AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“What’s our move?”
“You tell me,” I suggested, wanting him to feel that I valued him and his opinion. I hated the distance between us that couldn’t be bridged. We grew up as tight as brothers, and he had been my protector. I used to believe he would take a bullet for me. Now, I wondered if he would celebrate my death instead.
“Don’t do me any favors when we both know that no matter what I say, if it doesn’t fit what you believe, you’re not doing it,” he wryly commented.
“Try me.”
“We take Brazino out; they’ll think Xavier St. James did it.”
“Then the commission will go after him,” I reasoned, keeping my tone level. Less than twenty-four hours of promising to keep her brother safe, we were already putting a bull's eye on his head.
“You think Xavier gives a fuck, especially if we offer him parts of the Manhattan we’ll inherit after Brazino’s death.”
“Xavier won’t live long enough to enjoy it. No way the mafia is going to allow an outsider to take out one of our own, run any part of Manhattan outside of Harlem, and live.”
“We do it after our families are joined. They can’t go after Xavier without pissing off DeLucas. Enzo believes in family and growth. We tell him our plans, and he’ll back us. Send in enforcements if needed. Brazino is destroying Manhattan anyway.”
I tugged on my beard, mulling his plan. “Agreed. We do this. We’re starting a war.”
“Never thought you were afraid of shit. Being a boss makes you weak, or maybe love makes you soft.”
“In a war, lives are lost. Even when we win, the carnage will be great. They’ll attack our families, too. We still don’t know for sure who took our father out, and I don’t want to lose any more of you.” I leaned against the edge of my desk. “We need to do this in a way to minimize loss of life because the motherfucker that just walked out of here ain’t go rest until I bow down to him, and that shit ain’t never gonna happen.”
“Then let’s go,” Brocco said with excitement, a tone I hadn’t heard since he learned that I would be handed the throne and not him.
“Let’s go.” I chuckled. “First, send a message. Get one of your thirsty, unknown soldiers to take out one of his men. Make it look like a robbery. Do it today. Keep Brazino on his toes, trying to figure out what the fuck is happening. Call me once it’s done.”
I’d just clicked off when Storm walked back in with two smoothies wearing the dress she’d worn the night before. “Trouble?”
I took one of the glasses from her and took a gulp. The sweet mixture of strawberry, mango, and bananas satisfied my stomach. “Still good. Always could make the best smoothies.” Storm had been the first woman to care about my diet. Although we were young, she cleaned up my love of junk food and alcohol to veggies and smoothies and social drinking. My lifestyle change prepared me for my new role before I’d inherited it. My mind and body stayed alert and ready.
“Of course.” She sipped. “You think Brazino bought our engagement?” She spread her hand to gawk at her ring. Storm was pleased with my choice, whether she’d admit it. I wanted to present it to her as I formally requested her hand. Still, after our conversation, I didn’t think she would appreciate a traditional proposal.
I continued to lean against the desk. “He didn’t care about that. He wanted to make sure our union didn’t mean that DeLuca owns any part of Harlem.”
She frowned. “He fully plans to attack regardless.”
“Yes. And if you tell your brother like I know you want to do, Xavier will attack first. If he does, I can’t protect him.”
Storm’s eyes flashed fire. “I can’t leave my brother vulnerable either.”
“When is Xavier ever vulnerable? He stays ready.” I placed my smoothie down and pulled her into my arms. “Let me handle it. We discussed this last night. We’ll have several family businesses. I run the DeLuca organization and Aqua Records. You’ll manage the hotel and other properties we both own now and in the future. I’ll ensure your family remains untouched and Harlem remains St. James.”
She sighed and tucked her head under my neck. “I swear to God I’ll kill Brazino myself if he attacks my family.”
“Am I included in that family?” I asked to know if she would ride hard for me like I would always do for her.
“Yes.” She lifted her head and didn’t smile, but I knew she was one step closer to loving me fully. “I heard the last part of the conversation you had with Brazino. That I’m not chattel. I didn’t know what to think when my father first told me he’d bargained me for our protection. I felt used and disrespected. Like I didn’t matter to him. Still haven’t spoken to my father since he informed me over a month ago.”
“He never told you all what happened?”
“Xavier and Cain were the ones who fought for my place at the table with the family business. My father wanted me to stay clear. So, whenever we have meetings, my voice doesn’t matter. All he told me was that I would marry you, and our union would make both families stronger. I demanded answers he never gave me except to say you agreed to marry me.” She moved away from me and paced slowly. “I don’t want to be my mother and blindly go through life pretending that most of our riches are from legit businesses. We can keep our businesses and daily life separate, and I won’t interfere with your decisions, but I want to be abreast of what’s happening. I’ll be the wife of a feared Don, and I can’t afford to let my guard down, thinking our lives aren’t being threatened just because I don’t see it. I’m a strong woman, and I can handle whatever needs to be done to maintain both families in New York.”
“Fair enough.” I picked up my smoothie again. “Your father didn’t pawn you off. I told him that I still loved you and would take care of you. I asked for your hand in marriage, and he accepted. Knowing that you might turn down my proposal, he took matters into his own hands, and presented it to you like you had no choice.”
She placed her hands on her hips. “I have a choice?”
I studied her expectant expression. She was asking for a way out of this marriage. I could be the benevolent king or the tyrant. I wish I could be that benevolent King.
