by J. L Rose
“Where the fuck are you going?” Alinna demanded. “We’re not finished talking yet.”
Sighing, Dante said, “Alinna, look . . . You’ll get a call later tonight from someone naked Kerri Cook. She’s a friend of mine, and I hired her to be your assistant. She’ll explain everything to you.”
“Who is she, Dante?” Alinna asked, stopping him from walking away again.
“She’s the same person that helped me out while I was locked up. How the hell you think I was getting shit done? Who you think help Vanessa and them set up Geno so Vanessa could kidnap Geno and get Mya for me? Look, Alinna . . . I know we’ve had our trouble with women in our past, but other than Natalie, I never wanted anything to do with Angela. But if you can’t trust me enough to know that whatever I do, I do for you—for us—then what’s the point of us being together? I love you, but I gotta go. I’ma call you from the jet.”
Watching Dante turn and walk out of the owner’s box, Alinna turned and walked over to the window overlooking the VIP section. She looked out just as Dante walked into the section. She then saw Natalie rush over to him, throw her arms around his neck for a hug, and then kiss him.
Looking down as she held up her ring hand, and staring at the diamond that Dante had given to her, Alinna lifted her eyes just in time to see both Dante and Natalie leaving the VIP room, already knowing where the two of them were headed.
18
T he feeling of her neck being kissed and her left breast gently squeezed woke Alinna from her sleep. She rolled over to her right and blinked her eyes a few times to clear her vision. She found herself staring at Dante, who was smirking right back at her.
“You miss me, shorty?” Dante softly asked, bending down to kiss Alinna’s lips before shifting himself until he was lying between her legs and leaning over her.
“What time is it?” Alinna asked as she felt Dante pushing her panties to the side.
“It’s almost 5:00 a.m.,” Dante told her as he led his manhood inside of her. Her soft moans put a smile on his face.
Losing all train of thought as Dante began moving in and out of her, Alinna pushed back against him as he pushed deeper inside of her. She felt herself quickly getting close to cumming. She wrapped her arms tight around his neck, pulled his head down until their lips touched, and then kissed him.
“Oh God . . . Dante!” Alinna cried, breaking their kiss. “Dante, I’m cumming. Baby, I’m cumming!”
Continuing to make love to Alinna, and watching her face as he brought her to orgasm after orgasm, Dante finally released himself deep inside her, feeling the muscles inside her working him . . . milking him . . . as she held him tightly against her chest.
Alinna then rolled over to her right and faced Dante once he pulled out of her and lay beside her. She then laid her head on his chest. For just a few moments, they lay there together quietly until Dante spoke up, “I’m sorry about what happened before I left the club with Natalie. You was right. I was supposed to tell you about my decisions before I put them into play. I’m sorry.”
“I’m sorry too,” Alinna told him, sitting up and staring down into Dante’s eyes. “You was right also, baby. I need to trust you and not question you when you do make a decision. It won’t happen again. I promise.”
Leaning up to kiss her, Dante then said, “What time we leaving?”
“In another two hours,” Alinna answered, but then asked, “Did you and Natalie get that taken care of?”
“Yeah. We got married, and she has the paperwork with her.”
“So why aren’t you with her, Dante?”
“She’s asleep, and I wanted to see you.”
Smiling at his answer, Alinna said, “I missed you too, Dante. But don’t let her wake up and you’re not with her. She should wake up next to her husband.”
“What about you?”
“I’m always there when you need me. I love you, Dante.”
Staring up at Alinna a moment, Dante asked, “Why, Alinna?”
“Why what?” she responded, staring back at Dante as he gave her a look without answering her question. She sighed deeply and then said, “Because I love you, Dante. I know everything I’ve put you through . . . and you’re still here with me. I understand that everything you’ve done is for us, and all I’ve ever done was trip out because of Angela, when I should have trusted you and known that I was the one you loved. Even now with how you feel for Natalie. I know you love her, but I know that in the end it’s me that holds your heart. Natalie also has a place in it now, and I won’t hurt you again or push you away. So if allowing Natalie into our family is what it takes, I’m willing to deal with it.”
Still staring at Alinna, Dante said, “What are we going to do about the sleeping arrangement?”
Understanding perfectly what Dante was really asking her, Alinna sighed deeply again and then said, “Our closet is big enough for her things, Dante, and our bed is big enough for the three of us.”
“I’m glad you said that, since Natalie already set up where we going to be staying at in Phoenix,” Dante told Alinna. “She spoke with a real estate agent, and Carmen already took care of payments on the house.”
Shaking her head and unable to stop from smiling, Alinna rolled away from Dante to her left, climbed out of bed, and started toward the bathroom. Over her shoulder, she looked back at Dante and said, “Come on so we can shower and you can get back to Natalie before she gets up.”
***
Alinna’s bags were packed, and she was dressed and ready to go by the time Dante and Tony T finally came downstairs with Dre. Alinna waited as the guys talked about last-minute plans. Alinna sat beside Vanessa, Amber, and Harmony, with Mya sitting next to her and D.J. on her lap.
“Ya’ll ready?” Dante asked as he, Dre, and Tony T walked into the den. He looked around and then asked, “Where’s Natalie?”
“She left with Gomez to handle something,” Alinna told Dante as she bent forward to kiss D.J. goodbye on his cheek.
“Where the hell she went, Alinna?” Dante asked as both D.J. and Mya ran over to him for a hug.
“Dante, relax! Natalie is meeting us at the jet,” Alinna explained. “She said she wanted to take care of something before we left.”
Dante didn’t respond as he sat down next to Mya. He then reached over and dapped up with Dre’s son—his nephew and godson, A.J. He then looked over at Harmony and asked, “You alright, baby girl?”
“I’m fine, boo,” Harmony answered, smiling at Dante.
“The bag’s already inside the truck,” Alinna told Dante as they started walking to the front door. “We’ll take the Phantom. Natalie has your Bentley.”
Once outside, Dante said a few more words to Dre and hugged a crying Vanessa. He then hugged Mya and D.J. again, and even A.J., only to end up dealing with a crying Amber hugging him.
“What’s up with all this crying?” Tony T asked everybody. “We not staying up there. This still home right here.”
“Shut up, Tony T!” Amber told him, pushing Tony T upside his head. “I’ma miss my girls and my brother, Dante.”
“Oh, so you not going to miss me too?” Tony T asked playfully.
“Shut up, boy!” Amber told him again, rolling her eyes.
“Amber . . . where my nigga Wesley at?” Dante asked at the thought of his brother.
“You know Wesley, Dante. He been gone since 5:30 this morning,” Amber told Dante. “Yeah, also . . . Wesley told me to tell you that if you need him, he would be on the first plane or jet to Phoenix.”
“Where’s James?” Dante asked as he was climbing in the back of the Phantom.
“He’s riding with security,” Alinna informed him, getting inside the Phantom behind Dante.
Leaving the mansion once Tony T and Harmony were inside the car, Dante pulled out his cell phone and texted a message. Both Harmony and Alinna were talking while Tony T was rolling a blunt. Dante waited for a reply from his text message, but then realized no return message was coming.
“Dante, you okay?” Alinna asked, watching him even while she was talking to Harmony.
“I’m good, shorty,” Dante answered while sending another text message that was actually a direct warning to the receiver.
***
They arrived at the airstrip about fifteen minutes after leaving the mansion. They pulled up in front of the jet and saw the Bentley and a Chevy Malibu. Dante was the first one out of the Phantom, just as Gomez appeared at the door to the jet.
“Who’s the Malibu belong to?” Tony asked, climbing out of the car.
“A friend,” Dante answered as Alinna and Harmony got out next.
Dante had the team of ten security guards handle the bags as he led the others onto the jet. He barely walked completely onto the jet before he was attacked by Natalie. He had to catch his balance and catch Natalie to keep her from falling backward into Alinna and the others.
“What took you so long?” Natalie questioned him after kissing him on the lips.
“Why didn’t you tell me you was leaving this morning before we left?” Dante asked, ignoring her question.
“Because I’ve got a surprise for you,” Natalie answered, taking Dante’s hand and leading him toward the back of the jet.
“Hold up, Natalie,” Dante told her after seeing Kerri seated next to a window smiling at him. “What’s up, Kerri? I see you made it.”
“Why would I not show up?” Kerri said, standing up from her seat and hugging Dante’s neck tightly.
Returning Kerri’s hug but releasing her after a few seconds, Dante first introduced Natalie as his wife, and then turned to Alinna and introduced her: “Kerri, this is my wife, Alinna, and the person you’ll be working with.”
“I’ve heard a lot about you from Dante and from people on the streets,” Kerri said, shaking Alinna’s hand. “It’s good to finally meet you.”
“It’s good to meet you too, Kerri,” Alinna replied, smiling at the woman that Dante assigned to be her assistant. “Go ahead and relax and rest. We’ll talk business once we land in Phoenix.”
“Kerri . . . this for you!” Dante told her, handing her a white envelope he pulled from the inside pocket of his black leather jacket before he walked off.
“What’s this?” Kerri asked, looking from the envelope to Alinna.
“Who knows what Dante’s giving you,” Alinna said, smiling as she stood watching Kerri open the envelope.
“Oh . . . my . . . God!” Kerri got out in shock, seeing the envelope was filled with nothing but hundreds. “Is he really serious, Alinna?”
“Dante doesn’t play games, Kerri,” Alinna explained before adding, “Just know that if Dante is doing this for you, it’s because he actually likes you . . . and that doesn’t happen very often. Welcome to the family.”
***
“What’s that?” Dante asked Natalie as he accepted the small gift bag she handed him while the two sat together at the back of the jet.
“It’s your surprise, Dante. Open it!” Natalie insisted excitedly.
Shaking his head and smirking, Dante dug inside the bag and pulled out colored tissue paper and a small ring box. He looked over at a smiling Natalie as he opened the box to see a white gold and platinum band with white diamonds around the band.
“Do you like it?” Natalie asked, still smiling at Dante.
“Yeah! Hell yeah, beautiful!” Dante answered, leaning over to kiss her.
Natalie took the ring from Dante and then grabbed his left hand. She then held up the new ring next to the ring he was already wearing. They looked the same. Natalie then said, “It looks just like the one Alinna bought for you.”
Dante allowed Natalie to slide the ring onto his finger on his right hand as he met her eyes. He kissed her, hearing her say, “I love you, Mr. Blackwell.”
“I love you, too, Mrs. Blackwell,” Dante answered, only to receive another kiss from her.
***
They landed in Phoenix some hours later. Dante was woken up by Harmony, with Natalie on his left side and Alinna on his right side, both asleep as well. Dante blinked a few times and focused on Tony T standing in front of him.
“Bruh, we there,” Tony T announced, but then nodded toward the window and said, “We’ve got company.”
Dante leaned forward and looked out the window. He saw a white Mercedes limousine and two Lincoln Navigators parked behind it. He recognized Dominic’s suit-wearing security team that stood fifteen deep, surrounding the limo.
“What’s going on?” Alinna asked as she sat forward blinking her eyes as she focused first on Tony T and then over to Dante.
“It’s my mother,” Natalie spoke up as she woke up and stared out the window. “I forgot to mention that she was meeting us when the jet landed.”
Making their way off the jet, Dante led the group off. Upon seeing Carmen climbing out of the limousine, Natalie rushed off from beside Dante, reaching Carmen first with a big smile on her face.
Walking up to where Carmen and Natalie were standing and having a few words, Dante met Carmen’s eyes once she turned her attention to him. “Hello, Carmen.”
“You should really start calling me Mom now, Dante,” Carmen told him, hugging her new son-in-law. “Natalie just told me you two went and got married early this morning . . . late last night.”
“Look at his ring, Mother,” Natalie told her, picking up Dante’s right hand to show off the ring she bought for him.
Nodding her head in approval, Carmen met Dante’s stare again and said, “I don’t need to explain why Dominic isn’t here, do I?”
“It’s not necessary,” Dante replied.
“Very good. Let me introduce to you our new head of security,” Carmen told Dante, motioning to a blond, short-haired white man dressed in a black suit. “Justin Mitchell, meet Dante Blackwell.”
“I’ve heard a lot about you, Mr. Blackwell,” Justin said, holding out his hand for a handshake.
Ignoring the hand the man held out to him, Dante looked back at Carmen and asked, “What happened to the other head of security?”
“He quit a few days ago, but this was his replacement he brought to us,” Carmen explained. “Is everything okay, Dante?”
Looking back at Justin Mitchell, Dante stood staring at the guy a moment, ignoring Natalie asking him what was wrong. He finally spoke, “Carmen, I hope you trust me, because if you’re sure about placing me in a seat with the Council, then you’re willing to back up each of my decisions.”
“Of course, Dante!” Carmen said, barely finishing her sentence when Dante moved in what was like a blur as two guns were leveled and trained on Justin Mitchell. She stepped away from Justin and pulled Natalie with her as Dante and everyone who was with him stood staring at Justin.
“One question . . . and I expect one answer . . . which better be the truth!” Dante told the white man. “Who is it that you work for?”
“What are you . . . whoa!” Justin cried, throwing up both his hands at seeing Dante’s finger on the trigger of both Glocks he was pointing at him. “Relax, man. I’ll answer your questions.”
“You’ve got five seconds to start talking . . . and you’re already down to three. Talk!”
Seeing the dangerously serious look on Dante Blackwell’s face, Justin swallowed the lump that formed inside his throat before saying, “I work for Fredrick Roosevelt. He set it up for me to come over and spy on Dominic Saldana.”
Seeing Dante’s eyes shift over to her a moment before focusing back on Justin, Carmen understood the look and explained, “Fredrick Roosevelt is one of the remaining members of the Council. He runs most of the northwest area of Arizona and a little of the southwest area as well, Dante.”
“James,” Dante called while staring directly into Justin’s eyes.
“What’s up, bruh?” James said as he slid up beside Dante on his left side.
“Take our friend Justin, here, and watch him,” Dante told James while holstering both his burners. “I’ll deal with him lat
er.”
“Dante, how did you know that he worked for Roosevelt? What gave it away?” Carmen asked as she motioned him and the others over to the limousine.
“His eyes!” Dante told Carmen, motioning for both her and Natalie to climb inside the limo. He then allowed both Alinna and Harmony to climb inside next. Kerri followed, with Tony T last.
“Dante, I don’t understand,” Carmen told him once everyone was inside the limousine. “You said that you could tell he worked for someone else just by his eyes. How is that so?”
“It’s just something my father taught me when I was young,” Dante explained, but quickly changed the subject asking, “Where’s Dominic now?”
“He had a business meeting earlier, but he should be back at the mansion now. Why?”
“I want to speak with him. But tell me something. What time is the meeting set with the Council?”
“Actually, Dante, I informed both Fredrick and Samuel Atlas that there will be a meeting tomorrow evening. Why do you ask?”
“Change the time,” Dante told Carmen, pulling out his cell phone to see he had a text message. While opening and reading the message, he continued, “Set the meeting for two hours.”
“Today?” Carmen asked, staring at Dante.
“Pretty much!” Dante responded just as he finished typing out a text message.
Dante knew that Carmen would have to deal with both Roosevelt and Atlas complaining about the sudden change for the meeting. Carmen pulled out her phone and was just beginning to dial a number, when Dante spoke up again, “By the way, Carmen, from now on, Tony T will be the new head of security for us.”
“Of course, Dante,” Carmen said, smiling as she cut her eyes over in Dante’s direction, loving the take-charge attitude and leadership he displayed.
***
“This supposed to be our new house you was telling me about?” Alinna asked, leaning over toward Dante as she stared out the limo’s window, watching as they drove up a long drive, only to turn off in front of a huge mansion.
