Chapter 11

11

K arrington

She might not have said the words, but I could tell Eyela was disappointed about us not going on a honeymoon. I didn’t plan one because I didn’t think she’d want to be alone with me for that long. Now that I knew that wasn’t the case, I made the mental note to have my personal assistant and travel agent put something together.

When I was done showing her around what would be our new home, the tour concluded in the kitchen. I hadn’t stayed overnight since I bought the house, because I wanted to experience it with her first. The only rooms that were completely furnished were the sitting room and a guest room. I wanted her to be able to decorate everything else herself.

“Are you going to help me?” she asked, referring to the design of the master bedroom. “At least let me know your favorite colors and the hard no’s.”

With a chuckle, I bobbed my head and leaned against the stove. “I can do that. Maybe we can have dinner tomorrow or the next day and get to know each other a little better. How does that sound?”

Her chin lowered slightly as she blushed. “That sounds nice.”

“Good. Make yourself comfortable. I know you’ll probably be bored, so you can have anyone over here that you felt comfortable having at your parents’ home. Caesar is having all of your things delivered this afternoon, but if you need anything before I get back, just let me know.”

Her head tilted and mouth opened partially. “You’re coming back tonight?”

“Yeah. I always sleep at home.”

“Oh.” Her smile widened. “Okay. So you’ll be sleeping in the same bed as me?”

“If you’re okay with that.”

She twiddled her thumbs. “I’d like that.”

“Good.”

We stared at each other for a few seconds before I pushed myself off the stove. If I didn’t leave soon, I wouldn’t want to. Being around Eyela relaxed me. “Oh yeah. The garage is full. I know you don’t drive, so you have a chauffeur. His name is Frasier and he’s on call twenty four seven. He’s trained and licensed to carry, so he will be your full time guard too. Steel is your part time driver and guard for weekends. The Bentley and Maserati are yours.”

Her eyes blinked rapidly before she walked over to me and hugged me. She was significantly shorter than me, so I felt the urge to pick her up and wrap her legs around me. Eyela cupped my cheeks and kissed my nose then my lips. I wasn’t expecting her to be so comfortable so soon physically, but I took it as a testament to our connection. It was genuine even if it wasn’t deep yet.

“Thank you for taking care of me.”

“You’re welcome.” I buried my nose in her hair. She wore it down today, and I was able to run my fingers through it. It was all real. I had to stop myself from hitting it from the back so I could pull every strand. “You always smell so good.” Today, she smelled like oranges and vanilla. “I need to know what perfumes you wear so I can make sure you never run out.”

She giggled and ran her hand down the back of my neck. “I’ll be sure to text you the list.” Eyela paused before she said, “You don’t talk a lot. When you do, your voice… your words feel like a reward.”

It didn’t surprise me that she’d picked up on that. Whether she would believe it or not, I was talking to her more than I talked to anyone. I’d always been the loner of the crew who spent more time observing than anything else. With the changes happening in my life, I had even more on my mind. Losing Pops and taking over made me want to withdraw, regardless of how much I knew that was impossible.

“Yeah,” I started, setting her on the counter. “Just got a lot on my mind.”

Eyela nodded and ran her hands down my chest. “I’m sorry about your father. I know they prepare us for their deaths, but nothing really prepares you for death, especially when it happens like that.”

It took me a second to respond because that was exactly how I’d been feeling. “Exactly. One minute I’m okay and telling myself he lived well and was prepared to go… the other… I feel like I’m about to completely split in half. I know I’m prepared for this, but I also feel lost because he’s not here to guide me.”

“He might not be here physically but he’s here,” she pointed to my heart, “and here,” then my mind.

When her hand slid back down to my heart, I held it there. I didn’t think any woman besides Luna Ray would ever have access to it, but I was starting to think Eyela would. And what made that even better was the fact that she knew who I was, what I was about, and all about the lifestyle. I’d never have to worry about her judging me or leaving me because of it. That was probably the only good thing about arranged marriages, but it wasn’t a good enough thing for me to change my mind about dismantling them.

“If you say stuff like that, you’re going to make me fall in love with you, little one.”

A slow smile spread and lifted those chubby cheeks. “I’d be okay with that.”

“Can I ki—”

“Yes,” she answered quickly. “You don’t have to ask anymore.”

Tilting her head, I kissed her deeply. Kissing had always been intimate to me—sharing the same breathing space as someone else. With Eyela, it was even more intimate. She kissed tenderly, passionately… even when it was just a peck. The only thing that made me pull away was my phone vibrating in my pocket. It had to be Loki. He was supposed to meet me here for a meeting.

“I gotta go,” I broke away to tell her, “but I’ll see you tomorrow. I’m sure you’ll be sleep by the time I get back home.”

“Okay. Be safe.”

“Always.”

After planting a kiss to her temple, I walked away.

I gave the guards upfront a head nod. I’d already made it clear to them that their lives depended on the safety of my wife. If anything happened to her while in their care, I would kill everyone they loved so they could feel the same pain. Grieve the same grief. Needless to say, the threat, the promise, had them all three times as alert as they used to be.

As I hopped into Loki’s Silverado, he chuckled.

“What?” I checked, thinking I had something on my face.

“I take it things went well with the wife.”

“Why do you say that?”

“You got in the truck cheesing hard as hell, Boss. I haven’t seen you grin like that in a while.”

My eyes rolled slightly as I chuckled and put on my seat belt. “It ain’t even like that.”

“Mhm. You ain’t gotta play hard with me. I know what good pussy looks like, and your face is saying you got it a few times last night.” He leaned forward and stared at me. “Maybe even this morning.”

All I could do was laugh as I gave him a dismissive wave of my hand. I wasn’t the type of man who took pride or pleasure in talking about my sexual experiences with women to other men. I was far too possessive for that. I did, however, talk to them about my relationships from time to time. After Luna Ray, that ceased.

“I mean… She’s a sweetheart.”

He sucked his teeth and pulled out of the circular driveway. “I know that. How did it feel to be with her? You haven’t been with anyone romantically since Lulu, right? I know you fucked a few women but nothing serious.”

With a sigh, I looked out of the window and decided to give him what he wanted. Loki was persistent and wouldn’t stop until I did. I knew the crew would be wondering the same thing. They were so fascinated by the fact that I wasn’t an open book like the rest of them. It made them question me more.

“It wasn’t as awkward as I thought it would be. She was trusting and submissive to my lead, which made me want to please her. Not just physically but in all ways. She told me some shit that momentarily pulled me out of myself.” I cut my eyes at him briefly. “Her ex tried to take what was mine, Lo. I need to know who he is to make sure he suffers because of it.”

Loki’s head turned in my direction, and even without all the details, there was fire in his eyes. Loki wasn’t the man I’d call if I needed someone to get their hands dirty on my behalf, but when it came down to it, he was just as lethal as the rest of us. However, he didn’t care for violence and preferred to think of other ways to handle problems. That’s why I was considering him for my consigliere. So I knew, if he looked like he wanted blood, the rest of the crew would be worse if I told them.

“You saying what I think you saying?”

“Yeah. She said it didn’t go all the way, but he still violated her and took something from her she didn’t offer. Something that was for me.”

“You know who it is? Because we can go handle that right now.”

My head shook as I licked the corner of my mouth and looked out of the window. “Nah. She didn’t want to tell me because she knows what will happen to him when I find out. I told her she’s going to let me know eventually. I don’t want her to think I’m the kind of man that lets disrespect of any kind ride. For now, I want her to adjust to the marriage and moving in with me, but after that, she’s going to tell me.”

“When you find out, make sure you let me know.”

The Meeting

As I entered the upper level space of the restaurant, I sent my personal assistant the list of perfumes Eyela had texted me. I wasn’t playing when I said I wanted to make sure she never ran out. Over the years, I learned I gravitated toward women who smelled sweet or like baked goods. It made them appear edible to me. Even if I didn’t want to be attracted to them, I was.

Shoving my phone in my pocket, I looked around the room. This meeting area was on the top floor of my favorite steakhouse. Its walls were soundproof, and it was swept for bugs before every meeting, though no one was allowed in here between meetings. The red and gold décor gave the space an old school luxury vibe. I took my place at the head of the large gold table. After making sure everyone who wanted food had ordered, I started the meeting.

“Thank y’all for coming,” I said, looking every man in attendance in the eyes.

Seated was Loki, Blaze, Bully, Angel, Jue, and Aspen. As much as I wanted my crew in on what I was about to do, I respected the fact that they were family men now and wouldn’t ask, because if I did, they’d say yes. The only reason Bully was here was because of his past experiences working for a mafia boss. Had it not been for that, I wouldn’t have involved him either.

Aspen and Blaze were both protectors with different styles of execution. While Aspen did defense only, Blaze was offensive, and he honestly didn’t give a fuck. He didn’t value life like the average person did. I heard at one point he killed a man because he sneezed on him and didn’t apologize. It was risky putting someone like that on the team, but it also was smart, because he would carry out orders with no questions asked.

Jue had a nice hustle going as a supplier who made deliveries to dealers while on the clock as a postman. Between his innovation and what Angel started with his old crew, Rahsaan and Kahmeer, I was confident the drug ring would still remain profitable even without crack and pills.

“With the passing of my father, I have been made boss of the Lowe Mafia. I have a few changes I want to implement that will change the structure of our organization for years to come. There is a chance someone will come behind me and reverse what I’m about to do, and as long as I can pave the way for my child, I’ll be okay with that.

“There’s also a chance these changes will create discord within the organization and put a target on my back from my own men. I’ll be at peace with that too. I said all that to say, after the invitation is extended, I want you all to be aware of the threat you might face not just from the outside but the inside too if you join me.”

I paused and gave them time to process what I said. “My elders have done a good job, but I do want men under me that I trust not only with my organization but the new changes as well. With that being said, I’d like to extend the following invitations. Loki, I invite you to be my consigliere.” He pounded his chest and his head bobbed. The emotion that covered his face suggested he was surprised, and I wasn’t entirely sure why. He had to know I’d choose him.

“Blaze, I invite you to be my enforcer. Aspen, I invite you to be my right hand man. Angel, I invite you to take over distribution. Jue, I invite you to be Angel’s second in command.” My knuckles tapped the table as I stared at Bully. His chin jutted out slightly. I didn’t want to ask him. I knew he’d say yes. Even though I needed him to say yes, I didn’t want him to. “Bully…” My jaw clenched.

“Yes.”

I smiled. “I didn’t ask yet.”

“Whatever it is… Yes.”

“You’ll need to think this through. You’re about to get married. You got a baby on the way, brother.”

His head tilted and bobbed once. “All that is true. My answer is still yes.”

Licking my lips, I ran my hands down my face. “Bully, I invite you to be my underboss. Uncle Pete is good as capo, but I am considering replacing him. I don’t want beef between him and Uncle Johnny since I am replacing him… with a young hoodlum he brought on no less. There will be static, and I hope y’all are ready for it. For now, eat, drink, and think. We’ll meet again in three days, and you can let me know your decisions then.”

As if on cue, the waitress knocked and entered with two waiters holding trays of food behind her. I stood as they began to serve everyone and walked over to the window. It didn’t surprise me that Loki came to ask, “Who you thinking about for capo? I think you’d be right to replace Pete.”

“He’ll want his son to take his place, but I don’t trust cuz with that responsibility. Bosco has always been a wild card. I want it to be Toe. He has the most experience with this lifestyle outside of you and Bully, but I can’t ask him to come back. Same with Merc and Asylum. The only other person I’d trust in that role is Reign.”

Loki’s head bucked and eyes widened. “Owens?”

“Yeah.”

“ Rule and Camryn’s son ?”

“Yeah.”

He chuckled and rubbed his hands together. “Nah. Rule would kill you if you tried that shit, Karrington.”

“I know. When him and Camryn left the game, they made it clear they didn’t want their kids to be involved.”

“Well obviously you know something they don’t to be considering Reign.”

“Excuse me, Mr. Lowe.” I turned to face the waitress. “There’s a man asking for you downstairs. I tried to tell him you weren’t here, but he insists on speaking with you.”

“I’ll take care of it. Thank you, Monique.”

As I made my way out, I checked my phone to make sure Eyela hadn’t reached out. I thought I would have to actively remind myself that she was now my responsibility and that I’d need to be present, but even when I was handling business, she was in the back of my heart and front of my mind.