by S. K. Hardy
Nikki ran a hand over her son's hair, knowing he was trying to be the little man Angel always told him he was. She knew exactly how he felt, though, because she wanted to cry herself. She'd been looking forward to spending a couple of hours of uninterrupted time with Angel tonight. It had been a while since they were able to do that.
Bending down, she placed a finger under A.J.’s chin and lifted his face. "Tell ya' what. Since Daddy's not here, we'll ask Cook to make your favorite meal. Then before you go to bed, we'll call Daddy so that you can tell him goodnight. How's that?"
A.J.'s face lit up and his hazel eyes brightened in his excitement. "We can have hamburgers and French fries?"
The adults all laughed because at the moment it was obvious that the promise of his favorite food trumped talking to his father.
Nikki gave an exaggerated nod. "Uh huh, we sure can. Now, give Auntie Jerra and Uncle Darrell a hug before we go, okay?"
His good mood restored, A.J. ran to them and threw his arms around Jerra first who kissed his cheek. Darrell reached down and hugged him with his free arm.
"We'll see ya’ soon, sport."
Christian kicked his legs excitedly, extending his chubby arms towards his cousin as everyone said their goodbyes. Jerra and Darrell walked them to the front door, and as they stepped out, no one mentioned the two black Escalades with darkly tinted windows parked on the street. One had followed the women earlier from Nikki's home to the Monroe's. Curious, Raven wondered why the other one was there.
Since Dom had parked behind Nikki's car, he and Keisha left first. Raven stood for a moment and watched the Escalade pull out behind them. Interesting. Why would Dominick need an armed guard?
The questioning knit in her brow deepened. It didn't take a rocket scientist to realize it had something to do with the reason why he and the Pattels were at Angel's today.
Raven looked at the second vehicle, which sat with its engine idling so quietly they could barely hear it. The sleek beast reminded her of a hungry predator, covertly waiting in the dark shadows, alert to everything in its immediate vicinity. She mentally shook her head, wondering how Nikki could stand to live like this. There was literally nowhere she could go without having a bodyguard following her for protection. That was no way to live, and it certainly was not the kind of environment her nephew should be growing up in.
No. She had to get her sister away from this. Nikki might end up hating her for the rest of their lives, but that was preferable to getting a call one day and being told that something had happened to two of the people she loved most in this world.
After buckling A.J. in his booster seat, Nikki and Raven got in the car. With a blast of the horn, they waved goodbye to Darrell and Jerra and headed down the street. Raven glanced in her rear view mirror, keeping a close watch as the Escalade stayed no more than a car's length behind them. So intent was she in her thoughts of getting Nikki and A.J. away from Angel that she was unaware of Nikki studying her in between watching the road.
"Okay, spill it," Nikki said. "Just what game are you and Hawk Pattel playing?"
Her heart plunging like a boulder in shallow water, Raven rolled her eyes and countered the question with one of her own. "So, Angel suddenly had to fly off to Miami, huh? Why was that?"
"He has business, which is none of yours. Answer my question."
Raven remained quiet. She'd known Nikki would give her the third degree about Hawk, but had fervently hoped it would at least wait until tomorrow. She should've known she wouldn't get off quite that easily. Continuing to stare out the window of Nikki's ultra-sporty, uber-expensive Jaguar XF, Raven was determined to ignore her sister's question. The absolute last thing she wanted to talk about was Hawk Pattel.
"Come on, Rae, I know you hear me. Just what did Keisha and I walk in on? The two of you looked like you were ready to tear each other's clothes off right there in the hallway."
Raven twisted her head around and glared at Nikki. "Oh, stop exaggerating. Anyway, you couldn't be more wrong. I can't stand the man, and I think I can safely speak for him and say the feeling is mutual."
"Don't even try it. If we'd waited three more seconds, your tongue would've been all the way down the man's throat."
"He was going to kiss me. Not the other way around."
Dead silence settled in the car. Raven could've slapped herself when she realized what she'd just admitted. "I mean..."
"Oh, I know what you meant, Raven Jadore Randolph," Nikki mocked, giving her another quick side-glance before bringing her attention back to the merging traffic. "What I want to know is how in the world did it even get that far and why you seemed okay with it? Earlier at brunch, he was looking at you like he wanted to stretch you out on his plate and eat you instead of that omelet and croissant."
"Nikki, can we please not talk about it right now?"
"And instead of the glass of mimosa, he probably would’ve preferred to sip from your-"
"Nikki!" Aghast, Raven twisted in her seat and stared at her sister with her mouth open. "You know, ever since you married Angel you’ve turned unbelievably crude. And to think you used to be the conservative one. Ugh!"
"I’m telling the truth, aren’t I? I thought you didn’t like Hawk." Nikki didn't skip a beat. She refused to let Raven change the subject. "I can see how you would be attracted to him, but Raven, you have to know the trouble it could cause with your career if you got involved with him."
Raven groaned, "Oh my God, Nicole, I am not going to get involved with Hawk Pattel! He's not even my type, thank you very much!"
"Okay, sis. I'll ask you this then I'm going to leave your grown woman ass alone. You say there's nothing going on between you and Hawk Pattel, but you don’t sound very confident so what I want to know is exactly who are you trying to convince right now? Me...or yourself?"
CHAPTER 13
Just as the sun was setting, Angel's car pulled up to a humongous structure on the outskirts of Miami that belonged to Sonny Luciano. It fronted as a manufacturing company but was actually used to smuggle in large shipments of cocaine and heroin.
Angel's driver and bodyguard, Big Dre, turned off the ignition then got out to open the car door for Angel and Oscar. Behind them, a black car with dark tinted windows pulled up behind them. Carlo stepped out of the vehicle scanning the immediate area before following Angel and Oscar to the front entrance. Two other men in the car got out as well with the same level of alertness for their surroundings. They constantly searched the area for anything that seemed suspicious or out of place as they walked behind Carlo.
Flanked by men who would lay down their lives if necessary to protect him, Angel walked through the door that one of Sonny’s men opened for him. Inside was a hub of activity with employees unpacking various boxes and working the assembly line in an efficient and orderly manner. Barely giving them more than a passing glance, Angel turned left and came to an elevator. After he punched in a code, the doors of the elevator smoothly slid open. Once they stepped in and the doors had closed behind them, Oscar pressed a button that took them to the third floor.
Not a word was spoken as the men once again filed behind Angel as he made his way to a closed door at the end of the corridor where two more men stood guard. Angel didn't acknowledge either as he opened the door and walked into the conference room.
Six men sat at a large round table and were in the midst of what seemed to be an intense discussion. Upon seeing Angel, however, they all froze in their seats. Various degrees of shock and surprise flickered over everyone’s faces except for Eddie who had alerted Oscar to what was going on.
Angel nodded his thanks to Eddie, letting him know his loyalty would not go unrewarded.
"Gentlemen. Good evening." Although Angel's tone was pleasantly even tempered, his green eyes, glittering brilliantly like the sharp edges of an uncut diamond, betrayed his anger.
Taking his time, his glance touched and slid off of each man present and called them by name. They all nodded respectfully in r
esponse. Angel intentionally addressed Sonny last. The two of them locked gazes in a battle of wills, one mutinous the other coolly confident.
"Hello, Sonny."
Sonny Luciano inclined his head in greeting. His dark eyes glowed like shiny beads. "Angelo."
When Angel took a cigar from the inside of his jacket pocket, Carlo brought out a silver lighter and held the flame close. His eyes never leaving Sonny, Angel leaned down slightly and puffed on the cigar a few times until it lit up. Straightening and lifting his chin he let a steady stream of smoke float past his lips before speaking.
"Since I'm fairly sure you wouldn't meet without me, I have to assume my not being called was just an oversight on your part." His eyes cool as steel, Angel squinted at Sonny through another puff of smoke. "Am I correct?"
Silence settled over the room like a dark cloud preparing for a storm. Not a sound could be heard from anyone at the table; no one dared to even move. They remained utterly still when Angel walked up to Sonny. The men watched with bated breath as Angel's gaze deliberately dropped to the chair Sonny had chosen to sit in. The head chair. Angel's chair. No matter where they met, the head chair was automatically left for him, even if they were at Sonny’s facility.
Already feeling at a disadvantage because he was sitting while Angel towered over him, the vein in Sonny’s temple pulsed in anger and embarrassment. His lips drew tight, and his manicured nails dug into the arm of the black leather chair. He could feel the eyes of every man in the room trained on him, waiting to see what he would do and say. Angel continued to stare at him, obviously intent on making his point.
Inwardly seething, Sonny swallowed his pride and stood up, vowing that he would one day bring Angelo LaCroix to his knees. He was just waiting on the right day to do it. Sliding one last glare at Angel as he moved to one of the vacant chairs, it pained Sonny to reluctantly admit today was not that day.
Jaw twitching, indicating his high level of pisstivity, Angel's eyes stayed on Sonny even after the other man was seated. Finally satisfied that Sonny had gotten the message, Angel sat down in the chair the other man had just vacated, his movements stiff with anger. The last thing he'd been in the mood to do was leave his family and jump on a fucking plane to come to Miami, so he was not in the best of moods. After flicking the ashes from his cigar into an ashtray, he leaned back and gave the men his full attention.
"Now. I thought we'd discussed everyone's concerns last night via video conference, but obviously I was wrong." His gaze fell on Sonny. "If anyone has anything to say, now is the time. What seems to be the problem?"
When a blanket of silence met his inquiry, Angel’s eyes narrowed menacingly. "Let's not all speak at once," he spat out. "When I walked in, it looked as if everyone had plenty to say, so don’t hold your tongues now." He sliced a piercing glare at Sonny. "Since you're the one who's responsible for getting everyone here, why don't you take the position of honor and speak up." He let a lull settle in the room before uttering the next statement in a mocking tone. "Or are you only emboldened when I'm not around?"
Sonny’s mocha complexion sported a dull flush at the insult. "Everyone else here might be afraid of you, Angelo, but make no mistake, my friend, I’m not."
"If that’s true, why the secret meeting?"
"I...we...figured you would be too busy making plans to carry out this attack against Melania Cruz. An attack, I might add, that we don't approve of."
The air around them crackled with tension, but Angel only smiled, or rather smirked, in amusement as he allowed Sonny to finish.
"You’re jeopardizing our money for personal reasons, Angel. Not only is the Juarez cartel our main drug connect, Melania’s product is premium, top grade shit. I don't think we should take a chance on fuckin' that up." Sonny’s tone was arrogant and almost dismissive. “The relationship with Melania has been profitable for each and every one of us. Now, it’s in jeopardy because of a personal score you and your brother want to settle. No bueno. Not a good idea at all.”
Carlo stood several feet behind Angel. Without having to turn around, Angel sensed his tension. Carlo had never liked Sonny and would gladly put a bullet in his skull without blinking, but Angel wanted to handle this personally.
"Stand down, Carlo," he said in a quiet voice.
Rising from the table, Angel's eyes met Oscar's before he went over to the large glass wall that overlooked the factory below. He stared down at the hub of activity taking place. The men resembled worker ants laboring away in an ant colony. Everything moved with accurate precision to meet the high level of productivity needed to make it a successful business as well as an import site for Sonny’s illegal activities. Angel listened as Sonny continued to run his mouth, blissfully unaware of the fact that he was tugging at the lion's tail and was only moments away from getting mauled. He tuned him out as his mind went over the obvious: Sonny Luciano would have to go.
This wasn't the first time he'd challenged Angel's authority. The youngest of the group, Sonny came up in the game at an early age, the same as Angel. He was hungry, determined, and willing to do whatever it took to remain king of his streets.
Angel had seen qualities of his younger self in Sonny that he'd wanted to cultivate and mold. That's why he'd brought him into the fold. Sonny was about his money, point blank. He didn't accept excuses from anybody, which was an admirable trait to have...in his streets with his people. What he obviously failed to realize, was that he was not in his streets right now, and Angel sure as fuck wasn't one of his people. If his actions tonight were any indication, the lines in his mind had blurred, because he'd definitely crossed them. However, Angel intended to clear them up quite nicely before he left tonight.
"Angel, you’re bettin' on things stayin' the same once...if...your contact comes into power, but you can't guarantee that and I'm not willing to chance it. Now, I feel for ya’ brotha, but business is business. You, betta than anybody, should know this…which brings me to my next point." Sonny leaned back in his chair and propped his feet up on the table. "I think it's time for a more equal amount of power to be distributed in this little group of ours. I understand you’re the one who brought us together and everything, but this ain't Italy and we ain't on no Mafioso shit."
Sonny glanced around the room, eyes sparkling with amusement. "You think you a Don or Godfather or somethin', Angelo?”
He held the first two fingers of both hands up and drew imaginary quotation marks in the air. “‘Make me an offer I can't refuse' or however that shit goes. But just remember." Sonny tapped his chest. "Scarface was a bad ass too. He was younger and crazier than the Godfather. I think he coulda whipped the old man's ass if the two of them had been in the same room together."
Sonny slapped his thigh. His laughter rang out overly loud as if he'd just delivered the punch line of a humorous joke. Except he was the only one who seemed to find it funny.
"Are you finished?" Angel had had enough. Still at the window, he turned his head slightly so that he could see Sonny out of his peripheral.
"Yeah. Yeah, man, I'm finished." Sonny unfolded his legs and stood up.
When he did, Angel’s expression turned fierce. "Who told you to get up?"
Sonny paused and stared at him in confusion. "What?"
Angel turned completely around and slowly asked the question again as if speaking to a mentally challenged person, because as far as he was concerned, that’s what Sonny was to speak to him like this.
"Did I tell you it was okay to get the fuck up?"
CHAPTER 14
Sonny’s confusion was replaced by anger when he realized this was Angel's way of again putting him in his place in front of everyone. Determined to save face, his lips parted to sign the check his words had recklessly written. His ass was getting ready to cash it in full.
"Who da fuck you think you talkin to, Angel? I ain't Carlo."
Chest swollen, chin tilted, Sonny stood there seething. In his opinion, Angel had gotten soft, lost the edge the game had g
iven him. Who the fuck ever heard of running the streets like some fuckin' corporation? This wasn't no boardroom, and Sonny refused to be treated like one of Angel's foot soldiers. He brought in just as much revenue as anybody else here. Probably more. It was time he was given his rightful place in the hierarchy of the organization.
So caught up in the adrenaline of the moment, the next chain of events unfolded before he had a chance to grasp what was happening. One moment, he was rushing forward towards Angel, ready to show him how they handled stuff in his hood, the next instant, shit went haywire.
Glimpsing Angel’s face as he rushed towards him, Sonny suddenly realized he’d made a mistake.
Angel waited until Sonny was only a couple of feet away from him then grabbed him by the back of his neck. Using the other man’s momentum, Angel forcefully rammed him face first into the window. The thick bulletproof glass may as well have been a brick wall. Sonny grunted in pain. The first contact shattered his nose as bones and flesh met the impenetrable barrier.
Teeth bared and green eyes flashing, Angel slammed Sonny’s face into the glass again and again and again. Sonny’s blood coated the surface until it resembled a blank canvas in front of an artist that had splattered it with bright, red paint.
Angel kept a hand behind the semi-conscious man's head and pressed so hard it seemed as if he were trying to push Sonny's face through the glass.
"You don't approve of my decisions, you little prick?” he growled in outrage. “You don't think I should put my family before business because it will fuck with your money?"
Sounding like a tortured animal with its paw caught in a steel trap, Sonny howled in pain. "A-Angel...please..."
Angel was not in the mood to show mercy. Chest heaving, he bent down and whispered harshly in Sonny’s ear. "You take it upon yourself to go behind my back and try to conspire against me? You stupid son of a bitch!"