by Campbell
“Says you.” He waited a moment before licking his lip and putting the icing on his statement. “When you’re good, you’re good.”
Two days ago, they went to the U.S. Embassy in Kingston, Jamaica, and had Camilla’s visa successfully renewed. Dro and Vikkas had laid the groundwork for her eventual application for a green card, which would allow her to work in the States. Shaz had already started wrapping his mind about having Camilla with him on a permanent basis.
Among the other things they did was to visit Camilla’s mother, who thanked Shaz for taking care of her two girls. Ayanna’s pediatrician conducted a thorough physical. After looking at several x-ray images, she offered good wishes for the upcoming procedure for the baby. At their request, she supplied a dossier with Ayanna’s medical history addressed to Jai.
With business completed, they spent just over twenty-four hours in Montego Bay, where Camilla met Shaz’s grandmother and the extended family. He even managed to get in a couple rounds of golf at the Sandals and Half Moon courses in Ocho Rios and Montego Bay.
He waited for Camilla’s response, thinking she was a trooper.
She rolled her eyes, laughed, and looked out the window. A moment later, she said, “Despite your big head, I’m still gonna say thanks. You’ve done so much to make things fall into place.”
“That’s what significant others do, sweets.” He tapped her chin, then put his hand back on the wheel. “And still there’s more to complete, but don’t worry about it. The most important thing is that Bennett is out of your life.”
“Yes. Thank God for that. At times, I wondered if we’d win the fight.” She pulled in a deep breath, then rested a hand on his leg. “I don’t think I’d have made it had he succeeded in adopting my daughter.”
“We agreed you wouldn’t keep bothering your brain about that. We’ll let everything take its course and deal with Porter’s paternity rights at the opportune time. I don’t have to tell you how honored I’d be if you let me give Ayanna my name.”
Her breath caught, then with a beautiful smile accompanying her words, she whispered, “I think we’d both be honored, too.”
They fell into a comfortable silence that was broken only when Shaz eased into his designated parking spot. Touching her cheek, he said, “This is the part where we drop our things and head across town.”
Ayanna had fallen asleep, so while Shaz brought their things inside, Camilla freshened her up and did the same for herself. When she emerged from the bathroom, Shaz took her place. As he dried his face, his gaze fell on a bright yellow duckling on the face basin and the tiny pink toothbrush in the cup. He couldn’t help chuckling. Ayanna was the smallest person in the suite, but her things were everywhere. He’d never lived in close proximity to a child before, but he kinda liked it and hoped there were a few more in his future.
“You better get moving.” Camilla walked in and hugged him around the waist. “I don’t want your mama mad at me for keeping her apart from her favorite son.”
Shaz grinned at Camilla in the mirror. “Mom tells all of us we’re her favorite son.”
As her eyes danced, Camilla sassed him. “That’s beside the point.”
He turned to pull her into his embrace. Dropping kisses on her cheek, he mumbled, “You have her eating out of your hand, so I can get away with anything.”
Shaz buried his face in the side of her neck and as his desire for her rose, he backed her against the wall. They exchanged a searing kiss that left Camilla’s eyes glazed, and him even more aroused. His voice was hoarse as he said, “What about if we—”
Before he finished his proposal, Camilla shook her head slowly. “No. Nope. Nada. That has to be later.” She wriggled sideways out of his embrace. “Later will be greater, as they say.”
He slapped her butt as he followed her into the bedroom. “You’re mean, not to mention corny.”
“Whatever,” she threw over her shoulder. “I want to be alive to see my daughter grow up.”
He caught Camilla’s hand and turned her into his body. With one arm, he anchored her to him. “Me too. Plus, the other kids we’re gonna have if you’re up to giving me a whole tribe of Bostwicks.”
Camilla’s wide eyes gave away her shock. “Um. You don’t do anything by half measures, do you?”
“No, ma’am.” He rested his forehead against hers. “Not when it comes to you.”
Whatever she intended to say was cut off when Ayanna wandered into the room rubbing her eyes. “Mommy?”
“I thought you put her in the crib,” he said.
“Again, you should have consulted me before running out and buying that crib by yourself.” Camilla laughed as she lifted Ayanna. “I did put her inside, but she’s an escape artist. She climbed over the railing.”
An hour and a half later, they were seated in the Bostwick’s yard drinking fish tea—a thin soup with fish as the base, served as an appetizer. They followed that up with curried goat.
The kids ran around the yard, refusing to eat in their excitement, but Paula made it known they wouldn’t escape for long.
Her contented smile as she watched her grandchildren made it obvious to Shaz that his mother was happy. His father had a low-key mellow vibe going on, too, whistling as he doled out a cup of soup to Roman, who showed up after everyone else. Shaz wondered what news their parents planned to lay on them today.
His gaze shifted to Martin, who was more relaxed than Shaz had seen him in a long time. Come to think of it, even Sondra looked like she had a secret. His gaze went to her loaded plate and he covered his mouth to hide a grin. Shaz reached for Camilla’s hand. In a while, they’d have news of their own too. Just as his parents knew they were meant for each other early in their relationship, he was convinced Camilla would be his wife.
When Roman grabbed a lawn chair and sat across from Shaz, he eyed him with suspicion. “If you weren’t scowling as you usually do when you’re thinking, I’d think I was in the wrong yard. Why’s everybody so happy?”
Even Martin laughed in response to his question.
“Good question, son.” Teddy wiped his hands on a dish towel and sat between them. “We’re proud and still happy about the massive takedown that Shaz and his brothers organized at The Castle. Your mother and I didn’t quite realize the depth of what he was doing over there.”
His explanation relieved Shaz. Despite his advice to Camilla not to worry about what she couldn’t change, he’d been uneasy about the outcome of this visit. With any luck, his parents would now be prepared to forget about him being active in the business.
“It’s crazy, the stuff that’s in the news,” Martin added with a scowl. “It’s an epidemic that’s been spreading for years. Remember the hundreds of people arrested in Canada in that international child pornography ring? There were foster parents, doctors, nurses, teachers, and law enforcement personnel involved.”
“And as if that wasn’t enough,” their father chimed in, “There was that bust in Florida recently. Over a hundred people arrested for human trafficking.”
“Disgraceful,” Paula said, as she walked up to them. “Those poor girls and women. You don’t know who to trust.”
“That’s true,” Shaz said, “Imagine being let down by those society deem trustworthy.”
“Thank God they were rescued.”
Roman gave Shaz a thumbs up. “I have to admit, you’ve done good, little brother, and I know you put your all into taking care of your clients. Sorry about … well, you know what.”
“All is forgiven,” Shaz said. “I know you’re a knucklehead.”
Shaz ignored Roman’s glare and concentrated on his father’s words. “That’s enough, you two.” With a proud smile in place, Teddy nodded toward his eldest child. “Martin and I have been working through a familiarization process at the firm and he’s giving up his job at the end of the month.”
Shaz wanted to do a fist pump, but that would have been extra. Instead, he let a wide grin speak for him.
Paula stood next to Teddy, rubbing his shoulder. “That puts us closer to going on that trip and leaving you young’uns in charge.”
Shaz and Roman exchanged a glance, then turned their gazes on Martin, who flushed and gave them a sheepish grin. Then he said, “After our talk at the last barbeque, I did some personal restructuring to accommodate our family business.”
“We also have some news.” He laced his fingers with Sondra’s and looked sideways at her. “We’re gonna have a baby.”
“That would account for all that food you’re eating,” Roman said, then yelped when Venetia dug her elbow into his side and hissed in his ear. Frowning, he sipped from his cup. “What? If you can’t be honest with family …”
When the congratulations and noise settled, Shaz made an announcement. “Speaking of food, Grandma sent back a sweet potato pudding with us.”
Paula put a hand to her hip. “Why are you holding it prisoner?”
While Camilla stifled laughter, Shaz protested. “It’s on top of the fridge.”
“No doubt because you intended to eat half of it, after we stuffed ourselves full of coconut cake.” Paula’s words were accompanied by a mock glare.
“I may be sly,” Shaz quipped, “but I’m not desperate. Grandma gave me one of my own. That one is safe at my place.”
As the children shouted a nursery rhyme, interrupting their conversation, Shaz chuckled. These were the changes to come in his future. A full, noisy household. A family that thrived on togetherness. The complexities of The Castle. And a woman at his side to help him balance all of that.
Yes, the future looked incredible.
CHAPTER 27
“Your talk was sharp, to the point, and hit home with those boys,” Shaz said, tipping a glass of club soda toward Dwayne.
He responded by clinking his glass of water against Shaz’s. “If you’re saying thank you, then you’re welcome.”
They shared a chuckle as the other Kings filtered into the board room for their weekly meeting. When all nine of them were seated, Vikkas called the meeting to order.
Each man provided an update on the main business at hand. Despite all the ground they covered each week, the assassination attempt remained the first order of business. Everything else came after they studied the evidence uncovered and used their impressive range of skills to analyze the data and draw conclusions.
“Shaz, you want to tell us where you are on your findings to do with New Visions and The Elite Hub?”
He pulled up a file on his iPad and scrolled down the screen. “Since my last report, we’ve confirmed that Bennett was the mastermind behind the illegal activity taking place in both organizations. For New Visions, there were a few adoptions that were on the level. All the contracts in good order. Duly signed and notarized as required by law.”
Before continuing his report, he scanned the face of each King. “And there were others.”
Shaz went on to outline a scheme wherein Bennett took advantage of troubled young women he came in contact with through the various outreach programs around Evanston. Once he reeled in the girls, a select few catered to the needs of The Hub’s clients. Others who were pregnant and had nowhere to go, were kept inside the property and their babies bought by those who could pay a premium price for newborns—despite what the girls wanted. Sick to his stomach, he confirmed the baby found in the dumpster was also part of an organ harvesting outfit designed to use and abuse the unfortunate.
When the rumble of anger and disgust settled, the room went silent.
“So, if he was picking up girls in desperate situations,” Kaleb said, tapping his stylus against the table, “he had a never-ending cash cow.”
“Something like that,” Shaz agreed. “The worst part is that with the other girls, depending on the needs of his clients, he was getting them from off-shore, too. There were girls from different nationalities, and it was only by contact with one client that I found out about that Jamaican girl.
“And I should tell you, the mothers of those babies we found are getting a second chance with going back to school and all that.” He paused, then added, “One wasn’t so lucky. She didn’t survive childbirth, but I’m sure the feds will make Bennett pay for that, especially since she was underage, and there’s a rumor that he was the father of her baby.”
“Bad business,” Dro said, shaking his head. “The only consolation is that he’s going to pay big time, along with his cohorts.”
Daron looked up from his phone. “Remember that guy who picked up Camilla?”
Shaz dipped his head once, and Daron continued, “He’s the Alderman’s nephew, who was running around doing his dirty work.”
“Dang.” Shaz snapped his fingers. “The two of them do have a resemblance. For the life of me I knew he seemed familiar, but I couldn’t place him. With the information you got out of him, Bennett and Milholland are taking a one-way trip to federal prison.”
“That’s two tentacles chopped off,” Vikkas said, looking up from his iPad. “Who knows how many more there are in total. Good job, guys. You’re all in one piece and no shots fired. I’d say we’re doing mighty good. If there’s nothing else, can someone move for the termination—”
Three hands went up and several men said, “I,” in concert.
As they streamed out of the conference room, Dro asked Shaz. “What about Porter? How does he figure in all this?”
“Trust, the police dragnet didn’t miss him. Turns out, he was involved in trafficking girls from Jamaica. That girl, Nicole. She was one of his victims.”
“How’s Camilla dealing with it?” Dro faced him when they stopped at the end of the corridor.
“The only thing that bothers her is that he’s connected to her daughter in any way. Since he was so eager to give up his paternity rights for the adoption to move forward, she’s biding her time about getting him to relinquish any claims to Ayanna.”
“What about the adoption?” Dro asked, frowning.
“That’s the weirdest thing. I’ve searched high and low in the document centre and the data bank and there’s no trace of that paperwork.” Shaz raised both brows then smirked. “And a little birdie told me the records stashed at Milholland’s office can’t be found either. It’s almost as if the file was spirited out of the building. Disappeared into the four winds.”
“I won’t even ask how that’s possible,” Dro said, returning his smirk.
They stepped into the sunshine and Shaz turned his face up to the afternoon sun. “It’s better if you don’t. Ya know, just in case some ish hits the fan.”
His phone rang and he eased it out to look at the screen. “Anyway, I gotta go, Ayanna’s procedure is this afternoon. Wish us luck.”
“You got it.” As he walked away, he added, “Tell Camilla I’m rooting for all of you.”
Giving him a thumbs up sign, Shaz answered the call, “Hey, babe. You ready to roll?”
She sounded breathless. “Yes, as ready as we’ll ever be.”
“You okay, babe?”
“I think so.” After a beat of time, she said, “I’ll be even better when you get here.”
Hands in his pockets, Shaz hurried toward his suite. Five minutes later, he stood in the open doorway with Ayanna in his arms. Camilla emerged from the bedroom with a small suitcase. “Just in case we have to overnight for some reason,” she said, tipping to kiss his cheek.
Camilla said nothing on the ride to the hospital, except for when Miss Mabel called to ask how they were getting on. As they went into the facility with Ayanna in Shaz’s arms, Camilla dragged her feet like someone going to the gallows.
Taking her hand in his, Shaz kissed her knuckles. “Honey, it’s gonna be okay. The doctors explained everything to your satisfaction, correct?”
“Yes, but—”
“No buts, like Mom would say, have a little faith. God will do the rest.”
Camilla stayed strong up to the point where Ayanna was anesthetised. When the attendant wheeled the stretcher
away, Camilla turned aside, blotting her eyes with the heels of her hand.
Sighing at his inability to bring comfort, Shaz gave her his handkerchief. “Come on, hon. Let’s go back to the waiting room.”
They went down a short corridor and when Shaz pushed the door open, Camilla gasped.
Aside from her cousin, Stacey, Denise, Paula and Teddy sat around the small space. Even Miss Mabel made an appearance, but seemed about to weep at Camilla’s state.
Paula got to her feet and hugged Camilla. “Don’t cry. This is what family is for. It’ll be okay.”
Camilla nodded and sat next to Paula, who kept an arm around her. Miss Mabel bolstered her from the other end of the seat.