With her back to them, Celine paid close attention to the crowd. Most people seemed to be having a blast with the exception of a few patrons that couldn’t keep their eyes away from them. She’d found the perfect spot to set up shop where she could easily watch anyone entering or exiting the building. She felt a hand on her shoulder.
“You’re going to be late,” she said.
“I can’t be late when I’m already here.”
Celine twirled to face Brian. “Take your time. You know I’m on it.”
“Remember, sweetheart, you’ve got a whole crew of people watching your back. Use them if you need to.” Celine opened her mouth to speak but was stopped short. “I know you think you can handle things on your own, but you don’t need to. Don’t forget our conversation.”
Celine smiled softly. “You’re right.”
“Boss, Dee’s ready for you.”
He looked back to Celine. “Go on.” She pushed.
Brian’s long strides took the steps two at a time. Although Celine was in good hands, the earlier episode had him wanting to shelter her under him. She was good, but she was outnumbered when it came to Zeus and his goons. If only she’d listen to him, but he knew it would take a little more time to get her to come around.
Her mission was plain and straightforward, and he planned to help her with it as soon as he could get things under control. Their already impending war was going to take some lives for sure, and he didn’t want one of them to be hers.
When Celine took her focus back across the room, Marcus was posted up in the spot she eyed moments before. She sashayed over to him, the eyes of men and women turning in her direction.
“I’ve got a bone to pick with you,” she said, stopping in front of him.
“What about?” Marcus asked.
She rolled her eyes. “Really?” She eyed his alcoholic beverage. From his seated position, he slid it to the side in front of the seat next to him and pulled out the chair.
“Don’t mind if I do.” She sat, then took a quick sip. “Why did you bring Brian with you earlier today?”
He shrugged. “I felt it was important for him to know what was going on.”
“Marcus, if I wanted him to know, I would’ve called him and not you.”
“You can’t expect me to keep something like that from him.”
“What are you, his bitch?”
He glared at her. “Watch your mouth, Celine. This is a business. You were in enemy territory. I would never hold that from him and neither should you.”
Celine finished off the drink just as a waitress approached. “Hi, I’m Alison. Can I get you anything to drink?”
Marcus glanced to Celine. “You want anything else?”
“Get me another whatever this is,” she said.
He smirked. “Another Long Island.”
“You were drinking Long Island Iced Tea?” Celine asked, a drop of humor in her voice.
He peered at her. “Keep it up, and I’ll send you over there with that pitbull.”
Celine looked in the direction Marcus was talking about and caught Sade zoned out in their direction. She laughed. “Am I supposed to be scared?”
“You might not want to try her.”
“Aw,” she sang, “you really don’t know me.”
Chapter Seven
The atmosphere at The Cell held steady with the DJ dropping hit after hit on the ones and twos. With the influx of people entering the building came a warmth from bodies gyrating and spaces filling fast at tables, pool tables, and the bar. The waitress reappeared with Celine’s Long Island Iced Tea and presented it to her.
“Put it on my tab,” Marcus instructed her.
“No need,” the waitress said. “It was paid for by that gentleman over there.”
Marcus and Celine turned toward the direction she pointed. A handsome dark chocolate guy held his finger up. When he smiled, it lit up the room.
“Damn,” Celine said, not immune to his charm.
“Tell him thanks but no thanks,” Marcus said.
Celine brought her focus back to Marcus. “Whoa, wait a minute, he didn’t buy you a drink.”
“And you shouldn’t accept it. You don’t know dude.”
“What does that matter, we’re in a club.”
“And you’re with Brian.”
“Excuse me. We’re not an item. I’m with me.” She sat back in her seat and crossed her long brown legs. Turning back to the guy across the room, she waved back and winked.
“Brian will kill him.”
Celine choked on her drink and swatted at Marcus. “Not for buying me a drink, stop it.”
“It doesn’t matter the offense. It’s the principle.”
The music switched, and Drake wafted through the speakers. “Oh, this is my song, let’s dance.” She downed half of her drink, stood and grabbed Marcus by the hand.
“Didn’t I just tell you Brian will kill somebody?”
“Oh hush, he’s not killing you anytime soon.” She pulled him. “Besides, with us dancing, we can pretend we’re having a good time instead of sitting here watching everyone.”
“I’m telling him this was your idea.”
“Fine, I’m not scared of him.”
“You wouldn’t be, but you might want to reconsider.” He followed her to the dance floor and they danced.
“You need to lighten up.” She threw her arms around his neck. “When was the last time you had some ass?”
He guffawed. “Girl… why is that any of your business?”
“What?” She shrugged. “I figured since we’re a part of this newfound family, we should get to know each other, right?”
“But you’re not supposed to go straight into my sex life.”
She rotated her hips. “We’ve talked about other things.”
He laughed and bit the inside of his cheek. “Girl, you’re wild.”
“I’ve been told that a time or two.” She released his neck and turned her back to him without missing a beat.
“Unh unh.” He turned her back to face him.
Celine held her arms out. “What now?”
“Don’t act like you don’t know.”
“I don’t.”
“You’re not grinding into me like that. I’m still a man.”
She smiled demurely. “Why Marcus, are you saying you’d get a hard on?”
He laughed again. “Girl…”
She burst into laughter. “All right, all right, I’ll give you that.”
“Damn right you will, it’s already warm in here. You gone have me sweating.”
Laughter continued to bellow from Celine. She doubled over, and he tightened his arms around her to keep her from falling. Her laughter was contagious, causing him to also break out into teary-eyed laughter. The music changed, and Beyoncé pumped through the speakers. They continued to dance, song after song.
After a couple of hours on the dance floor, they headed back to the table.
“I’m surprised no one took our seats,” Celine stated.
“That’s because they’re reserved for us.”
She frowned. “I don’t see anything that says ‘reserved for us’.” She laughed.
He shook his head. “You have no clue how deep we are in here, do ya?”
“Nope, and I don’t care.”
“What do you care about, Celine?”
The laughter in her face died down as thoughts of Caleb flooded her mind.
“I care about taking out the bastards that killed my husband.”
This took him by surprise. “Husband?”
She tilted her head in response.
“You were married? How old are you? You can’t be no more than…” he gave her a once over, “23.”
Celine smirked. “I’m 28. And what does that mean, that I don’t get to have a husband because I’m young?”
“Oh, girl, you ain’t young. I said I thought you were 23, but you old as hell.”
Celine gasped, throwing her
hand over her mouth. Marcus couldn’t keep a straight face, and he doubled over again laughing. Celine swatted him several times before he gave in.
“I was just messing with you, girl!” There was laughter still in his voice. Celine rolled her eyes. With a bright smile, he continued, “But seriously, most people your age are single.”
“I’m not most people.”
He watched her for a minute, noting the somberness in her expression. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“Not right now.”
“Aye, I didn’t mean to upset you.”
Celine waved him off. “You didn’t. I’m good.”
Marcus stood. “I’m headed to the men’s room. I’ll be right back.” He walked away, giving Celine time to look around again. Sade was in conversation with a guy across the room. Finally, she thought. Grateful that Sade had found someone to occupy her time.
Celine checked the watch on her arm, pulled out her cell phone, and texted Brian.
Everything copacetic?
Seconds passed before her phone beeped.
Yes, is Sade on her best behavior?
She smiled and glanced toward Sade again. Currently occupied, thank God.
Are you moving into my bedroom tonight?
She rolled her eyes. Your girlfriend might burn the house down if I do that.
I hope you’re kidding.
Her tongue traced her lips. You think she won’t?
I know she won’t, and she’s not my girlfriend. Don’t think I didn’t catch that.
“Excuse me, could I interest you in another drink?”
Celine brought her attention away from the phone to the chocolate brown brother from across the room. His smile deathly bright now that he stood in front of her.
“Sure.”
He sat the Long Island Iced Tea in front of her and claimed Marcus’ seat. Celine wasn’t stupid; she knew when Marcus came from the bathroom, he’d toss the dude out on his ass if Brian didn’t beat him to it. Nevertheless, she still wanted the drink. Looking back to her phone, she typed a quick message.
Better hurry up, someone down here is flirting with me. She sent an emoji of a smiling face with the tongue sticking out.
She took a heavy sip of the sour liquor and smiled at her guest. “Thank you.”
“I’m Damion.” He held his hand out to her, and she accepted. “You are breathtakingly beautiful.” His thick island accent gave way to a foreign tongue.
Celine held a smirk. “You’re not so bad yourself.”
“Is it your boyfriend that sits here with you?” His dialect caused his English to be choppy.
Celine pursed her lips. “No just a friend, but if he was my boyfriend, don’t you think it would be rude of you to send me drinks? Or better yet, come over here and take his spot?”
“You snooze you lose.”
Celine laughed out loud. “Ooookay… risky, aren’t you?”
“You have no idea.”
Just as the words left his mouth, a dizzy spell fell over Celine. Suddenly, there were two of him. Her sight bounced, her focus going in and out.
“What the hell?”
His smile brightened, and she cast an ominous glare at her drink.
“Told ya.” His voice echoed in her ears.
Swiftly, Damian stood, grabbing her with a vice grip. Celine reached for the knife enclosed in a garter belt under her skirt. It shredded the thin fabric. Just as fast as he, Celine brought the knife to his throat, only pricking his skin.
Her focus was off. Celine swung and swiped at the air when the first gunshot rang out. His grip loosened, and she fell to the floor, knocking over the table and chairs with her descent.
“Shit!” she screamed, glancing around. Everything was out of focus. Celine couldn’t protect herself. She didn’t know who was friend or who was foe, and her knife had fallen along with everything else. She scrambled to her feet.
“Get down!” The voice came from Marcus.
“Pop! Pop! Pop!” More gunshots. Crouched down on the floor, her hands thrown around her legs, Celine paused while everything around her exploded.
*****
Brian heard gunshots. They rang out in a rapid series. Rising quickly, he pulled his nine millimeter from his back and pointed it at his company.
“What the fuck!”
Dee held up his hands. “Easy… I’ve got nothing to do with—”
Brian sent two bullets into Dee’s chest. He didn’t care if he had something to do with it or not, but just to be on the safe side, Brian took him out. Cedric, Raphaël, Red and Dominique rose to their feet, pulling their guns simultaneously. Dee’s men moved, backing into the hallway behind them.
“Dominque!” Brian yelled as he moved toward the stairs. He turned his back with Cedric, Red, and Raphaël in tow. When shots rang out, they knew Dominque had terminated the men.
Moving fast, Brian treaded down the steps in no time, getting to the first level. Marcus, Sade, and another female stood with five of their men in a shootout while Celine was crouched down in the middle of the floor. Without thinking, Brian’s long strides took him to the center of the fight. He raised his gun and took out three of the men instantly. Reaching Celine, Brian reached down and scooped her up as his weapon rang out in the other hand.
Celine swung, fighting the unseen enemy for her life.
“It’s me!” Brian shouted. “Baby, it’s me.” He rubbed her down, touching her with a caress she knew belonged to him.
“Brian! Thank God. I can’t see. I think I’m about to pass out.”
“Get behind me.”
“Give me a gun and tell me where to shoot!” She yelled from behind him. He backed them into a corner. His men crowded around them, sending a hail of gunfire. They all continued to shoot until no sound came from the other side of the building.
Without being told, Raphaël, Cedric, Dominique and Red searched for anyone alive. Brian turned to Celine and found her passed out. Brian picked her up with ease.
“Marcus, get the car!”
“Follow me,” Marcus said, moving through the club. They fled through a side door where his Mercedes Benz sat in the alleyway. The alarm chirped when Marcus disarmed it. He hopped in the driver’s seat, and Brian pulled his long frame in the back with Celine still clutched in his arms.
The engine revved, and Cedric jumped in the passenger seat just as Marcus hit the gas. The car lurched forward.
Brian cursed. “How did you get separated from her!?”
Marcus floored the gas pedal. “I went to the bathroom, man. I wasn’t gone five minutes before the shit went down. Homeboy was waiting for an opening.”
“Tell me what happened!”
Chapter Eight
“I don’t know what happened!”
Brian frowned. “Which is it, you know something, or you don’t!”
“Before the shootout, some dude was sending her drinks. He was the original shooter.”
“Sending her drinks?”
Marcus glanced at Brian through the rearview mirror. “Yeah. That was a couple of hours ago. He must’ve waited until I left her to move in.”
“So he’s been in the club all night?”
“Yeah, all of them have. They were there before we even arrived. We shut down the streets in a three-block radius on every side until we left, so there was no getting past our boys.” He hit a hard right, sending the tires squealing.
“Shit!” Brian fumed. Thoughts of regret flooded his mind. Everyone around him had wanted to stay put, but this meeting had been pending for months now. He couldn’t miss it; three million dollars was on the line.
“Where’s Sade?” Brian asked.
“Get her on the phone,” Marcus said to Cedric. “We were ready!” he added, glancing between Brian and the road.
“Bullshit!” Brian’s eyes fell to Celine. “We were caught off guard again!” His voice turned into a growl. “Two times is two motherfucking many!”
“We were still ready.”
“They still ended up dead,” Marcus finished, trying to pull his friend’s attention to the facts. Brian stared at him, their eyes meeting in the mirror.
“Sade,” Cedric offered, putting the phone on speaker.
“Where are you?” Brian growled into the phone.
“Right behind you.”
“I don’t see anyone behind us,” Marcus objected.
“You can’t see me, but I’m behind you.”
Just then headlights flashed from a distance. “I see you.”
“Everyone else is behind me,” she informed them. “Are we going to the safe house or…”
“No,” Brian said. “You know where we’re going.”
“I need to speak with you about something,” Sade’s voice was indifferent.
“Speak.”
“Someone was fighting with us.” She hesitated. “She was alone, holding her own.”
Brian thought briefly about the woman standing next to her when he made it to the first floor.
“What about her?”
“She’s with me.”
“What are you doing?”
“I thought I’d introduce you.”
Brian closed his eyes tight. It was rare that he went against his better judgment, but he didn’t have enough time to tell her to fuck off. Marcus pulled to the gate and entered his code. Brian disconnected the call without responding.
“Nobody enters this house until they’re cleared first!” Brian barked.
“I got it,” Cedric insisted, getting out the car. Three cars pulled in behind them. Brian left the car with Celine. He strode behind Marcus as he held the door open.
Sade slammed the car door. Cedric blocked her. “What the hell are you doing?”
“Your girlfriend’s not cleared.”
“Boy, if you don’t get out of my way.” She tried to step around him, but he blocked her.
“Cedric!”
“Rules,” he sneered.
Sade flipped her cell phone from her pockets and dialed Brian, but his cell went straight to voicemail. She huffed in annoyance and redialed him.
“If you want to get his attention, give him a minute. He’ll call you in, and whoever she is, you better hope for the both of your sakes that she’s clean.”
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