“Follow me.” He turned and marched down a long corridor. Marcus glanced at Brian, knowing he was ready to snap Stacey’s neck at his thorough inspection of Celine.
Stacey opened the door to what looked to be an interrogation room. The gray and white walls ran around the room and fled into a dusty gray floor. The steel table in the middle held three chairs on both sides. In the center of one wall, a glass mirror and a lone light hung above. Brian and his men poured into the room.
Already seated, Zeus and his men stood to their feet. There were three others already standing, two men and one woman. Their holsters were also visible. Celine watched as the woman sneered while sizing up her and Sade.
The door closed behind them. “Zeus,” Brian started, “to what do I owe the pleasure?” He plastered on a devilish grin.
“Mr. Devereaux, it seems we have a problem.”
Brian arched a brow. “Just a problem?”
Zeus folded his arms across his chest. “I thought we had an agreement that no one from your side would cross mine.”
“Was that before or after the assassination attempt on my life?”
Zeus dropped his arms. “Have a seat.” He pulled out the chair he previously occupied and reclaimed it.
“I don’t plan to be here long. I think I’d rather stand.”
The men behind Zeus shifted, and one of them went for his weapon. Sade pulled hers and pointed it at the slim goon. “Careful,” Zeus said, “we’re not here to start any trouble.”
“Tell that to your man,” Sade said.
She was the only one that pulled her weapon. Brian, Marcus and the rest of the men stood still, firmly holding their positions. The odds were on their side since they had a man covering the facility in a three hundred and sixty degree radius. Zeus and his gang wouldn’t stand a chance.
“At ease, soldier,” Zeus spoke to his goon, keeping his eyes on Brian. “Looks like this sexy kitten over here is trigger happy. It must be hard keeping her in line, am I right?” When Brian didn’t respond, Zeus continued. “This must be her first rodeo.” His men snickered. “You should teach her patience and silence. Women shouldn’t be heard only seen unless of course their screams come from a thorough fucking.” The men snickered again.
“Oh, you mean like the way your bitch screamed when I chopped off her fingers?” Sade responded.
The smug look on Zeus’s face fell. His eyes went from Sade to Celine. “You should be more like this beautiful vixen right here. She knows her place.”
Celine was boiling; it was taking everything in her not to put a bullet through Zeus’s head at that very moment. In her vision, all she saw was red. Here in front of her was the man who ordered the death of her beloved Caleb. Just a few inches away from her. She measured the time it would take to slide across the table and slice his throat. She would revel in the red cells that flowed from his larynx. The gurgling he would surely do and the fear his eyes would glow with as she watched him take his last breath.
Brian could feel her madness; it radiated from her like sun rays. He placed a hand on her shoulder to calm her. The heaviness in her chest decreased. The toothpick in Zeus’s mouth rummaged around his lips, and a full grin spread across his face.
“This one is a pitbull in a skirt,” Zeus said, referring to Celine. “Tell me I’m wrong.”
“Is that why you brought me here? To belittle my family in an attempt to boost your confidence?”
Something like a grumble pushed from Zeus’s mouth. “You’re right. That’s not why I asked you here, but first. How much for this one?” He pointed to Celine, and she’d had enough.
She pounced, dashing on top of the table. Within mere seconds, Celine ripped the blade from her back holster and brought it across his neck. Everyone pulled out their guns except for Brian.
Zeus stared Celine in her eyes, his nostrils flaring, one hand on his weapon.
“Maybe I oughta cut your tongue out,” she said, her voice just below a growl. “I can imagine life would better for the women back at your place without them having to hear your voice, you pathetic… piece… of… shit…”
Brian was officially turned on. Celine always did shit like that, and it was never something he’d get used to, not that he wanted to anyway.
“If I were you, Zeus,” Brian said, “I’d apologize. I don’t think the Queen takes too nicely of you and your filthy mouth.”
At the mention of her title, Zeus’s eyes widened. He swallowed. “Damn, y’all need to calm down,” he mewled.
The woman standing at Zeus’s side spoke up: “Bitch, get your motherfucking hands off—”
Celine reached over and grabbed the woman by the top of her head, gripping a handful of hair. She brought the woman’s head down on the steel table’s edge with such force her nose opened and blood exploded from her nostrils. The woman screamed a high pitch wail, her arms instinctively covering her face as she fell back onto the floor. Celine pulled her weapon and glared down at Zeus, her barrel resting against his chin.
“What?” she screamed. “Move!” Celine dared him. “I promise none of you will make it out of this room.” She glared.
Zeus thought about his next words. “And I can promise you this. Nobody wants a fight today. I’ve got just as many men as you. This wouldn’t end well for any involved.”
Celine wanted to disregard his reasoning. But she couldn’t. Everyone she gave a damn about was in the room, and it drove her mad to have to back down. Her eyes roamed to his men, and she shoved Zeus as she moved back into position, her glare still slicing through him. Zeus took his hand across his neck, checking for cuts but found none.
“If I had cut you,” Celine started, “you wouldn’t get a chance to find out.”
He shifted in his seat. “Look, it’s obvious we’ve gotten off all wrong.”
“Shut. The. Fuck. Up.” Brian fumed. He rubbed his hands together. “I’m tired of hearing you talk. We’ve been here twenty minutes, and you’ve yet to tell me the reason for this unfulfilling visit. You’ve insulted my family, my Queen and me, and I don’t give a shit what you want anymore. Maybe we should light this motherfucker up. What do you say, fam?” He spoke directly to his men but never took his eyes off Zeus.
Zeus’s men looked around uncomfortably.
“Yes, maybe, but let’s be honest, you don’t want to lose anyone. These people are, your family, right? I brought you here to talk about peace. That’s why I picked this location. This just wasn’t about today. The semblance has meaning behind it.”
“How about this, fuck your peace. It would give my Queen great pleasure to blow your head off, and I love giving her what she wants. Don’t I, sweetheart?” Brian looked to her as a radiant smile crossed her face.
“Yes, you do, and I always make you proud. Don’t I, baby?”
A deep growl came from Brian. “Yes, you do.”
The door behind them opened, and they all whipped around.
“All right, fellas, this meeting is over,” Stacey said. He’d been watching them from the glass mirror, and he’d seen enough to know that things had gotten increasingly hot.
Brian glanced back at Zeus. “Raincheck.” He wagged his finger at him and followed Celine out the door. Stacey watched them closely as they all filed out of the room one by one. When Zeus approached him, Stacey held out his hand.
“Hold on, man, give them time to leave. The last thing I need is a fight starting anywhere near this building.”
“What?” Zeus said, “You don’t trust us?”
Stacey didn’t identify that question with an answer. “Just give them a minute.
Chapter Twenty
“Long night?”
Elaine Lancaster fiddled around in her purse, looking for exact change for her cigarettes and bag of ice. “Very,” she responded to the cashier.
“That bad, huh?”
Elaine sighed, her shoulders slumped in defeat as she removed her Visa card instead. “Every night’s a long night at the ER.”
“What’s your mother’s name?”
“Jaqueline Everest.”
“That name sounds familiar. Before transferring to Johnson’s, I worked with a heart surgeon over there.” Her features went dark for a moment.
“Why’d you leave?”
Elaine took her Visa card back and stuffed it in her purse. “Let’s just say I needed a serious change of scenery.”
“That happens sometimes.”
“Hey, thanks,” Elaine said, leaving the clerk with a smile as she opened the pack of cigarettes and pulled one out. She pushed through the door and shuffled over to the bin of ice and opened the lid.
“You know cigarettes can kill you,” Celine said as she stepped from the shadows.
Elaine jumped back, grabbing her chest. “You scared me half to death!” Her eyes traveled Celine up then down, taking note of her youthful face and all black outfit. Her breathing slowed a bit, then she glanced around. “It’s 2 a.m. What are you doing out here alone?”
“I’m sure I can take care of myself, but who said I was out here alone?”
“Do I know you?”
“Briggs.” Celine offered her a hand. Elaine reached out and was pulled in tightly to Celine’s chest. Celine covered Elaine’s mouth just as a shriek skated from her. “Ssssssssh,” Celine whispered, bringing a knife across Elaine’s throat. “It’ll all be over soon.”
Elaine shook and moaned. As her eyes rolled, Celine dropped her where she stood and walked away. She slid into the passenger seat of the Mercedes, and Brian pulled off. They disappeared into the night. One mission after the next. They were long gone when Elaine was found lifeless outside the gas station.
Three weeks later…
“I have waited for this day for a long time.”
Celine turned to Mama Devereaux, a smile on her face. “Have you really?”
Mama Devereaux went to Celine. “When he first brought you home, I thought you would be like all the others. But I could tell as time went by you were extraordinary. I’m sure my son has had a bad influence on you,” Mama Devereaux frowned, “but I know you changed him in ways you don’t even realize.”
“How so, please share?”
“For starters, he’s settled down in his business, and I’m talking about the business he thinks I know nothing about and his personal life. He used to be wild and reckless. He’s more careful and a bit gentler, too.” Mama Devereaux offered a graceful smile. “I know that’s all because of you and whether you mean to affect his life in that way, you did, and I’m thankful.”
Celine pulled Mama Devereaux in for a hug. “Don’t get all sentimental on me,” Mama Devereaux said. “You’ll ruin your makeup.” They both laughed. “It’s your wedding day, and you look radiant.”
Celine felt good, too. After meeting with Zeus, things had died down, but Carter was giving them a wealth of information, so they constantly kept tabs on his moves. The night of Elaine’s murder they drove across town and took out Sarah Chandler who’d just dropped her kids off at daycare on her way to make third shift rounds at Saint Mary’s. Sarah met her maker with a twist of her neck. Angela Felipe was sneaking out of her lover’s home just as his wife had shown up. Celine met her with a bullet to her heart.
Only one of the seven was still alive: Doctor Reese Timberland. She was coming for him next.
Celine always assumed avenging her late husband was for her and her alone, but experiencing it with Brian was everything. He was the only one in the world that understood everything she was going through. They’d been close before, but he’d become her confidante in more ways than she thought possible. Her love for him was different than with Caleb.
Caleb only accepted a piece of her; she had to bury her inhibitions even though she struggled at times to stay on the straight and narrow path.
Brian, however, accepted every facet of her.
There were times of normalcy mixed with chaos, but it became a way of life. Things moved so fast for her. One day she was settled in a peaceful, productive life with Caleb, and the next, she was burying him and living a life of luxury and danger. Celine’s life improved daily, and she took in her role as Queen without regret.
There was a knock at the door. Mama Devereaux left Celine’s side to open it. Marcus peeked his head in. “Are you ready?”
Celine gave him a radiant smile. “Let’s do it.”
He grabbed her hand, tucking their arms together. A slow melody played as Marcus walked Celine to the altar. They held a private ceremony in the back of the estate that only the people they cared most about were invited to. This included the entire Devereaux organization. When Brian’s eyes fell on Celine, his face lit up and his eyes twinkled. His perusal roamed over her, touching every inch of her delectable figure. The purple and white dress she wore held her breast in a firm position and shimmied down her flat belly over her hips, stopping mid-thigh.
He dampened his already moist lips as she approached. With her hand in his, they exchanged their vows all the while lost in one another’s gaze. When they swapped rings, Celine was swept up in a ball of emotions. A memory of Caleb flashed through her mind. The thought of marrying someone else never crossed her mind. Even with the love and adoration she had for Brian, this was a day she didn’t see coming.
They kissed, and it wasn’t just a mere peck on the lips either. Brian lifted Celine off her feet as they sailed into a hungry kiss, licking and sucking and just about eating each other up during their commemoration.
The night exploded into joyful festivities, with music, food, champagne and every liquor you can imagine in stock. Mama Devereaux enjoyed a dance with her son while Celine danced with Marcus. They were moving to a fast beat and Marcus was putting it down.
“I didn’t know you could dance like that,” Celine said.
He cocked an amused brow. “There’s a lot of things you don’t know about me.”
“Unhuh, don’t accuse me of getting all in your business when I’m questioning you to death.”
“About what?” he asked.
“About everything.”
“Well you’re the Queen now, so you’re entitled to know anything you want.”
“Listen, I’m not letting this title go to my head. I been a Queen and don’t you ever forget it.”
He howled, his light dimples on display. “Girl, you’re too much.”
“What?”
“All right, all right,” he said. “You got me. But you know, as much as you want to be the around the way girl, it’s just not in your cards anymore. When you ask anyone anything, it will be taken as an order, period.”
Celine knew this, but she wanted to genuinely know them all through and through. “I guess I’ll just have to change that then.”
The song ended, and they changed partners. Back in Brian’s arms, they slow danced, Brian pulling her close before twirling her out then back in again. His dance moves were guided, sharp, and suave. Mama Devereaux made him take classes when he was younger. It always tickled Celine when she thought about it.
“I love you,” Brian crooned, biting down on his lip.
“I love you, too, baby.”
“This is the happiest day of my life.”
She blushed, slightly bending her head.
“Why, Mrs. Celine Devereaux, are you blushing?” he asked, twirling her again.
“Oh shut up, I’m human, ain’t I?”
“No,” he said. “You’re a goddess.”
She pursed her lips, a demure smile curving upward. “Come here.” She pulled him in and kissed his lips, her arms wrapping around his neck. They moaned into each other’s mouths and danced the night away.
Later that evening, they vacated the confinement of their master bedroom to stay in another guest house located on the back of the property. It had been decorated with roses, candles and chocolate covered treats throughou
t. Celine enjoyed watching Brian in his one of a kind tuxedo that fit his masculine physique perfectly, but it was time she shed him of it.
They took their time undressing one another, savoring every touch and kiss. With their mouths, they explored the details of their bodies, and before long they were wrapped in a cocoon of love. Brian had taken Celine every way he could imagine. In a bubble bath with suds sliding down her deliciously silk mocha skin. On the sink with her head thrown back and legs around his waist. With her face pinned against the wall as he drummed into her warm wetness from behind. On the bed with Brian melted into her core, her legs trembling with warnings of orgasmic quakes over and over. She moaned and yelled his name, and he praised her all the same. Their motions melted into each other, rocking the night away. Legs, arms, breasts and ass caressed, smacked, licked and sucked.
It went on for hours before they collapsed in an incredible euphoria that coated them from head to toe. Their breathing slowed as they gathered themselves and cuddled.
“That was amazing.” Celine purred.
“Hell yeah it was.”
“Do you think we’ll be able to top that?”
He chuckled. “I don’t know, but I’m hopeful.”
It was Celine’s turn to chuckle. “Here, here.”
He laid a hand on her face. “Are you happy, Celine?”
She studied his face. “I am, and it’s terrifying.”
Brian lifted his head and peered at her. “Why is it terrifying?”
“Because things don’t usually stay happy for long. You know how it is. Just when things get going, something always happens.”
“But we set our own destiny, my love. Me and you are forever, and we would go down fighting together before we let anyone interrupt this happiness.”
“Damn right we will.” She leaned into him and kissed his lips, sucking the bottom lip into her mouth. “Are we taking a vacation?”
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