“Do you know that why is the question asked most frequently around this joint?” Hiram teased, placing his back against the wall.
With his eyes fixed on Hiram, Jai said, “You’re stalling.”
“Because I need a favor. A huge favor.”
Jai sighed and the other men shared a few questioning comments. “Brothers, can you give me a few moments.”
“Make it fast,” Shaz said. “My stomach’s about to walk out of here before the rest of you.”
“Camilla’s aunt is delivering some more vittles. Should be here shortly,” Vikkas said with a chuckle.
“In that case,” Shaz waved them forward. “Take all the time you need.”
“Nah, man.” Falcon made his way through the men gathered closer to the door. “If it means he’s riding solo, and leaving us all to this, then we need to know.”
Jai scanned the document again. “So, you’re leaving this goodness on the table just when things are getting started for the Knights. All because you need me to do something for you? That makes absolutely no sense.”
Hiram scratched his forehead, grimacing as he gathered his thoughts. “I’d like you to hire someone.”
Jai opened his mouth and promptly shut it when Shaz gave him the signal to just listen. Then he opened it again because curiosity got the better of him.
“Wait, hear me out,” Hiram said, holding up his hand to stall Jai’s protest, which caused Shaz to toss out an ‘I told you so’ look. “This person will be able to help you more than I ever could. They can get you through all the red tape and ensure that Chetan, and the new places are tight.”
“All right, I’m listening.” Jai moved back to the table, settled his weight onto the closest chair—one normally occupied by Grant, who gave him a stern look. The rest of the Kings claimed a spot close to them as the Knights wheeled in chairs of their own.
Jai squared his shoulders and braced himself. He already had a pretty good idea where this was going. The conversation he’d had with Marilyn put a lot of scenarios in play. At least he now had a better handle on where to put Dro, Daron, and Vikkas’ talent to use in protecting him and Chetan against Donald’s machinations.
“ Who do you have in mind?”
In a neutral tone, Hiram said, “You already know her.”
“Her?” Jai nodded and laughed, causing Hiram to pause midway into a seat that Ryan wheeled up for him. Now things were making a little more sense. Actually, a lot more sense.
“It’s not like that at all.” Hiram rubbed a hand across his low-cut fade. “Well, it’s sort of like that, but—”
“Then what am I missing?” Jai shot back. “You’re about to give up a hard-won career in the medical field, and a place among a group of men who will provide valuable mentoring, and you’re set for a seat at a newly-formed table for you all to mirror our efforts and come up with some agendas of your own.”
Hiram’s tone was patient when he answered, “Because we both can’t work for you at the same time.”
The men around them didn’t move, but waited in silence.
Jai thought about that for a moment and flicked his wrist in a dismissive wave. “That’s an unspoken rule, but certainly isn’t policy. It can be worked out.”
Hiram shook his head. “No, not for us.”
“Us?” Jai gave a low, throaty chuckle.
Hiram grimaced and rose to pace the open area in front of the boardroom table. As he did, he massaged the nape of his neck.
Jai had never seen the man so nervous.
“There should already be some level of trust between us,” Jai said before Hiram reached into a white envelope he’d placed on the table, slid a résumé toward Jai, and pointed to the first line.
Jai scanned the name, and then looked up. “Whoa.” He locked a gaze with his right-hand man. “So, you’re a couple now?”
Hiram nodded.
Though he already knew the answer, Jai was still grateful Hiram chose to tell the truth. He didn’t realize Marilyn and Hiram were so far along in their relationship, they were finishing each other’s lives. “And she couldn’t apply herself?”
The younger man schooled his features until he put on a stoic poker face. Evidently, Marilyn hadn’t told Hiram that she had practically pleaded with Jai to allow Hiram to remain at Chetan and she would resign immediately to let him keep his position. Jai didn’t see anything good that could come of losing Hiram, or by not having someone in the Bureau who was at least trying to look out for them.
“She doesn’t know you’re asking me for this?”
“No.”
Jai’s eyebrows winged upward. “That’s not a good sign for your relationship if you’re keeping—”
“This is more serious than anything I’ve ever been in,” Hiram countered. “I see the bigger picture because you gave us the best start. Chetan is only the beginning. The Castle is the next step.” Hiram took a few steps to where an architectural scale model was displayed. He tapped the corner of the miniature replica of the building that would be erected on the South side of Chicago within the year. “Six more centers, right? Total of nine. Do you think we—your crew—can’t peep what’s going on? And Marilyn would be good for the project. She can lay the groundwork in every place, run point on processes that you would never be able to. She knows the questions to ask, and will be invaluable when they’re making you jump through hoops just for shits and giggles.”
“But that’s what Kelly does,” Jai pointed out, though he did see value in Hiram’s logic.
“Don’t get me wrong, Kelly is good at what she does, but you’ll need someone like Marilyn, too.” Hiram inhaled and let his breath out slowly. “Do you know how good it feels to defy the odds? Like the men working for you who didn’t let their records hold them back? Like how you’re successful with Chetan even though the suits aren’t feeling the way you do things? Temple Devaughn being alive and the baby, too.” Hiram nodded. “We don’t do things the traditional way around here. And Marilyn can help you because she knows how to navigate both sides and make sure you come out on the winning end.”
Jai placed an index finger on the resignation letter as the pit of his belly sank. “Then what are you going to do if you’re not here?”
“I’m going to do tattoos and my art,” Hiram answered. “I’ve taken everything you taught us and I don’t have any debt, so I can open a shop in the South Loop and—”
“Why not do both?”
Hiram took a step back and tipped his head as if he hadn’t heard correctly. “What?”
“Complete the necessary work with your mentors, handle this part of the business while you build that business as well,” Jai offered.
A rumble of agreement from the other men passed around the room.
Hiram’s eyes took on a hopeful glint. “So, you’re going to hire Marilyn?”
“After the conversation I’ve already had with her, I’m going to listen to what she has to say, then we’ll see what’s what.” Jai waited and was pleased when Hiram smiled. “The bigger question is … why should I trust her with something as sensitive as this? You know I could easily put in a call and part of my battle with the Bureau would be over. Then she’d be the one trying to explain away things that I shouldn’t be aware of. She’s not being loyal to her job, why would I believe she’d be loyal to me?”
“She’s being loyal to what’s moral and what’s right.” Hiram gestured to the other men. “I thought that’s what this was all about. Her ethics involves not allowing them to keep doing these things to you.” Hiram put his back to Jai as he scanned the rest of the group, then claimed an empty chair between Reno and Dro. Jai followed suit.
“When I was in Menard, I had to be on guard, all the time. Even in my sleep. No real rest, because at any moment violence could break out, for no reason at all. Even ones who claimed to be a friend, could turn”— he snapped his fingers”—just like that.” Hiram faced Jai, who folded his hands and placed them on the boardroom table. “For
the first time since I got out, I closed my eyes when someone else was in the room with me, and I felt at peace. That’s a kind of trust I don’t take for granted.”
Jai absorbed the words and nodded. “How do you know that she’s not playing you? Amos is not above getting down and dirty by using her on the sly.”
“Because that’s not how she’s made,” Hiram countered, getting to his feet. “Trust. That right there is just as important as love. I never knew what peace was until I met her. Never realized that I was still doing time—out here on the other side of the bars, because there’s so few people I can trust.” Hiram tapped a fingertip on the table. “You, the crew. But a woman? I haven’t had this kind of love—ever. She sees me. The real me. Not an ex-felon. She sees the man. The man I was becoming before the fight that landed me in a place I never wanted to be. That night was a diversion from my path, but it’s also part of my path right now. I see that now. Being with her, and simply sleeping with her—and I’m not talking about sex—is an act of trust.” Hiram stalked to the projection screen which bore an image of the new center, then returned to the conference table. “And Jaidev Maharaj, I trust you, too.”
“Yes, but just so you’ll know,” he shot back, “I won’t be sleeping with you.”
“Um, no. I’m good on that man,” Hiram quipped, shaking his head.
Everyone in the room laughed.
“You’ve got a good place in your heart, man,” Hiram said. “I’ve seen the worst that people have to offer—inmates, where guards can be just as ugly—the whole legal system. It feels good to be part of something great. And it’s a beautiful thing to have a woman who wants to be part of the solution.”
Jai mulled that over a moment.
“So, I’m willing to give that up to get her to a place where she’s not having her twenty-plus years at the Bureau being held over her head if she doesn’t continue in his efforts to put the screws to you and your business.”
Jai thought that over for a moment. “No, we’ll come up with something else,” he said, as the idea appealed more to him by the minute. “Because I’m not willing to cut my wingman loose. All of you are set to play a vital part in several projects.”
“Including that Kings of the Castle business?”
“Most definitely.”
CHAPTER 15
“You knew I would come,” Temple said, as she entered Jai’s home. Her gaze swept across the artwork strategically positioned on the walls to capture the sunlight, then to the Persian rug, the eclectic but warm furniture, and the piano at the far end of the parlor before focusing on him once again.
“I hoped you would,” he replied, taking her coat and what looked like a small overnight case and a canvas painting that was nearly twice her size before placing the case in the foyer closet, removing the contents on the hallway table and setting the painting there. “Thank you for this. Although I’m curious about what changed your mind.”
Temple perched on the suede sectional in the parlor, closed her eyes and sighed as if the entire morning had taken most of her strength. She seemed sad, almost sullen, more so than he had ever witnessed in the hospital.
What had happened between her exit from Meridian and moving back to her condo to give her this weary demeanor and a heavy spirit? All he wanted to do was wrap her in his arms and tell her everything would be all right.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t cross that boundary at this time. She had to invite him into her personal space. The last conversation they’d had was that he would do “milk runs” to her condo every morning to retrieve any bottles she had for the baby. Then she called to say she’d come and breastfeed the baby directly for a time and she said nothing to indicate anything had changed.
When she opened her eyes, they seemingly focused on him, but the faraway look in her dark-brown orbs unsettled his soul. He waited, standing near the parlor’s entrance, knowing she would speak only when she was ready.
Several moments ticked by before she said, “He violated me.”
Jai released a calming breath and whispered, “Yes, he did.”
“In the worst way,” she continued and wrapped her arms around her body.
“Yes.” He resisted the urge to comfort her, but thought it wiser to hold his ground where he stood, a few feet away on the carpet.
She locked gazes with him. “This is the second time a man has violated me this way. The first time, I was ten.”
Jai blinked, trying to keep his expression neutral, but didn’t respond. The horror that filled him, knowing that unfortunate piece of her past, could not be displayed on his face. He did not want her to think it was directed at her instead of the ugliness of the situation.
“You’re shocked by that,” she said, inhaling and fixing her gaze on the portrait of his grandmother; the woman who had inspired him to become a holistic practitioner. The woman whose abuse from family members who were supposed to care for her, had been substantial and unforgiveable. As unforgiveable as the acts committed against ten-year old, and later grown-up, Temple Devaughn.
“I wanted my first time to be special. For it to be in a marriage bed with the man who was part of my happily ever after.” A tear streaked down her face, followed by several others. “He—first my uncle, then some stranger—took that away from me.”
Jai waited a while longer and when no other words were forthcoming, his ears picked up India’s coos echoing from the kitchen where his house manager was holding her at the moment. Maybe now wasn’t the best time to have Temple interact with the baby. She needed to be cherished and reassured.
“May I have permission to embrace you?”
Temple’s expression went blank, but then she snailed a nod and he moved to sit next to her, gathering her trembling form in his arms. He held her for what seemed an eternity. The coos from the kitchen became more insistent and Jai was aware that India would not hold off for nourishment much longer. Marilyn had her on a consistent schedule that even allowed Jai to be in on the late-night feedings. He’d timed his sleep pattern to India’s so he could be with her as much as possible. Sometimes that meant snatching a nap on the sofa in his office, but it was well worth it. Each day, he whispered the same words in her ear. Remember that I love you. Remember who you are. Remember God’s purpose for sending you to the earth scene. I love you, India Maharaj.
Maybe the baby’s softness could have a positive impact on Temple as well. “May I bring my daughter in?”
“Your daughter?” Temple shot back, lips immediately set in a thin, disapproving line.
Jai wasn’t sure what to make of her statement or her tone. She had been adamant about not wanting the responsibility of motherhood. He believed her. So, in his mind, India Maharaj was his.
He extracted himself from Temple’s hold and pushed a button on the intercom near the entrance to the living room. “Sandy, please bring India to me.”
Moments later, a robust woman with a sienna complexion shifted the baby from her fleshy arms to his.
“Hey, little darling,” he whispered.
India made her acceptance known as he smiled down at her and a gum-filled grin lit up her face. Jai took a moment, then placed the baby in Temple’s arms as Sandy swept from the room.
Temple held her tentatively at first, then inched her a bit closer as though the baby was a fragile porcelain vase. Jai draped a shawl over her, one he had purchased for this purpose and because he believed she would appreciate its warmth and beauty. Temple adjusted her blouse while India’s fingers tightened around Jai’s as though unwilling to let him go. Then she nuzzled Temple’s breasts, sensing the nourishment that awaited.
Temple looked up at Jai, a question in her dark-brown eyes. He nodded and gave her an encouraging smile. She positioned the shawl and opened her blouse, then shifted the lace bra and India took to the nipple, drawing down the milk. Only then did Jai slip his hand from India’s and slide out to leave them in peace.
“I missed out on the pleasures of carrying this child,” she
said, causing Jai to pause at the threshold. “Watching my body grow. Feeling her develop.” Jai glanced over his shoulder in time to see Temple’s finger stroking the soft skin of India’s cheek, trailing it to her chin. “My first child. She hasn’t even heard my voice in those months. She doesn’t know me.”
Temple lowered her gaze to the carpet.
“You’re here now,” Jai said coming to stand a few feet away. “That’s all that matters to her.”
“I did the right thing by giving her to you,” she said as Jai stroked the silky crown of India’s hair. “I can’t provide for her the right way. I don’t even have a place to live.”
Jai’s hand paused as he focused on Temple. Several thoughts whirled through his mind. Her weariness. The suitcase. Her sudden appearance.
“My condo … he’s all up in my place. Owns it, and it now smells like him,” she said. “And because I rejected his offer of marriage again, he says I have to leave until I come to my senses. After what my mother did to me when I was growing up, I can’t even see how she would hand everything over to him—my condo, my bank accounts—all of it while I was … not in a position to do anything. Entitlement. It’s one of the things I’ve always disliked about him. And now the way he smells.” She shuddered and the action sent a chill up Jai’s spine. “For some reason, now it makes me so nauseous, it’s hard to breathe. It never had before.”
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