Bringing Dr. Oakley and Marquise to justice made Daron realize his life would be entangled with that of these eight other directors of The Castle for the foreseeable future. Might as well take the time to really get to know them outside of their scheduled meetings.
“You picked a beautiful day to have a barbecue,” Nicco said, reaching into the small refrigerator to grab some fruit. “Is Cam coming?”
“Calvin and Mia, too.” Daron figured The Castle would be the best place to host the event.
Daron hoped spending time with the Kings would give Cameron an opportunity to talk with them and accept that they were not criminals. Her silence didn’t mean she wasn’t still questioning his retirement and new responsibilities. He’d already messed up their relationship by projecting his fears on her and focusing more on his purpose, as if it had been an ‘either-or’ scenario. She had a right to be concerned.
“Did Pedro get the boys settled?” Nicco asked, sitting the orange slices, pineapple chunks, and cherries on the counter.
“Yeah. We have JD helping Amarion and Reese get set up in New York, while Pedro’s in DC getting Cedric squared away.”
Daron lowered the silver lid on the grill, then sat down. The early morning start had begun to take its toll. He reached for the glass of whiskey as the tablet chimed.
Nicco grabbed the Glock tucked in the waistband of his shorts, hidden under the tank top. “Which quadrant?”
Daron picked up the device and shook his head. “It’s Cam.”
The only reason he knew Cameron was coming was because he installed sensors on the exterior wall that were hard to see from a distance. Daron still had some work to do on security. She shouldn’t have gotten this close to the building without him being notified. He wondered if she’d come in on a motorcycle. She was wearing a jogging suit with a backpack and baseball cap low on her forehead. By the time she made it to the end of the building, Daron was waiting for her.
“You’re hiding again, gorgeous.” He tugged on her cap before pulling her into his arms and giving her a peck on the lips.
“Of course not,” she replied, following him into the backyard.
The sun beamed down on them as she walked beside Daron through the uncovered seating area with a fire pit waiting to be lit, moving closer to the smoky-sweet smell.
Cameron waved to Nicco, who was back to manning the bar that had stools inside and outside the pool. Her eyes stayed on Nicco too long. Daron assumed she was checking out his tattoo sleeve which was normally hidden under suits. At least, that had better be why.
Daron placed a hand on her lower back and guided her into the covered kitchen. She walked over to the fireplace that held the large screen television where there was more outdoor furniture. He imagined that sitting outside with the fireplace going on cooler days was a great way to wind down. A mix of R&B, oldies and Jazz played in the background.
“You’re the grill master for today.” Cameron smiled as she returned to his side near the pit. “I thought the staff would handle that.”
“To ensure there was no drama and everyone could safely enjoy getting to know each other. I chose to cook and put Nicco on drinks.” Daron pointed toward the pool with a rock waterfall feature. “We have Linc as the lifeguard.”
Cameron waved at Linc, who was relaxing in a chair on a landing with a fire pit that seemed to float on the pool’s lily pad. Linc walked over to the patio side heading their way.
Nicco slid from behind the bar.
“How about I watch the grill while you give her a tour,” Nicco offered, entering the kitchen.
Linc replaced Nicco at the bar.
“Sounds good.” Daron pointed to the stairs near where the water cascaded down. “There’s a private whirlpool up there.”
He walked her down the path that led to the basketball courts, tennis courts, then toward the golf course. Daron directed her attention to his left. “Further back there is a lake and stables.”
“I imagine the area near the lake is serene and beautiful,” Cameron stated, as they strolled down the path. “It’s a lot of estate to protect.”
He captured her hand in his, then stopped moving. “Your comment that I can’t be your King and a King of The Castle stuck with me.”
“Don’t ruin the day by starting an argument.” Cameron tugged him forward.
He held her waist, guiding her to one of the benches along the path where they sat down. “I admit that I didn’t handle the discovery of my membership in the correct way. At the time, I felt the best method to maintain our relationship was to wait until I found out more.”
He had to admit to himself that the decision had more to do with how he thought she would react to the news than her actual actions, which were reasonable given the circumstances.
“That doesn’t sound like the relationship we discussed that we’d build on honesty.” Cameron ran a hand through her reddish-brown hair. “I don’t want to feel like I’m on one of Bishop’s assignments in my personal life.”
“Don’t walk away without at least giving us a real chance.” Daron held her hand as she stood. “I love you.”
Cameron stared at him but said nothing. He could see she was debating with herself.
Daron immediately felt numb. Was she actually planning on permanently cutting ties with me? “What is it?”
“To be honest, I wish you weren’t involved in The Castle. My entire point of wanting to be sure you remained retired was so we could maintain the life we had before you received that call from Katara.”
The sadness in her eyes was a gut punch. Even though he expected Cameron to be stubborn and difficult, Daron had been so sure he’d get her back. However, he hadn’t counted on the fact that with the membership there was no returning to how they were before the call. “Babe, your friends are actual criminals and you see them on a regular basis.”
She raised an eyebrow. “It’s not them that my mom is asking to meet.”
“Accept the role of Queen in my life and let me show you that we can find the same kind of happiness in our new norm.” Daron slid his arms around her waist, gazing into her eyes. “Together we’ll work on implementing the same precautions that your father and brothers have, to keep work-life from crossing over to their personal one. Can we do that?”
Cameron paused, taking a deep breath. Her hesitation made him slightly nervous.
“Yes. But no more ultimatums.”
“Be warned,” he said, placing his forehead on hers. “I’m going to be on you about speaking to your father. I feel like you were able to walk away without blinking an eye because of your relationship with him.”
“I did blink an eye.” She smirked. “I can’t help if you missed it.”
Daron chuckled before lowering his mouth to hers, tasting what he’d been craving since she’d tossed back the house keys. “Making us official feels so right.”
“I’ll deal with you harassing me about Jake, but this time you’ll have to mean what you say, Daron. We’re a team.” She placed a palm against his face with her brown eyes laser-focused on him. “No making decisions that affect both our lives without so much as a mention.”
He wrapped her in both arms holding her firmly as she laid her head on his shoulder. “Moving forward, I’ll honor the team.” Closing his eyes, he reveled in the feel of her body against his, praying that they would develop a foundation strong enough to handle the truths about his past decisions.
She broke the embrace and her full lips curled into a smile. “Your woman is hungry from the hike she had to take to get to this shindig.”
“I’m hungry for another type of nutrition.” He pulled her back into his growing erection.
“You better eat well now because tonight we have a lot of lost time to make up for.” She slid a hand across his bulge, gently caressing as she slowly sucked his bottom lip before her tongue began exploring his mouth.
“Damn.” Daron wished he didn’t know how many drones and cameras were on the property, o
therwise, he wouldn’t be waiting for tonight.
Reluctantly he broke the embrace, leading her back to the outdoor kitchen. He relieved Nicco from grill duties as Cameron washed her hands, then set out the plates and cutlery. She snagged a turkey hotlink from the traditional barbecue pan on the stand next to the macaroni and cheese and dirty rice. He peeled back the plastic so she could use the tongs to grab the chips.
“Do you think I should put the other items out?” Daron asked, opening the small refrigerator and lifting out the salad to see if she wanted any.
She shook her head. “Wait at least until someone else arrives, the sun isn’t playing with anybody today.”
Daron joined her at the table after flipping the vegetables on the grill. Being there talking with Cameron reminded him of his mother sitting with his father as he finished barbecuing. She’d once told Daron after getting up so early, his father would be tired and she’d keep him talking until he got his second wind.
We should have had more time, Dad.
Cameron rested her hand on his shoulder. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. Just thinking I’m grateful that if Roger survives, he’ll be prosecuted for his crimes.” His tablet beeped, but he knew Nicco and Linc were watching the security feeds. “And that Ralph, has had the charges dropped.”
She slid an arm around his shoulder, pulling him closer and planting a kiss on his cheek.
“He did handle the entire situation with dignity and grace though some people will always think he was involved.” Daron rested a hand on her thigh, appreciating that this moment was the first time he felt that maybe happiness didn’t have to be an occasional visitor in this new life. “I’m planning to refer the youth I come across to Tony while I widen my net for a candidate to run my program.”
A few minutes later, Reno and Kaleb arrived, then Grant moments later. Daron introduced Cameron, who gave them an intense once over and directed them to the food.
“Are you cooking for an army?” Grant asked as he approached the long table filled with chafing dishes. He peeked into three warming units that contained either lamb chops, jerked chicken or rib-eye with lime Tequila butter.
“What we don’t eat, we box and deliver to the homeless,” Daron stated, as he fixed a plate with fruit and cheese to snack on. “Besides, y’all left Dwayne’s house on empty the first time we showed up?”
“Weren’t you the one who was the first to the table?” Kaleb asked.
“See, why you want to bring up old shit?”
His brothers laughed. So did Cameron, before heading to the bar to get a drink.
“What’s this?” Reno asked pointing to the last chafer as Shaz and Dro arrived.
Dro looked a little worn-out, probably because his crisis management clients kept him on high octane adventures.
“Grigliata mista di carne. I think.” Daron reached for a piece of fruit, but Cameron returned and commandeered the plate.
“You think.” Grant chuckled, peeking in the chafer with corn on the cob, salmon with Bourbon glaze, and Cajun shrimp skewers.
“Hey, it’s technically a platter of mixed grilled meats, but I don’t know if Italians would say it qualified as Grigliata mista di carne.” Daron removed the last of the veggie kabobs and the assorted vegetables from the grill.
“We’ll see,” Reno said, making his way down to the end of the line.
“As long as it tastes as good as it looks.” Kaleb picked up a plate. “I don’t care what it’s called.”
“Coleslaw, Potato Salad, and cold items are in the refrigerator,” Daron carried the salad and dressings to the table as Dwayne and his girlfriend, Tiffany, made their way over, followed by Calvin and Mia.
Daron made introductions.
Jai, and a woman they barely knew, arrived a few minutes after Cameron and Mia left to change to hit the pool. “I see you all got started without me.” He scanned the plates of food, but the pressure of dealing with the fallout from the discovery that a comatose patient at his clinic was pregnant was clearly etched on his face.
“Did you get my proposal for adding a weight alarm to the bed with safe zone sensors along sides of the bed?” Daron asked.
Jai lifted his cell, smiled then said, “Thanks.”
Daron hoped it helped prevent a repeat of the incident in the future. Now Jai had to survive the physical and emotional fallout of the investigation. Daron glanced at Vikkas and Milan as they approached the group. “Why is it that the person who actually lives on the property is the last to arrive?”
“You can’t make an entrance if you’re first to the party,” Vikkas announced as he guided Milan past the square tables to the long one where everyone was dining.
Daron made his way to Reno, who looked relaxed even though he was dealing with the surge in crime and how it affected his women’s shelter. He also had the added headache of someone hunting for a Tanzanian princess at the shelter, who was trying to remain out of the clutches of a father who’d sold her like a piece of meat. “Did you get all the evaluation forms in for the women?”
The new process would determine whether the women could receive the tracking earrings or they’d have to come up with an alternative.
Reno’s jaw clenched as he ran a hand through his hair. “I’m curious. What would be the alternative?”
“A bracelet, maybe a ring or watch.” Daron thought about Tracy. Her experience would have been very different if the traffickers had known to take out the earrings. “However, if Pedro deemed any of them unstable, in good conscience, he couldn’t give them any device.”
“Once they are approved, they’ll receive a device and the membership to receive training?” Reno queried.
Daron gestured to the women chatting it up with Cameron. “If you have any questions, it’s a perfect opportunity to speak with Mia, who will be in charge of transportation and Cameron, who will be handling training.” Daron glanced at Cameron and Mia, who took a few laps between talking with Linc poolside and Nicco at the bar.
He was thankful she was wearing one of her more conservative swimsuits. Daron was already contemplating how to slip out so he could feel those thick thighs wrapped around him.
“You okay over there?” Reno glanced at him, then looked at the pool before returning his attention to Daron.
Daron focused on the table. “Yeah.”
Cameron slipped into a purple and silver sundress cover-up, then made her way back to the group. He introduced her to the remaining people. Despite the fact that they all were going through some major challenges, they seemed to be enjoying themselves.
Kaleb was still caught up in the investigation into the suspicious arson of his property, resulting in the death of several young women. Grant was being blackmailed for something he did when getting his business off the ground. He wasn’t aware Daron knew, but Daron planned to stay out of it unless Grant asked for help.
Calvin took a seat next to Daron. “This is a great break from working. Thanks for the invite.”
“No problem.” Daron knew the next few weeks would be extremely busy with them testing how the tracker affected The Suits in different environments. The Kings were determined to help out. “Enjoy. We’ll be back to the grind in a couple of days.”
Dwayne went to the bar while Daron downed his whiskey and decided it was time for another drink.
“How are things?” Daron lowered himself onto a bar stool.
Dwayne picked up the drinks Nicco placed on the counter. “I’m adjusting.”
He was obviously struggling with the shift from life as a professor to the issues and dangers that came with being a King, while still balancing his vision for his charter school. That night at Marquise’s mansion showed he was up for the challenge.
“Well, I’ve only had a taste of the life you were living before The Castle dropped in the mix, shaking things up. I have moments where I crave the return of the peace and stability, but I know if we—” Daron nodded at the men laughing and talking around the table
. “—restore this place to its original purpose, lives will be changed for the better. Including ours, and we won’t regret this leap of faith.”
He patted Dwayne on the back, took his own drink from Nicco, and they headed back to the group.
Khalil was approaching, with Steve as his personal guard. Daron was slightly surprised Khalil had made an appearance since his schedule stayed busy.
Cameron seemed to be enjoying herself and wasn’t faking it for his benefit.
Reno, Shaz, Dro, and Kaleb had moved to the table that held the decks of cards and were playing bid whist, another game Khalil taught them in school.
Daron walked over, sliding an arm around Cameron’s waist as she watched the men laughing, talking trash, and slapping down cards. He was confident he could make this new tribe work. Life didn’t always go as planned, but unexpected blessings always managed to slip in and make an appearance.
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