by B. Love
And Chief was cool with that.
She didn’t have to say he was her man… but she for damn sure was his woman.
The storm…
Chapter 28
Seeing Martino felt like fate, or a slap in the face, and Eiryx couldn’t decide which one yet. She stopped by the liquor store to grab a few bottles of Hennessy to take to Eira’s place for his welcome home party. When Eiryx first walked into the store, her mood was foul as fuck. She’d just gotten off the phone with Eira and Xi, and everything in her told her that shit was about to go left. But the moment her eyes landed on Martino she was filled with peace.
This morning, it was Eiryx who picked Eira up, not Sienna. He’d done everything he could to ensure his freedom for the sake of their child. Not only was Eira putting his life on the line, but he was also putting a target on his family’s back by giving the FBI names of crooked cops and government officials along with the names and details of every murder he’d ever committed so they could close their cases and finally give the families involved some closure.
Eira would only have twenty-four hours to party it up and say goodbye to his family before going to the local FBI headquarters and getting his new identity. He would be escorted out of Memphis immediately, and Sienna didn’t even have the decency to pick him up like she said she would. Eiryx didn’t mind picking her brother up at all, but that was yet another thing for her to hold against Sienna. She still hadn’t gotten over her popping up at Xi’s house, and Eiryx hadn’t made up in her mind yet if she was going to mention it to Eira or not.
Eira made that decision for her when he called her a couple of hours ago and told her that he hadn’t heard from Sienna at all and she still hadn’t made it back home yet. Since he started to get worried about her safety, Eira accessed the tracker on her car. When he pulled up on her, he saw her leaving out of a house he didn’t recognize with Xi. Because Chief mentioned to Eira having to tell Eiryx to stay away from Xi, he called her before he made a move. And that’s when she told him about Sienna pulling up while she was there.
If Xi was on some scandalous shit, Eiryx wanted to know. She told Eira not to make a move until she got a feel for what he was on, and Eira told her to invite him to his party tonight. After disconnecting the call, Eiryx called Xi to see what he was doing. He lied and said he was going over some numbers at the club instead of saying he was with Sienna, and that made Eiryx loathe him more. She couldn’t believe how stupid she was to think he really liked her.
But that was cool.
He’d pay for it in due time.
After inviting Xi to the party she got off the phone with him, ignoring the hesitancy in Xi’s voice. She was so irritated she wanted to pull up on him and strangle the both of them when she walked into the liquor store, but the sight of Martino had that desire dissolving.
Her head hung and she smiled as he walked over to her. Truthfully, Eiryx felt as if she was in no position to entertain a man after what happened with Xi, but Martino was in a different league. Memphis was slick small as hell, but she hadn’t seen him since they graduated high school. Back in the day, they were heavily attracted to each other, but they never had the chance to make something shake.
While Trevor thought he was a cool young buck, he felt as if Martino was wilding in the streets with no structure. Trevor advised Eiryx to give him time to mature and wise up before trying to date him. Martino went off for college but ended up catching a bid a few months in. When Eiryx heard he was out, she considered looking him up, but decided against it because it looked like what her father had said about him was right.
Martino didn’t even bother greeting her before pulling her into his arms. He held her tight and close, and Eiryx would have been damned if she didn’t melt into his arms.
“I missed you,” he confessed, voice low and thick with passion.
“I mis–”
Before Eiryx could finish her statement, Martino was pulling her hair down and head back and covering her lips with his. Her mind told her to push him away and slap the shit out of him, but her heart told her to take full advantage of experiencing him in this capacity. Once she’d gotten her fill, Eiryx pushed him away and wiped her mouth, then covered her hardened nipples with her arms crossed over her chest.
Her breathing was hard as she took two steps back.
“Who do you think you are kissing me like that? You don’t know if I have a man or not.”
Martino smiled as he took a step in her direction. “Ain’t no ring on your finger, so I know you ain’t married. I don’t give a fuck about you being in no relationship. I’ma take your ass from him with the quickness.”
Her head dropped as she chuckled and tried to compose herself. When she lifted it, all she could do was stare into his eyes for a moment.
“You can’t take me if I’m not interested in being took.”
“Why wouldn’t you be if the one taking you is me?”
Martino took another step in her direction, and she had to inhale to keep their bodies from touching.
“Martino…”
“I told you what would happen if I saw you again, didn’t I?”
His fingers slid through her hair, and she was no longer able to hold her breath in. When she released it, their bodies touched. With a nod, Eiryx closed her eyes.
“Yes.”
“What did I tell you would happen if I saw you again?”
Her eyes opened.
“You said I would be yours, no matter what anyone had to say about it.”
With a smile, he wrapped his arm around her waist. “And I meant that shit too.” He stared into her eyes silently for a few seconds, as if he wanted to give those words time to resonate within her. “So you wanna do this the easy way or the hard way? You wanna be mine now or after I chase you for a little while?”
Blushing, she covered her cheeks and shook her head as she pulled away from him. If this would have happened before Xi, she would have allowed Martino to smooth talk and woo her with no hesitation. But now, Eiryx was starting to question her taste in and choice of men. While Martino wasn’t an enemy to the family, she couldn’t help but wonder if she could trust his sincerity. The last thing she wanted was to consider a future with a man just to end up getting played in the end.
“We haven’t seen each other in ten years, Martino. I doubt if we’re even the same people.”
“Is that your way of pushing me away out of fear that we are the same? That I’m the one? That this is finally our time.”
Her head shook adamantly as she pulled her hands behind her back. “This is too much for me right now. I have a lot going on and this will only make it worse. I don’t have the time to try to figure out if you’re good for me or not.”
“Oh.” Martino chuckled as he nodded. “So that’s what this is about? You chose a fuck nigga and he played you?” He nodded again as he took her hands into his. “I get it. We can take things as slow as you need us to for you to see that you can trust me. I’ll even give you my number and trust that you’ll call when you’re ready.”
Thinking over his offer, Eiryx flipped her hands over and allowed his fingers to intertwine with hers. If she were to be honest with herself, she’d always been in love with Martino. Her parents swore it was young love that would fade with time, and if it didn’t, then she’d know it was real whenever he came back. At twenty-eight, Eiryx had been searching for pieces of Martino in every man she’d come across, and she swore that’s why her relationships didn’t work.
In Xi… she saw small specks of Martino. The suave street character. Protector spirit. Rough love. Aggressive passion.
Martino had always been so passionate.
So passionate she oftentimes wondered if what they had was real.
But it was real.
Had always been and probably always would be. But that truth didn’t stop Eiryx from saying…
“We can exchange numbers, but I do need some time. I don’t move as quickly as I used to,” she lied.
Quite frankly, moving so fast was the reason she was in the position she was in with Xi. She was in such a rush to fall in love and prove her family was wrong that she didn’t consider the possibility of him being unfaithful. Him cheating had never been a thought – only the damage he could do to their business.
“I’m cool with that, ReRe. Whatever you need. Just know… we got a lot of time to make up for.”
As much as Eiryx didn’t want to, she blushed as she pulled her phone out of her pocket. When she saw the text that Xi had sent her, her eyes rolled. He said he wouldn’t be able to make it to the party and gave the excuse of her family not fucking with him to be the reason why. After telling him that this would be the perfect time for them to get to know him, Eiryx deleted their text thread in preparation of what she was sure would be the end of them coming soon.
Martino rattled off his number for her to save, then she did the same for him.
After he paid for her bottles, Martino walked her to the car and placed a tender kiss to the side of her mouth before opening the door for her. It took everything within Eiryx not to move her face half an inch so their lips could connect, but she had to maintain enough control to ensure they took their time. Trusting another man after Xi wouldn’t be easy… but if that man was Martino… Eiryx would most definitely try.
Chapter 29
Painting plates wasn’t something Cassius would typically consider a good date, but Treasure wanted to go, and it actually turned out to be relaxing. The vibe was chill with its low lighting, candles, soft music and wine. There were several options of things to paint and so far, Cassius had already done a coffee mug and bowl. As they painted, they made small talk and cracked jokes, nothing serious. But as time continued to pass, Cassius burned with the desire to ask Treasure when she would be taking a pregnancy test.
He didn’t think he’d be as excited as he was over the potential of being a father, but every time he considered the fact that he could be Cassius would get excited. No one knew about the possibility of Treasure being pregnant; not even Kameron. Even though at this point she was two weeks late for her period, she brushed it off as a change in her cycle because of how much sex they were having. While Cassius understood her denial of the possibility was a way for her to keep herself from being disappointed if she wasn’t pregnant, he was experiencing the opposite.
All he could think about was that she was… not how he would feel if she wasn’t.
“How much longer you gon’ wait, Treasure? Why you can’t just go and get a test tonight?”
With a roll of her eyes, Treasure smiled and shook her head. “I’m starting to wonder if you’ve been spending so much time with me because of me or because I could possibly be pregnant with your baby.”
“Come on now. You know this ain’t that. A nigga is just excited, that’s all. I ain’t never been in a position where the woman I’ve always had deep feelings for could potentially be carrying my child.”
Cassius hoped she knew he was being sincere, but if she didn’t, he couldn’t blame her. Every day he asked the same question two or three times. And the more she made him wait the more anxious he became. With a low sigh, Treasure put her brush into the cup of dirty water.
“I’m just as anxious as you, but I’m scared. I guess that’s why I’m not in a rush to take the test.”
Cassius put his brush down as well and took her hand into his. “What are you scared of?”
Her head tilted before it lowered and shook. Wiping the corner of her eye, Treasure smiled bitterly before looking into his eyes.
“If I am, what it would mean. If I’m not, what it would mean.” She chuckled quietly and squeezed his hand a little tighter. “Kind of feels like I won’t be, because that would be too perfect. For me to have the man I’ve always wanted and his baby? I’m just… gonna be really sad if I’m not.”
He understood where she was coming from completely because for a while, he considered the same thing. Cassius didn’t know what he’d done to be blessed with Treasure and a baby with her in the same year. But he wasn’t going to question it if it was his blessing. And he needed her to not question it either.
Lifting her hand to his lips, Cassius kissed it and placed it on his heart.
“If you are, you know I got you every step of the way. If you aren’t, that’s okay too. We will have the rest of our lives to start our family. I’m just… anxious as fuck to know, but I’m willing to wait for as long as you need us to.”
Cupping his cheek, Treasure kissed his lips through her smile.
“Thank you for being so understanding. I promise I won’t make you wait for too long.”
All Cassius could do was nod because he knew there was no telling when Treasure would take that test. It didn’t matter, though. They would find out whenever they found out. For the time being, they were going to enjoy the rest of their date before heading to Eira’s place.
Chapter 30
Diem paced back and forth in anticipation of Deacon’s arrival. No matter what the test said, she was just ready to see him. The past three days gave her a lot of time to think about what she wanted to make her next move. Right after Trevor died, Diem vowed to uphold the business less and focus on her personal life more. Maybe she wasn’t expecting God to send a man her way so quickly, because she definitely wasn’t prepared for what that would entail.
Admittedly, Diem hadn’t been putting forth as much effort as she could have. When it came down to dates and sex she was all in, but when it was time for more serious conversations and decisions… she realized she still had quite a bit of work to do. Her life had been hers and the family’s all her life. Not once did she ever have to take a man’s feelings, wants, and needs into consideration before because she never cared.
If they didn’t want to do things her way… she would send them off on their way.
But this… with Deacon… it was different.
A good different.
And if she could just release the pretenses set in her mind from her childhood and ice around her heart there was no doubt in Diem’s mind that she could make something beautiful happen out of her bond with Deacon.
She released a heavy exhale as she went into the kitchen to pour herself a drink. While she wasn’t the typical wine or sweet alcohol drinker, Diem loved a good glass of champagne. Tonight, she wanted something heavier, though. In a few hours she would be heading to her brothers house to welcome him home and tell him goodbye. Every time she thought about the drastic change Eira had made all Diem could do was shake her head and will herself not to cry.
It was one thing for him to commit to taking a life sentence on his own without implicating the family. That’s what was expected of the family. He wasn’t receiving a badge of honor for doing something they all had been prepared to do. But at the same time… you never know how a person can handle being in that situation until they are actually in it. Diem didn’t know if she’d be able to be in jail for life, under guards rule, completely losing her freedom.
Even if she used her name and status in the streets to gain some type of leverage while she was locked up, her freedom would still be taken away from her.
So her brother’s original choice did make her respect him a bit more. She wouldn’t have shared that with anyone other than him, but it did.
Then… when she learned that Eira had agreed to become an informant, she immediately prayed for his soul. If he would have snitched on anyone in the streets, there would have been a price on his head, and there would not have been anything the family could do about it. Hell, the gracious thing to have done in that moment was to end his life themselves.
But that wasn’t the case. Eira wasn’t giving information on the streets like a snitch; he gave information on the law… like a motherfucking boss. While some people still didn’t agree with what he’d done, others didn’t give a fuck. They didn’t see having law and government officials on your team as true security because they could flip on you at any time – so to know that E
ira was handing them a dish of the justice they tried to give others so many times… it was laughable to the streets.
However, not everyone was laughing.
The people he had arrested weren’t laughing. Their families and partners weren’t either. Death threats and prices on his head had already begun to circulate. All it took was one bad traffic stop by a cop who knew what Eira had done… and he would be dead. So while no one in the family wanted Eira to have to leave, they knew it was for the best. At least until enough years passed for the city to forget what he had done.
Diem poured herself three fingers of Jack Daniels, then filled the rest of the glass up with champagne. She took a small sip while heading back to the living room, jumping and fighting back a squeal when her doorbell rang. Since she wasn’t expecting anyone else, Diem knew it had to be Deacon on the other side. After taking one last gulp, she patted her chest as she set the drink on the table and rushed to the door.
Diem inhaled a deep breath and tried to calm herself down before opening the door, but as soon as she did and saw Deacon in all of his milk chocolate, chiseled glory… appearing cool and unbothered had been tossed out of the window! That squeal that she had been holding back was released as she leapt into his arms. But she didn’t care, because Deacon held her just as tightly as he chuckled. His chuckle turned into a moan when his hands lowered to her ass and squeezed.
“I missed your ass so fuckin’ much, Doll. You hear me?”
Not wanting to get too emotional, Diem only held him tighter as she nodded. When she was sure she wouldn’t cry, a shaky, “Yes,” came out in a whisper. Diem cleared her throat and took in a deep breath before adding, “I missed you too.”
Deacon tried to release her, but she held him tighter. “No. Just… hold me for a little while longer.”
Seeming to have no issue with her request, Deacon lifted her into his arms and wrapped her legs around his waist. He locked the door, then carried her to the living room. When he sat down, Diem remained straddled on his lap.
