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“Is what you’re about to tell me going to fuck up my attitude?” he asked before taking a bite of bacon.
“It might. Depends on how prepared you are.” He nodded and motioned in my direction for me to continue. “Leonard found bugs in his meetup spot three days ago.”
Pops chewing stopped and he stared at me. His head leaned forward, ear turned more in my direction. “Bugs?”
“Yeah. They were under the table and in a lamp. I met with the rest of the lieutenants this morning after making them all do a sweep of their homes, meetup spots, cars, and warehouses.”
“Did anyone else find them?”
“Yeah. About four more.”
“Shit,” he grumbled, wiping his mouth. “It’s cool. We know the feds won’t come in until they have a solid case. Going forward, no talking in the same place more than once. No talking inside period. Always in public places. Have them create codes for meeting spots when they are setting them up over the phone.”
I locked in what he’d said to spread the word around. “Aight. What about production and distribution? Do you want that to temporarily shut down?”
Sitting back in his seat, he exhaled hardly. “Nah, keep it going. I can’t afford to pull back. Just make sure none of you or the lieutenants are seen with product. I can risk a few corner boys going to pick up their product, but I can’t risk anyone in the family.”
The family.
Clearing my throat, I sat up in my seat. “Speaking of family, I have an update on Carlos.”
“What is it?”
“He’s moving over to production. You’ll get what you want—the entire Carter organization under your control… without having to kill him to get it.”
As he chewed the eggs in his mouth, he smiled. “This is because of his sister, isn’t it?” His eyes shifted over to Omari for confirmation.
“The reasoning behind it doesn’t matter,” I replied. “You wanted his men and clientele, and you’ll have it. So leave Carlos alone.”
He didn’t respond either way. He continued to eat as if I hadn’t said anything. After I finished my plate, I stood and washed it so I could leave. I didn’t believe there was any reason for him to have a personal vendetta against Carlos, so I could only assume he’d let him live. Still, I had to ask, “Are you going to let him live?”
Pops tossed his napkin onto his empty plate and sat back in his seat.
“I don’t know,” he admitted honestly, which I appreciated. “You getting him out of that role is a premature solution to the problem that has been there from the beginning. Even if Carlos is not the boss of all bosses, he’s still in a leadership position. His life will depend on how well he does. If he fucks up my product or my money, he dies, and I don’t give a fuck whose pussy your dick is hypnotized by, that won’t change.” Standing, he reminded me, “Family is over everything. Don’t let her make you forget that.”
I was content with him agreeing to at least see how Carlos would do. From what he and Whiskee said, I had faith he’d excel in the role. If not, I’d done all that I could do.
30
Whiskee
Late May
Of all the homes, apartments, and condos Beethoven and I had looked at in Rose Valley Hills, surprisingly, I was most in love with the penthouse suite at the Rose Valley Hotel. Not only was it perfectly positioned on the beach by the boardwalk, and close to the downtown and art districts, but I loved how much smaller it was compared to the homes I’d grown up in.
I loved how small and comfortable Mahogany’s apartment was compared to my home. And the penthouse suite was just as perfect. On top of the location, the convenience of amenities the hotel offered were a luxury within themselves. Not only did they have a concierge service that took care of shopping, deliveries, and setting up appointments, but they also had two pools, a spa, a gym, and a dance studio that I could see me and Mahogany having a time in, plus two bars and a restaurant.
The main rooms of the suite had wall-to-wall windows that gave perfect views of the beach, and as I looked out into the rippling waves, I was in awe.
“This is it, baby,” I told Beethoven, squeezing his hand. “This is what I want.”
He placed a kiss to my neck. “Then this is what you’ll get.”
Releasing my hand, he walked over to the real estate agent to let her know this was what we wanted. Her name was Claudia, and she worked at Wilson, Cane, Simpson, and Fisher. She asked him if he wanted to make a cash offer or see about financing and Beethoven told her he’d pay cash. I don’t think she was expecting a young Black man to offer to pay cash for a million-dollar penthouse suite, and I also didn’t expect her to question how he obtained those funds.
She asked us to follow her back to the office to finalize some paperwork, and excitement bubbled over within me during the entire drive. I was leaving Memphis with the man I loved and my best friend. I would be able to have my own salon suite and do hair and makeup on a regular basis. Beethoven had decided to open dispensaries with Omari so I wouldn’t have to worry about being with a man who was in the streets. The only thing that would have made life better was having my parents and my brother moving here with me.
Just thinking about that saddened me a little. Carlos said he was okay with me leaving and finally starting to do my own thing, but I still felt bad about it. That was why when we made it to Claudia’s office, I hung back so I could call Carlos. With the transition of him going into production, he seemed to be more at peace. I hoped it would stay that way when the change was permanent, which would be after the wedding. Then, he would announce that Tim was taking Daddy’s place, and Tim would appoint him as the head of production.
