by Reana Malori
“That tends to happen when they know a bullet is about to be implanted in their brain.” His friend inhaled deeply, getting back to the business at hand. “So, here’s what you need to know. He was giving information to the guys in Philly.”
“Fuck,” Max hissed. His mind immediately began coming up with scenarios to squash any issues that came from this snitch bitch opening his mouth. “Do they know anything specific?”
“He gave them low-level shit. He’d been following Christopher around, helping him with clean-up. Christopher started getting a feeling that this guy Tommy was a little too interested in the details, so he started fucking with him. Feeding him half-ass information. It worked.”
“He’s a good kid, Nico. I know you’re comfortable with this decision, but does your sister know how far in he is with us?”
“No. We’re keeping that under wraps. For now, the story is he works with us at the limo and car service company.” Glancing at his nephew, Nico nodded. “You and I have been able to keep this life out of the public eye for all these years. I’ll teach Christopher to do the same before he gets any deeper.”
Nodding, Max agreed with his friend. They were still the ones running the show, but grooming Christopher wasn’t a bad idea. Neither he nor Nico had kids. They were too busy creating their business, keeping hard-fought truces intact, and building a wall between the two worlds that could withstand any storm.
Everything they’d built over the years wouldn’t have been possible without those who’d invested time and energy into teaching them the game. They’d learned things from people that helped them become the men they are today. Their time on the streets hadn’t been all fun and games. There were always rules that needed to be followed:
Never get sloppy.
Business always comes first.
Don’t get on the cops’ radar—not even for a speeding ticket.
Never conduct street business where you do company business.
Always have a space where things could get messy, clean up was easy, and only a select few knew about it.
Without some of these lessons, their lives would have been over before they got started. The people who’d taken them under their wings and taught them how to survive in this unforgiving world, would have been considered the dregs of society. To him and Nico, they were family.
Loyalty ran deep on the streets. Those who gave him their loyalty, got his in return. Some of these people were still part of their network. Whether it was the black gang members who thought two white boys hanging out in their neighborhood was a joke. Or the numerous sex workers, called prostitutes back in the day, who made sure two young gangsters had a place to sleep when they needed it.
There were times neither of them wanted to go back their mothers’ homes when things got hot for them. His extended network was the eyes and ears on the street, and if Max and Nico succeeded, so would they.
Hell, Max and Nico even had a Big Mama that they took care of now that she was in her seventies. That woman fed them when they were hungry, chastised them when they messed up, and told them to man the fuck up when they weren’t taking care of business. They’d both probably give her the most credit for teaching them how to handle business in the street. That woman was still tough as nails.
As badass as they were, they knew to say please and thank you, eat every morsel of food on their plate, refer to her as either Big Mama or Ma’am, and not to bring any mess up in her house.
She was rumored to have been a gangster in her own right when she was younger. Then she’d changed as she got older. Became known as the neighborhood mother. Everyone knew her, and everyone respected her. If they didn’t, there were any number of people willing to give them a lesson in what respect looked like.
It wasn’t as if his mom wasn’t there for him, because she was. But when he’d started going down a path of no return, she simply wasn’t strong enough to stop him. That woman was a damned saint in his eyes for the shit he’d put her through as a young teenager.
Anger was the only thing driving him back then, and he’d used that as his armor to push her away. He was ashamed to admit that he’d lashed out at her several times, blaming her for his father walking out on them. Years later, he knew it wasn’t her fault at all. Back then, he wasn’t willing to hear anything that didn’t give him more fuel for his anger.
During it all, she never turned her back on him. Always welcomed him home when he came back from learning all he could from the streets. Once, when he was sixteen, he’d been gone for over a week. Frantic with worry, she’d gotten in her car to look for him. She knew exactly where to go. It wasn’t like he made it a secret where he hung out, she’d just never been there.
After asking around, she was directed to Big Mama’s house. And boy, did the shit hit the fan.
Someone came running to the basketball court yelling to him that his mother had come looking for him. The dread of what he’d find when he walked up to Big Mama’s door was no match for reality.
Not only did he have to stand there while his mother cried her eyes out, he had to listen to her plead with him not to die. He was all she had left.
Then Big Mama laid into both him and Nico. He remembered her exact words:
“Max, a mother’s love is unconditional and all-encompassing. This woman carried you in her body for nine months. She birthed you, fed you, changed your shitty diapers, and cared for you when you were sick. Don’t repay that love with disrespect and disregard. Now, you are always welcome, and the people you’ve met will always be there for you.”
Her eyes turned hard as she stared at Max and Nico.
“But let me be clear. If you ever do this again, stay away this long without letting your mother know you are safe, you will not be welcome in my home. All the doors that were once open to you will close. You want to act like men, then do it. My world has rules. If you want to be in my world, you will make sure you understand how things work. This is rule number one. Disrespect to your mother, wife, or child is never tolerated. I will make sure you have what you need to navigate this world, but that rule is absolute. Understand?”
Max and Nico had no idea what she really meant, but they got the message. Mothers were always to be cared for. Nodding, they quickly agreed. “Yes, Ma’am,” they blurted.
At seeing their heads going up and down, Big Mama went to sit down by his mother, who’d stopped crying at this point. Picking up his mother’s hand in hers, Big Mama gave her a smile.
“It’s difficult raising a boy into a man. I know this. Sadly, my own son was killed in a car accident a few years ago.”
Max had never heard this before, so it was a shock. He and Nico looked at each other with wide eyes.
“I’m so sorry for your loss,” his mother whispered.
Waving one hand, Big Mama shook her head. “Today is better than yesterday, but thank you.”
Looking over at Max and Nico standing to the side, she shook her head. “Now, these two…” She paused. “Well, they’re good boys. They’re just trying to find their way in a world that isn’t always easy. They’re gonna make mistakes. But, if they have people around to help steer them, they’ll be fine. I know that one isn’t yours,” she said, motioning to Nico, “but they’re attached at the hip. That’s something you’ll have to be comfortable with.”
“I guess I’m just worried. It’s only been Max and I for so long.”
Nico punched him in the arm. “You made your mom cry. Not cool,” he’d whispered angrily.
Max scowled at Nico. “I didn’t mean to.”
Big Mama kept on talking. “Now, you don’t know me from Adam. But these two knuckleheads tend to grow on you. They’re like mold,” she said with a loud laugh.
“Hey, that’s not fair,” Max interrupted.
“Wait? Did you call us fungus?” Nico asked.
Her head swiveled in their direction. Eyes half-closed, lips pursed, she spat out, “You will hush your mouths
when grown folks are talking. This is not a conversation for children, which is what you both are right now.”
Turning back to Max’s mother, she continued as if she’d never been interrupted. “In this neighborhood, they are safe. If they need space, they’re welcome to come visit with the other teenagers. If they need guidance, I will help support you. Life is tough enough. It’s even harder for two young boys who have a…different outlook on how life should be lived.”
Green eyes stared into his brown ones. Max knew his mother was afraid for him, and what his future would be. “I just want him safe. I don’t want to get a knock on the door one day from the police.”
His mother was listening and engaging, which was a bit shocking to Max. His mom didn’t really listen to others, especially not black people. She wasn’t prejudiced or anything, but he couldn’t say the same about all his family. To keep the peace, she tended to stay to her own kind. But they were poor, and when you’re poor, choices are limited.
The only place they could afford to live was filled with those who didn’t have skin color like his. When Max began hanging out with the neighborhood kids, going off to other parts of the neighborhood, he knew it scared his mother. Too many years of her father and brother in her ear about darkies and mud people had taken its toll.
“Let’s first worry about our young Max and Nico getting an understanding of how to be young men first. If other things catch their interest, and we’re unable to bring them back where they need to be…well,” she paused, looking over at the boys, “we’ll make sure they know how to be safe and protect themselves.”
Max knew his face held a look a shock. What just happened?
“Why would you do this? I don’t understand,” his mother asked.
“Like I said, these two grow on you.”
Big Mama and his mother laughed, and the bond that formed was still in place to this very day. His mother’s only request—demand—of him was that he would not be killed or put in jail. He’d kept his promise, for both him and Nico.
Coming back to the present, he looked over at the guy Tommy as one of his guys punched him again, knocking his head back. It took longer for him to recover this time. His head lolled back for several extra seconds. Max was done with this. There was still business to handle at the office, and he had a date with his lady tonight that he wasn’t going to miss.
“This needs to be handled, Nico.”
“It will. We also need to send a message to Philly. We’ve left them alone for years. No bloodshed between us for over seven years. Now this happens.” He motioned toward Tommy. A look of disgust came over Nico’s face. “Let me handle the street. You go handle the company. We got this.”
Max nodded. His friend was right. “See you tomorrow.”
“Yup. Don’t forget Big Mama’s whiskey. She’ll probably try to kick your ass if you forget again.” Nico took off his blazer and laid it over a chair situated to the side. Rolling up his sleeves, he walked over to the coat rack on the far wall. Grabbing the leather apron from the far hook, he pulled it over his head, tying it in the back.
“Looks like you’re about to have some fun.”
When Nico donned the apron, that meant the bone saw was about to make an appearance.
Nico just smiled back at him. “Tell Kiana I said hi.”
“No.”
His friend laughed. “Scared she’ll get tired of your ugly face and want me instead?”
Jealousy was an ugly emotion. It made him do and say things he wasn’t proud of. Then again, he didn’t give a shit. Kiana was his, so if that meant keeping her hidden away from every man in this fucking city, he’d do it without hesitation.
“Not even in your dreams,” he responded to his friend. He knew there was no reason to be concerned about Nico trying to get with Kiana. That’s just not how they worked.
Just as he was turning away, his phone rang. Seeing that it was his mother, he answered.
“Hey.” Looking around the room, everyone was quiet. They knew the quickest way to a cut throat and a chest full of bullets was to speak when he was on the phone.
“Sweetheart, I need you to come to Arlington County jail. Jeremy’s been arrested.”
Max was confused. The only Jeremy he knew was his cousin’s sixteen-year-old son.
“Arrested for what?”
Silence met him on the other side, then frantic whispering. “Sweetie, promise me you’ll still come here to help.”
“Mom. What did he do?” That she was hesitating concerned him.
More whispering, then a louder, “I have to tell him. You want his help? Then deal with the consequences.” Then his mother spoke directly to him, “Honey, he’s been charged with assault. Um, he and his friends beat up some kid real bad. The other kid is in a coma.”
“Damn,” he whispered. Waving his hand at Nico, he called out, “I’ll call you.”
At Nico’s nod, he walked toward the exit.
“Max, there’s more.”
“Okay, I’m listening.” Approaching his car, he pulled out the key fob to unlock his door.
“He’s being charged with a hate crime. The kid in a coma is black.”
CHAPTER FOUR
Annoyance flittered through her body as Kiana was summoned to her boss’s office. Any other day, it would be a non-issue, but not today. Checking her phone one more time, she again noticed that there’d been no calls or text messages from Max. It had been almost twenty-four hours since she’d last heard from him. At first, she’d been worried, then angry, and now she was back to worried. Actually, terrified would be a better description of what she was feeling.
Since they’d started dating, they spoke at least twice a day. Once in the morning and once at night. When she began spending the night at his house, the calls and texts continued. They were just adjusted for work hours since they were with each other every day. Being out of contact with Max for so long just wasn’t something she was used to.
For a moment, she wondered if he was with another woman. Maybe she wasn’t enough. The man had a sexual appetite that was out of this world. As that thought flitted through her mind, she dismissed it. She wasn’t going there. It had to be something else. Max was the type of man who would let you know in cold, uncertain terms when he was done with you. Of that she had no doubt.
With that out of the way, she began thinking of other reasons he would be out of touch like this. Maybe he’d been hurt. Was she listed as his emergency contact? What if it was something worse but no one knew how to find him?
The more she thought about it, the more worried she became. She knew it was time she and Max discussed his work. He may not like it, but neither could they avoid it much longer.
Kiana wasn’t privy to every aspect of his life. She knew it was better that way. There were questions she didn’t want to know the answers to. Some would say she was culpable. An enabler.
She would say her man’s work was his business. She laughed derisively. To be a lawyer, she held a very liberal view on certain things. This was one of the reasons she didn’t do criminal law. Her perspective was skewed long before Max walked into her life.
For the past couple of months, she’d been dropping hints to Max that she had an inkling that he wasn’t always on the up-and-up. Secretive man that he was, he never took the bait. There were times her bulldog personality wouldn’t allow her to let things go. On this, however, she forced her natural tendency to the background.
There was no way in hell she was going to confront Max about his business activities. Not without more information. When he was ready to bring her fully into his world, he would. Until then, she would continue to enjoy their time together, and all the mind-blowing sex she could handle.
Then again, if he didn’t respond to her numerous messages, she was going to very upset. Which would make sexing it up in every room of his house extremely awkward. Sighing at her scattered thoughts about Max, she tried to put it behind her for
the time being. There were other things to focus on right now, so she had to get her mind right.
Not ready to call in the National Guard just yet, she’d left him another voicemail as she left her office. If he didn’t call her back in the next hour, she was getting the big guns. His mother.
Approaching the founding partner’s office, she stopped at his secretary’s desk. Smiling at the woman typing away on the keyboard, she interrupted the elegant looking older lady.
“Hey, Mary.” Nodding her head toward the door, she said, “I think William’s expecting me.”
“Hi, Kiana. Yes. He sure is. The client’s already here, so you can go in.”
Giving two hard knocks on the door before walking in, Kiana didn’t see the other people in the room. “Hi, William. You wanted to see me.”
An older man with snow white hair, he still looked fit and spry for his age. William Lewis was a founding partner of her firm, Donner & Lewis, and still interviewed every summer associate that passed through the doors of the firm. She respected him greatly, and always appreciated his support of female and minority attorneys.
Her initial annoyance at being called to his office faded away into dust. It was an honor to work with him, and that he’d called on her specifically had to mean something.
“Good morning, Kiana. Thanks for coming so quickly.” Motioning to the side where his conference table sat, he began to introduce her to the client. “Kiana Moore, I believe you know Maxwell Bishop. This here is Thomas Valentine, Mr. Bishop’s attorney.”
Kiana’s blood ran cold and she stopped in her tracks. It’s not that their relationship was a secret. Well, it was a private relationship that she kept out of the workplace, but it wasn’t something that couldn’t be shared with others. She’d just always been very careful to never mix business with pleasure. So, having Max standing in her boss’s office with a grim look on his face, was jarring to say the least.
“Kiana…” William called out. Looking over at him, she saw his eyebrow raised in question. Looking back at the other two men in the office, she noticed the attorney’s hand was outstretched towards her.
