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“Los,” I called, trying to get his eyes to focus on me instead of Beethoven. “If this person is a rat, can you even trust their information? It could be a false rumor.”
“That’s why I want him to tell me the truth.”
“Baby,” I called, voice shaky. “I know you didn’t kill our mother… but do you know who did?”
His head bobbed once, and it felt like my entire world spun on its axis. I shared with him how much losing her affected me to this day, and he knew who was responsible for her death?
“Before you start coming up with assumptions in your head, let me tell you the truth,” he said, using my hand to sit me on his lap. Blocking Carlos out, he only focused on me. “The day I tried to get you the apartment and you shared with me the story of what happened to you and your mother, some of the details were familiar. I went to Pops about it, and he confirmed the robbery was done by someone in our organization.”
He paused and took a deep breath. “In our family. I struggled with whether or not to tell you, but I handled it myself. The person who gave the order will be in a wheelchair because of a bullet to his spine for the rest of his life. The shooter is still in a coma. He’s not expected to wake up, and if he does, he’s not expected to return to his normal life.”
“What was the reason for the hit?” Carlos asked.
“They wanted to sit your father down. He wasn’t there, so they went after his wife instead.”
I didn’t realize tears were streaming until Beethoven kissed them away. His grip around my waist tightened when he said, “I went against my own family to avenge yours.” His eyes locked with Carlos’s when he added, “That should prove I’m not letting anyone hurt her or come between us.” Gently, he pushed me onto the couch next to him. “So if you gon’ use that gun, you need to use it before I get to mine.”
“I wish you would’ve told us this sooner,” Carlos said.
“I didn’t want to ruin things personally or professionally for something I took care of. If she mentioned wanting to know who was responsible for it, I would have told her then. But trust, they have been punished with a fate worse than death for what they did to Renee and the pain it left behind for both of you.”
Carlos stood and I held my breath to see what he was going to do. I purposely shielded Beethoven’s chest with my body, but again, he pushed me out of the way and stood. Slowly, Carlos’s hand extended in his direction.
“Thank you. It ate at me and Pops to never know who was responsible. I ’preciate you giving us both some peace and for taking care of that.”
“Thank you for letting me know about the rat. We knew about the bugs, but not that there was someone within our organization feeding out information. If they’re talking to other families, there’s no doubt in my mind they’re talking to the feds too.”
Since it seemed they were in a good space, I left. I wasn’t exactly sure how I felt. I was glad the people responsible were punished, but this was the second thing Beethoven kept from me. Even with his reasoning behind it, that hurt. Was this something I’d have to accept to be with him—knowing he’d pick and choose what truths he shared and when to protect me?
A part of me was grateful for it because it kept me from stressing over things I didn’t need to. The other part of me felt betrayed. Until I figured out which part meant the most, I’d keep the peace between me and Beethoven. The wedding was just a couple of weeks away, and I didn’t need anything stopping that from happening. Not only was a huge amount of money at risk, but my brother’s life was too.
31
Beethoven
Ten Days Later
Things had been… healthy. Not always good but healthy. A couple of days after the truth came out about Renee, Whiskee shut down on me. It was like she relived that night all over again and only Carlos could pull her out of it. I did share with him who the family members were, and after he was able to confirm their current states, it seemed to make him respect me more.
Whiskee expressed to me that she felt like she couldn’t trust me because I kept important things from her. I made it clear to her that wasn’t my intention, and that I thought I was protecting her. Because she was my woman, it was my responsibility to protect her in all ways—even ways she might not like. I wouldn’t tell her something that would make her sad or stress her out if I didn’t have to. But, to compromise, I promised to tell her need-to-know things even if I didn’t like how it would make her feel.
When we came to that compromise, things became better than they ever had been between us.
Mama had been working with Mariam on the engagement party, which was tomorrow. Whiskee had been in Rose Valley Hills helping Mahogany find somewhere to stay when we all moved. And surprisingly, Carlos had been hanging out with me and the crew.
I was missing my wife, though, so I pulled up on her at the hotel in The Hills. When she opened the door and saw me standing behind it, she jumped into my arms. Three days had passed since she’d been in my arms, and I couldn’t describe how good it felt to hold her.
“You’re here,” she cooed before kissing my neck.
“I missed you.”
“I missed you too.”
“I need to spend some time witchu, but I’ma leave tonight so you can stay with ya girl.”
“Yay!”
After laughing and giving her a kiss, I told her to put on something casual and meet me downstairs at the bar. It only took a few minutes before she was walking down quickly with a smile. It made me feel good to know she missed me just as much as I missed her. I truly loved this woman, and it was crazy how deeply I cared for her in just over three months. It was crazy how a woman I was forced into marriage with had become the woman I truly wanted to spend the rest of my life with. In the beginning, I resented Pops and Carlos for putting us in this situation, but now, I was grateful.
