Art of Loyalty (A Stern Family Saga Book 4)

by Monique Orgeron

  My concentration is broken when one by one, they enter the living room. Once everyone has settled, I start telling them everything Richard is demanding. I leave the part about the letter out, that information needs to be handled separately.

  My sons and Theo go crazy; jumping off their seats demanding we go to war. I, on the other hand, don’t care what they think. This was my decision and I stand by it, so I let them scream out their frustration and anger without a care while I stare off thinking of Vin. I watch him for a minute and see how upset he is about all of this, just like his brothers. Turning away, the loud sounds become blocked as I look out of the window, remembering how Vincent was as a child and how I was towards him.

  I remember the first day I found out about his existence. I instantly hated him. I hated a child. It might seem wrong, but I won’t deny the truth. I hated everything he was and what he could possibly do to my family.

  I was so wrong though, my hatred for him would end with one look, one moment of understanding. Since then I’ve tried so hard to make it up to him, but I failed. I thought I could take him and give him the life he should have, the life I was scared he would one day come after. But I did him a disservice. I should have left him. There was always a chance that some family would find him and care for him the way he should’ve been. But instead, I dragged him down with me. We both suffered for years by the same hand. By the hand that Vin would grow up to hate and take his revenge on.

  “Mom!”

  My thoughts are broken by Gabriel shouting my name. “Yes, what is it?”

  “What is it? Are you serious right now? We cannot agree to this, we have to go to war!”

  Zander turns to me and says, “I will not give my daughters to anyone! Do you understand me?!”

  “Enough!” I stand and make them all shut up and back off. “We are doing this! You all listen to me well. I am the boss of this family, not any of you! I make the decisions until I am no longer able to! Do all of you understand that?! Now, sit down!”

  Gabriel and Zander go to argue but I shut them down, “I will not tolerate it boys, sit down!”

  They listen, like I knew they would. Now that I have all their attention, I take a deep breath, knowing I don’t need to explain my actions, but I can at least try to make them understand them.

  “I made the best decision I could. Do you think any of this was easy for me? I tried my hardest to give myself up to Richard in exchange for all of your safety but none more than for my granddaughters; the ones here and the ones I will have.”

  Theo tries to say something, but I block him. “I would have gladly done it for all of you. Even you Theo, because if you think he would not come after you and both of your sons, you’re crazy. Teddy would be at risk too.”

  “I couldn’t risk it. My forces are strong, but this wouldn’t be just some simple war. This is Richard we are talking about, and he is equal to me in forces. This would be years of fighting, and we have no idea what the outcome would be. Saying that doesn’t make me weak or scared, it makes me smart. This is what I have always tried to teach you boys; know your opponent. Know his weakness and flaws, know his strengths and capabilities. Don’t be rash, be level-headed, compare and weigh all your options. I know Richard. I know everything about the man and he knows me. Trust me, this is a war that you do not want.”

  When I can tell I have them hooked on every word, I proceed. “I made my decision based off of the facts and I stand by that decision. We will pray that when the day comes, the union will be a good one for all of us. Because it can be, this merger, it can make both families untouchable to all, forever. It can and will benefit both sides.”

  I take another breath and decide to tell them my plan.

  “So yes, I hope it will go smoothly, that one of my granddaughters will fall in love with one of his grandsons. But if it doesn’t happen that way, I have never and will never sacrifice one of my own for anyone. We, all of us, will teach our girls to be better, stronger, and smarter than any of us. We will make them superior in every way to any man they ever come across. She, whichever one is selected, will marry into that family and honor the contract, but she will be ours! We will now have someone on the inside. Richard’s organization is too strong to be destroyed from the outside. So, if need be, we will destroy it from the inside. Our girl will be the one to lead us in this fight. It will be her decision, not ours. She will let us know if we need to act or not. We can all work together, the Stern’s and the Shaw’s or we will take them down. Time will tell, but at least we have time. If we chose war, time would be our enemy instead of our friend.”

  They’re quiet for a few minutes letting it all digest. Theo is staring at me as I take my seat. Liam is the first to speak.

  “I agree with mom, she made the right decision.”

  Zander jumps out of his chair and yells, “You don’t have a daughter! You have no right to say shit!”

  They all start to argue again until Murphy and Fallon make them stop and pay attention to them. Fallon starts the conversation again and then Murphy finishes it. By the time they are done Avery stands tall next to them both. They stand united, making me very proud. When all is said and done, the men have agreed. They’re not happy but they understand why it must be this way. My girls did exactly what I asked and expected from them. They made my sons calm and rational.

  I’ve been so tired the last few days and I know Theo can tell. I see the worry written all over his face. I have used all my energy, so I sit waiting for everyone to start to disperse. I can’t help but wish for more patience, and more than anything, time. There are so many things left that need to be said and done and I’m scared that there is not enough time left.

  “Vincent, I need to speak to you privately.”

  I have him follow me into my office and close the door.

  “Vin, I want and need to know if there is anything you are not telling me.”

  He laughs and says, “No, why? I tell you everything.”

  I raise a brow and tell him, “You don’t tell me everything, Vincent. You know there are things you have tried to hide from me in the past.”

  “Mom, can’t we leave the past alone? Now, what is this about?”

  I walk to the sofa and sit, trying to decide how to proceed. I’m not ready to tell him about the letter from Richard yet. Things are too sensitive with the family just finding out about the merger. If this is a game Richard’s playing against me, I don’t need to add more fuel to the fire. But if it’s not, then I need to be able to read Vincent’s reactions to my questions. I just can’t go too hard, I need to be patient and vague.

  “What about the woman you were seeing? You never told me anything about her.”

  “Oh, is that what this is all about? I don’t come home at night a few times months ago and now you’re concerned about my loyalty?”

  “No, not really, I’m just asking about her. You have to admit you’ve been different lately, and it all started on the first night you didn’t come home.”

  Vin walks over to a chair and pulls it up to the sofa to sit across from me.

  “Mom, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m here. I’m always going to be loyal to you. No woman will ever come between that. But if you must know, I am not seeing her anymore. I haven’t for a long time now.”

  “Why?”

  “Why, what?”

  “Why aren’t you seeing her anymore?”

  “It’s complicated. It was just a convenient situation, nothing more. You should know I will never have anything more. So, don’t worry about a woman ever coming between my loyalty and you.”

  “I’m not worried about your loyalty, Vincent. I’m simply worried about you.”

  “Well don’t, everything is good. If I’m acting any different it’s simply because of all the changes around here lately. I mean, come on, there has been some major changes in the family as of late, and you know it takes me a little time to adapt.”

  “I know it does, but I thoug
ht maybe this woman would be good for you. You seemed lighter, almost peaceful.”

  Vin stands and moves the chair back to its original position then says, “Well it’s over, so there is nothing left to say about it.”

  He starts to walk to the door but then turns around. “Mom, why are you willing to give Lester to me? Why would you risk everything for Brittany? I mean, you even allowed her to be in the wedding. Aren’t you worried about Gabriel finding out about you knowing her?”

  “No, for Brittany I would risk it.”

  “How long have you known her? It seems like you two have a close relationship. You would only do that for someone you feel close to.”

  “I’ve known her for a long time and I am very fond of her. Why, does it bother you?”

  “It doesn’t bother me, but I worry for Gavin, he seems to have taken a liking to her. Maybe we should…”

  I interrupt his sentence because I don’t want him saying what she is. To me, she is more than that. “We never have to worry about Brittany with any of the children. I trust her, she knows what to do with children.”

  “What do you mean, she knows what to do with children?”

  I shrug my shoulders. I don’t see what it would hurt, so I tell him the truth. “Brittany, from a young age, worked in a daycare. She loves children and is very good with them. In fact, she… oh never mind, it’s not important.”

  “What is it?”

  “Nothing son, she’s just very good with children. Gavin loves her, and I saw the twins dancing with her last night. She has this ability to make them all fall in love with her. Why are we still talking about Brittany anyway?”

  “I was just wondering, that’s all. I don’t want little man getting too close to the wrong people.”

  I laugh out loud. “Well, Gavin sure does love beautiful women. He’s surrounded by them.”

  “Lucky kid.”

  That makes me laugh harder. “Really? I quite remember none of you boys liking the idea of other men finding me beautiful.”

  “Neither will he.” He smiles and walks out.

  21

  Vin

  The next day is Sunday. Catherine calls me and asks me to take her to Earl’s house. He was let out of the hospital and she wants to pay her respects. Earl’s diner might be in the worst part of the city, but his home is in a decent neighborhood. Still not one that you would expect to see Catherine Stern visiting, but no one will ever question her or her methods.

  While driving, mom asks, “Are you being smart about Lester?”

  “Aren’t I always?”

  “Yes, I just want to make sure you don’t let your rage interfere with what needs to be done and done without risk.”

  “I’m being careful.”

  She doesn’t ask anything else. She understands I will handle it my way. I pull up to the curb, park and open Catherine’s door.

  “Vincent, I am going to stay for a while. I don’t think I will be any less than an hour. Why don’t you find something to do? I’ll call you when I’m ready.”

  “I’m not leaving you here. I’ll wait outside or maybe take a walk. Either way I won’t be far. If you need me, just call.”

  She kisses my cheek and walks up to Earl’s house. The door opens, and she’s greeted by Earl’s wife. Once the door closes, I lean against the car.

  I find it so interesting, if you didn’t know Catherine, you would be shocked to see her not only here in this neighborhood. But you would be surprised at the loyalty she feels towards Earl. Fallon sure would be shocked to learn that her ex-boss took her in and helped her out, all because of Catherine. Not saying he wouldn’t have helped her without Catherine, because after all, that’s how the old man is. But it was always her plan.

  I remember when Catherine first made me bring her down here and we started following Fallon around. She told me the story, not all of it of course, but she told me about Earl. The way I understand it, when Catherine lived on the streets, Earl would offer her food and a place to sleep at night; the same cot that Fallon used to sleep on in his storage room. I guess Earl’s one of the good guys. Catherine made sure Earl helped Fallon out. It was a well-orchestrated plan from the beginning.

  Over the years, Catherine has offered several times to move Earl to a better home, and even move his business to a better location, but he refuses. That’s why when he was beaten and sent to the hospital, Catherine didn’t want the men arrested, she wanted them dead. She feels somewhat responsible for Earl still being in this part of the city. She claims he is a “Hard headed, stubborn ole mule.” Her words exactly. So, if she can’t get him to move, she will protect him as much as she can.

  Hence today’s visit. Not only is she here to see him, but I know she is in there arguing with him because she’s letting him know she has hired round the clock protection for him now. They will be guys from the neighborhood, so they won’t look like they don’t belong here, but they will be around him constantly. Earl sure in the fuck will not be happy about it.

  I watch the house and start to smile. I wish I was a fly on the wall in there. That old man and Catherine are known to go round and round arguing. He knows how to push Catherine’s buttons, and the funny thing is, she takes it. I have seen the man scold her like a child and she bows her head to him. One can only imagine what kind of hell she lived through and how much this man must have helped her if she allows him to speak to her like that; she would kill or order anyone to their death who even attempted it. But not with Earl.

  About fifteen minutes have passed and all remains quiet around the house. I start looking around and that’s when I see it. Brittany’s BMW.

  What the hell is she doing here? I look around at the buildings and notice she’s parked in front of the old Baptist church. Interesting. I make sure the car is locked and start walking. I open the church doors and hear the sermon the preacher is giving. As the doors close behind me, I start looking around at all the pews. Then I spot her sitting there, listening intently.

  I walk straight towards her and push my way into her pew. Her face is priceless when she sees me. The anger coming off of her is almost enough to make me rethink my actions. Almost. I sit ignoring her stare as I listen.

  “What are you doing here?!” She grits out through her teeth.

  “Shh, I’m listening.”

  I see her trembling from the bottom of my eyes, so I lay a hand on her leg. She stops trembling and pushes my hand away. I decide to taunt her a little.

  I lean over to her ear and whisper, “Church?”

  When I sit back up she is shooting daggers at me. “Yes, you ass. I go to church!”

  “Watch your language, we’re in the house of the Lord.”

  She doesn’t find me amusing at all. But then something happens that throws me completely off. A young woman sitting on the other side of Brittany looks over to me.

  She smiles and pushes past Brittany whispering, “Hi, I’m Chloe. You know my sister?”

  Brittany turns those daggers back my way. Shit, she has a sister. Now I am beyond curious. Right then and there I decide I have to know everything about Brittany. All I know so far is how she makes me feel, how she fucks, how good her damn cookies are, she worked in a daycare, she goes to church and now she has a sister. Way more than I ever expected from her.

  I reach my hand out across Brittany and shake the girl's hand. “I’m Vin.”

  She smiles and then Brittany breaks our hands apart and tells Chloe, “Pay attention.”

  I sit back straight in the pew. I can’t help but smile and think how fun this is going to be.

  I stayed for the rest of the sermon which doesn’t take long. I find myself wishing it would have been longer because I know the second I stand up to leave, she will flee fast.

  When I stand, I make sure I grab her by the back of her arm and escort her and her sister out. I don’t let go, even when she stops to speak with the preacher, telling him how much she enjoyed it. When I walk them towards her car she tries to pull aw
ay to get in quick, but Chloe intervenes.

  “So, Vin, how do you know my sister?”

  “Chloe, that’s enough. I’m sure Vin has other places to be.”

  “No, I’m fine for now. I can answer your sister’s question.”

  I smile at Brittany then answer Chloe. “Your sister and I met a few years ago through my sister-in-law. I wasn’t sure if it was her or not when I saw the car, but I decided to see if it was. I wanted to ask her to join me tonight for dinner.”

  She elbows Brittany’s arm and says, “I say you go. Any man willing to go to church to ask you out definitely deserves a yes.”

  Brittany smiles at her sister and says, “Yes well Vin, I’m sorry but I am going to have to decline. I have other things I will be doing tonight.”

  “No you won’t, you’ll be finished with him in plenty of time.”

  Brittany throws Chloe a warning glare and she immediately backs down.

  I change the subject, one because I need to know more and two I am not ready for her to leave me.

  “Chloe, you go to school here?”

  “Yes, I go to the LSU campus here. I’m studying to be a nurse.”

  “That’s wonderful. I’m sure your parents are very proud of you.”

  Chloe goes to say something, but Brittany starts pushing Chloe towards the passenger side of the vehicle, not letting her say what she was about to. When she gets Chloe in the car, she slams the door and walks back to me.

  She gets close so she doesn’t have to be loud and she says every word with conviction. “Don’t you ever pull a stunt like this again! My personal life is off limits! Do you hear me?”

  She turns around, gets in her car and drives off. She might have scared some men off, but I just found her a hell of a lot more interesting. Brittany Duplantis has become my newest mission.

  Walking back to the car, I see Catherine walking out of Earl’s house. She meets me on the curb and I start to escort her across the street to the car when she asks,