by Sonja B
I try to push Adam to the side, but it was like trying to move a Redwood. So, I stepped in front of him. “I’m sorry, Axl. I know I fucked up, so if you want to finish, I’m ready.” I get into my fighting formation, ready to get the shit beat out of me.
Axl regards me, before he licks the trail of blood from his lip. “Remember this moment, Felix. Remember that your brothers almost fought because of you. Remember, your temper was the cause of it. We don’t fight each other! We don’t make the other one bleed! Get your shit together, Felix, or next time, Adam nor you will be able to stop me from hurting you! I don’t want to hurt you little brother, but if it knocks some sense into you, I will! If it’s meant to be with this girl, then your paths will cross again, but don’t let that shit run over into the family!”
I hang my head in shame, as Axl stalks off to the changing room. Shit, he was right, I was so pissed about the way things ended the last time I saw Keirra, I was taking it out on everyone else.
“Don’t ever do that shit again, Felix,” Adam says behind me.
I turn to face him. “Adam, I…”
He holds up his hand, halting me. “No, Felix, did you see where I was standing?! You put me in between my brothers! Axl is right, get your shit together!”
Adam leaves me standing in the middle of the mat, feeling like the worst brother in the world. I couldn’t have both Axl and Felix mad or disappointed at me, so after that night, I decided to let how I felt about Keirra go. Axl was right. If it was meant to be, then our paths would cross again.
Chapter 5
Felix
It’s been a month since that night at the warehouse. Nothing else was needed to be said after that night. I got my shit together after that. I didn’t want my brothers worrying about me. We settled back into our normal routine, and all was right again.
To help keep my mind off Keirra, I focused more on finishing culinary school so I could open my restaurant. I also took on some IT work on the side to keep me busy. When I felt like I needed to let off some steam, I would call Axl if he wasn’t out on a hit or Adam if he was free from the garage to meet me at the warehouse to spar.
Today, I got a call from Master Chef Pierre saying that Mica, one of the sous chefs, called off, and he needed extra help. I had nothing planned that evening, so I told him I would take the shift.
I’m going to cuss Mica’s ass out when I see him, I thought to myself as a rush of orders comes through. For a Wednesday night, Lombardi’s was swamped, but everyone worked together to get the orders out on time. Master Chef Pierre even patted me on the back and told me I was doing a great job, which was shocking because he never gives praises on anyone’s work.
When the dinner rush finally slowed down, I told Chef Pierre I was going to take a break. He waved me off, as he continued stirring his signature marinara sauce. I spoke to some of my co-workers, as I passed them on my way to the restaurant bar. We couldn’t drink on the job, but I liked to sit at the bar on my breaks and talk to Marco, who loved computers too. He was going to school to become a computer programmer, but I suspect he was using that as a cover. Like me, there was no firewall or encryption Marco couldn’t break. We often placed bets to see who could break codes the fastest to some of the corporate businesses located downtown. I think we were tied right now, so it was time for another bet.
“What’s up, Marco?” I greet, as I take a seat at the bar.
He turns from the liquor bottles he was doing inventory on. “Hey, Felix! Not much, ready to get off. I had some new software come in today that I’m anxious to try out. You should come by when you get off and help me set up. This shit here is epic!” He says with enthusiasm.
I laugh. “We’ll see, it’s been crazy in the kitchen tonight. I’m dog tired. Shit, I’m probably gonna head home when I get off and fall face first in my bed.”
Marco joins in laughing. “Yeah, it has been jumping all night.”
The sound of raised voices coming from the dining room floor catches our attention. A woman and man are arguing.
“Sounds like trouble in paradise.” Marco grunts, shaking his head.
“I’m going to check it out. Security might need some help escorting them out.” I tell him, as I leave my seat, heading towards the dining room.
“No, you’re full of shit!” I hear the woman yell right as I enter the room. Shit, it was Keirra. She stands and tries to walk past the guy who was sitting at the table with her, but he stands, grabbing her arm before she can pass him. “Let me the fuck go, Juan!”
“No, you’re gonna sit your ass back down so we can talk about this!” He hisses back at her.
Enraged by this Juan character putting his hands on her, I stalk towards them. They are locked in a staring match, as he continues to hold on to her. When I get close enough, Keirra cuts her eyes at me, a slow smile works its way across her beautiful face.
“You need to take your fucking hands off her.” I calmly state. Juan spins around to see me standing behind him.
“And who the fuck are you? This has nothing to do with you, so you need to mind your fucking business.” Juan looked like he was a mix of black and Hispanic. He was a little smaller than me, but we were the same height. He eyes me from head to toe, as if he’s sizing me up. Oh, you don’t want none of this Rico Suave’.
I close the distance between us. Everyone in the dining room’s eyes were glued on us. I see Chef Pierre standing in the kitchen entrance with a meat cleaver in his hand. Damn, I don’t want to make a bigger scene than what this idiot has already caused.
I glance at Keirra, whose face now has an apologetic look gracing it, then back to Juan. “Look, it’s obvious the lady doesn’t want you touching her and wishes to leave. Now, let her go, and there won’t be any problems.”
This bitch has the nerve to start laughing just as security walks over to us. Keirra snatches her arm from him and rushes for the exit.
“This is your lucky night, white boy,” Juan says, as he reaches into his pocket, pulling out a wad of money, then throws a hundred-dollar bill on the table. As he walks past me, he bumps his shoulder into mine. Temper, Felix, temper, I keep saying over and over in my head because I was two seconds from ripping this mother fuckers head off.
When he finally walks out of the restaurant, the other patrons start clapping and cheering me on. The manager came over and thanked me for handling the situation. They just didn’t know I was ready to tear this place the fuck up for Keirra.
Chef Pierre told me to take the rest of the night off. I guess he could sense that I was still pretty wound up. I thanked him, hung up my apron, and grabbed my stuff. I think it was time for me to head to the warehouse to log onto my databases and find everything about this Juan Rios.
I sat back in my office chair, staring at my computer screen. Keirra left out a lot of information that night she told me about Juan, like how the clubs he owned were actually strip clubs and not the upscale kind either. He’s done two stints in the pen and has a wrap-sheet longer than a roll of toilet paper. This mother fucker even had ties with the Los Diablos, a dangerous Hispanic gang in the city, and to make matter worse, he has pending charges for assault on one of his former dancers. From the way he grabbed Keirra’s arm, it makes me wonder if he’s putting hands on her too. I swear, if I find out he’s laid one hand on her, I’m going to teach his ass what it feels like to be hit by a real man.
I memorized their home address. I knew I was going to have to use it soon, and that day came when Axl brought her, Monica, and Alex to the house. I couldn’t believe she was standing in my living room. As Keirra, Adam, Monica, and I sat around talking after Axl left, I couldn’t take my eyes off her. I wanted to pull her into my arms and tell her she was right where she belonged, but I kept it to myself. Then things took a different turn when I found out that prick put his hands on her. All I saw was red, as I drove to the address stored in my memory. I knocked on the door and waited for him to answer. Seconds later, the door was thrown open, and Juan stood t
here in nothing but his boxers. Before he could utter a word, I caught him with a right hook. I entered the house, closing the door behind me, as he stumbled back.
“You like to put your hands on women mother fucker?! Let’s see how you do with a real man!” I bellow, tagging him with a two-piece. He groans out in pain, as blood starts to run from his nose and mouth. Using my right leg, I swipe his legs from under him, causing him to hit the ground hard. I grab a hand full of his hair with my left hand, then repeatedly punch him in the face with my right.
“Don’t. Ever. Fucking. Touch. Her. Again!” I tag his face, as I say each word. Juan tries to beg for me to stop, but I don’t. This mother fucker was going to die tonight. Just as I was about to hit with the death strike to the throat that Axl taught us, a scream from the top of the stairs stops me. This pussy had another bitch in here with him already.
I snatch his head up, before I bend down to his ear and say, “If I ever see you around Keirra again, I will kill you. Don’t you ever fucking come near her again! You don’t want these kind of problems, mother fucker.” For good measure, I land another hit to his face, before I let his hair go. He falls back on the floor, groaning and bloody. I turn to the woman on the stairs who looks visibly shaken and place my pointer finger against my lips. “Shhhh.” She frantically shakes her head up and down. I look down at the piece of shit on the floor, who’s moaning with tears running down the sides of his face. Pussy.
After I left that asshole’s house, my adrenaline was running at an all-time high, so instead of going straight home, I went to the warehouse. I needed to clear my head, and the best way to do that was to hit the gun range Axl had built in the warehouse. He had the large room soundproofed, which I was happy about because I let off continuous rounds of my 44 Magnum Desert Eagle, wishing I was unloading it on Juan’s bitch ass.
Chapter 6
Felix
Present Day
Shit has been going pretty good since the BS with Romano ended. I graduated culinary school almost a month ago with top recommendations from my instructors and surprisingly from Master Chef Pierre. I could have gotten a job to be Master Chef at any of the five-star restaurants here in the city or anywhere else, but my dream has always been to open my own restaurant, and that dream came true two days after graduation, when Axl asked me to take a ride with him.
Twenty minutes later, we were pulling up in front of a vacant building in the ritzy part of town. I asked him what we doing there were, to which he replied that he wanted my opinion on some property he was thinking about buying. I didn’t think anything of it, so I got out and followed him to the door. After he unlocked it, he stepped to the side for me to enter and let me tell you, I almost pissed myself when I walked in, and my family screamed ‘surprise’! I stood there confused, not knowing what the hell they were talking about, so I turned to Axl, who had the biggest grin on his face holding the keys out to me.
“I don’t understand,” I say, perplexed.
Axl lets out a hearty laugh. “Welcome to Salvant’s, little brother. Welcome to your new restaurant.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?!” I lowly say with emotion. Tears begin to form in my eyes.
Axl stops laughing when he notices a tear fall from my eye. “This is yours, Felix. No strings attached, little brother. I know how much you’ve wanted to own your own restaurant, so Monica and Adam helped me find this place for you. Take the keys, Felix.”
I slowly reach for the keys, taking them from his hand. I stare at them, before looking back at Axl. I grab him, pulling him into a brotherly hug. Adam joins us.
“Thank you, guys. Axl, I promise I’ll pay you back, I promise.” I mumble, as I step back from their embrace.
Axl places his hands on my shoulders. “No, you won’t. You don’t have to pay me back, Felix. We are family and family always take care of each other. I’ll just stay on as a silent partner if that makes you feel better, okay?” Axl offers.
I nod my head, as the silent tears of happiness continue to roll down my cheeks. My family was the fucking best. I only wish our mother was here to see how her three little boys turned out, in spite of the hardships we had to go through.
I jumped in head-first with the development of Salvant’s. I wanted my restaurant to serve the best Italian American cuisine. To narrow down my dishes for the menu, I had the family become my taste testers. They loved every one of them, even making suggestions on naming some after themselves. I hired a restaurant consultant to help me get everything else in order. Just shy of a month later, Salvant’s turned into a fine-looking restaurant. It was fully staffed, and I even convinced Marco to come be my bar manager.
When I had the grand opening, thanks to the marketing firm I hired, the place was packed, and Salvant’s was on the map. The next day in the food section of the daily paper, we got five-star reviews. Yeah, shit was going pretty damn good.
It also felt good to see Axl so happy having Monica and Alex around. A few weeks after he moved them into the house, his ass and Monica shocked everyone one day when they returned home from spending the day together and announced that they were married. Apparently, those two decided to run down to the justice of the peace and get hitched. We were excited for them, but pissed off at the same time at them for not letting us in on their plans, but once they explained that they were planning to have a small wedding and reception in a few months, we all calmed down. Monica, of course, asked Keirra to be her Maid of Honor, which she excitedly accepted. Axl said he couldn’t pick one brother over the other, so Adam and I will both be his Best Men. He even surprised us when he handed out pre-wedding gifts. He gave Monica a white gold necklace and matching locket with a picture of Alex and him on the inside. He told her now they would always be with her. Next, he gave Alex a similar necklace and locket, but hers had pictures of Monica and Axl. Keirra, he gave the same necklace and locket, but on the inside of hers was a picture of her with the other side empty. He told her with a smirk that eventually she’ll put a picture in there. Damn right. Then he gave Adam and me gold Rolex watches.
Keirra has been over here more often, now helping Monica with the planning. It was driving me crazy having her so close to me and not being able to touch her. We’d been cordial with each other up until she brought that idiot to my birthday barbeque. I don’t know what the fuck she was thinking, but I shut that shit down real quick. She claimed they were only friends, but I’m not stupid, I saw the way he was looking at her. He wanted her, and I’ll be damned if that shit was going to happen.
I’ve tried many times to get her alone so we can have a private conversation, but Keirra’s quick to give me some bullshit excuse to leave the room every time. I’m trying not to go all cave man on her because this shit has to come to an end.
Tonight, she’s here at the house with Monica, looking for dresses for her and Alex. I was in the kitchen cooking dinner for everyone, and just the sound of her laughter was driving me insane! I couldn’t do this shit anymore, I needed to tell her how I felt and if she still chose to continue to play these fucking cat and mouse games, then I’m through.
After I put my homemade lasagna in the oven, I went into the living room with determination, either this shit was going to end tonight, or I was going to get my ‘One’. Keirra, Monica, and Alex were sitting on the couch, looking over countless pictures of dresses when I enter the room.
“Excuse me, ladies, umm Keirra, can I see you in the kitchen real quick?” I ask. Monica smiles as Keirra gives a questioning look. Alex a.k.a Ladybug snickers.
Keirra turns to Monica and tells her she’ll be right back, before she stands and makes her way to the kitchen. When she passes me, I turn to Monica, who gives me the two thumbs up. I wink at her then follow Keirra.
“So, what did you want to see me about?” Keirra asks after we’re in the kitchen.
I sigh. “Look, Keirra, I can’t do this with you anymore.”
“Do what, Felix? What are you talking about?” She asks, as she takes a se
at at the island.
I step to her with determination. “This Keirra!” I point between both of us. “I can’t keep doing this. Acting like we are two people who just met when that’s not the case. You are driving me insane! From the first time I met you, I knew you were my ‘One’, but I can’t sit here and keep hoping for you to see what’s right in front of you! Do you know I almost caused a rift between my brothers because of you?!” A look of shock displays on her face. “Yes, because I was being an asshole to everyone after you left me in the diner…and don’t get me wrong I know I handled that situation fucked up, and I’m sorry for that, but I can’t keep going on like this, Keirra. Do you know what it’s like to be in the same room with someone who you just want to reach out and hold them in your arms and tell them whatever they're going through will be okay?! Like when I found out about that pussy putting his hand on you…that shit was too much for me to deal with, and do you know what I did? Huh?” Keirra slowly shakes her head from side to side. “I went straight to the house you and that mother fucker shared, and you know what? I beat his ass for putting his hands on you! And guess what?! That mother fucker had another chick in the house you two shared! That night I left him laid out on the floor, bleeding and crying like a little bitch, it made me realize that if that girl hadn’t been there, I probably would have killed him. So, I cannot, will not put my freedom, my heart, my devotion, my relationship with my brothers in jeopardy for someone who doesn’t want to be with me. I can’t, Keirra. I just can’t. I would rather walk away from you right now than keeping doing the shit I’ve been doing.”
She regards me, before lowering her head. She doesn’t say a word which, to me, speaks on where she stands on the situation. I let out a deep breath, before turning to leave out the kitchen.