The Illicit Affairs

by Marí, Brittani

  I couldn’t afford the financial hit this could cause. The club, along with my investments in some midtown condos, was my way out. Yes, we needed the situation to go away quietly. There was too much at stake, too much at risk.

  I knocked on the door of my brother’s regular hotel suite, my mind going a mile a minute. I was taken aback when Robyn opened the door. Her hair was slightly ruffled, and she wore only a man’s button-down shirt. She looked surprised when she realized it was me.

  “Wesley? Hey…”

  I pried my eyes away from her barely covered chest, clearing my throat. “Is my brother here?”

  It took her a while to respond. Finally, she opened the door wide enough for me to walk inside. She quickly buttoned the few buttons of the shirt that were left undone. The discomfort was clear on her face.

  “Yes, he’s taking a shower. He should be done shortly. I’ll let him know you’re here.”

  I made my way over to the couch and took a seat, quickly checking my phone for new messages. None of them were important. I hadn’t heard any news about Mia, and it had me irritated.

  I felt the air thicken when Calvin walked into the living room. It pained me when I saw the slightly younger version of myself that was my brother. The only difference between us was he had been gifted with our mother’s light brown eyes. Everything else was the same. He took a seat across from me. I could tell his defenses were already in place.

  “I have to say, Wes. When Robyn said you were here, I didn’t believe her.” He leaned back on the couch. “But then I noticed the look on her face and instantly confirmed it was true.”

  I kept my comments to myself. The conversation with my father played inside my head. I needed to be the bigger person. Calvin and I had been tiptoeing around our issues with each other for a long time, but I knew right now wasn’t the time or place to address them.

  “Have you met with Stinson yet?” I asked.

  He leaned forward. His expression was blank. “Not yet, but that’s the plan. I noticed he’s been on edge lately.”

  I nodded. “He has his reasons. Believe me. A lot has happened since you’ve been in New York.”

  A look of worry covered his face. I didn’t know it was even possible. He was the brother who didn’t show much emotion, but it was surprisingly written all over his face. He was no longer trying to hide it.

  “Robyn mentioned Alek Johnson went to your club this past weekend. She said he had several men with him and it seemed like they were searching for something or someone. Is there a problem I need to know about?” His response brought my thoughts back to Mia.

  It was clear Alek was at the club looking for her, in addition to having his much-needed conversation with me. I hesitated before deciding to share the reason for Alek’s presence at the club.

  “I didn’t share the specifics of his visit with my staff,” I informed him.

  At that moment, Robyn chose to walk out of the bedroom. She was dressed in jean leggings and her normal skin-tight shirt with the club’s logo. Calvin’s eyes quickly traveled to hers.

  “You’re leaving already, babe? I just flew in.” His words made me tense.

  She walked toward him. She leaned in for a light kiss, but he pulled her onto his lap. I quickly focused my attention toward the window.

  “I have to run some errands for the club, then I need to go over some things with the dancers. You know they have rehearsal. We’ve been booked for several events, but this particular client wants the girls to be a bit more reserved. Sadly, I’m the person who has to break the news to them,” she explained.

  “Is that so?” I could hear the aggravation in his voice. I took out my phone and replied to some emails.

  She laughed. “Calvin, we’ve already talked about this. You already knew where I worked when we decided to make things official.” I could hear the stubbornness in her voice. “I told you, I will never be one of those snobbish women you’re used to. This is me. Take it or leave it.”

  She pushed away, walking toward the door. Calvin was on the verge of popping a blood vessel, but he didn’t argue with her. I had to stop myself from staring at them.

  “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to get to work. If you need me, call me on my cell phone,” she said before she gave him a wicked grin and closed the door.

  I watched in awe as he walked over to the bar. He poured himself a glass of clear liquor.

  “Would you like a drink, my long-lost brother?” he offered.

  I shook my head.” No. I think I’ll pass.”

  He gave me a questioning stare. “That’s normally my line, Wesley. I guess things are changing around here. I’m assuming you came here to catch me up to speed on things. It apparently doesn’t take long for things to turn to shit.” While he said this, his eyes were focused on the closed door. He took a large sip from the glass. I waited as he finished it off, then took his seat back on the couch.

  “Like I was saying, I didn’t share the specifics of Alek’s visit with too many people. I was honestly shocked to see him myself. However, his reason for wanting to see me was understandable.”

  Calvin made himself comfortable on the couch. The interest clear in his eyes. “For you to admit his visit was necessary, I’m starting to feel like we have a much bigger problem than I thought. If I remember correctly, in your eyes, Alek Johnson is running a race with our father.”

  It was true. I never tried to hide the way I felt about either one of them. I was very vocal about my opinions. If I felt a certain way, I didn’t pretend otherwise. I owned it.

  “Yes, he is running a race with our father. I also admit I can only judge them to a certain extent. I have skeletons in my closet, just as they do, and my demons follow me at a distance.”

  He stared at me. “I’m on pins and needles here, Wesley. What the hell is going on?”

  I struggled to decide how much information I wanted to share with Calvin. It was obvious we didn’t have the best relationship, but we were brothers. In our family, blood relations meant everything. I wasn’t concerned about him revealing the news I had yet to share with my father concerning Alek’s visit. On the other hand, his judgment about my choices was an entirely different story. In the end, I chose to share only information I found necessary to catch him up to speed on things. I quickly decided to hold back on the reason for Alek’s visit, remembering Calvin’s ways of taking care of things. I recalled a piece of information we both would consider more important. My biggest fault I selfishly decided to keep to myself.

  “Do you remember the name Fredrick Hall?”

  My question startled him. He shifted uncomfortably on the couch.

  “Of course, I do. You can’t really forget him, considering the baggage connected to his name.”

  I agreed. “You’re right about that. It just so happens his name has been whispered by many people these days, behind closed doors. But things only remain in the dark for so long.”

  He scooted to the edge of the couch. The look on his face became hard to read. “Why is that? If I remember the situation correctly, we dealt with every loose end from that night. Besides, why would he choose to show his face anyway? Everyone thinks he’s a murderer. The police would be on his tail as soon as he took one step onto the street.”

  I cleared my throat. “It’s a possibility, but we can’t be entirely sure. Remember, the only information Alek was willing to share when he requested our services was that Fredrick Hall was a snitch. He said he had proof he’d been exchanging information with the police. He never specified what it was about.”

  Calvin stood from the couch as he spoke. “So you’re thinking this information he was exchanging with the police might be strong enough to make them listen to reason and point the blame elsewhere—possibly in our direction, proving our men actually committed the crime?”

  I considered the words as he spoke them. I hadn’t given the idea much thought until he spoke the words out loud. However, they had been bouncing around in my head no
nstop.

  “I think we knew the instant we became aware Fredrick wasn’t home that night it was a possibility this could come back to haunt us. With him disappearing, it left us with loose ends we couldn’t get our hands on.”

  He paced in front of me. “If that’s the case, we need to schedule a meeting with Alek. If Fredrick is roaming around with bad intentions that could affect us, we need to figure out what he’s had on Alek all these years. It has to be true if Alek thought it was necessary to get rid of him or his wife to keep him quiet.” His face filled with determination. I prepared for his next words. “We also need to come to terms with the fact we need his assistance.”

  I ran my hands over my face in frustration. “We still have some time to figure things out. I know someone who can possibly get our younger brother to see reason and give the police something to work with—maybe even a name.”

  Calvin frowned, placing his hands in his pockets. “Have you considered it might be possible that Justin is actually guilty?”

  “Why would you say that, Calvin? You know he was setup. Remember, we don’t kill innocent people.” I looked over at my brother in confusion.

  He laughed. “No, Wesley. You don’t kill innocent people…” He looked at me cautiously before continuing, “anymore. Justin and I have taken a much more hands-on approach when dealing with certain situations. You’re the only one who has a problem with the way things are run around here.”

  I stood up and walked toward the window. My brother’s assessment of me was accurate. I didn’t agree with the way they handled things, and if given a choice, I would walk away. But I wasn’t granted that option. I had my responsibilities, and if I wanted things done differently, I would have to change them myself.

  “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, Calvin. I think we should take a closer look at the situation before we start making illegitimate deals and calling in favors with the likes of Alek Johnson. It’s been proven when working with him things never go according to plan.”

  He clenched his jaw. The irritation was written all over his face. He wanted to take action immediately, but I felt doing so would be irresponsible. My brother failed to understand there were other ways to solve issues besides crime and violence, but he craved the rush. It was obviously eating him alive.

  “I’m willing to go along with your plan to take a closer look at the situation, Wesley,” he said as he studied me closely. “Just don’t forget every single minute that passes by our brother is confined in a jail cell. We need to get him out of there as soon as possible.”

  I stuffed my hands into my pockets before making my way toward the door. “That’s the plan, Calvin.”

  He stopped me before I walked out. “Keep in mind, your closer look at the situation is on a time frame, Wes. I would make sure not to waste a minute of it. If your plan fails, we will have to consider the way I prefer to do things around here, and my gut feeling tells me it won’t be frowned upon by many others.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Mia

  I WASN’T A PERSON who was quick to judge others. I often gave people the benefit of the doubt because I knew everything wasn’t always what it seemed. Even though a situation appeared black and white, I knew there was always a gray area lurking around, waiting to expose the truth. I became aware of how things worked quickly after my mother was murdered in cold blood. The short visit with my aunt had brought all of that pain and truth back to life. I was never given time to actually mourn my mother’s death because on that horrible night, the police told me the first few hours and days were the most important.

  The conversation with the police was one I would never forget. It was cold and straight to the point. I replayed part of the night in my head.

  “I know he’s your father, Alyssa, but the sooner we track him down, the quicker this will all be over. Do you have any idea where he might be?” an officer asked me.

  I looked at the officer in confusion. What had he been implying? Did he think my father was responsible? They had just removed my mother’s dead body from the house, and everyone was entirely focused on doing their job. I still had the fresh blood of my mother all over my shirt. I could hear myself stutter when I answered his question. His eyes had been kind but determined. The answers I had already given him were apparently not enough. I had already come to the conclusion he thought I was lying, covering for my father. But I had wondered why lying was even necessary. My father never would have killed my mother. I had already explained everything I knew. I had tried to be strong, but the tears wouldn’t stop.

  “I…really don’t know. He’s normally home by now. Maybe something happened to him,” I told him.

  The officer had looked at me unconvinced. “Okay then, sweetheart. Let’s go over what you said you saw when you came home tonight.”

  I took a deep breath. My head was beginning to hurt, but I repeated my story anyway. “There were several men in the house when I came home…”

  ***

  “Mrs. Johnson?”

  The sound of my new driver and bodyguard brought me back to the present.

  “Yes, Logan?”

  I was still trying to give him the benefit of the doubt, but when our eyes met in the rear-view mirror, I could tell he knew something. I didn’t imagine the look he gave me the day Alek was attacked. It was as if he could hear every thought roaming in my head. The not knowing for sure about him was driving me crazy. We were in light traffic on Westheimer Road, and my attention remained focused on the scenery outside the window.

  “You never told me exactly where we were going.”

  I offered him a quick smile. “I’m sorry. I’m meeting up with Avery at The Chateau Bar. It’s not too far from here.”

  “I know the place, Mrs. Johnson. I’ll have you there shortly.” He returned the smile.

  I busied myself on my phone while we drove the remaining short distance to the restaurant. He parked in the front, quickly moving around the vehicle to let me out. I looked at him thoroughly, still trying to decide if I should be concerned about him. If he did know something about me that could cause my husband to question my loyalty, he hadn’t said a word to him. If he had, I’m sure Alek would have confronted me already. He was a person who rarely wasted any time when it came to important situations. I accepted Logan’s hand and stepped out the SUV.

  “I’ll be close by,” he whispered into my ear, before shutting the door behind me.

  He drove away once I was inside the restaurant. I casually walked up to the women at the podium.

  “I’m meeting a friend here. The table is under—” I began.

  The woman’s face lit up with a genuine smile. “Of course, Mrs. Johnson. She’s waiting for you in the deck area.”

  I followed her through the restaurant until we came to a pair of tinted double doors. She held one of them open and let me walk through. Avery sat alone at one of the tall patio sets. I quickly walked over, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

  “I feel like I haven’t seen you in ages, Avery.”

  “Well, you are married to my almighty brother. He prefers his prized possession to steer clear of me. He fears I might poison your mind. I should probably remind you, it hasn’t even been a full week since we saw each other.” She gave me a slight smile, flipping through the pages of the menu.

  “If I remember correctly, we were quite the pair back then—sneaking into bars when we were underage. Maybe he just hasn’t gotten over the night we almost got arrested.” I laughed, taking the seat across from her.

  She cleared her throat. “I don’t know about that, Mia. The night we almost got arrested was the same night he got to see you again. He was fuming when I called him, but when he saw who my ally was, his mood changed. Even though we were both drunk off our asses.”

  “Yes, I guess you’re right. Everything between us happened so quickly. I almost forgot he had to pull strings to stop the officer from taking us to jail,” I agreed.

  She placed the menu on the table.
“I went ahead an ordered our usual, but they have this new…” She trailed off.

  I took a frustrating breath. I didn’t realize how much I needed to talk to someone until Alek was brought into the conversation.

  “I’m sure you’ve already heard about your brother being attacked. I wasn’t given too many details, but it has him so—”

  Avery stopped me. “I wouldn’t stress myself out about it, Mia. I’m sure he will figure everything out. He just has his own way of handling things. By the way, I caught a glimpse of your new bodyguard. He isn’t that hard to look at, right?”

  I was about to respond when our waiter brought our food and drinks. “Your wine and baked goat cheese appetizer. Enjoy.”

  I slowly picked up my wine glass after the waiter left, carefully eyeing Avery over the rim.

  “I hope you’re not trying to avoid the issue, Avery. You’re telling me you’re not the least bit concerned about your brother’s safety?”

  “I’m just saying he always lands on his feet. I can guarantee you, the time we’re spending here talking about his attack, he’s already put into motion arrangements to fire back.” She gave me a daring look.

  I lowered my voice. “You think he knows who tried to hurt him?”

  She shook her head. “No. I’m simply stating if he doesn’t know by now who attacked him, he will soon find out, and when he does, he will handle it the way he sees fit. The rest of it is none of our business. I’ve learned to keep out of my brother’s affairs.”

  I placed my glass on the table, crossing my arms. “It appears to me this news doesn’t come as a surprise to you.”

  She took a sip from her glass. “If I’m honest with you, it doesn’t. My brother is well aware of the backlash that comes with the way he prefers to do business.”

  I swallowed, slightly confused. “I know he doesn’t tell me everything, but if he would just talk to me, I could help him through whatever’s going on, even if it’s just mentally. Isn’t that my duty as his wife?”