by D. Camille
Jordan lifted a brow. “You didn’t try to persuade her?”
“I allowed her to chase me.”
“What?”
He repeated, “I allowed her to chase me, and although she’ll probably never admit it…she did. I already knew that I loved Diamond, she had to realize that she loved me, too.”
“Did you read her mind?” Jordan asked.
“Not without her permission.”
Jordan sat back. “I know that you will take care of her. Your father has been my best friend for life and he’s never let me down.”
“We don’t want to cause any problems between you and my father,” Xavier told him.
“Never…Sean and I have been through too much together.” Jordan assured him. “Plus, when he brings out that damn Benjamin Rucker, I know to fall my ass back.”
Xavier smiled. “Benjamin Rucker is a force to be reckoned with…”
Jordan stared at him. “So is Xavier Jackson. He’s taken my daughter’s heart.”
“She took mine a long time ago.” Xavier replied. “The first time I saw those brown eyes, I was in love.”
“I know the feeling,” Jordan agreed. “It happened to me twice.”
Xavier leaned forward. “You don’t have to be concerned about Diamond. I knew that this would be difficult for you, because you love her so much.”
Jordan shook his head. “Difficult is not the word…I feel like my heart has been ripped out of my damn chest.”
“Diamond is definitely your daughter. She also has the flair for the dramatic,” Xavier said laughing.
Studying the young man across from him, Jordan sighed. “Sage was right, Xavier…we couldn’t have asked for a better man for our daughter. I’ve always been proud of you and if I have to turn over Diamond to someone, I want it to be somebody that understands her and loves her.”
Jordan smiled and said, “I know you will do both.”
“It won’t be hard,” Xavier told him. “Because we’re meant to be together. We’ve been together our whole lives.”
“You’re prepared for her?” Jordan asked.
“Yes, she has a house, built specifically for her.” Xavier began. “She doesn’t need my money, but I’m more than able to take care of her in the same manner, that her father did. I support her in her business and we share being Heirs, so we don’t have any secrets between us.”
Jordan remained silent for a minute before standing to his feet. Quietly, he walked over to Xavier, and Xavier stood to his feet. The two men looked one another in the eye before Jordan spoke again.
“If you were any other man, I’d threaten the hell out of you right now,” Jordan told him. “But you’re not…you’re my son and I love you.”
Xavier smiled. “I love you, too, Uncle Jordan.”
Jordan laughed. “Are you going to keep calling me that?”
“I don’t know. It’s going to take some getting used to, since I’ve called you that all my life.” Xavier answered.
“It doesn’t matter, we’re all family.” Jordan told him, before embracing him solidly.
The two men patted one another on the back then separated.
“Now if you take her, there are no returns,” Jordan warned.
“I would never return my heart…”
When the two men reappeared at the party, every head turned their way.
“Diamond,” Jordan called for his daughter to join them.
Slowly, Diamond stood to her feet and made her way over to the men she loved. Her father held out his hand to her and she took it, while everyone watched. Jordan lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed it softly.
“You know how much you mean to me,” he told her and she nodded.
Jordan leaned down and kissed her face. “No more tears. Understand?” he told her.
“None, I promise.”
He smiled down at her. “You’re still my Little Pretty Girl.”
“I know, Daddy.” Diamond smiled and hugged him again. “I love you.”
Stepping away, Jordan turned Diamond to Xavier, and the couple embraced one another, while Jordan headed to his wife. Sage met him and wrapped her arms around his waist.
“And that’s why I fell in love with you…” Sage told Jordan, kissing him.
Six looked at the other Heirs and said, “That’s done. Let’s get back to work.”
******
A few days later, the Heirs prepared to pay Lil D a visit at his massive ranch-style mountain home. Outside in the dark, dressed in all black, they waited until the house quieted down for the night. Jade had secured a layout of the home, and the team had been briefed on the plan.
Adding ski masks and night vision goggles with rearview cameras, they split into teams of two, one male and one female. Diamond and Xavier took the lead, followed by Alex and Lilac on one side of the home. Justice and Jade, along with Six and Skye, took the other side.
Lil D lived secluded in the mountains, in a large, custom built home. His security was not high tech enough to keep the Heirs out, but then again, he wasn’t expecting them. Staring at the dimly lit structure, Xavier turned to Diamond.
“Can you get us in?”
She smiled underneath her mask. “I can get in anywhere.”
He nodded. “Let’s go.”
“Jade cut the cameras inside in case there’s a backup generator,” Six instructed.
“Got it.”
“Turn down the lights,” Xavier told her.
Again, she said, “Got it.”
With the house bathed in near darkness, Xavier and Diamond headed to a door in the back. He kept lookout, while she worked her magic and when he turned around, the door was open.
Xavier took the lead, as they made their way through the home to the master bedroom. Lil D was still looking to hire a new bodyguard, so the only residents inside were his ‘prisoners’, and a few of his music crew.
Fortunately, for the Heirs, Lil D felt safe out here in the middle of nowhere and honestly, if Janay hadn’t given them explicit information on the location, the Heirs may have even had a hard time finding the place.
Moving stealthily and swiftly through the home, passing empty bottles and glasses, Xavier reached the door to the bedroom. Another door opened and Diamond saw the girl step into the hall through her night vision glasses. Diamond was on her in an instant with a gun in her face and a hand over her mouth.
“Shhhh….” She told her pressing her against the wall.
Diamond waved for Xavier to continue and he headed into the bedroom, while the girl stood staring in the darkened hall.
“How many in the bedrooms?” Diamond asked, quietly. “Don’t talk, show me fingers.”
Diamond pointed to one room and waited until the girl put up three shaky fingers. At the next door, she raised two. A third door was four…
“How many on the other side?” Diamond asked.
The girl put up ten fingers and Diamond nodded.
“I’m not here to hurt you,” she told the girl. “Just do what I say…”
The girl stood in horror as she heard more movement in the hall. In the darkness, she couldn’t completely make out the people, but then she heard them talking.
“Eight in these rooms…and ten on the other side.” Diamond told Alex and Lilac.
They nodded and moved to guard two of the doors.
“Lion, did you get that on your side?”
“We’re in.”
Diamond took the girl’s arm, then told her to sit on the floor. “Stay quiet or I’ll shoot you.” Diamond told her, then moved to guard the third bedroom door.
******
Lil D laid stretched out on his bed sandwiched between two young women.
“Wake your ass up, Lil D!” Xavier ordered, then watched the people scramble on the bed. “Give me some lights in the Master.” Xavier spoked into his microphone, instructing Jade.
The lights came on in the bedroom and the trio saw a man dressed in black holding a gun. The women
screamed, as Lil D sat up.
“Who the hell are you?” he demanded.
“I’m not the mailman.”
Lil D kept his hands up along with the naked girls.
“Cover yourselves,” Xavier told them, and they shakily reached for the bed sheets. “Now get off the bed.”
Lil D yelled. “What the hell you want?”
“Shut up!” Xavier snapped as the women stood. He moved slowly to the end of the bed and nodded towards the door.
“Leave the room, now…” Xavier told them. “Don’t look back.”
Lil D watched the man with the gun, as the women ran out the door and were greeted by the other Heirs.
Xavier kept his eye on Lil D.
“What’s up?” Xavier asked him.
“Look nigga…I don’t know who you are or what you want, but check this…I got money in here, I got stash…what you want?”
Shaking his head, Xavier said, “I came for one purpose.”
Lil D waited in fear, naked on the bed.
“To kill you…”
“Why you wanna kill me? Who sent you?” Lil D yelled.
Xavier smiled. “One of your bitches…her name is Karma.”
“Come on! Why you doing this?”
“Why do you have these teenagers here?” Xavier questioned harshly. “Why are you fucking up their lives like this?”
“I take care of them,”
“You kidnapped them and you brainwashed them, that’s what you did!”
“Ask ‘em do I take care of them?”
“I don’t need to ask them shit! I know who you are and all that you do…”
Lil D frowned. “Then you know that if you fuck with me, my niggas coming for you.”
“Fuck your niggas,” Xavier told him. “Where they at?
He glanced around the empty room.
“Because right now all I see is your naked ass on that bed, and I understand why they call you Lil D.” Xavier taunted.
Balling his fists, Lil D said, “You know what, fuck you nigga!”
Xavier chuckled. “Your dead bodyguard said the same thing before I killed his punk ass.”
Lil D made a desperate move to the nightstand and received one quick, fatal bullet. His body slumped on the bed and Xavier headed to the door. In the hall, he saw several young girls and boys sitting on the floor with Jade standing guard.
Looking up, he spotted Alex leading a few more girls to the group. Glancing back, Xavier saw the other bedroom had been emptied. Feeling a tingle in his spine, he asked, “Where’s the Lioness?”
Jade nodded towards the rest of the house. “She went to check for any stragglers.”
Xavier looked down at the young people. “Take them out to the van. I’m going to find her.”
“You need back up?” Alex asked.
“No.”
Xavier took off to another part of the home that housed a game room, theater and studio.
“Lioness, where are you?” he spoke into his microphone.
He heard her voice in his ear. “There’s a secret room behind the studio.”
“Wait for me…”
“I think someone’s hiding inside,” she told Xavier, as she kept moving.
Frowning, he repeated. “Wait for me.” Xavier rushed in that direction through the massive home.
Hearing two shots, from two different weapons, Xavier ran like he’d never ran before, as Justice and Jade also headed in that direction.
******
Diamond checked the rest of the house and came up to the studio. With her weapon drawn, she stepped inside and looked around before heading up to the booth. She noticed an opening, and headed in that direction.
In her ear, she heard Xavier. “Lioness where are you?”
Shaking her head, she answered, “There’s a secret room behind the studio.”
“Wait for me…”
Diamond saw a flash of movement.
“I think someone’s hiding inside,” she told Xavier.
Still moving into the semi-dark room, she saw the figure clearly through her night vision goggles and recognized his face. Before she could speak, he lifted a weapon and fired. Diamond fired back as she felt a burning pain in her side that knocked her off her feet.
“Dammit!” She screamed grabbing her abdomen, then said into her microphone, “Ebony!”
Xavier was in the room in the next instant. He saw Diamond on the floor holding her side, then glanced at the wounded man, lying face down on the floor. Xavier dropped to Diamond’s side, as she tried to sit up.
“Diamond, what happened?” Xavier asked frantically, putting away his weapon, then removing his glasses and mask.
“My side…” she said, trying to breathe normally.
Xavier moved her hand and examined her.
“You were hit,”
She frowned. “Oh, is that why it hurts?”
He frowned back at her. “I told you to wait.” Xavier removed her glasses and her mask.
“I recognized him,” Diamond said softly.
Xavier lifted her shirt over her head, and expertly unfastened the vest she wore underneath. Gently removing it from her, he looked up as her siblings arrived.
“What the hell happened?” Justice screamed.
“She took a hit,” Xavier told him and Justice dropped beside her.
“Diamond? You okay?” He touched her face as Jade ran over.
Diamond laid back. “Yes, the vest took the bullet, but it was close range, and knocked me off my feet.” She felt Xavier’s hand examining her side underneath her tank top.
“Does it still hurt? It’s red…” Xavier continued to gently probe the area.
“A little…” she answered.
Justice jumped up and ran over to the where the man was lying dead on the floor. He lifted the man’s face, then turned back to Xavier and Diamond.
“Xavier, it’s the dude from the venue!” Justice told him.
Xavier looked up. “Who?”
Diamond looked at him. “It’s Jeff.”
“Jeff, the dude who was there when you saw Jason?” Xavier questioned.
Justice and Diamond nodded.
Shaking his head, Xavier said, “Damn, was everybody on that damn tour involved in this?”
Jade rubbed her sister’s head in comfort. “It seems like it,” she agreed. “You okay, Sis?”
Diamond tried to smile. “Yeah, I’ll be fine. I just need to catch my breath.”
“Jade and Justice, let’s get those kids out of here and head out.” Xavier told them. “It’s going to be getting light outside pretty soon, and we want to be long gone.”
They both looked at Diamond.
“Go, I’m fine.” She told them and they slowly left the room.
Xavier looked down into her face. “And this is why I ask you to stay in contact with your team…” he told her.
“I know.”
Xavier looked over at the body. “Goddess, this could’ve been a tragedy on our part if you hadn’t been wearing a vest.”
Diamond rubbed her sore side. “I know.”
He stroked her cheek. “You took him out with one shot?”
“It’s the only one I need,” she said smiling.
Xavier grinned and helped her to her feet. “Let’s go. Our work here is done.”
Diamond looked up at him. “You got Lil D.”
Xavier nodded. “Yes…and he lied to you…Lil D was a very appropriate name for him.”
She laughed out loud, then grabbed her side. “Ow…don’t make me laugh.”
“It’s the truth. Now I see why he was stealing girls, because he surely wouldn’t get them that way.”
They headed out of the house to the vans, where the rest of the team had loaded up the kids. The crew members had also been handled inside. The Heirs had ransacked the house and made it look like a drug deal gone bad. Six located Lil D’s stash, which was now in the van. Later, the team would dispose of the drugs and put away the money.<
br />
When Diamond reached the rest of the team, they all checked on her, before Xavier loaded her inside. He turned to her. “You know we’re going to have to improve your team skills.”
******
Diamond sat in the enormous soaking tub with her head back against the rim. The sunshine came through the windows as she inhaled the fragrant scent of the imported bubble bath. Her side felt much better, and after making sure that the young victims got to safety, the Heirs had disbursed for the day.
“How do you feel?” Xavier asked, sitting across from her.
She opened her eyes and looked into his handsome face. “Better…”
He smiled. “Good, because if I let you die, your father will kill me.”
Diamond chuckled. “Especially after how he just acted out when we got home.”
“He’s better now,” Xavier admitted.
“We’ll see…”
Xavier took hold of her leg and began to massage her foot, causing her to smile at him.
“My momma asked, if you’d penetrated my mind…” Diamond whispered.
His eyes held hers as he moved up her leg. “What did you say?”
“That you’d done that a long time ago…”
Xavier nodded. “Your father said, I can’t return you…”
Diamond laughed. “And what did you say?”
“I’d never return my heart.” He kissed her knee.
Lying back, Diamond looked at him. “I can’t believe that we’re actually together.”
“Are you happy about it?”
“Words can’t describe…” She beckoned him with a finger and he moved through the water until his face was next to hers.
Diamond looped her arms around his neck. “I’ve looked into this handsome face for a long time.”
“I know. We’ve shared every special occasion together for as long as I can remember.” Xavier told her. “And I loved you from a distance…”
Diamond pulled him closer. “Now you can love me up close…” she whispered.
Xavier lifted her in the water, onto his lap. “I’m going to love you as often as I can.”
She settled over his solid length and sighed, while savoring his full lips. He held on to her hips underneath the warm water, fastening her in place.
“I love you, Xavier…” Diamond breathed into his mouth.
“I’ll never get tired of hearing those words from these lips...”
