3. Colors
Chapter three
Colors
Monique
My phone rang again.
Banks’ name continued to flash.
Got to get this over with.
There was a few seconds when I hesitated then I let out a long breath and swiped the screen to answer. “Hello?”
Banks’ gruff voice ran over the line. “Were you ever going to call?”
“Yes. Yes.” I shook my head. “Sorry. I got to the mountain and had a long conversation with Lei and then. . .lots of stuff happened, but anyway I’m right here—”
“Had a long conversation with Lei?”
I swallowed. “Yes.”
“Since when are you spending time with the Four Aces, Moni?”
“Okay. First of all, I didn’t even know who they were or anything like that.”
“You’re just wearing blue and having a blast with one of Paradise City’s most deadly organizations?”
A shiver ran down my spine. “Like I said I didn’t know who they were—”
“How did you end up with them?”
“Dad owed money to these gangsters that own a casino here in Glory—”
“What the fuck?!”
“And they were talking about putting my sisters and me into prostitution to pay back the money—”
“Who the fuck are these guys?!”
“It doesn’t matter. In all of that situation was when I met Leo—”
“Moni, you cannot be around Leo. He is dangerous—”
“I know.” I pulled the sheet over my bare breasts and hugged myself. “Banks, a lot has happened but through it all Lei and his men have had my back and kept me protected.”
“But you never called me?”
“Banks, I was thinking that you were no longer about that life . Maybe, if you didn’t keep that from me, I would have dialed you first. Instead, I was trying to keep you out of trouble.”
“So, this is my fault?”
“No. I’m just saying—”
“You call me when things go bad. Promise me that. Right now.”
“I will.”
“I mean it.”
“I mean it too. I will call you, Banks.”
“Okay.” He sighed. “We’re still in Glory. Give me the name of the casino, Moni. I can at least handle Unc’s shit while I’m here.”
“Uh. . .” I tensed. “No you can’t.”
“What do you mean I can’t?”
“Umm. . .” I closed my eyes. “So. . .uh. . .”
“Moni, what?”
“So. . .Dad is dead.” I opened my eyes.
There was a heavy pause. My confession hung in the air like a suffocating fog.
“Monique. . .are you serious? When?”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “A few days ago. He was. . .he was killed.”
Banks’ voice cracked; the tough facade momentarily broken. “How? Who?”
“Leo, Lei’s father. In some sick way, Leo thought he was helping me by killing Dad.”
Anger laced Banks’ voice. “That’s bullshit.”
“I-I know.” I was terrified with how Banks would take this.
“We might have had our differences, but. . .damn it, Unc didn’t deserve this.”
“No, he didn’t.” My eyes watered. “After that, I knew that I was involved in something messy. Dangerous. I decided not to call you. Instead, I thought it would be better for the girls to be safe in Paradise.”
A sigh came from the other end. “Moni, he was my uncle. You are my cousin. My favorite one. You know you have a special place in my heart. You can’t just be hanging around these guys like you have no options.”
“Banks, I know. I just wasn’t thinking.”
“I love you, Moni.”
“I love you too, Banks. I really do.”
“Unc is really dead?”
My voice shook. “Yes. . .”
“Fuck, Moni. You’re out there in Glory navigating around the Four Aces and Uncle Chris’s death. That’s not right. My mom has told you many times to stop dealing with all of this shit by yourself.”
“I didn’t want to bother you—”
“We are family!”
I stiffened.
Banks steadied his voice. “I’m sorry.”
“That’s okay.”
“It’s not.” Banks cleared his throat. “Moni. . .I love you. I swear I do.”
“I love you too, Banks.”
“You’re just one person.”
“I know.”
“Let me be more involved. I should have come out to Glory more. What the hell was I thinking? You guys needed a man in that place.”
“We didn’t need a man. I just had to get some footing—”
“You needed me. I should have been there.”
“Now is not the time to start blaming each other or ourselves, Banks. I have to bury Dad and help everyone get through this.”
“No, Moni. Let me.”
“What?”
“Let me take care of your father’s funeral. He was Rowe Street Mob at one time. One of the originals. We will give him a proper ceremony.”
A heavy weight lifted off my shoulders. “Okay. That would help.”
“Jo and the rest don’t know?”
“No.” I shivered. “I’m scared to do it.”
“Then, we will do it together, Moni.”
“That would help.”
“And. . .”
I raised my eyebrows. “And?”
“I think it’s time you considered moving to Paradise City. We need to be closer to each other so I can truly help out.”
“Well. . .as a matter of fact, after I’m done helping Lei, I plan to move to Paradise City.”
“Okay. Hold on. What do you mean that you are helping Lei?”
“He wants me to stick around with him until he kills Leo.”
“No. I’m coming up to get you. It would be too dangerous—”
“Banks, I already agreed.”
“You can’t just fucking hang with the Four Aces. They are not the Boy Scouts. They are deadly psychopaths—”
“It’s more than that. Duck saved my life. He pulled me off a roof when I was about to. . .fall—”
“Duck?”
“Yes. I could have been dead too.”
“Duck did that?”
“Yes, Banks. Duck saved my life. And. . .well. . .Leo. . . gave me a house and enough money to set me up for life—”
“Leo!?”
“Yes. And I know it may be fucked up but I am going to take a house from a man who killed my dad, but it wasn’t like dad was a saint—”
“Hold on. Leo is giving you a house?”
“He delivered the deed.”
“Where is this house?”
“In the East—”
“You think Marcelo and I will let you all live in the East with no protection—”
“I won’t need protection. The Four Aces might be dangerous, but they’ve shown me kindness.”
Banks sighed heavily. “Monique, you can’t trust them. They might have their reasons to keep you alive for now but that doesn’t mean they won’t turn on you later. The East only cares about the East.”
I frowned. “I’m safe with them.”
“You have no idea what you are talking about—”
“I’m not stupid or naive. And I won’t turn my back on them now. . .They are my friends.”
“Oh really?”
“Yes.”
“You didn’t even know who they were—”
“Things have been moving fast, but I’m caught up—”
“You will never be caught up—”
“Banks, just please. . .” I let out a long breath. “Just understand please. I know watching the girls has probably been hard—”
“The girls are fine. Like me, they have been worried about you.”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re not.”
I pursed my lips together.
“Where is Unc’s body?”
“With Chanel’s body.”
A dark chuckle left Banks. “So, Lei did take her body?”
“He did, but we talked and he will be giving Chanel’s body back to her family tomorrow.”
“And why would he do that?”
“Because we talked about how it isn’t healthy for him and—”
“You and he talked about this?”
“Yes.”
“Just you and him?”
I frowned. “Yes.”
“What’s up with you and Lei?”
I hesitated. “It’s. . .complicated.”
“That much I gathered.”
I took a deep breath. “Look, Banks, things moved fast. I never planned on any of this.”
“So, you’re just helping Lei deal with his father?”
“Yes. I’ll be done in less than seven days.”
“How do you know that?”
“There’s a whole scheduled battle-to-the-death between Lei and his father.”
“That sounds like the East.”
I slipped out of bed and grabbed a new blue robe hanging on a rack. “Are you okay with watching the girls until—”
“Moni, I got them. In fact, I was going to see if you needed me to have them for a more long-term situation until you got everything together.”
“What? No.” I paused from putting the robe on. “Why? You think I’m doing a bad job?”
“I think it’s been a lot for you to handle, and you probably haven’t had a chance to breathe. I could give you the time to—”
“No, Banks.” I shook my head and finished with putting on the robe. “They lost Mom. Now Dad. I’m not going to disappear too. Just give me these seven days and I’ll be back.”
“Are you sure?”
“I am.”
“Okay.”
I tied the robe’s belt around my waist.
“Give me your address.”
“Why?”
“Because I am going to send five guards from Rowe Street Mob to keep you protected. And I will also be including white clothes for you.”
“Guards and white clothes?”
“Yes.”
“Banks, I don’t need—”
“Are you going to fight me on everything, Moni?”
“No. I’m just trying to understand why I need the guards and white clothes when I’m telling you that everything will be fine for these next seven days.”
“The guards will be my personal men and I’m putting them there so I can sleep at night, knowing you are safe. The moment you are not safe, they will tell me.” An edge hit his voice. “Can we compromise with that?”
I frowned. “Yes.”
“Good, because your staying with the Four Aces will be a hard sell to Marcelo.”
“He doesn’t need to know.”
“He must know. He sees you as family and he is ready to go to war with Lei.”
“Why?”
“Long story. Your main focus should be on the fact that you can no longer wear blue.”
I rolled my eyes. “Banks, there is a lot more going on right now than what color I should or should not wear—”
“You’re in the middle of something way bigger than you realize. Colors are not just chosen randomly. Every color serves as a warning.”
“What do you mean?”
“The Killer Crows in the West wear red. Ever wondered why?”
“They want to stand out?”
Banks chuckled grimly. “No, little cousin. Red is the color of blood, of anger, of passion. The Killer Crows use it to signify the blood they’ve shed and are willing to shed. It’s a constant reminder to everyone about their ruthlessness.”
I shivered. “And what about Marcy and you. Rowe Street Mob?”
“I might as well tell you everything since you have somehow catapulted your way into the Syndicate.” He sucked his teeth. “Green represents money, power, and growth. Rowe Street Mob dominates the South’s underworld economy. We control the trade routes, the docks, everything that brings money into Paradise City.”
“That makes sense. But what about the Four Aces?”
“Blue is the most dangerous of them all, Moni. Leo claimed the color was supposed to represent the depths of fathomless bodies of water.”
“How?”
“Think about the nature of deep waters. On the surface, it looks peaceful and inviting, but beneath those calm waves, there’s an abyss full of treacherous currents, unknown creatures, and secrets hidden in its depths. That’s how the Four Aces operate. They might present a facade of tranquility, but underneath, they’re always scheming, always planning.”
A chill ran down my spine.
“It’s like the tales of sirens and mermaids, luring sailors with their beauty and songs, only for them to be pulled under, never to resurface.”
“Are those all the colors?”
“In the North, they wear yellow.”
“Why?”
“Think of it like a caution sign. One must always proceed carefully and with great respect when they see yellow.”
“So then why do you want me to wear white?”
“White shows neutrality and signifies that a person is a Friend of the Diamond Syndicate and is protected by its codes and regulations. It means you cannot be possessed, harmed, or threatened by any of the factions within the Syndicate.”
I felt a lump form in my throat. The thought of having such a mark was reassuring, but also daunting. “And everyone in this Diamond Syndicate would respect that?”
“Everyone in Paradise City would. But yes. . .someone like Leo. . .even though he is demented. . .would respect the white.” He sighed. “Lei would too. Chen would demand that everyone treat you in accordance with the code. He’s stiff like that.”
“Alright.” I nodded. “I can compromise on the color. As long as my wearing white isn’t disrespectful to anyone.”
“Lei may not like it but—”
“Why wouldn’t he like it?”
“Your wearing blue now means that he has full domain over you—”
“What? I’m just wearing blue—”
“It still means you’re under his control.”
I sighed, hating how caught up they all were with colors.
“White will keep our side calm.”
“Marcelo and you?”
“Yes. Because. . .I’m with Marcelo. I don’t want you there either—”
“Banks, I swear I’m fine and—”
“No. No. We don’t need to argue it at this point. Just let me have my men there watching over you. I get eyes there and I’m calm. Next, you wear white and now my blood pressure is steady.”
“And you’re fine?”
“No. I wouldn’t be fine, but I would be manageable for these seven days. Once you’re done, Marcelo and I grab you.”
“Okay.”
“Then, we will look over that deed and really help you decide if living in the East is a smart move or not.”
I gritted. “Okay.”
“And keep in mind, cousin. I’m not trying to control your life. It’s just. . .you’re now moving in my world, and there’s things that are different. . .and even dangerous. I just want you safe.”
“I understand.”
Banks released a pained sigh. “I can’t believe Uncle Chris is gone.”
My heart broke.
“We’ll send him out the right way.”
I nodded, tears threatening to spill over. “Yeah. We will.”
“And now Lei wants to be my cousin’s friend?”
I tensed.
“Just make sure you let Chen know that my men are there to protect you and that if he has a problem with it, to call me.”
“Banks, I don’t want to start any shit.”
“Chen will do it because he wants no war in Paradise City.”
“I don’t want any war either.”
“Then, make sure my men are in place, and you’re dressed in white.”
We continued talking.
He updated me on my sisters. T.T. had convinced him to buy her tons of treasure hunting books.
Chloe had already linked up with some of the friends she had made from earlier visits.
And Jo had two interviews with comic book stores this week. Apparently, Marcelo had pulled some strings. There would be no doubt that Jo would have a job by the end of the week.
This gave me the time to not only help Lei but get my shit together mentally.
Once Banks wrapped up our conversation, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief that he was looking out for me.
He was right—I was stepping into a different, dangerous world, and I needed all the guidance I could get.
I just hoped that the presence of his men didn’t cause any problems.