AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He sighed wearily, “Pierre is back.”
“Why wouldn’t he tell me he’s back in town when we spoke?”
“Pierre may be in bed with Brocco. He was the one who wanted my informant to tell me about Brazino’s planned ambush.” He touched my wrist. “Before you get angry, I wanted to do more digging to see how involved he was in the attack on us and Xavier. I know the hurt of a brother who betrays you, and you have already lost Xavier. I wanted to spare you from it if I could.”
I held my churning stomach, my thoughts swirling of Pierre’s possible treachery. Yet, I knew that Gavin still withheld information from me. “The morning at your house, you were about to tell me something. What was it?”
He shook his head ruefully. “You would ask me now with the shit I just laid on you.”
“What does that mean?”
“One thing you’ll never say about me is that I’m a liar. It won’t start now, even if I lose you.”
I stepped closer to him, my heart clenching painfully as I waited for him to speak.
“Our wedding night, I saw the resolve and determination in your eyes to be a good and dutiful wife. You made the ultimate sacrifice for your family and would honor me because I would protect you and them. I also saw the doubt. The woman I fell in love with had nothing but trust, certainty, and love for me. You never doubted me. I realized then I couldn’t continue the marriage. I’d been selfish in forcing your hand when you made it clear that you couldn’t forgive me for Cain. I believed that the love we used to have was enough to make you love me again. I was so very wrong. As you willingly gave yourself to me that night, I realized I want you to want this marriage. I thought I had time to get you to love me before we married because I wanted you to willingly want to marry me over and over again. Not as an obligation or as a way to save your family. Just Storm St. James wanting the love of her life to be her husband to have and to hold from this day forward.” A slow tear ran down my cheek. “So this morning, I’ll tell you what I wanted to that morning.”
“No.” Feeling walls caving in, I shouted, “It’s too late anyway. I don’t want to know.”
“Yes. You do. And if you don’t want to know, you need to know this.” We were facing each other across from the small island in the kitchen. “I don’t want a marriage like this. The passion is there, the partnership is there, but the type of love that made Romeo not want to live without his Juliet is the only love I want in my wife. I respect that you no longer feel that way about me, and I don’t want you to stay with me out of familial obligation.
That morning, I wanted to suggest that we have separate bedrooms and pretend to the world we were happy until enough time passed to quietly divorce. Now, the reasons for us to be married don’t exist anymore. Brazino is dead. You will be able to run St. James as you want. Once I confess to the commission, Pierre no longer has to be on the run. I will handle Brocco so he’s no longer a threat, although I suspect the target was always me, and you were collateral damage. And after hearing your success yesterday, you don’t need me to protect you anymore. We can go our separate ways and be thankful we made it this far.”
Tears burned behind my eyes as I whispered, “You don’t want to be married to me anymore?”
He tilted his head and admitted. “We were never married.”
My legs buckled. “What?”
“Brocco had the pastor killed before he filed the papers and nixed the public announcement. That’s why he could go after Xavier without fear of retribution.” He reached for my hand. “I know it’s a lot to digest, but you’re free. Free to live how you want to live. Free....to...fall in love...with a man who’d never hurt you like I did.”
I stared deep into his ocean-blue eyes, unable to grasp that I was free. He was letting me go. My new cell rang, and only a few people had this number.
He released my hand. “You need to take it. I have phone calls to make.” I watched him retreat to the office in our home...or his home if we weren’t married. Every step he took away from me was a nail in the coffin of our love saga.
I finally answered, “What’s up, Sunny?”
“Get here, Storm. I have good news.”
“We can’t just talk by phone. I was headed to Oasis.” I didn’t have it in me to be around any reminders of my brothers.
“Naw, Sis. Need to stop by here first.”
I looked toward the closed door of the office. “Alright. On my way.” As much as I wanted to fight for Gavin and for us, I couldn’t deny that I needed to step away from it all and process my emotions and my heart. I needed to know for sure I wanted to marry Gavin on my own terms and not because of my family.
Chapter 16
Gavin
I flopped down in my chair, my heart feeling full of lead. I told her the truth, and it was up to Storm to decide if she wanted to be with me. When I heard the front door closed, I shut my eyes. Fighting the pain of losing her hurt more than my brother’s betrayal. I steeled myself for the conversation with Enzo. Not that I was afraid of him. I had nothing to lose even if he ordered my death himself. I wanted to ensure the leadership of our family in Brooklyn would continue to be prosperous and benefit our family and the commission. I also wanted to ensure that Storm St. James and her crew wouldn’t fear the commission moving into Harlem. After our conversation, I would focus on finding Pierre and finding out his truth before deciding to end him or save him for the sake of his sister’s heart.
I drummed my knuckles against my desk until Enzo greeted me. “Cuz. It’s been a month. I don’t take it kindly to not check in with me. I hope this call means you’ve solved the rift in the family so I can stay out of it.”
“I wish that was the nature of my call. I’m hoping I can resolve it after our conversation.”
“I’m listening.”
“I have two requests. I want to go before the commission and tell them I killed Brazino. He came after me and my family, and I killed him. I only left because my woman was in danger, and I didn’t know who to trust. Brazino confessed before I ended him that Brocco ordered the hit.”
