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“Yeah, why? What do you know?”
“One of my clients is planning his own casino night. He linked up with Thomas because he went to a couple of his. Apparently, they took a trip to Vegas together too.” Blaze chuckled briefly and patted my chest. “Check this shit out, though. He says he went to Channing to invite him and Channing damn near ripped his head off. He was paranoid and shit talking about he wasn’t going to let Marco trick him like Thomas did.”
“What? Trick him how? The fuck is he talking about?” I asked, shifting my eyes to check the time on the wall clock.
“Marco asked the same thing you’re asking. Channing said Thomas asked him to go to the casino party to rob everybody. He was going to let Marco keep twenty-five percent of whatever he took. The rest, he’d have to give to Thomas. But because you approached Channing and had twice the security, it was unsuccessful. Now, Marco is saying Thomas owes him for his time and getting a team together to pull the heist regardless of if it was able to happen or not.”
“Wait.” Sitting up in my seat, I chuckled. “You telling me Thomas was going to pay Channing to rob people? Then why did he have me keep him away?”
“Now that, I don’t know. You’ll have to ask him about that. I just wanted to make sure you knew what was going on.”
“I ’preciate you lookin’ out.”
“Always.”
We shook hands, and Blaze prepared to leave, just as my client was arriving. Blaze and I didn’t have the kind of friendship where we hung out often, but we were there for each other when needed. We probably kicked it two or three times a month, and because of our schedules, that worked. I made the mental note to see what Thomas was on sooner than later. He was up to some sneaky shit, and I didn’t operate like that. Not just because it made it difficult for me to know how to protect him, but it also made enemies lurk in the shadows that were harder to see.
The money that I made doing any type of security was good because of my experience, but it wasn’t enough to babysit or deal with this bullshit. Once I confirmed Thomas wasn’t in any current danger, I’d probably end the contract and put another client in his place.
15
Malaysia
Aspen and Enjell had worked together to pull off the perfect birthday party for Dejvi. Graceland Pierce was the event planner, and Antonne and Haley took care of the setup while Enjell handled the food. Everyone had a blast, and seeing my sister in such a loving, happy element made the transition I was currently in more exciting. I knew what happened between Aspen and me wouldn’t look like her relationship with Dejvi, but for the first time in our adult lives, my sister and I were in happy, healthy relationships at the same time.
Well, I wasn’t sure if my relationship with Aspen was official. He told me I belonged to him and that my pussy was his, but I didn’t know.
Instead of going back to Aspen’s large, beautiful home, I went back to my parents’ place. Daddy had mentioned wanting to set eyes on me and talk to me. He’d been checking in more after the whole Peyton and Brooklyn situation. I hated causing him to worry. My grandma was making him anxious enough. She was now unable to recall things about herself and her body, but she was happier and more childlike with her moods. It was a bittersweet stage for her to be in.
I figured Daddy would be asleep by the time I arrived, but he was awake. He was sitting in the kitchen drinking coffee like it wasn’t nearing 2:00 a.m. When he bobbed his head in the direction of the seat across from him, I sat down. Daddy stood and fixed me a cup of black coffee with two spoons of sugar. After he set it in front of me, he returned to his seat.
“Thank you for coming by,” he said.
“You don’t have to thank me for this, Daddy.”
“I know you haven’t wanted to talk about Peyton, but I need to know you’re okay.”
My hands wrapped around the mug, and I took a small sip. “Brooklyn told me he’s out of the hospital. Her parents know. They made the accusation but didn’t press charges. Brooklyn threatened to never speak to them again and to expose some secrets in the church if Peyton went to prison. That made them stand down.”
Daddy scoffed with a shake of his head. “Of course it did. Because they care more about church secrets than putting the man who violated their daughter in prison.”
“Yeah… well… I have no say in that. I did my part, which was telling her parents. She said her daddy put her and Destined on a flight to Chicago. In order for them to not press charges against Peyton, he has been ordered to stay away from them until after her eighteenth birthday. He’s supposed to take care of everything financially. If they see each other before she turns eighteen, her dad said he’s going to the police. They already had a DNA test done, so he won’t be able to deny it.”
As he massaged his temples, I saw the darkness that filled his eyes. “If that was my daughter, I would have killed him… or come close. There would have been nothing either of you could have said to keep me from putting him behind bars if I didn’t kill him. You may have been angry in that moment, but eventually, you would have come back home.”
“Maybe Spencer didn’t want to take that risk since their relationship was already so rocky. Either way, Peyton isn’t going to stay away. I got a feeling Spencer will be filing charges eventually. If he had her in our home, there’s no way he’s going to stay away just because her parents said so.”
Silence found us for a while. I knew that wasn’t the end of the conversation. There was still something on his mind.
“How are things going with Aspen?” He smiled instantly. “That man is a true character.”
“Don’t I know it.” I chuckled and took another sip of my coffee. “Things are great. I know you think I’m moving fast, but we were talking before I left Peyton. I should have ended things with Peyton earlier in the year. I should have ended things with him when I met Aspen, but I kept holding on.”
“Why?”
I shrugged and avoided his eyes. “I didn’t want to leave until I gave it my all. I didn’t want to doubt if I’d done the right thing. Didn’t want to feel like I needed closure. I wanted to be completely detached from Peyton so I’d never go back. I’m there now. There’s no part of me that respects and wants him. That’s done.”
“The list…”
