by J. L Rose
“Is Mr. Kim inside?” Dante asked before anyone with him moved toward the limo to get inside.
“I will be taking you all to him, Mr. Blackwell,” Yasmine answered, watching Dante very closely.
She caught the shift in his eyes while the party with him all stood waiting and watching his decision. She saw his slightest head nod as the first white male on the left side of Alinna moved forward and climbed into the back of the limo.
Yasmine then saw Dante usher Alinna into the back of the limo, and met Dante’s eyes as he then climbed inside behind her. Yasmine Kim smiled slightly as she watched him duck his head when he stepped inside.
Dante, Alinna, James, Dominic, Roosevelt, and Yasmine rode in the limo while Wayne and Jackson followed closely behind them in the truck. Alinna noticed the way the Japanese woman was eyeing Dante.
“Where exactly is Mr. Kim?” Dante spoke first, breaking the silence.
“My father had other business that had to be taken care of,” she replied. “He sent me in his place to greet all of you. Am I not good enough, Mr. Blackwell?”
“It was simply a question, Miss Kim!” Dante replied, looking from his window over to meet Yasmine Kim’s stare.
The limousine entered a jungle-like area about ten minutes later. Dante sat staring out the tinted window at all the tall trees and whatever else was moving around out there. The limo continued driving through the trail that was in the middle of the jungle, until it reached an opening and the foliage faded away. Dante sat up and stared at what appeared to be a castle at the top of the hill.
“So this is how they live out here, huh?” Alinna said while leaning against Dante and looking out the window next to him.
Yasmine made her presence known to four guards by calling out in Japanese once the limousine pulled up in front of a tall, black-painted gate. A moment later, the gate doors swung open and the limo pulled inside the complex toward the castle-like mansion.
Dante stared out the window and saw armed guards positioned all over the property. He then nodded his head in approval at how security was set up. After the limo was parked and the chauffeur opened up the back door, Yasmine was the first one out while the others followed.
“This guy must be the president of Japan or something!” Alinna said to Dante, after climbing from the back of the limo and looking around.
Dante didn’t respond to Alinna’s comment. Instead, he simply focused on the team of four guards who were standing at the open front door of the mansion. Dante laid his left hand on the small of Alinna’s back and guided her behind Yasmine as James followed alongside Alinna. Both Dominic and Roosevelt followed with their bodyguards.
Dante stepped inside the mansion once the guards shifted away from blocking the doorway. He then looked around the three-story mansion, only to shift his eyes toward the two guards who stepped in front of him, Alinna, and James.
“What the—” Alinna started, stepping back as one of the guards reached out for her breast, only for Dante’s hand to shoot out and grab hold of the guard’s wrist.
Seconds later, James smashed a kick to the guard’s midsection that sent him flying backward across the floor.
Yasmine was surprised at what she had just witnessed, yet intrigued by what she was watching. She locked her eyes onto Dante as he and the white male worked perfectly together while keeping Alinna protected.
“Enough!”
Yasmine recognized her father’s voice. She tore her eyes away from Dante to look over at her father as he stood at the top of the stairs, surrounded by his two personal bodyguards. Yasmine walked over to the bottom of the stairwell as her father began making his way down.
Dante watched as the middle-aged Japanese man and his bodyguards walked down the stairs. He was sure he was seeing Kevin Kim for the first time. He then shifted his eyes toward the guards with whom he and James had the altercation as they all scurried away when their boss reached the bottom stair.
“Dominic Saldana! Fredrick Roosevelt!” Kim began.
He then looked at Dante, Alinna, and James and continued, “I assume that these three belong with the Blackwell family I was told would be joining us for this business meeting. Correct?”
“You’re correct!” Dante spoke up as he then introduced himself, Alinna, and James to Mr. Kim.
“Would you mind telling me exactly why you attacked my guards?” Kevin Kim asked.
Mr. Kim then heard his daughter speak up from behind where he was standing: “Father, I am responsible for the misunderstanding. I didn’t warn Mr. Blackwell that he and his people would be searched. Dan . . . I mean Mr. Blackwell and the other gentleman were only protecting Mrs. Blackwell.”
Nodding his head and then turning his attention back to Dante Blackwell and the others, Kevin Kim gave a smile and then said, “My apologies, Mr. and Mrs. Blackwell. Please excuse my guards. Shall we move this meeting along?”
Nodding his head in response to Mr. Kim, Dante started behind the Japanese drug lord, with Alinna at his side and James on the opposite side of her.
He looked to Yasmine Kim and caught her watching him. He nodded his head in thanks and was rewarded with a small smile before she responded with a slight bow.
NINE
THE GROUP SPENT TWO more days with the Kims than were planned. They not only discussed business, but they were also shown around Japan and even stopped to see the warehouse filled with Kim’s heroin workers. Dante took in everything that was told to him and paid close attention to what was shown to him and the others as well.
On the morning of the flight back to the States, Mr. Kim rode out to the airstrip with his guests to see them off and to discuss a few last-minute details. Once the limo pulled to a stop in front of Dominic’s G4 jet, Mr. Kim was the first to exit. He was met by an even larger than normal team of bodyguards.
While saying their goodbyes, Mr. Kim stopped Dante before he could leave, and said, “Dante, before you leave, I think my daughter would like to have a word with you.”
Dante looked at Yasmine as Mr. Kim stepped away. He watched the Japanese woman step forward, stopping in front of him.
She took off the gold chain that hung around her neck, and with two hands she offered it to Dante and said, “Mr. Blackwell, I respect you as a man of great power and strength, but most of all for the great warrior I see that you are. Please accept this gift I have to offer to you, and know that I am yours to command. Will you accept this gift I offer only to you?”
Dante looked down at the chain with the heart charm that had two swords crossed over the front of the heart. He remembered that Yasmine wore earrings with the same design. As Dante looked back at her as she stood with her head down, he noticed that Mr. Kim watched him closely with a serious expression on his face.
Dante took the chain from Yasmine’s hands and said, “I accept your gift, Yasmine, and thank you.”
“This is wonderful,” Mr. Kim cried out as he clapped his hands, pulled Dante into a fatherly embrace, and then hugged his daughter and kissed her cheek.
“Dante!” Dominic called out as he stepped beside his son-in-law. “Son, do you know much about Japanese customs and beliefs?”
“Nothing really. Why?” Dante asked, seeing the smirk on Dominic’s face.
Roosevelt walked up to him with a smile and said, “Congratulations!”
“Congratulations for what?” Alinna asked with a confused look on her face.
“Your husband just accepted Yasmine Kim as yet another wife,” Roosevelt said, laughing as he walked off and headed toward the jet.
Dante looked over at Dominic and saw his father-in-law nodding his head in approval at the unasked question. He then looked over at both Yasmine and Mr. Kim, and he was surprised to see six of Kim’s guards holding luggage and waiting on Yasmine.
Yasmine looked over at Dante and smiled at him.
She hugged her father, walked over and stood beside Dante, and said, “I’m ready when you are, my husband.”
* * *
“My husband, are you upset about something?” Yasmine asked, noticing the look on Dante’s face.
Dante shook his head and told her that he would be right back as he disappeared into the back of the plane to a bedroom.
“Dante, I don’t even want to talk right now!”
Alinna told him as soon as she saw him enter the room.
Dante ignored her and closed the sliding door behind him. He then walked around to the bedside where Alinna sat, and he sat down beside her. Alinna immediately stood up and walked away.
“Alinna, come here, shorty! You seriously wanna be heated with me about this shit when I didn’t know shit about what was going on?”
Alinna opened her mouth to yell at him, but she was unable to really fault him when she knew for a fact that, like her, he knew nothing about what was going on when Yasmine offered him the gold necklace.
Alinna slowly shook her head, sighed loudly and deeply, and said, “Why is it that women keep tying themselves to you wherever your ass goes, nigga?”
“What do you want me to say?”
Alinna shook her head at Dante again and asked, “So now I guess you want me to accept this one as your wife too? I gotta share you with another woman, huh, Dante?”
Just as he was about to speak, Dante heard a soft knock on the door. He then heard Yasmine’s voice call out to Alinna. Dante sat watching as Alinna walked over to the door, unlocked it, and then slid open the door to see Yasmine standing there.
“May I speak with you and Dante a moment, Alinna?” Yasmine asked, meeting and holding Alinna’s eyes.
Sighing and stepping to the side, Alinna motioned Yasmine inside the bed chambers and then closed and locked the door behind her.
Yasmine looked from Dante to Alinna as she stood next to the door with her arms folded across her chest.
Yasmine then began, “Alinna, I think I understand what is going on and why I see the troubled look on Dante’s face. We’ve spoken of the customs of the Japanese people, and I am aware that you and Dante are married. But in Japan, the men of power are allowed more than one wife. I also understand that you are his first wife, and I will always respect your position as the head beside Dante. All I ask is that you allow me to prove myself and try to accept me into the Blackwell family. I know that this is all so sudden, but in all my twenty years of living, I have never met a man as strong and powerful a warrior as Dante, not even my father, who is one of the most powerful men in all of Japan.”
Alinna laughed before she even realized it as she looked at Dante and said, “I swear to you now, I will not accept one more woman into this family. I don’t care how much I love your ass. There isn’t that much love or sharing in the world. I will kill you first, Dante!”
Dante saw Alinna’s smile but heard the seriousness in her words. He stood up from the bed and walked over to her, only to grab her around the back and grip her ass as he pulled her up against him. He then bent down and kissed his wife on the lips as Alinna wrapped her arms around his neck.
* * *
They landed in Phoenix by the afternoon the next day. Once again, Dante was the first one off the plane, followed by Alinna and Yasmine, then James behind the two women, and the six bodyguards sent with Yasmine.
Dante was not surprised to see Dre, Vanessa, and the rest of the family all waiting as they exited the jet. Dante allowed both Yasmine and Alinna to walk ahead of him as he turned to Yasmine’s guards and directed them to follow James over to the Escalade.
“Dante!” Dominic called out as he and Roosevelt walked over to his son-in-law. “We’re going to go ahead home. We can all meet up tomorrow to discuss how things are going to be handled as far as business.”
“Tomorrow then!” Dante replied as he shook the men’s hands.
Dante watched as his father-in-law and Roosevelt were escorted to their limo by security. Dante then turned his attention to Dre, Tony T, Wesley, and a slim but muscular brown-skinned man.
“Who’s homeboy?”
“Relax, me brethren!” Wesley spoke up first, smiling at Dante as he made introductions. “Rastaman, this is me rude boy cousin. Me call him Gage. But he name is Doyle Gage.”
“What’s he doing here, Wesley?” Dante asked while staring straight at Gage.
“I gave Wesley the okay for Gage to come here,” Alinna called out from where she stood with Vanessa and the other girls.
Alinna watched as Dante’s face slowly balled up as she added, “Gage is now going to be your new bodyguard, and that is what I’m ordering!”
“What the!”
“It’s not up for discussion, Dante!” Alinna told him, with a finalized tone to her voice while holding his heated gaze.
Dante stared at Alinna and wanted to say something, but he did not want to go against her in front of the family.
Instead, Dante growled, “Everybody get the fuck in the car!”
Alinna watched her husband angrily walk off and head to the Land Rover with Dre and James, with the rest of the men following behind them.
She then looked to Yasmine and heard her say, “Alinna, are you sure you should have made this decision without discussing it with Mr. Blackwell first?”
“Maybe for one of us it would have been deadly to our very life,” Alinna heard Vanessa say, drawing everyone’s attention. “What we’ve all learned is that Dante has the only spot open in his heart for Alinna, Natalie, and his kids, and they are the only ones that can get away with things like what Alinna just got away with.”
“Who’s Natalie?” Yasmine asked, looking toward Alinna.
“I’m pretty sure I said let’s go!” Dante called out as Dre pulled the Land Rover up beside the Mercedes truck that Alinna and the other women stood in front, drawing all of their eyes around to him.
“We’re coming!” Alinna replied as she rolled her eyes at Dante.
Alinna then walked over to the passenger seat front door of the Benz truck, ignoring the way Dante was staring at her from inside the Land Rover.
Alinna left the airstrip and followed behind Dre in the Land Rover. She finally introduced Yasmine to the girls and let them know who she was to Dante. She received a what-the-fuck look from Vanessa, who drove the Benz truck.
From the backseat, Amber said, “Damn! My brother got even Japanese bitches chasing his ass! I guess we got another sister-in-law now, huh?”
“Oh shit!” Vanessa said, remembering something. “Alinna, I forgot to tell Dante that Natalie is at the hospital with Harmony.”
“Harmony’s having the baby already?” Alinna asked Vanessa with a smile.
“Both Harmony and Natalie about to have their babies soon!” Vanessa told her, seeing the smile slip from Alinna’s face. “Both of them started having pains early this morning. Harmony was first. What’s crazy was that Natalie was the one that was with Harmony, and she started having pains right after she called Tony T.”
“Gimme a phone,” Alinna said.
Amber sat forward and handed over her phone to Alinna and said, “Dante’s on the phone, A!”
Taking the phone from Amber, Alinna told Dante what Vanessa just told her, only for Dante to calmly reply, “I already knew, Alinna. Tony T just told me what’s up, and that both Harmony and Natalie are all right. We’re heading to the hospital now.”
* * *
“Yes, sir. May I help you?” Dr. Dori Lewis asked, after seeing the hospital room door open and the extremely handsome young man fly inside.
Breaking out in a huge smile at the sight of Dante, Natalie began to cry as he walked right up to her bedside. She wrapped her arms around his neck as Dante bent down to kiss her.
“How you feeling, beaut
iful?” Dante asked, smiling down at her once she released him. Dante then gently wiped her tears from her face.
“I’m okay!” Natalie answered, still smiling and happy to see Dante.
“Miss Saldana, is this the baby’s father?” Dr. Lewis asked, looking from Dante to Natalie.
After Natalie introduced Dante to her doctor, who promised to return in five minutes to check on her, Natalie turned back to him and said, “You just missed Mother, Dante. She just left with Carlos.”
“I noticed the four men outside your room,”
Dante replied as he sat down on the side of the bed.
“Where is everyone?” she asked as she took Dante’s hand into hers.
“They stopped by to see about Harmony first, so that I can have some time alone with you.”
“I missed you, baby!”
“I missed you too, beautiful.”
“How did everything go in Japan?”
Dante nodded his head slowly and then winked at Natalie, which caused her to smile back at him.
He then remembered Yasmine and said, “Natalie, we need to talk, beautiful!”
* * *
“So, you’re Dante’s new wife, huh?” Harmony asked the Japanese woman who Alinna had just introduced as Yasmine Kim.
“I can’t believe this. Dante got three women?” Maxine said as she stood up and hugged James. “Too bad James is my boo, because I would love to be wife number four!”
“Shut up, Maxine!” Keisha told her twin sister while shaking her head.
Alinna was also shaking her head, but she couldn’t help but smile when she focused back on Harmony.
She then changed the subject and said, “I’ve got some good news for all of you! We’re leaving for Miami soon.”
“What?” Harmony and the other girls all said together as they stared at Alinna with shock and confusion.
Alinna explained to the girls about the phone call from Zoe Papi, and her and Dante’s decision to deal with Rob and hopefully Fish Man.
She then looked at Vanessa and heard her ask, “So you telling me that Dante is actually letting you fly back to Miami without him, Alinna?”
