The Cousins Series Boxed Set

by Lisa Lang Blakeney

  My hand shakes as I continue to grip the doorknob tightly with my right hand. I'm not sure why. I'm not frightened of Roman. He would never hurt me. I'm just really frightened of the direction that this conversation may go in if I say anything else.

  He is physically close enough that I could easily end the tension between us by leaning my head back against his chest. It's what my first instinct is telling me to do. It's what I've done many times before, to stop things from escalating between us. It's my surrender. My bow to his domination.

  But I don't want to acquiesce today. I don't think I should have to. My employee is out there waiting for me. I've wanted School Bucks to work for so long, and I finally have someone on board that can really help me get it to where it needs to be. Besides Roman, it's all I want. Yet it seems for some reason, he doesn't want it for me. He can't possibly. Not if he's acting like this.

  I don't take the easy way out this time. Instead of leaning my head back to diffuse the tension between us, I stand erect, turn the knob to the right, open the door and exit.

  "I think we need a time out," I say, not really sure what I mean or for how long I mean; but what I do know is that I don't want to talk to him for at least the rest of the day. That's how disappointed I am in him right now.

  He doesn't say a word in response, but he doesn't have to. Something is very wrong with him, or with us, and Blake is a symptom not the sickness. Maybe a little space between us will be just the medicine we need to help whatever it is heal on its own.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  ROMAN

  "Well this is down right interesting."

  "What?" I ask Jade as I instruct her to take a seat with my pointer finger. "Sit."

  "This place."

  She plunks her tiny ass down on the bench next to me and places a dark brown messenger bag that's bigger than her entire body next to her. I laugh to myself as she sits, because she knows me so well.

  "What's so interesting about this place, Jade?" I ask already knowing her answer.

  "Well for one, it's pretty as fuck out here. Hallmark movie pretty. Also we are actually sitting outside, far away from civilization, where there's not even bottle service or a slutty girl shamelessly gawking at you. Totally the opposite of your usual day in every way unless you're running," she snickers. "Shall I continue?"

  I'm sitting in an area that is about thirty minutes out of the city, called Longwood Park, people watching of all things. In my work, I have on many occasions watched, followed, and stalked people for days on end. Paying attention to where they go, who they talk to, what they buy, and what they throw away. It's necessary for me to try and learn everything about the person I'm working for as well as any people who are in the way, before I fix a situation.

  But I've never done this type of people watching before. Which is basically watching people for no reason at all. Well let me take that back. I guess it's all how you look at it. I do have a reason for being here at Longwood, but it's not due to the usual work related reasons.

  I overheard Elizabeth mention how much she loved this park a while back, when I was eavesdropping on a phone conversation that she was having with the prick also known as Blake. The pleasant lilt in her voice when she described one of her visits here peaked my curiosity. That and the fact that she was having this conversation with him and not me. I know about her favorite playground near Penn, we've visited it several times, but she's never told me anything about this place. And this place is the total opposite of that playground. That fact alone tells me a number of things.

  One, that Elizabeth has something else in common with this brand new pain in my ass. Something common between the two of them that we don't share. Two, that for whatever reason, she doesn't think I have any interest in sitting in parks and watching pretty shit. Which I don't, but that's not the fucking point. I am highly interested in all things and everything that have to do with Elizabeth Hill. So I've made it my business to inform myself about this Longwood Park place all on my own.

  I've been sitting on this wooden park bench, which evidently was bought and dedicated to some dude named Cecil back in 1985, for about twenty minutes tonight, and I think I'm starting to see what my girl loves about the place.

  Every branch on every tree in the park has been meticulously decorated with tiny, white Christmas lights, lighting up the entire area and making it look almost like a mystical getaway. As if we're not literally minutes away from the grit of the city. That's probably part of it. Maybe Longwood reminds her a bit of home. All the nuclear families walking around out here. Holding hands. Taking pics of each other under the lights. I hadn't put much thought to it before, but a girl like Elizabeth probably wants all of that. A perfect family. White picket fence. Family time in the park. Unfortunately I don't know shit about that. All I've got is some money and Mr. Tibbs.

  Now while I admit it's almost picture perfect out here, I find it especially interesting how each and every kid under the age of twelve seems to stare up at the lights in utter amazement. As if the park is magical. As if they could blink their eyes and all of a sudden see Santa.

  I never had a moment as a kid where I looked at anything with amazement, or wonder, or awe. Most of what I saw everyday was old, drunken, worn men on the block who life had beaten the hell out of. Craving a drink every moment of the day.

  And then there were the older guys that kids my age were suppose to look up to. They'd already graduated or dropped out of high school, and were living their lives with no real purpose. Getting high on meth, selling meth, getting girls pregnant, and talking shit all day about how badass they were.

  This is the type of daily, depressing shit I had to regularly see on my way to the store to pick my mother up a pack of menthol cigarettes, or to buy myself my meal for the day, which was usually a pint of milk and a small box of Froot Loops.

  Needless to say, my outlook on life was seriously jaded very early on. None of the kids in my neighborhood saw anything with stars in their eyes. There was no pretty shit on my block. And while I'm doing my best to reprogram all of that, I wonder if Elizabeth will understand if I can't be that guy even though I want to be. Or at least a better version of myself. Better for Elizabeth. Better for myself.

  "So why are we here?" Jade asks in an annoyed and rushed tone. As if it's not her damn job to be at my beck and call.

  "I'm sorry you bitter little Brussels sprout. Am I keeping you from something?"

  She sucks her teeth in annoyance.

  "I'm just trying to figure out why we're meeting in West Bubblefuck. Whatever this is about could have been handled from the comfort of your Penthouse Suite or at least that makeshift office you have in your girlfriend's house."

  "I'm putting the band back together again," I say satirically.

  This is actually a meeting that was long overdue. Since the break with the old man, the Kings and I only have one client and one club. While we are talking about a very profitable client and club, the three of us didn't go into this whole arrangement together wanting to create some sort of "boutique" agency serving one elite client.

  We want to wreck shit.

  We want to dominate.

  We want a real business with multiple clients and acquisitions.

  We just didn't want Joseph's business or rather I didn't. I knew that if we were ever going to make a name for ourselves, independently of Joseph's reputation, then this was necessary. A clean break.

  None of us anticipated at the time (well maybe Cam did) that Joseph would make it very difficult for us to get new clients. Every time I let my guard down and forget for a moment what a dick the old man can be, he always takes great pleasure in reminding me. So this meeting is about us needing to regroup, get focused, and figuring out exactly how we're going to turn this whole thing around.

  The old man challenged me the day we met to convince people to hire us as if there was not a chance in hell it could happen. So that's exactly why my mission is: to get a shitload of clients without one bit o
f assistance from him.

  "So is the dynamic duo coming here too?" Jade asks.

  "They should be here in a few."

  "I'm surprised your friend agreed to a meet anywhere outside of Philly."

  She had a point. Camden rarely ever leaves the city. He barely steps outside of the ten-block radius around his house or The Lotus. He likes to keep put, and his brother Cutter likes to roam free. That's why they work so well together.

  "You mean your man." I joke with her (but not really).

  Jade glares at me.

  "Just because your friend likes to watch my ass from time to time doesn't make him my man."

  "He definitely does watch your ass," I laugh.

  "Of course he does. I have a fantastic ass. An hour a day on the elliptical makes it that way, and most men like to watch it."

  I laugh exaggeratedly.

  "What? Are you trying to say it isn't fantastic?" she asks incredulously.

  "What ass?" I ask rhetorically while laughing heartily.

  Jade smacks my shoulder.

  "Oh right, you like them juicy."

  "Hell, yeah," I agree. Elizabeth has the perfect pear shaped ass that jiggles when I'm banging her from behind. No other ass compares.

  I can see the Kings pulling into the parking lot adjacent to the park entrance. After a quick scan of the area, they spot us, and start to walk over. Camden looks cautiously around the area. He hates unfamiliar surroundings.

  I notice that Jade immediately bows her head and whips out her cell phone to start texting furiously. Her thumbs moving so fast, it's obvious that she isn't texting anyone at all. She's bullshitting. Pretending to be busy for appearance sake. And there could only be one person that she's doing all of this pretending for, because it certainly isn't me.

  "The King is here!" Cutter gives his usual ridiculously vain announcement of himself whenever he greets me.

  It sort of sounds like when Will Smith chants, "The champ is here," in that movie Ali. I laughed at it once when he first started doing it, and now he won't stop. Everyone has to be sick of it at this point, but because his antics attract the attention of many a club rat, I don't think he'll ever stop now.

  "There are two Kings," I remind him. "When are you ever going to acknowledge that fact in that grand entrance of yours?"

  "Only one of us is worth announcing," Cutter chuckles looking at his brother.

  Another thing I notice is that Camden doesn't quietly stare Jade down, like he usually does when she's around. Instead he averts his eyes away from her, gives me a head nod hello, and then sits on the bench. Jade doesn't say a word to him either. Their silence speaks volumes. Something definitely went down between the two of them, and while I have no interest in the details, it just better not get in the way of work. Or our friendship.

  "So you asked us to meet you out here in fucking Whoville. What's up?" Camden asks.

  "Oh that's funny," I say. "Jade called it West Bubblefuck. Aren't you two both creative with words."

  Jade is staring daggers at me. This is going to be fun fucking with the two of them.

  "I'll get straight to the point. It would be stupid for us to depend only on the income of Mendez and the club. While we are in a contract with Mendez, he only needs us if he's playing. If he's valuable. If he's still being talked about on Sports Center. Because if he gets hurt or suffers some sort of career altering injury, then he won't need us anymore. We need to be prepared for that day. It's inevitable. He's a pitcher. That arm won't last forever."

  "I thought we have his endorsement income? What does it matter if he gets hurt or retires?" Cutter asks.

  "We do have it, but only for eighteen months. The money is good now, but what happens when that contract is over?"

  "Eighteen months?" Camden questions.

  "It was Joseph's deal."

  "Of course," he says annoyed. "He never mentioned that it was only for eighteen months."

  "It's still a lot of money," Cutter adds.

  "And we did a lot of work to keep his steroid using ass squeaky clean."

  "He only used them to heal up. Not bulk up." I think Mendez is one of Cutter's favorite players. He makes excuses for him all the time.

  "Joseph brought Mendez to the table," I remind everyone. "You know how shit works, Cam. What is your fucking problem other than the obvious?"

  "The obvious?"

  I look over at Jade, who is again on her phone pretending that this conversation is none of her business, then back at him and grin.

  "Fuck you." He throws his middle finger up.

  I grin but continue on with our conversation. "I'm just saying we can't depend on that income forever."

  "We've got the club," Cutter adds. "And it's doing damn good. The bar made a killing last night."

  "That's cool, but you know how it is in this town. Clubs in Philly aren't as long-lived as ones in New York or Los Angeles. People here party at one place then move on to the next hot place and when that happens, The Lotus will be dead and stinking in the water."

  "So why don't we make sure that doesn't happen?" Cutter asks.

  "I don't think that there's anything that we can do to make sure that never happens, brother. It's inevitable. But let me say that there is something else we can do, and that's to make sure we have other streams of income flowing in."

  "So we're going back to our original plan," Camden says.

  "Yep. I think we need to focus more on developing the client side of the business like we always intended. It's way easier for us to find a couple of more Mendezes than to invest part of our savings into several more clubs or restaurants. All the headaches with leases, licenses, hiring, and stealing. Crossing our fingers and hoping that they make money. Fixing client problems always makes us money, and we're good at it. Let's stick to what we know. Let's do what we do best."

  "Well, duh. That sounds good in theory, but isn't the whole reason we're sitting here is because you all are twiddling your thumbs at the club every night. Obviously you can't get clients," Jade finally speaks up. I guess she was listening the whole time.

  "Twiddling our thumbs," Cutter repeats back appalled by Jade's characterization of what we do all day.

  "Excuse me," she mocks. "I meant playing with your dicks."

  "You can play with this big dick right the fuck–"

  "Never mind with that," Camden cuts his brother off, "what do you have in mind, Rome?"

  "I'm not totally sure yet, but I have a couple of irons in the fire. Thinking outside the box. I just want to make sure that we all are on the same page. Are you two coming to Juliette's event?"

  "I might have a run to make, and Cutter's got to hold down the club that night," Camden says.

  I notice how Jade gives Camden the curious side eye the minute he says something about making a run. I must admit that I'm curious too. Camden rarely withholds information from us, but whatever he has going on is none of my business.

  "All right, let's meet again after the gala. I should have something in the works by then."

  "Cool."

  "Do we have to meet all the way here like we're planning a heist?" Cutter jokes. "At least in Oceans 11 they met in Vegas. This is the middle of no-fucking-whereville."

  "That's what I'm saying," Jade chimes in, in agreement.

  "Depends," I say annoyed with all three of them at this point. "If I feel like fucking meeting here, then that's where we'll meet."

  "Touchy bastard," Camden mutters. "Let's go Cut."

  As soon as the Kings are out of earshot, I start grilling Jade.

  "What the fuck was that all about?"

  "What?"

  "I don't have the patience for your shit today, Jade. I'm already going through it with Elizabeth, and I'm not going to deal with your crap too. Something is very wrong between you and Cam, and I want to know what it is."

  "And why would it be any of your business if there was something going on? What are we girlfriends?"

  "Listen you little lima bean,
I want to know because I don't want your shit interfering with my business."

  "Your business is in the shithole already, Einstein."

  "That's funny. I don't remember you complaining about not getting paid last month."

  "Ooh, you're funny too. You always have to take it there don't you. Always throwing the fact that you pay me over my head."

  "I'm not throwing anything anywhere. Just stating facts. But stop changing the subject. What happened?"

  "Nothing important. Nothing worth mentioning."

  Of course that meant that it was important as hell. I'm not an idiot. I speak woman.

  "Well at least tell me if you're all right."

  I'll kick Cam's ass if he's fucking with my little shrimp's head.

  "I'm all right. The question is are you all right?"

  "Why wouldn't I be?"

  "You're the one who said that there's trouble in paradise with your sun, moon and stars."

  "Nothing I can't handle."

  "Did you two break up?"

  "Hell no. We just had a disagreement, and we need a little time to cool off."

  "Her idea or yours to cool off?"

  "It was mutual."

  "Uh-huh."

  I sense disapproval from that uh-huh.

  "I thought you liked Elizabeth?"

  "She's cool."

  "You're way too overprotective of me, Jade."

  "Says pot to kettle."

  She's probably right about that.

  "I need you to do a couple of things for me before Juliette's party," I say as I walk away from her and towards the Rover. "I'll text you."

  "I'll be waiting with bated breath."

  Jade is definitely one of my closest friends, and I love her teeny, tiny butt, but there's no doubt in my mind that whatever went down with her and Cam was one hundred percent her fault.

  That mouth of hers is something special, and not in a good way.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  JADE

  "Thanks for stopping by."