by W. S. Greer
The bell rang, the doors slid open, and Kelvin and I walked out of the elevator and into the living room of the suite. I sat down on the couch and tried to figure things out in my head, while Kelvin made his way into the bar in the other room to pour himself a drink. He was obviously on edge after the confrontation with Ivan, and I understood why he may have needed an adult beverage to calm himself. I intended to join him, but the thoughts in my head were holding me captive on the cushions of the couch.
When Kelvin walked back into the room, he sat on the couch opposite me and took bigger sips of his drink than usual. He looked up at me and I was didn’t look away fast enough. We locked eyes, and I suddenly couldn’t control my emotions. I needed to know everything. I was tired of being in the dark, so I spoke up.
“Please tell me the truth, Kelvin. What is going on?”
Kelvin took a deep breath and exhaled loudly. “I really don’t know where to begin.”
“Why don’t you start with telling me who the hell that man was at the restaurant?”
“His name is Ivan Baskov.” Kelvin shifted in his seat and stopped himself from saying any more.
“No more hiding, Kelvin. Please. Tell me everything. Who is Ivan Baskov?”
Kelvin took another deep breath, and then seemed to brace himself for the sound of his own words. “Ivan Baskov is the boss of the Baskov crime family. They’re Russian mafia. He’s the man who ordered the hit on my brother.”
“I thought you said it was a robbery.”
“I said it was something like that. The truth is that Ivan put a hit on my brother so that he could hurt my father. They had a bit of a misunderstanding about some money. My dad made a bad bet, and now he owes Ivan half a million dollars. Ivan confronted my dad outside of a Bulls game one day, and Fab stepped in to defend him. Two days later, me and Fab were driving around after having seen a movie, and a car pulled up next to us and sprayed bullets all through the driver side door. My brother was hit seven times, and he was dead before the ambulance arrived. I had to watch my big brother die in the seat next to me because of Ivan Baskov.”
Tears slowly trickled down Kelvin’s face as the memory of his brother’s last moments coursed through his mind. The emotion of it all was still there, and I could feel the pain and rage emanating off of him. But, as much as I wanted to console him, there were still more questions that I needed answered.
“I’m so sorry, Kelvin. I know that must have been terrible,” I said quietly, pausing before moving on to my next question. “I need to know if what Ivan said is true. Did you put a hit on his son?”
“He killed my brother!” Kelvin barked. “Ivan Baskov tore my family apart. My father was so heartbroken that he couldn’t make any decisions, so I made it for him. I chose to avenge my brother’s death by attacking Ivan the same way he attacked my father—by going after his son. I told my uncle to watch Ivan’s son, Abram, and one night he called me and told me that Abram was at the movies. All I could think about was how me and Fab were just leaving a theater when we were hit. So, I told my Uncle Deshaun, to do it after he left the theater. When he reported back to me and told me he did it, I regretted it immediately. I felt terrible, and I knew it was the worst decision I’d ever made in my entire life. But, a few days later, we got word that Abram had survived, and I was so happy about it that I got mad at myself. Why was I happy that he lived, when my brother died? I didn’t know what to feel. But I know now that it was a good thing that he survived. I don’t have to live with the guilt of knowing that I had someone killed.”
“But you tried to have him killed, Kelvin! You tried to have Abram killed, and you didn’t even know him. How could you do that?”
“I don’t expect you to understand, Lilliana. I’d never felt that kind of hurt before. I’d never known that kind of hate, and anger, and pain. I acted on emotion and I didn’t think before I acted. I still regret it, but at least he survived.”
“No thanks to you,” I snapped in response. “So, everything Tim told me about you is true? You really are a mob boss?”
“No. Not exactly.”
“What the hell does that mean? Stop lying to me, Kelvin! Are you in the mob or not?”
“Yes!”
I felt heat building up in my chest as my heart began pounding. I couldn’t believe what I’d just heard. He’d promised me that he wasn’t in the mob, and now he was taking it all away. He was taking it all back. He was ruining everything.
“But, it’s not what you think,” Kelvin continued. “I don’t kill people, or hurt people, Lilliana. I don’t break people’s legs and shit, and I’m not the boss.”
“Then what are you? And who is the boss?” I inquired as my hands began to shake. I wasn’t sure if it was out of anger, or fear.
“I don’t exactly have a rank. When Fab died, I wanted to take his place in The Family, but Fab had been doing work for The Family since he was a preteen, so he had a lot of clout—a lot of pull. I don’t have it the way he had it. I’m much lower on the totem pole than he was. My dad runs The Family.”
It was then that I began to understand what Tim had done. He’d asked his friend in Chicago PD about Kelvin Carter. When the officer looked up the name, he found info on Kelvin Carter, not Kelvin Carter Jr. It was all starting to make sense.
“All the stuff Tim told me about you, was actually about your father. I get it now.”
“My dad isn’t exactly a nice man. He runs his businesses with an iron fist, and he’s the oldest of his four brothers. They started The Family when they were young and they’re still running it today. It’s a way of life for the Carter family, but I wasn’t a part of any of it before Fab died, and I don’t do anything violent or crazy. Out of everybody in The Family, I am the straightest one.”
“What does that mean? The straightest one? Do you do anything illegal?”
“There may be some gambling in the Red Chip that isn’t exactly legal, but that’s it.”
“It’s still illegal gambling, Kelvin. It’s wrong,” I cried. “And what about your father?”
Kelvin shook his head. “I don’t get involved in the things that my dad is into. We’re nothing alike.”
I put my hands over my face and tried to take it all in. There was just so much information flowing through my brain that I couldn’t even begin to process it all. The dreamy fantasy of Kelvin Carter Jr. was quickly turning into a terrible nightmare. I was just a third grade teacher from Chicago. I wasn’t prepared to handle this kind of thing. I dated other teachers, not mobsters. I was being pulled into a world that I didn’t even know existed—a world that I wanted absolutely no part of.
“What am I supposed to do, Kelvin? You’re in the mob. A part of a crime family, with a dad who is suspected of murder. I can’t be around that.”
Kelvin quickly got up and rushed over to sit next to me. “Please don’t do this, Lilliana. I am so sorry that I lied and hid this from you, and I know that saying I did it to protect you is cliché, but it’s true. The things that go on with The Family have to stay within The Family. I didn’t mean to hurt you, and I have been trying to tell you about this for so long. I wanted to tell you.”
“But you didn’t, and I found out from somebody else. This is too much. This is not my life. It’s too dangerous for me to be involved with you.”
“I love you, Lilliana,” Kelvin stated, grabbing my hand for affect. “When I first met you, I was being driven around by my father’s bodyguard because we were worried that the Baskovs would try to put a hit on me like they did my brother, and The Family told me not to see you, but I did it anyway. I did it because I knew that we had something so special. We have something so unique. People would kill to have the connection, and the love that we have. We are meant to be together, I know it. Please don’t end this amazing thing that we have. I love you so much.”
Another tear tumbled down Kelvin’s cheek, forcing my own eyes to begin watering.
“I love you too, Kelvin. I love you so much, and you have
been everything that I could ever ask for in a boyfriend. But, your life is too complicated. You could end up in jail for the illegal gambling going on every day in your casino. I can’t deal with that. This is way past being a bad boy. You’re a gangster, and I’m a teacher. We don’t fit. I’m so sorry, Kelvin, but I can’t accept this kind of danger.”
Kelvin leaned in closer and placed his hand on my cheek. “Please don’t let this ruin us. I know it’s a lot to handle, but please think about what you’re doing. I am madly in love with you, Lilliana Hayes. You can’t accept the danger, but can you accept that? Can you accept that I am madly in love with you, and that I don’t ever want to be without you?”
I sat there in silence. I didn’t know what to do, or what to say, so I just cried.
“You have to make a choice, baby,” Kelvin continued. “Decide what you want—boring safety, or dangerous love and satisfaction. I promise I can make the Red Chip fully legit. I just need some time to deal with The Family first, and we have to figure out this thing with the other family. But, I am asking—no, I am begging you to stick with me. I will protect you. I will make sure nothing ever happens to you, baby. Please stay.”
I thought about everything he was saying, and it all sounded so beautiful. I could imagine our lives together, full of happiness and laughter, and adventure and incredible sex. But, then the thoughts of Kelvin being arrested for illegal gambling crept into the picture. What if he went to jail? What if he got shot again? What if he died this time? I couldn’t handle that. So, I leaned over and gave Kelvin a kiss on the cheek as a tear dripped off of my chin. Then, I stood up.
“I’m sorry, Kelvin. I can’t.” I started walking towards the elevators, quickly and firmly pressing the button to bring the elevator up to the lavish penthouse suite.
“Please, Lilliana. Don’t do this. I love you so much. Please don’t go.”
The doors slid open and I stepped inside, pressing the button for the first floor. The tears streamed down both of our faces as the elevators doors closed and broke our connection. As I began my decent, I felt my heart drop to the pit of my stomach. I’d just made a decision based on fear and raw emotion, and I knew that those kinds of decisions were almost always the wrong ones, yet I couldn’t stop myself. The elevator stopped on the first floor and I sauntered out into the lobby of the Red Chip hotel and casino. I walked past the reception desk and out into the Chicago night. I looked at the row of taxis lined up in front of the building and took a step towards the one closest to me. As I walked, I thought about how perfect Kelvin had been since the day I first saw him in Applebee’s. He was mesmerizing from the moment I first laid eyes on him, and he’d done nothing but impress me since our first date at The Signature Room, way up on the ninety-fifth floor. He was my dream man, and I was leaving him behind.
As I began to reach for the door handle, I stopped. Tears made their way to the surface of my eyes, and I was unable to keep them from spilling down my face. As I again attempted to reach for the door handle of the cab, I didn’t know if I’d be able to force myself to stay away from Kelvin Carter Jr.—or if I’d be able to force myself to go back to him.
Then, as I pulled the handle of the taxi door, I realized just what it was that I was about to do. I was making the biggest, most important, most life changing decision I’d ever made, and when that fact donned on me, my feet led me the rest of the way—through the people on the crowded sidewalk, through the fancy lobby, and back into the elevator.
When I reached my destination, the doors slid open and I saw my love, Kelvin, sitting down in front of the elevator. When he looked up at me with his eyes red from crying, I knew what I needed to do.
“Okay,” I said softly. “How do we make this work?”
Kelvin let out a loud sigh that I could tell was the anxiety being released from his body, then he stood up and grabbed me by both of my hands.
“You are my world now, Lilliana. I’ll take care of everything,” he said confidently. “I got you.”
Before I can say anything about anyone else, I first have to acknowledge my amazing wife, Roxanne Greer. You have been the most supportive, accepting, and loving wife a man could ever ask for, and nothing makes me happier than knowing that I have you in my corner every day. Our ten year wedding anniversary just passed, and I feel more in love with you now than ever before. It has truly been an amazing, fun journey with you and I wouldn’t trade what we have for absolutely anything in the world. You are my everything, baby, and no matter what happens, you can rest assured that “I got you.”
Now, to all of the incredible members of Greer Street, who have been unbelievably supportive since the day we all met; my biggest, and loudest “Thank you!” Gretchen Purgason, Lyndsey Wharton, Jennifer Mirabelli, Shaneen Murphy, Michelle Schwartz, Carrie Sutton, Jessica Crespo, Tonya Nichols, Elena Pearson, Jennifer Bush, Mary Lou Moench, and Raygan Taylor—you all, in particular, have been incredibly helpful and I am so thankful that we all found each other. Because of you, Claiming Carter is what it is. We couldn’t have done this without Greer Street. We love you, ladies, and we have lots of good times ahead of us!
I have to shout out my parents, Will and Loretta Greer, and my brother, Shawn. Your support and encouragement continuously pushes me forward. I love you all. One day, this is going to pay off for all of us.
I have some very loyal fans out there who have stuck by me since I wrote Frozen Secrets, and I have to thank every single one of you for your unwavering support. Suspense is what I am best at, and I hope to keep you all on the edge of your seats for many, many, many years to come!! Stay tuned, we are just getting started!
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