Malcolm and I ended up dealing with some people who’ve decided to try and rough up one of the girls who works for us at the brothel my father started. We’ve been pretty lucky thus far when it comes to acts of violence against the women. We haven’t had any problems in this one since I took over and cleaned things up. With it being a previous business of ours, men seem to think I’ll allow them to continue to brutalize the women. I don’t know why they’d be so stupid to think this way. The women will end up hurt, I won’t get paid, and that shit doesn’t fly with me.
Normally it’s Tristan who handles the girls although unfortunately for me, when it comes to this particular business he won’t go there. I understand why, it’s been tainted by our father and he prefers handling the business ventures we have above the line of being legal.
When I received the call about Mariah being roughed up from Ryea, the manager of the building, she informed me about a previous client who hadn’t been on our premises in nearly a year. The client thought he could treat Mariah the way my father allowed, even after Ryea explained the change of policy along with the price change.
If you want to fuck one of the DeLancy whores, you’ll be paying a hefty fee. The fee not only covers the women’s cut, it takes care of insurance and room and board for them. Plus, we have our portion.
This morning I’m changing into a pair of black dress pants and a red button-down dress shirt. The red reminds me of Madelaine’s hair with how fiery it is. Fuckin’ wish I was able to see her this morning, but I’m trying to give her time before I approach her again. I’ll set up a family dinner tonight at the house. This way I can spend some time with her, and hopefully she’ll see I’m not a complete monster. But I won’t lie to her, when it comes to my business, I’m a ruthless motherfucker.
My phone rings while I’m rolling up the sleeves of my shirt. It’s New Orleans and of course a heatwave comes leaving the air outside sweltering. Add in the humidity and this time of year is almost unbearable.
I pick my phone up off the desk and smile at my friend’s name. There are two men outside my family I trust, one is Leo De Luca, while the other is Finn Brisbane.
Sliding my finger across the screen, I put the phone to my ear.
“Finn, what the hell are you doing calling me this early in the morning? I figured you’d be in Baja or something celebrating the joys of taking over your family’s business,” I chuckle, his father had been as demented as my own. Luckily, Finn’s father passed a month ago and my friend doesn’t have to worry about him anymore. Finn never had to go through as much trouble as I have, though I’m sure he had his own issues.
“I would be if my business didn’t need tending to,” Finn snorts.
“This is something I understand all too perfectly,” I mutter. “Now what can I do for you?” I ask, knowing there must be a reason for this call.
“I’m in town and was hoping we could meet at that café you like in the French Quarter.” I don’t miss the shift in his voice. Something’s up and it’s something I’ll know about as soon as I can.
“I can meet you there in fifteen,” I say, agreeing to the meet. It’ll at least be nice to spend some time with my friend, even if he and I don’t always see eye to eye on how business is conducted.
Finn agrees and I pull the phone from my ear while ending the call. I put the phone in my pocket and grab my keys, leave my office and step out of the building, immediately assaulted by the heat of the day and it’s not even nine yet. Jesus, why people love this shit is beyond me.
I need a coffee and soon. I’d only gone to bed a couple hours ago, and I’m in desperate need of the fuel for the day. Without coffee I’m a terror.
It doesn’t take me long to walk down the street to the café. They make the best coffee in the entire city, and the fact they make the softest beignets is another reason I’m in there a couple times a week. Nothing’s better when you’re running on two or three hours of sleep. I go up to the counter and place my order. I’m pretty sure the barista adds an extra shot of espresso to my drink when I ask for only one. Doesn’t matter to me, as long as it keeps me awake.
After my drink is ordered, I ask them to bring it to a table out on their patio section. It might be hot outside, but it’s better than sitting in the crowded room of the café. I take my seat and pull my phone out of my pocket. Scrolling through my emails, I decide to call Olivia and check in to see if she’s with Madelaine.
“Hello, my favorite brother,” Olivia answers on the second ring with a cheery tone in her voice.
I grin at her calling me her favorite brother, she does the same shit with all of us. “How’s it going this morning? Are you out shopping with Madelaine yet?” I ask.
“No, we stopped by her apartment. She wanted to pick up something that belonged to her mom and didn’t want someone to break in and steal it. Did you know her mom died when she was a kid?” Anger boils inside me. What the fuck is Olivia doing? She’s not dumb . . . but she should know better than taking her there!
Fuck.
Why didn’t I tell her not to take Madelaine anywhere but the stores? Because I didn’t think. Fuckin’ hell. The woman is going to cause me to have an aneurysm.
I can’t get mad at Olivia for taking her by the apartment. I should’ve gotten my men to clear it out already, but I was going to speak with the slumlord about the state they were allowing Madelaine to live in. The place needed to be condemned and if they didn’t give me whatever Madelaine paid in rent back in full, I would be calling my good friend who’s in a political position for the city. There’s no way she should’ve had to pay any sort of money to live in that shithole.
Instead of fussing at my sister, I sigh and answer her question. “Yes, I knew about her mother.” I found out when I looked into her. I found out more than I should have and it makes me want to shield her even more.
Why?
I don’t even know the answer to the question myself. What I do know is, when she meets my gaze, I can see the loneliness within her eyes as well as the pain she’s gone through in her life. I want to make sure she doesn’t feel that ever again. I guess losing her mother would be why and I just don’t know the rest of the reasons.
“It’s sad.” Of course, my sister would be empathetic with her loss. As the baby of the family, she never got to know our mom growing up. To her Sabine was the only figure she had to lean on since Désirée is less than two years older than her.
“Olivia,” I murmur her name, knowing where her mind is headed. “I know where your thoughts are going, little sister, and you need to snap out of it. Go have a good day with Madelaine and spend whatever you will. Get her all the things she’ll need or want. Okay?”
“Okay, Félix. Love you,” Olivia utters quietly.
“Love you too, Liv.” My little sister can be more vulnerable at times, but she hides it from the rest of the world not wanting to look weak in front of them.
Sighing, I hang up as the waitress places my coffee and beignets in front of me. “Thank you,” I murmur, putting my phone on the table just as Finn comes up and takes a seat across from me.
“What’s with the face?” he asks.
“Just spoke with Olivia about something I sent her to do for me.” I shrug and lift my coffee to my lips. I need the caffeine after speaking to Olivia. “Now what is it you wanted to talk to me about? Or did you want to see my handsome face?” I playfully wiggle my eyebrows at my friend.
Finn nods with a grin and leans his forearms on the table. “I definitely didn’t come here to see your ugly mug, dickhead,” he chuckles before sobering. “I’m just gonna get straight to the punch. Since my old man died, I’ve been going through the paperwork in my office and the ones in the safe. Did you know our fathers had an agreement between the two of them that sealed their truce together?”
“What agreement?” I demand. “I thought it was just the one where our fathers brokered a certain amount of money each year into one another’s businesses?”
“Yeah, but obviously they had another one,” he mutters and hands me the manila envelope he’d placed on the table when he sat down. “Seems a year ago they renegotiated their terms.”
I take the envelope from Finn and open it. I pull the papers out and scan through them, while my anger rises within me. Those sons of bitches.
“With me being the oldest, if I don’t marry one of your sisters within a year of my father’s death, I lose my position and that puts my brother, Ashton, in the seat. You know how sadistic he is. He’s just as bad if not worse than your father and mine combined.”
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
“If we don’t do this, it could mean breaking our alliance because we both know Ashton can’t stand me since I beat his ass for putting his hands on Sabine,” I mutter.
“Exactly,” Finn agrees.
“We have no choice. Our hands are tied with this. Those bastards knew what they were doing, I give them that,” I sneer, tossing the papers on the table. I grab my coffee and meet Finn’s gaze over the rim. “Which sister?” I ask.
“Olivia,” he murmurs.
Shit. Of course he’d pick her.
Dammit.
I don’t like the idea of having my little sister be with one of my best friends.
“We have less than a year to do this,” I mutter, placing the mug back on the table. “Are you sure she’s the one you want?”
“Yes,” he says with a curt nod.
“Then we have no choice. I’ll speak with Olivia. Give me a week, then we’ll reconvene about all this. I’ve got to get my head wrapped around the idea of you being with my baby sister,” I grimace.
“I understand, Félix. I’ll come by your place next Sunday since that’s when Leo, you, and I have a poker game scheduled,” Finn mutters.
“Works for me,” I grumble and the two of us change the conversation from the heavy shit to catching up on things. I tell him about Madelaine and how I’ve claimed her as mine.
Grinning, Finn shakes his head as he laughs.
It’s good to catch up with him, but when my phone rings, I know it’s time to get back to the office. I have another meeting to tend to. One that involves me getting my fists bloody.
Chapter Eleven
Madelaine
I went to my apartment yesterday with Olivia and afterward she made sure we racked up Félix’s credit card. She took me to many boutiques downtown, and we even hit up Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom. I thought that was going to be it, but she blew my mind when she took me to the Louis Vuitton store and bought me five bags, which totaled over fifteen-thousand for just that store. I nearly shat myself seeing her smile as she handed her brother’s credit card over to the cashier.
Since we left yesterday, I’ve had my phone stuffed in my bra. Thankfully it’s not obnoxiously big so no one’s discovered it as of yet, and I wasn’t checked at the door upon entry. If I had been, I can guarantee they would’ve found the phone. I’m not much of a religious person, considering I lost my mom young and all, but I’m thanking the heavens my chance for getting out of here hasn’t been completely killed.
Olivia unlocked the door a few minutes ago and told me dinner would be ready in about ten, so she suggested I change into one of the new outfits we bought yesterday and come down for a family dinner. Now, she did tell me to wear something formal and I thought she was screwing with me, but she came further into my room and showed me the deep sea-green dress she was wearing to dinner. If I don’t change, I’ll be the odd man out. She even went on to say how a few of their siblings wouldn’t be here since they’re busy doing other things at the moment, but I’ll be meeting another one of their brothers, Rémy.
I’m staring in the closet at the few dresses we grabbed yesterday and opt to pick a black cocktail dress. I have to change my bra to a strapless one since this dress doesn’t have straps, so I remove my bra, setting it and the phone on the dresser in my room.
It’s a bit more intricate, made of a sheer material with a sequined corset around the stomach and a nice little dash of fringe near the end. I’m pairing it with strappy heels that have thick bands, covered with gold gemstones and throw on a gold cuff, and a pair of dangling gold earrings to match. I feel like we bought out the stores yesterday, and god it was weird to be buying items of clothing that cost more than my rent.
Olivia turns around and smiles brightly. “Holy crap, you look amazing!”
As much as I don’t want to allow her comment to make me feel good, her words are nice to hear. I usually only get comments like ‘you’re hot’, ‘damn I’d love to bang you’, ‘I hope you’re imagining my cock’, and stuff like that. “Thank you.”
“You know, when you picked that dress out, I was seriously doubting it would look good . . . but with your curves and the tattoos, and your hair . . . dang, it’s like it was made for you.”
I let out a laugh for the first time since being here. “Thanks, Olivia. You’re . . . really nice. I didn’t expect anyone to be kind to me here, and yet you’re going above and beyond to make me feel comfortable.”
Olivia cranes her neck to the side and smiles. “My brother said you were his woman, so of course I’m going to respect you and make you feel at home, because when Félix makes his mind up, it’s made up. And I’ll play devil’s advocate right now, he’s not a bad person. Sure, he’s a bit caveman like in his ways and sometimes he’s a bit rude . . . but deep down he’s a really good person. Though, he never wants anyone to believe that.”
I nod, hearing what Olivia’s said but I don’t say a word. She motions with her hand for me to follow her, so I walk behind her and go down the stairs. Once we reach the bottom, we make a left and walk into the dining room. The table is large enough to seat twenty people at least, and there are four place settings out, and Félix is sitting at the head of the table.
When his eyes land on me he doesn’t attempt to hold back his smile, and even drags a hand across his face as he stands up and takes me in. “Fuck, you look . . .”
“Amazing, I know!” Olivia giggles loudly, teasing her brother a bit.
Félix pulls out the chair directly on his right, signaling for me to take a seat. I do so, and Olivia takes a seat beside me while a man comes into the room from what I assume is the kitchen doors. The first thing I notice is his ink, though I can only see from his elbows down since the sleeves of his dress shirt are rolled up. His left arm has what I believe are angels, with a single red rose.
“This is my brother, Rémy,” Olivia tells me. “Rémy, this is Madelaine. She’s a real doll.”
Rémy’s eyes immediately shoot over to me, and then look to his brother. Rémy releases a held in chuckle and nods a couple times. “Now I see the appeal. It’s no wonder my brother chose you to be his.”
Rémy takes a seat directly across from me. “There are seven of us in total, in case you don’t know yet.”
Holy crap. Seven siblings?
“Félix is the oldest of course, and then there’s this tool sitting across from you, and then Sabine who’s at the docks working right now, after her it’s the twins, Tristan and Désirée. Tristan is at the club our family owns, while Désirée is in New York. She goes to a prestigious college called Stonewall University and will be graduating next year. After the twins it’s Nic’, whose full name is Nicholas. He’s in Los Angeles right now overseeing our family’s construction company, making sure things are in tip top shape. We own a line of casinos and we’re getting a few developed in California in the major cities there, so he’s meeting with the architect for those projects. Then of course, there’s me. I’m the baby of the family.” After Olivia gives me the summary of their immediate family and everyone in it, the house staff brings out our meal. It’s some sort of Italian dish with loads of vegetables and chicken.
I don’t know how much time passes before someone comes into the dining room and stands in the entryway. Félix rises without hesitation, places his cloth napkin down on the table, and heads over to the man. They move into the
foyer a bit and I watch closely while I eat, seeing the man flash a matte black case, and then I remember . . . I changed my bra. I changed my bra and I don’t think I put the phone inside my new one.
Oh fuck.
Oh fucking fuck!
Félix immediately looks over in my direction and comes charging over like a raging bull. He grabs onto my face and forces me to stare in his eyes. “I’ve told you more than once you can trust me, so what is this? Hmm? What is it!?” he roars the last three words in my face and Olivia moves suddenly, rising in her chair.
“What the hell, Fél—”
“Not now, Olivia!” Félix completely interrupts her, screaming at her the way I was just screamed at.
She scoffs and shakes her head. “Don’t talk to me like I’m your enemy, brother. And don’t you ever raise your voice at me again. I know the two of you might think I’m a damaged girl, but I know who I am and the power I hold from my family name,” Olivia hisses, throws her napkin on the table, and rushes out of the dining room.
“Look what you’ve gone off and done now, brother,” Rémy snaps, immediately rushing after Olivia, leaving Félix and I in the dining room alone.
“I don’t know why you think I’m this horrible man when I’m the only person who’s ever kept you safe, unlike your father. The man who sold your body as a child, has made you pay for his sins as an adult, and what else has he done, Madelaine? Hmm? What else has he done that I can’t find on paper, or on the internet?”
I jolt my face back and the legs of my chair screech against the floor. There’s no way Félix could know about what happened in my childhood. There’s no possible way. I shake my head, sure my eyes are going wide as I process what’s happening. But as he throws my past in my face, I know he’s right. Nothing horrible has happened to me since arriving here. Sure, he’s kept me up in some sort of tower room, but . . . I haven’t been harmed at all. If anything I’ve been spoiled, given clothes, fed fresh, warm food, and I was given a warm place to rest my head.
Degrade: A Dark Mafia Romance (DeLancy Crime Family Book 1) Page 5