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“I missed you already and wanted to take you to a late lunch.”
With twinkling eyes, she asked, “Don’t you have a job?”
He held me tighter. “I can’t seem to focus like I need to. Brocco accused me of being soft because of love. I don’t know if I’m softer, but I do know I carry more burdens and fears that something will happen to you. My father died less than thirty minutes after we shared breakfast, and I left him to start my day. It fucks with me that maybe if I wasn’t rushing off to some real estate deal or potential star, I could have stayed longer and could’ve saved him.” Gavin’s sigh contained so much hurt and unresolved guilt. “I can’t eat pancakes and bacon anymore.”
I kissed his chin. “You can’t operate in fear. We live this life courageously and boldly, as we’ve always had. Yes, the stakes are higher because you’ll soon have a wife and family to protect. We will remain vigilant, secure, and remember that it’s our destiny.”
He looked down at me. “Our love or this life?”
“Time will tell if it’s both.” I eased from under his arms. “Let’s go eat in the hotel restaurant. The chef makes a mean oxtail and rice dish.”
He let me lead him to the restaurant, and though I didn’t say anything, I understood his fears. When we were together before, our lives weren’t in constant threat. Now, we could be attacked from any angle and had to be ready for war or die. I’d punched Melachi because I was already on edge from knowing someone unscheduled waited for me. After the visit from Brazino, I knew he wouldn’t hesitate to make a move against my family.
Instead of the restaurant, I hit the elevator. We needed to be alone, and I needed Gavin to be honest about his plans for Brazino. We couldn’t truly talk unless we were alone. Gavin smiled when I pulled him into the elevator. I quickly shut him down. “Not going to fuck you. We need to talk. I need to know the plans.”
His gaze shuttered. “I can’t tell you.”
“Because you’re afraid I’ll go to Xavier,” I stated.
“Can you honestly tell me if your brother asks you what’s happening inside my walls, you’ll keep quiet?”
“Gavin, we have to start trusting each other again at some point. If I can keep what happened to Cain between us, then why do you doubt my word?”
He bumped the back of his head slightly against the elevator wall. “Alright. We’ll talk and order food once we’re in the suite.”
I looked at him. “Think we need to push up the marriage. A month is too far out.”
“No. We’ll keep the date originally set. It looks more like it’s arranged if we hurry and get married. Our quick engagement already has people questioning us. We love each other and we’ll show the world it’s real.” The glint in his eyes told me he purposely said what he said since there were cameras in the elevator.
He reached for my hand and tugged me into his arms. I willingly went into them and held tight. as much as I didn’t like that he would be my husband, I couldn’t deny that I never felt safer than within his arms.
Chapter 6
Gavin
Aqua Records was my baby and a division of the parent Intergalactic Studio. I negotiated a fifty-million-dollar deal over three years to discover and cultivate new talent into rising stars. I loved all genres of music, and I had an ear for it. The mafia always had strong ties with the entertainment world. I grew up around studios and music production because of my family ties. I was the only one who wanted to start my own label. Before my position in the DeLuca family took another trajectory, Aqua Records was supposed to be my legacy. Not being a Don.
Brocco had steadfastly focused on the family business, noting which neighborhoods earned us money and which were costly. Which neighborhoods were more violent and why. Who we could recruit as soldiers and who wasn’t fit. He negotiated with politicians to look the other way as we sold massive quantities of drugs at a lower cost than our competitors because my father had secured a direct connect in Columbia that had managed to avoid the radar of the CIA, DEA, and FBI. Then, we used home redesigns and some of my property sales to clean the money.
Right after I met Storm, I’d been allowed to do some work at Intergalactic Studios after selling them property. The executives had been impressed with my skill and knowledge of the expensive New York Market. They also recognized the DeLuca name and would rather operate with me under their wings than as a potential enemy. I became super focused and established myself as a producer. Then, when my father died, and I was appointed Don, my responsibilities took me away from my passion and my own path.
I still struggled juggling two hats since Brocco had taken a step back from making decisions and sulked most days. I had to find a way to get him more involved so I could spend more time in this office. I leaned back in my leather chair and swiveled around to stare out the window at my office based in Red Hook, where I had an unobstructed view of Lady Liberty. My family immigrated to this country centuries ago. I still breathe my Italian heritage as I embrace my American legacy. Just sitting here with the statue looming in the distance, I could revel in my victories and not think about the constant threat to my loved ones’ lives. As a producer, I could escape my mafia crime world and be a creator, bringing joy and happiness instead of death and grief. At least most days until people tried to pull bullshit like the appointment I had today with my latest talent.
My pretty and competent assistant, Connie, knocked on the door and opened it slightly. “Gavin, Lil Tate, and his crew are here to see you.”
“Is his manager apart of the crew?”
“Yes.”
“Then send them in.” I stood and walked around my desk to greet my latest star. He was a twenty-two-year-old with fire in his belly and heart that had taken rap by storm. Always ready to battle and rhyme with the best of them, he’d built a reputation through TikTok and YouTube. His debut album last year made Aqua Records even wealthier. He walked into my office, dapper in a gray fitted suit instead of his usual jeans and hoodie. His manager, a shyster older man who refused to let Lil Tate out of his contract because of some clause that a young man from the streets like Lil Tate couldn’t possibly understand, followed with his cell cocked to his ear. The other two men who accompanied Lil Tate were his friends and bodyguards. Lil Tate used to be in the streets. Probably still had one foot in the door. Hard to completely escape your neighborhood ills when you still lived there. Once his men settled in the corners of the room, and he and Stan, his manager, sat down, I clapped my hands proudly. “Congrats on your latest number one.”
The brown-skinned husky man with more tatts on his face and neck than I had grinned, displaying his gold grill. “Thanks, Gav. You told me to go with that one, and you were right.”
I perched on the edge of my desk, and we shook hands. “I did. But I know you didn’t come this far to tell me something you could’ve told me on the phone.”
Stan interjected, “Listen, Gav.”
“Mr. DeLuca.” I corrected.
