They led the Dirty South’s most infamous crew. One became a rap superstar. One ruled the streets. But when the king comes back hard for his throne, who will be left standing?   Life couldn’t get better for the Crescent Crew. With an exclusive Mexican pipeline, they’ve got the Southern drug trade on lock. Former founder Qwess is leveraging rap superstardom to break the music industry’s commercial stranglehold. And former leader Reece is fresh off a five-year prison bid—and out to forever secure the Crew’s dominance. But as Reece is working a brutal vendetta, a Crew mutiny will drag him back into all-out street war. Now, between the ambitious young Crew and ruthless OG Reece, only one can live to reign . . .   Praise for THE CRESCENT CREW SERIES   “Shaun Sinclair taps into the new code and DNA of black and urban life in America, where there’s one foot in the rap game and another foot still out in the mean and hungry streets of capitalism.” —Omar Tyree, New York Times bestselling author and creator of The American Disease ebook series   “A bone-chilling tale that will keep the readers longing for more, while revaluating every choice they make.” —NeNe Capri, author of The G Street Chronicles Shaun Sinclair is the author of Sex Mogul , Forbidden , and Skin Deep , a series of gangsterotica that seamlessly blends crime fiction with erotica. A native of Atlantic Beach, South Carolina, the Army veteran worked as a law clerk for six years and now uses his experiences to make his stories pop with authenticity. He is also a contributor to the legendary Don Diva Magazine, where he mixes social commentary with his love for hip-hop culture. Connect online at ShaunSinclair.com. King Reece By Shaun Sinclair KENSINGTON PUBLISHING CORP. Copyright © 2019 Shaun Sinclair All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-4967-2108-2 CHAPTER 1 April 19, 2009 The tinted-out Suburban skated down the gritty North Carolina street en route to its destination. In back, a man clad in all black checked the rounds in a magazine then slammed it in the butt of his AR-15 assault rifle. Next, he readjusted the infrared beam mounted on the weapon's barrel and clicked it to make sure it was working. Satisfied that his weapon was ready, he radioed the two Suburbans trailing him. They reported that they were loaded and ready to go as well. "We ready," the man said to his driver. The driver gunned the engine, and the heavy SUV rocketed forward. Moments later, all hell broke loose as three trucks skidded to a halt in front of a duplex. Children across the street watched with mouths agape as man after man exited the trucks in all black carrying big guns. The first two men carried a battering ram, which they slammed into the front door of the duplex without warning, exploding the heavy door off its hinges. As the door crashed into the wall, the men swarmed inside like killer bees with their assault rifles leading the way. They were met with immediate resistance as the first two men to rush through the door were tagged in the chest by heavy gunfire. Their bulletproof vests prevented death, but the impact blew them back through the door for a reluctant retreat. The army of men behind them regrouped and charged again. This time they were more careful. They rushed through the door and quickly dispatched the resisters with two shots to the chest. Then they cleared the rest of the house in under a minute, pouring into room after room until they were sure the only people inside were their victims lying on the floor gasping for breath. The leader of the federal assault team stood over one of the men and aimed the barrel of the rifle at his melon. "Just tell us where he's at, and you can go," he said calmly. Meanwhile, the other men posted up at the windows of the home with their weapons ready. "You wasting time, man. You gonna bleed out. Come on, what's it gonna be?" he prodded. "You gonna tell us or what? We know he was here earlier. Right here in this very damn house! Now you tell us, or we gonna toss this muthafuckin' house up while you bleed to death." The federal agents had invaded this town on a tip. They had good reason to believe that the number one man on their Most Wanted list had just been in this very house moments ago. They had been pursuing him for nearly half a decade, and they were finally closing in on him. They refused to let him escape this time. "What's it gonna be?" the agent asked one last time. For a response, the man simply held out his left hand. "Listen good, because these will be the last words you hear," the man named Muhammad began. "There is nothing you can do to me that would make me feel worse than betraying my leader." He opened his hand to reveal a grenade. The masked man's eyes fell on the grenade. "Whoa ... wait a minute. Calm down," he pleaded after seeing the explosive. "Put that thing away now. Close your hand back over it real slow," he instructed, backing away. He removed his mask to reveal