“All that’s valuable.” He holds out his hand to wave it around at the club. “You don’t build something like this with cheat sheets and notes on who does what or who needs what.”
“Where are you going with this?”
“You have a quick mind, and you don’t take shit from anyone. So, my question is, what would cause you to get anywhere near those races?”
“Something I need you to stay away from. I can’t do this your way,” I reply.
“Since when has my way differed from yours?”
“Since I can’t be sure that taking control won’t cost someone I care about something they care about.”
“Ah, I see. This is about a woman. I’m old but I’m no fool. Is she worth it?”
I tilt my head and study him. This motherfucker is threatening me in so many words. Not physically, but I understand that he’s telling me that any connections to the races will close the doors he has opened for me.
“I’d burn down your city. So you tell me,” I say with a straight face.
He raps his knuckles on the table and nods, his eyes narrowed on me. “My nephew says to trust. He too won’t give me details. You’ve made me a lot of money over the years so I’m going to give you three weeks to handle your problem.
“Be smart, use your skills, and stay out of trouble. Marquis and his races are trouble. He thinks his gifts buy him freedom in Vander. They don’t.”
With that he stands, buttons his suit jacket, and turns to leave. He pauses at the doorway. However, he doesn’t face me.
“Sometimes the answers are right in front of your face. Your answer to me has shown you’re taking whatever this is personal. Remember what I taught you,” he says.
“Never let it get personal.”
He nods and walks out.
Chapter 24
Daddy Dearest
Skittles
* * *
I don’t want Pit to get tired of having me around, so today I decided to pay my dad a visit after work. Listening to him rant about my lack of husband and children will be enough of a distraction for a few hours.
What I wasn’t expecting was to see my aunt the moment I walked into my father’s study. It’s like a fireball of guilt hits me. She turns in her seat in front of Daddy’s desk and gives me a beaming smile. I stutter a step before moving to hug her from behind.
“If it isn’t my favorite niece,” she says.
“Hey, Auntie.” I give her a little squeeze before moving to sit in the chair next to her and across from Dad.
“We were just talking about you and Shawna,” she says.
My stomach turns sour, and I think I’m going to vomit. I’ve never lied to my aunt before. I do mean never.
When I was in that accident all those years ago, she was the first person I called when I knew things were out of hand. I always figured she was the one to talk my father into finally helping Pit.
“Oh yeah? What about us?” I say, trying my best not to let my nerves and guilt show through.
“The ball will be in three days. Shawna’s been on this last assignment for so long now. I hate it when she’s in these locations where the Wi-Fi and phone service are so terrible.”
“Haven’t you gotten her emails? I’ve gotten a few.” The lie feels disgusting on my tongue.
I’ve been the one sending the emails to cover for a missing Shawna. Usually, our parents are too busy to realize when we are MIA for too long. However, events like this ball and other campaign events draw their focus to us a little more.
“I have, but I was hoping the two of you would make an appearance this time. Maybe bring some nice boys along,” my aunt says pointedly.
Her words sting. Why hadn’t I noticed Shawna never introduced Danny to her mom? Three years and not once did she even mention him. That should’ve been my first red flag.
“For Christ’s sake, at her age it won’t be a boy. When are you going to find a suitable husband I can introduce at these events? I’m not getting any younger, I should have grandchildren by now,” my father grumbles.
Here we go. It takes everything in me to not roll my eyes. Grandchildren, like he’ll take time to get to know them. They’ll end up being trophies on some campaign trail. Maybe the White House next time.
I look at my aunt and wonder if this campaign really means more to her than Shawna does. I know the answer when it comes to my father but would Aunt Monica care more about a cover up than her own daughter.
“I’m sorry I can’t produce the perfect family for your campaign trail.”
My aunt waves a hand at me. “Don’t listen to him. If I hadn’t met your uncle in college, I’d probably be single just like you,” she says.
It’s right on the tip of my tongue to tell them I’m not single. I pause. I get that Pit wants to continue sleeping together and dating, but could he see himself in a long-term relationship with me? One that includes balls and my pushy father.
“She’s thirty-three, Monica. She runs around like she’s still a child, hanging with those…those…”
“Boys?” I lift a brow at him.
He’s always referred to my crew as boys. A contradiction to the fact he wants me to be an adult. We’re all almost the same age, with the exception of Tak. However, we’re all soon to be over thirty.
“Why is it you insist on being the only woman who’s constantly in the company of those young men? It’s not ladylike,” he grumbles. “How would your future husband feel?”
This time I do roll my eyes. “If someone has a problem with my friends, they need to mind their business. Those men have been there for me through things no one else would understand. They have saved my life, stood with me through one of the most difficult times in my life…”
I trail off as I become emotional. For twelve years the guys have been my rock. I’d do anything for them.
“There isn’t one young man in Vander or Bridge Lake you can see yourself settling down with? You’re a beautiful woman, Mayven. This is beyond ridiculous. When was the last time you dated someone seriously?”
“Marvin,” my aunt says in warning. She waves a hand at him. “Anyway, as I was saying. I hope you and Shawna will make an appearance. She still has plenty of time to return.”
All of my anger is dosed by guilt. Honestly, I hadn’t planned to go. I was going to find some way to get out of it.
Knowing Shawna, the dutiful daughter, won’t be there for Aunt Monica causes a pang in my heart. Not for nothing, Aunt Monica has always tried her best to find time for Shawna, unlike my father for me and my mother.
I inhale. “I’ll be there. I’ll represent for both of you. Shawna’s been so busy. You should be proud of her. If she can’t make it, it’s because she is doing great things. I’ll be there for sure,” I say.
“Dateless,” my father mutters.
“Sweet baby Jesus. I’ll bring a date. Are you happy now?”
My father snorts. “You’ll probably order him off the internet. I’ve yet to see you serious about one male suitor.”
“Maybe because I’m not living in a historical romance novel.”
My aunt laughs before she can stifle it. She covers her mouth as her eyes sparkle. These two are so much alike, yet so different.
My father points to my aunt. “Keep entertaining her nonsense. Shawna will be just like her.”
He stands and storms from the room. I cover my face and exhale. Coming here probably wasn’t the best idea.
“Ignore your father. He means well. He’s just… his heart has been broken a few times when it comes to you. He doesn’t know how to express what he wants to and he’s fearful of losing you altogether,” Aunt Monica says gently.
I look at her in confusion. “What do you mean?”
“He still blames himself for when you and Shawna were kidnapped.”
“Huh? I thought that was because of Uncle Lester.”
“It was. Lester had a really bad drug problem, but your mother adored her little brother. Non
e of us ever thought he’d do what he did. Your dad had been making a splash as a young attorney, getting a lot of attention.
“It was only a week before the kidnapping that he and I had a conversation about moving to Bridge Lake. He felt guilty about it, but his gut told him you and your mother needed some distance from Lester. Lester’s outbursts and unpredictability were becoming a problem.”
“I kind of remember that. The outbursts.”
She nods. “Your uncle Lester didn’t take losing your grandparents well. He fell into his drug habit heavily and blew through his fortune. Your mother would give him money, but when she saw what he was using it on, she stopped.
“He sent those men to take you for a ransom. Shawna just happened to be there playing with you in the yard at the time. You two have always been thick as thieves. You clung to each other, so they had no choice but to take you both.”
I may have grown up with money, but my mother didn’t. My grandparents on my mother’s side came into money later on in life just before their passing. It’s the reason I always thought my uncle’s past was how I was kidnapped. Not that he arranged it.
“She bit that guy’s ankle,” I breathe out on a choked laugh and swipe at a tear as the memories surface.
“Your dad had looked away for a second and you girls were gone. He felt like he failed you and your mother,” she says.
“Okay, I get that, but that was once. We were rescued. Wouldn’t that make him want to be closer? We were closer and then… Mommy…”
“First, you were rescued, but you almost died, Mayven. Your reaction to the spider bite was life-threatening. That destroyed him. He spoiled you so much once you were home. He tried to protect you from everything he could,” she says.
Don’t I know it. I got into extreme sports because my father had become so overbearing at some point. Racing, skydiving—it all became freeing.
Aunt Monica continues. “Your father knew how much your mother meant to you. While his heart was breaking because he was losing his wife, it was also breaking because he didn’t know how to protect you from it. Once again, he was failing you.
“And then you found your friends. I, for one, am grateful to those young men. Your mother would be so proud of you. Your business is successful, you’re so bright. Marvin is proud of you too.” She sighs.
“My brother just has his way of dealing with his feelings. Politics is something he has mastered controlling. Look at where we are.
“He’s been a big part of my success. It’s what he knows and what he maneuvers best.” She gives me a smile. “And yet, he hasn’t figured out how to ensure his baby girl’s happiness because that’s all he wants for you, Mayven, for you to be happy.”
The lump in my throat is the size of a tennis ball. I swipe at more tears. There’s still something I don’t understand and now feels like the time to get it off my chest.
“But she was dying, and he went on with his career as if she was nothing,” I sob.
She slides to the edge of her seat and reaches to squeeze my hand. “Oh honey, you have my brother all fucked up.”
My mouth pops open. I look at my aunt with pure shock. Aunt Monica rarely comes out of character, unless you push some big buttons.
“Sweetheart, that man loved that woman with his entire soul, you hear me? He worshiped the ground she walked on. Let me tell you what you didn’t see.
“When your father left to go to that gala the night your mother was diagnosed, she made him go. My brother sat in his limo sobbing for an hour before he pulled his shit together like a boss and went to get his mayoral appointment like his wife made him promise to do.
“When you wanted his help with those boys, your mother was the one who bent his ear and told him to make it happen. When your mother died, he didn’t go to any meetings for his campaign. That man was in the mountains contemplating suicide.
“You, baby girl, are the only reason he’s still breathing. He promised your mother not to let you lose yourself, so don’t make assumptions. Your father loved your mother so much a piece of him died with her, and there are your facts,” she says.
“I didn’t know.”
She gives me a warm smile. “Now you do. Cut him some slack, Mayven. He’s doing his best. Your father loved being a husband and father. I think his nagging is his way to get that for you.”
Now, I really feel like shit for not giving my aunt the facts. However, my determination to bring her daughter home has turned up one thousand percent. I now see my father in a new light and all the bitterness that has robbed me of being a daddy’s girl starts to melt away.
I might be thirty-three, but I can still use my daddy sometimes. When I can think straight and all this is over with Shawna, I have work to do. My dad needs to know I’m happy with my life and… I love him.
“Which one of your fancy cars do you have today? Will it look out of place in the hood? I’m craving some West Indian food so bad. The good stuff. Not that crap they try to pass off here in Bridge Lake,” Aunt Monica says, breaking into my thoughts.
I burst into laughter. Leave it to Aunt Monica to switch it up on the drop of a dime.
“Come on, I’ve got you,” I say, shaking my head.
Chapter 25
Please
Skittles
* * *
“Please,” I beg as Pit frowns at me.
He mutters a curse under his breath. I’m wearing him down. I’ve been begging for three days now. I’m out of time.
“No.”
“Pretty please,” I say and bat my lashes at him.
He pushes off the kitchen island where he placed me and stood between my legs when I arrived here at his loft about five minutes ago. He moves back to lean his boot against the sink behind him. I hold my breath, hoping to finally get a yes. I groan when he replies.
“No, I can’t stand those entitled bastards. They all act like someone owes them something. If people only knew half the shit some of them do to be where they are. No.”
“Pit, I need to do this for Shawna. My aunt is getting suspicious. Do you know what will happen if the police and every other agency my aunt will call gets involved?”
He bares his teeth at me. I know this is low, but I need him with me. My father thinks I’m bringing a date, I’m going to use whatever I can to make this happen.
“You do know what we were carrying in that race last night, right? Marquis is trying to make sure everyone’s hands are as dirty as his are in all of this. We still don’t know how Marquis and Danny are connected.
“If they start to dig into Shawna’s whereabouts and somehow that brings attention to Marquis, Danny, or the races…” I leave my words hanging to pour on the dramatics.
He runs a hand through his hair. “I should’ve known the moment you walked in here with those red heels and tight ass jeans I was in trouble,” he grumbles.
I plant my hands on the edge of the counter and lean forward to place my cleavage on display. His gaze drops to look down my shirt. I flip my hair over my shoulder and lick my lips.
He points a finger at me. “The moment my skin starts to crawl we’re leaving. And since we have to wait two weeks for the next race, we’re out of here to blow off some steam. You’ve been tossing and turning in your sleep. Shit’s annoying as fuck.”
“You could always sleep in your own bed,” I purr.
He moves back to his position between my thighs. “When was the last time you wanted me in my own bed without you?”
I wrap my arms around his neck. “Don’t flatter yourself. You’re big and warm. Like a Snuggie.”
He squeezes my butt. “Whatever. Let’s get dress for this bullshit. I saw the garment bag you thought you were sneaking in. You get on my nerves.”
“I lo—loathe you too.”
I can’t believe I almost came that close to saying I love you. What’s wrong with me? This emotional roller coaster I’m on is frying my brain.
Pit
* * *
“How long do you plan to be at this thing?” I murmur as I zip my pants and go to sit at the foot of the bed.
She looks over her shoulder as she puts in a pair of diamond studs. Her makeup is flawless as always. I like her hair like this too.
It’s a medium brown, closer to her natural hair. There’s no bright color to be seen. The big waves look elegant as they fall down around her shoulders.
“Don’t worry, I promise not to torture you. I’ll make the necessary rounds and then make our excuses and you can treat me to a few beers or something,” she says with a smile.
I frown but say nothing. I start to put on my socks. However, Skittles has my full attention when she places her little foot on the seat of my accent chair and starts to roll her thigh high up her silky looking leg. Her juicy ass is on display in a pair of gray lacy boy shorts.
I’m mesmerized by her fastening the garter belt into place. I reach to adjust myself and look at my watch. I twist my lips in disappointment. We don’t have time for what I have in mind.
“You didn’t have to get a car for tonight. I would have driven,” I say to distract myself.
She straightens and heads across the room for her dress, shooting me a scowl on her way. “You know better.”
I chuckle. “Bougie much?”
“You do know I went to charm school? It doesn’t get much more bougie than that.”
I grunt at the memory of all the primping and preening I went through as a boy. My mother was obsessed with it. The moment I could get out of going to this ball and that gala, I ran.
Skittles flips her hair over her shoulder, before taking her dress to place it at her feet so she can step inside. My chest tightens. This feels so natural.
She’s getting dressed in my bedroom as if this is her place. I could be crazy, but I thought she was going to say she loved me earlier.
I run my tie through my hand as I sit watching her stand in front of the floor-length mirror. I’m really going to do this for her. I’m not used to dealing with these people on their turf. They come to me, but for her I’m going to do this.
Pit: The A**hole Club Series Page 14
