Chapter 30

Whiskee

Late May

Of all the homes,apartments, and condos Beethoven and I had looked at in Rose Valley Hills, surprisingly, I was most in love with the penthouse suite at the Rose Valley Hotel. Not only was it perfectly positioned on the beach by the boardwalk, and close to the downtown and art districts, but I loved how much smaller it was compared to the homes I'd grown up in.

I loved how small and comfortable Mahogany's apartment was compared to my home. And the penthouse suite was just as perfect. On top of the location, the convenience of amenities the hotel offered were a luxury within themselves. Not only did they have a concierge service that took care of shopping, deliveries, and setting up appointments, but they also had two pools, a spa, a gym, and a dance studio that I could see me and Mahogany having a time in, plus two bars and a restaurant.

The main rooms of the suite had wall-to-wall windows that gave perfect views of the beach, and as I looked out into the rippling waves, I was in awe.

"This is it, baby," I told Beethoven, squeezing his hand. "This is what I want."

He placed a kiss to my neck. "Then this is what you'll get."

Releasing my hand, he walked over to the real estate agent to let her know this was what we wanted. Her name was Claudia, and she worked at Wilson, Cane, Simpson, and Fisher. She asked him if he wanted to make a cash offer or see about financing and Beethoven told her he'd pay cash. I don't think she was expecting a young Black man to offer to pay cash for a million-dollar penthouse suite, and I also didn't expect her to question how he obtained those funds.

She asked us to follow her back to the office to finalize some paperwork, and excitement bubbled over within me during the entire drive. I was leaving Memphis with the man I loved and my best friend. I would be able to have my own salon suite and do hair and makeup on a regular basis. Beethoven had decided to open dispensaries with Omari so I wouldn't have to worry about being with a man who was in the streets. The only thing that would have made life better was having my parents and my brother moving here with me.

Just thinking about that saddened me a little. Carlos said he was okay with me leaving and finally starting to do my own thing, but I still felt bad about it. That was why when we made it to Claudia's office, I hung back so I could call Carlos. With the transition of him going into production, he seemed to be more at peace. I hoped it would stay that way when the change was permanent, which would be after the wedding. Then, he would announce that Tim was taking Daddy's place, and Tim would appoint him as the head of production.

I called my brother, hoping he was free to answer. It took three rings, but eventually he answered with, "You good, sis?"

"I am. Are you?"

"Yeah, just running a few errands. I need to talk to you when you get back. It's something I've just been made aware of, and I want you to know too."

"Okay. Um… I just wanted to make sure you were really okay with me moving. With Mama and Daddy being gone… I don't want you to be alone."

He chuckled. "Sis, live your life. You've been a kept princess since you were born. It's time for you to get out the house, out the city, and do your own thing. Don't worry about me."

"I can't help but worry about you. You're my brother and I love you."

"I love you too. I won't lie and say I won't be lacking without my shadow, but this is for the best. Besides, I'll be heavy in the streets. You won't have to worry about me, lil stinky."

My eyes watered as I smiled. "Are you sure, Los?"

"I'm positive."

"Okay. If you change your mind, promise me you'll tell me."

"I promise."

"Okay, I'll talk to you when I get home."

"Aight."

After disconnecting the call, I headed for Claudia's office. I was surprised when, after a few minutes passed, I was informed it wouldn't just be Beethoven's name on the paperwork but mine too. I believed him when he said he wanted to have a true partnership, but this further confirmed it and increased my confidence in what we had.

The Next Morning

Carlos was waitingat the apartment when we arrived, which meant he was serious about needing to talk to me. Beethoven grabbed my bag as he said, "I'll give y'all some privacy."

"This concerns you."

Setting our bags down, Beethoven sat next to me on the couch, while Carlos sat across from us in the recliner.

"Wassup?" Beethoven asked as I took his hand into mine.

"One of my pops trusted advisors came to me yesterday after our meeting. I mentioned there being some changes soon and he pulled me to the side to make sure that didn't include me stepping down and giving the business to your father."

"Why would he assume that?"

"Someone in your organization is talking. They're saying Tim is about to take over and that if I don't handle my business, he's going to kill me." Carlos sat up in his seat, forearms resting on his thighs. "But worse than that, they mentioned bugs that will soon lead to a raid. I'on know who it is, but y'all got a rat."

I was confused as to why this involved me. I was never included in conversations like this.

"What does this have to do with me?" I asked.

Carlos breathed deeply. "Your name has been swirling around too." His eyes shifted in Beethoven's direction. "Apparently, whoever the rat is knows who killed Mama and it's someone in his organization. They said we're dumb as fuck working with and sleeping with the family who put Mama in the grave."

The Glock Carlos rested on his thigh caused my heart to stop beating. My grip on Beethoven's hand loosened, but he didn't budge.

"Did you kill my mother?" Carlos asked. "And if it wasn't you, do you know who it was?"

Beethoven chuckled as he sat back on the couch. His level of calm only made me more anxious.

"When you pull a gun out, ain't shit else that needs to be said. It's in your best interest to use that mothafucka now."

"Wait, hold on." Lifting my hands, I stood between both seated men on wobbly legs. "We've made great progress. Le-let's not ruin that." I looked at Beethoven, and the confident smile on his face was the exact opposite of my brother's frown. Regardless of how dangerous and lethal Beethoven was, Carlos had never backed down from a challenge. If these two went at it, I honestly didn't know who would make it out alive.

"Los," I called, trying to get his eyes to focus on me instead of Beethoven. "If this person is a rat, can you even trust their information? It could be a false rumor."

"That's why I want him to tell me the truth."

"Baby," I called, voice shaky. "I know you didn't kill our mother… but do you know who did?"

His head bobbed once, and it felt like my entire world spun on its axis. I shared with him how much losing her affected me to this day, and he knew who was responsible for her death?

"Before you start coming up with assumptions in your head, let me tell you the truth," he said, using my hand to sit me on his lap. Blocking Carlos out, he only focused on me. "The day I tried to get you the apartment and you shared with me the story of what happened to you and your mother, some of the details were familiar. I went to Pops about it, and he confirmed the robbery was done by someone in our organization."

He paused and took a deep breath. "In our family. I struggled with whether or not to tell you, but I handled it myself. The person who gave the order will be in a wheelchair because of a bullet to his spine for the rest of his life. The shooter is still in a coma. He's not expected to wake up, and if he does, he's not expected to return to his normal life."

"What was the reason for the hit?" Carlos asked.

"They wanted to sit your father down. He wasn't there, so they went after his wife instead."

I didn't realize tears were streaming until Beethoven kissed them away. His grip around my waist tightened when he said, "I went against my own family to avenge yours." His eyes locked with Carlos's when he added, "That should prove I'm not letting anyone hurt her or come between us." Gently, he pushed me onto the couch next to him. "So if you gon' use that gun, you need to use it before I get to mine."

"I wish you would've told us this sooner," Carlos said.

"I didn't want to ruin things personally or professionally for something I took care of. If she mentioned wanting to know who was responsible for it, I would have told her then. But trust, they have been punished with a fate worse than death for what they did to Renee and the pain it left behind for both of you."

Carlos stood and I held my breath to see what he was going to do. I purposely shielded Beethoven's chest with my body, but again, he pushed me out of the way and stood. Slowly, Carlos's hand extended in his direction.

"Thank you. It ate at me and Pops to never know who was responsible. I 'preciate you giving us both some peace and for taking care of that."

"Thank you for letting me know about the rat. We knew about the bugs, but not that there was someone within our organization feeding out information. If they're talking to other families, there's no doubt in my mind they're talking to the feds too."

Since it seemed they were in a good space, I left. I wasn't exactly sure how I felt. I was glad the people responsible were punished, but this was the second thing Beethoven kept from me. Even with his reasoning behind it, that hurt. Was this something I'd have to accept to be with him—knowing he'd pick and choose what truths he shared and when to protect me?

A part of me was grateful for it because it kept me from stressing over things I didn't need to. The other part of me felt betrayed. Until I figured out which part meant the most, I'd keep the peace between me and Beethoven. The wedding was just a couple of weeks away, and I didn't need anything stopping that from happening. Not only was a huge amount of money at risk, but my brother's life was too.