by Iris Bolling
"Joshua, step aside," Pearl spoke.
Devin was relieved to see the woman, but still very leery of the man she called Joshua.
"Devin," she held her hand out. "I'm Pearl, Ruby's sister. Come in please." She rolled her eyes at Joshua. "Don't mind him, he's trying to play his brother role."
"Brother," Devin nodded.
"Yes, brother," Joshua replied as he looked the man up and down.
There were more. Devin stopped at the entrance to the living room. Diamond noticed the man's discomfort and stood extending her hand. "Hello, I'm Diamond Davenport, Ruby's middle sister. Let me introduce everyone," she said after he released her hand. "There are quite a few of us so pay close attention.
There were women sitting on the right side of the room and men on the left. As Devin looked around he recognized one.
"Luke Lassiter, running back for the Redskins," Devin grinned then held his hand out as Luke stood.
"Ruby's brother," Luke shook the man's hand.
"Nice to meet you,” "Devin replied. Suddenly a pretty young woman appeared directly in front of him.
"Sapphire Lassiter," she grinned brightly up at Devin. "I'm the youngest sister. May I just say you are fine....." She put emphasis on the word fine.
Jade pulled Phire back down in her seat. "Jade Lassiter, Twin to Adam," She pointed behind him. Devin turned to see a tall slim man wearing a fedora hat leaning against the wall at the entrance. He knew the man wasn't there before. The man tilted his hat. "Adam Lassiter."
Devin nodded. "How are you doing?" He was another one Devin did not want to cross, he thought as he looked from the one named Joshua who was leaning against the opposite wall. Devin frowned wondering if they were guarding the door to keep him from running out.
"Don't mind them," Opal stood. "Opal Lassiter, twin to Timothy," she pointed behind him again.
Devin took a deep breath then looked into the kitchen where there were other people.
Timothy walked out of the kitchen and shook Devin's hand. "I’m going to make this a little easier on you." He pointed. "Samuel is the oldest, he pointed to the man with his arms folded standing behind a chair in the kitchen. He nodded. "Joshua is next in line, then comes Ruby, Mathew, Pearl, Diamond, myself and Opal, Luke, Jade and Adam then Sapphire."
Devin listened as he continued to stare at Samuel. "There are twelve of you in all," he started to laugh. He looked around the room and laughed again.
Adam and Joshua shared a glance. "Harvard has figured it out," Adam said with a smile.
Devin shook his head as he began to remove his gloves. He pointed to Samuel, "Your father wouldn't happen to be Big Joe, would he?"
"We just call him Daddy," Mathew said from the kitchen.
Devin could not stop laughing. "Ruby is Joe's daughter." He shook his head in disbelief.
Joshua nodded. "Impressive Harvard," he pointed in the kitchen. "Take a seat."
"I'll take your coat," Diamond held out her hand as Devin, removed his coat.
Samuel patted the back of the chair. "You're in the hot seat."
"Okay," Devin walked by everyone then sat in the chair. He took a deep breath as he took in the entire Lassiter crew. "Joe has an impressive family."
"Flattery is not going to get you anywhere," Pearl waved him off. "We have been waiting years to get back at Ruby. So, here's how it's going to go. "We have five questions. Two from the gents and two from the gems. I hold number five."
"Okay," Devin clapped his hands together. "Shoot."
Joshua pulled out his gun. "Okay."
"Whoa....." Samuel stood in front of Devin. "You hurt him you will have to deal with Ruby."
"You don't want to deal with Ruby now that she is getting some," Phire huffed. She looked around at the glares. "I'm just saying."
"There is a time and place to say things Phire," Jade scowled at her. "You ‘just saying’ isn't going to work much longer."
"So stop and think before you speak," Opal added.
Devin still had his eyes on Joshua. He was fairly certain no one in Joe's family would harm him, but then again, Joshua looked like a loose cannon.
"You all right in there, Harvard," Adam grinned.
"I'm good," he didn't sound so sure. "What are the questions for?
"To determine if you are worthy of dating our sister," Luke explained.
"You see," Pearl spoke up. "We are a close knit family. We have each other's back on all fronts. It is important for you to understand what comes along with dating a Lassiter."
Devin smiled. He liked the idea of knowing Ruby had a family who loved and cared for her. "All right," he started to say shoot, but thought better of it. "Ask away."
"After raising us, Ruby may not want to have children," Opal started. "But if she did, are you able to get it up, knock the cobwebs out, cause it's been a while for sister girl and what are your thoughts on children?"
Devin thought, sat back and crossed one knee of the opposite leg. "I rise every time I see or think about Ruby."
"I can see that," Phire nodded.
Devin sat up, in an attempt to hide his arousal. "How old are you?"
"Old enough to know better," Samuel glared at his little sister.
"I'm just saying...." The others said along with her.
"We know," Opal frowned at her.
"Continue Devin, please," Pearl instructed.
"Cobwebs were cleared out last night. As for children, I would love to have one or two."
"Twins run in this family, my brother," Luke grinned.
"Thank you for the warning. Next question."
Timothy spoke. "I like to ensure my sisters are financially stable. You are in investments. We have good and bad days. If you had an opportunity to purchase stock with Apple, a well-oiled institution, or buy with a startup for pennies on the dollar what would you do?"
"It's depends on the startup." He sat forward, very comfortable with the question. "You see people tend to jump at a recognizable name, but that stock will cost you a pretty penny, and nine times out of ten it's not going much higher. With the right start up, you could buy one hundred shares at five dollars. It would cost you five hundred dollars. With the well-known stock, you might get about five shares. You may earn a few dollars when it's time to sell, but not much more because it has reached its peak. The lesser known stock is a little different. In a year or two, the stock that you purchased for five dollars could be selling at one hundred dollars a share and moving up. You would have more than tripled your initial investment."
"Wise advice," Timothy nodded.
"Only you would get that," Mathew teased.
"No, I get it too," Opal, added.
"I got it," Adam acknowledged.
"Okay, back to you," Jade sat up. "You can take care of her financial needs. And according to you the physical needs are met. What about the needs of the heart? Do you have anything in your background that would prevent you from giving Ruby your all when it comes to love? Because she deserves nothing less."
"No baby mama drama. No crazy ex-wife, girlfriend or anything that I am aware of. However, life is unpredictable. I can't promise nothing will creep up. But if it does, it will be handled."
"Good honest answer," Diamond nodded. "I like him."
"You like everybody," Phire smirked.
"Yes, you do, Diamond," Pearl, agreed.
Adam stepped forward. "We believe in protecting our sisters. It is important to us to know who ever is in their lives can protect them with the same vigor as we. If confronted, are you capable of protecting her?"
"You touch what's mine and I will kill you. We can discuss the reasons later when I join you in hell for taking your life."
Joshua and Adam held up their hands. "He gets a ten." Adam reached out and gave Devin a pound.
"That’s right," Joshua cheered. "Take him out. You can ask questions later."
Devin held up his hand. "Let's see if I can save you some time and concern. In my eyes Ruby is a precious gem. O
ne any man would be fortunate to have. I'm blessed because she chose me. Most men aren't at a point in their lives to recognize something so rare when it is placed before them. I am not most men. I have waited a lifetime for Ruby. I would have to be a fool to let her get away. A fool I am not." Devin looked around the room at each of them. "I will treat Ruby well, because of the queen she is. Not out of fear of you," he looked at Joshua, "or for the love each of you have for her." He stood, "I've enjoyed this. Now, if you all don't mind, I have a date with a woman named Ruby.
Pearl put a hand on his chest. "Wait, not so fast." Devin sat back down as she bent over and looked into his eyes. "Ruby is the oldest of the gems. She raised all of us in one way or another. We are who we are because of her. She never asked for anything in return." A tear dropped from her eye. "I need to know you will love and cherish her for the beautiful woman she is."
"Pearl."
Everyone looked up to see Ruby standing in the middle of the floor.
"Wow! Look at you," Phire cried out. "Aww man, you getting some tonight."
Ruby grabbed Phire's ear. "Watch your mouth."
"Ouch," Phire pulled way. "I'm just saying you look good."
Ruby smiled. "Thank you," she turned to find Devin standing next to her.
"Hello beautiful," he pulled her into his arms and kissed her as if they were alone in the room.
Timothy held up his card. "Ten."
Mathew was next, "Ten," he nodded.
"Ten? That man deserves twenty for that bold move," Luke laughed.
"I'm with you," Jade gave him a five. "He's not joking with that kiss."
"All right," Sally said from the doorway, "You two get out of here. It's beginning to snow again and you don't want to get stuck here with all of us."
Devin heard that and ended the kiss. "Let's go," he whispered to Ruby.
Samuel held Devin's coat, while Pearl held Ruby's.
"Take care of her," Samuel patted Devin on the shoulder.
"Have fun Ruby," Pearl kissed her cheek. "You do look good."
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
The Christmas holiday season was in full swing as Devin and Ruby stepped out on the town with dinners, the theater and snowball fights with the family. Joe and Miranda were surprised to learn their children were falling in love.
"Aaron would have been over the moon about this," Miranda said as she watched the snowball fight from a window in Sally's home.
"Yes, he would have." Joe laughed. "We always talked about me having so many children to his one. He said that one brought him more joy then all twelve of mine put together. We used to fight over that one."
Sally gave Miranda a cup of hot chocolate. She sat on the arm of the chair Joe occupied just as a snowball hit the window.
Miranda jumped.
"That window has been broken many times from footballs and basketballs. Believe me, a little snowball doesn’t stand a chance against it."
They all laughed as the girls tackled Devin to the ground. Luke picked them off one at a time. Devin got to his feet, swiped Ruby up in his arms and carried her off the field.
"It's been a long time since I've seen this side of Devin."
"It's good to see Ruby so carefree."
"He's a good man," Joe said as he smiled at Sally.
"How is Aaron's House coming along?" Sally asked.
Miranda’s eyes lit up. "You should see what Ruby has done with that place. The apartments are finished and ready for the first occupants to move in. She has selected five families so far with another five waiting for approval. Your daughter has an amazing spirit."
Devin and Ruby stomped the snow off their boots at the door then walked inside.
"Time to go get the trees," Ruby announced.
"Trees," Joe asked. "How many trees do you have to get?"
"Three," Devin replied.
"One for the center, one for Mother's house and one for me."
"Oh, I don't need a tree," Miranda waved them off.
"Yes, you do need a tree," Sally said with a smile. "Joe has to go to work. I can come by to help you decorate it."
"I lost Aaron around Christmas two years ago and last year I spent Christmas at Devin's."
"Well, you're getting one this year," Ruby turned to Devin. "Let's go before it gets too dark."
"Miranda call me when you are ready," Sally said as she closed the door behind them.
"Mom," Phire called through the door. "We are going to help Devin and Ruby with the trees."
"Have fun," Sally smiled as she waved to them.
Joe walked up behind her circling her waist. "Are they all leaving?"
"Mmm hmm," she waited until the last person was in a vehicle then turned in her husband’s arms. "Now we can go have some fun."
"Come here woman," Joe gathered her in his arms and carried her up the stairs.
Tania made it an early day. There was Christmas shopping to be done before she went home for the holidays. The last two weeks she’d had meetings with a number of employees and was doing all she could to help those with concerns. She stayed away from Aaron's House and that seemed to have made a difference with Miranda. She seemed nicer over the last few weeks. Maybe it was because her baby boy was in love. Yes, everyone around the office were talking about the new director and the difference she had made in Devin. "Happy for them," she said to herself as she walked through the parking lot.
"You won't be happy for long."
Tania jumped at the voice. "Jeremy, what is wrong with you walking up behind me like that?"
"You've been avoiding my calls."
"I have no reason to talk to you anymore. I sent the supplies you needed and gave your resume to the new director. I told you after that I was done." She pulled away from him.
"I didn't get the supplies." He grabbed her arm. "If they don't show up by the end of the week, I'm out."
"Why are you tripping? Get the job I set you up for."
"The bitch sent me a dear john letter."
"Well, I'm sorry. I did all I could Jeremy." She walked way.
He grabbed her and pushed her against the car. "You’re going to get me into that warehouse. I can't lose my job right here at Christmas. I go down, I'm taking you with me."
"How am I supposed to get you into that warehouse? I don't work there."
"It's your company's warehouse. Call them. Tell them I'm picking up something for you."
"Then what?" she snatched away. "You going to bust your way in and take what you need?"
"Don't you worry about that, just call them."
Tania made the call. "This is it Jeremy. Brother or no, I'm not doing this again. You can tell anybody you want about my past. I don't care anymore." With that she walked away and did not look back.
The midnight shift was short tonight. Joe had given some of the men time off for Christmas. There were a few special orders that needed to be pulled and shipped out before the holidays. He would get those done and out of the way tonight. That way, when they closed for Christmas Eve the guys would be free for the rest of the year. Any orders coming through after tonight, would be filled and shipped at the beginning of the year. Bonuses would be good this year for the workers. They all had done a great job. He had even put in a few names for the Red Slipper incentive. They were going to tease any man who won, but he thought it would be fun.
Walking through the door, he noticed that a pallet stocked with boxes of supplies was near the loading dock. He wasn't aware of a pickup for tonight.
"Hey Lance," he called out to one of the workers.
"Hey Joe. It's going to be a quiet night."
"Looking forward to it. Do you know anything about this order?"
"There's a note stating it was to be picked up tonight."
Joe looked at his watch. "After midnight?"
Lance shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know."
"Okay," Joe glanced at the order then went to his office.
A few hours later Joe and Lance had pulled the
special orders. They were preparing shipping labels when they heard the dock door go up.
"Anybody else scheduled to come in?" Lance asked.
"I gave the men this Friday off."
"Oh, but you made me come in."
Joe laughed as he walked to the front. "You think I want to be here all night by myself?"
Two men were standing at the dock loading items from the pallet Joe questioned earlier.
"How you doing?" Joe asked.
The two men stopped and stared up at the six-eleven man.
"We're good, sir," one man replied. "Just picking up this order for headquarters. We didn't get it last week. So I had to come out here tonight and get it to them by morning." The man threw his hands in the air. "You know how it goes."
Joe nodded, but knew something wasn't right. "I've been wondering who the order was for." He walked over to the desk near the door where the sign in sheets for pickup were located. He reached under and pushed the security button. "Give me a name so I can check it off." He took the clipboard and turned to see a gun pointed at him.
"Anybody else in here?"
"Man, put that away. We don't need that." One of the men yelled.
Joe held his hands up as he walked backwards to the opening. He did not want Lance to walk in on whatever was happening. "No, It's Christmas. I'm the only one here." He yelled hoping Lance would hear him.
"Get out the way. Do you see how much stuff is in this warehouse Jeremy? Man we could clean up right here, tonight. I got babies looking for a good Christmas."
"Joe?" Lance called out.
Joe turned just as the gun sounded. "Run," was all he could get out before the felt the heat of the bullet hit his head. He fell to the ground and his world went black.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
The telephone ringing in the middle of the night is never good. Two ringing at the same time is devastating.
"Hello."
"Speaking," Devin listened as the officer on the phone spoke. He pushed the sheet aside and stood just as Ruby's cell phone buzzed. His eyes honed in on it willing it to stop buzzing. It was almost in slow motion as he watched Ruby's arm come from beneath the sheet reaching for the device. He heard her say hello. Then he watched as she sat straight up in bed.
