess I’m the sucker.
“Where is he, anyway?” Duke asks.
“I knocked him out in the hall,” I say.
“Well, he’s not there now,” Mr. Delacroix says.
“Then we probably need to get out of here,” I say. “This is his operation. He’s going to be pissed that we all busted in on it.”
“If he hasn’t already notified the cops,” Colt says. “To tell them the Delacroixs are cooking with the Pearl Lady down here.”
“But it wasn’t us,” Gideon says.
“It’s on our property,” Mr. Delacroix says. “If it’s our word against the Dolces, you know what the judge will rule.”
“Because the judges are all bought off,” I say, nodding.
“We should get out of here,” Mr. Delacroix says.
“What about all this?” King asks, nodding at the drugs on the table. “Want a cut?”
“No,” Mr. Delacroix says. “That’s dirty money.”
I remember Preston calling it blood money. I guess he got his principles from the Delacroix side of the family.
“The cops will confiscate it,” Duke says, crossing his arms and surveying the room. “All Baron’s hard work.”
“He has the plans for the design,” Royal says. “And the recipe. It’s in a briefcase in the dining area.”
“I’ll grab it on the way out,” Duke says.
“Or,” I say. “We can burn it all before the cops get here.”
They stare at me for a second.
“You know how much money is in this room?” Duke asks.
“Don’t care,” I say. I once thought money was everything, but now I know better. I’d rather have none than use the Dolce’s dirty money. I’ve already benefited enough from it. It’s not just blood money. It’s a whole fucking operation, a huge kitchen full of equipment for mixing and cooking the shit. It’s an entire blood empire that started with Baron’s experiment to find a drug that would help Duke keep it up when he was drunk so he and Baron could double-team girls. Now, it’s boxes of candy with bags of drugs nestled underneath, shipping all over the country.
I’ve seen what that shit did to my mom. I think of all the other parents and kids who will be lost to it, and I have zero interest in contributing to their end.
“Someone’s going to control the drug scene,” Duke says. “Might as well make some money.”
“You sound exactly like him,” I say, nodding to their dad.