Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
“How the fuck did you let a woman get the drop on you?” I ask Joel, reaching out a hand and helping him up from the ground.
“She came out of nowhere, man,” he says. His face is ashen. “Don’t worry. It won’t happen again.”
“You’re right. It won’t happen again.” I turn to look at Emmanuel, who’s currently aiming a gun at Joel’s head.
“Wanna tell him what you were up to in the stairwell? What you two fuckers were discussing?” E grunts.
I glance from my friend to the guy in front of us. “What’s he talking about?” I press Joel.
“I don’t know, man.” Joel eyes me pleadingly. The thing is, I’ve known Emmanuel since we were kids, so no way am I going to take the word of a low-level thug over him.
The sound of a gunshot rings out and then Joel is falling back to the ground, a hole in his right kneecap. “Wrong fucking answer, asshole. Try again or the next one is in your head.”
“The next one is in my head anyway,” Joel whispers, appearing to come to terms with his untimely demise.
“A little birdie tells me you two were talking about how Russo here was going to find out you were in cahoots with the fucker who took a shot at Giuliani’s wife,” Emmanuel says.
“That true?” I ask Joel.
“Fuck you, both of you. Go to hell!” Joel screams.
I draw my own weapon from behind my back. “I plan to, but not before you,” I tell him and then pull the trigger. I drop my arm and glance over at Emmanuel. “How’d you know that?”
“Got a tip,” he says.
“You find that woman?” I question him.
“Nope.” He shakes his head.
“I’ll run over the CCTV. I want to know who the fuck is going rogue in my casino.” Running a frustrated hand through my hair, I walk out of the stairwell and into my apartment. I planned on spending tonight in bed with Lailani. I didn’t want to be dealing with this shit.
But as soon as I saw that mug in my sink, in my kitchen, I knew she was back.
It’s been six months since she’s been around.
I have no idea where she is. I’ve searched every floor, watched the footage from the cameras I have throughout the apartment.
All she did was smile as she made coffee and sat at my counter to drink it.
She left only five minutes before Lailani walked in.
Which is too fucking close for my liking.
“What do you think she wants?” Emmanuel asks. I didn’t even hear him follow me inside.
“The woman from the stairwell? Who the fuck knows?” I grunt. I really am not in the headspace for this right now.
“No, your mother,” he clarifies.
I pick up a bottle of whiskey, pour two glasses, and then hand one to Emmanuel. “Probably what she always wants. Money.”
“You know it’s not your problem,” he says.
“She’s my mother, despite being useless at the role,” I tell him.
“Still, you’ve done everything to help her. You can’t continue to help someone who doesn’t want to help themselves,” he reminds me.
He’s right. I know that. I can’t turn my back on her, though. She is my mother and the only parent I ever knew. The only family I ever knew. I just need to find her, give her what she wants, and make her disappear again.
“I gave a woman an access card. She came in to wait for me just minutes after my mother left.” I drop down on the sofa and breathe in a lungful of air.
“What do you think your mother would do if she saw a woman in your apartment? Pretty sure she knows you’re not a virgin?” Emmanuel smirks.
“Who the fuck knows what that crazy bitch would do. She’s not someone I want my girl around. Ever. Let alone if she’s strung out,” I grumble.
My mother has always had a drug problem. I get the hypocrisy of the situation. I make money by dealing in drugs. I might push the stuff, but does that mean I want my mother addicted to the shit?
No, it doesn’t.
The thing is, I’ve never known her not to be.
I’ve tried and failed over and over to rehabilitate her.
I’ve put her into so many rehab facilities that she continues to check herself out of.
I bought her a house a couple of hours out of town, in the hopes it’d be harder for her to maintain a supply.
It wasn’t. The only plus for her having that house is she doesn’t come around here. Unless she wants more money.
“You think she’d try to hurt her?” Emmanuel asks.
“I don’t know what she’s capable of when she’s high. But I do know she’ll use whatever weakness she thinks I have to her advantage,” I reply, although he already knows that.
“This woman, she’s a weakness?” His brows rise in question. “Because I’m pretty sure you said you weren’t seeing anyone, and that it wasn’t serious with that someone you weren’t seeing.”
“She’s not a weakness because I won’t allow her to become one. Whatever she is, she’s not fit for our world, and I refuse to be the reason she gets hurt.” I get up, walk over to the bar, and refill my glass. “Another?” I ask Emmanuel.
“Why not.” He holds his empty tumbler in the air.
I shouldn’t be here. I swore I’d stay away from her. The only way to keep her off everyone’s radar is to maintain my distance. When I walk up, Vic (the guy I have watching her place) gives me a nod. And then positions himself across the street.
I debate going up, knowing the right thing to do is to turn around and walk back home. Find my mother and deal with her. Find whoever that little blonde chick was in the stairwell of my casino and deal with her too. Even if she did do me a favor.
I watched the footage. The girl moved effortlessly. There was something so familiar about her and yet I’ve never seen her before. The way she shot my men without hesitation, her hand never wavering, tells me she’s a professional.
“Fuck it.” I push through the door, walk up to the elevator, and press the button. My hands in my pockets as I wait impatiently for it to open. As soon as it does, I hit the floor for Lailani’s apartment.
Now, standing at the front of her door, I’m about to pick her lock when I stop myself. She really doesn’t like me helping myself to her apartment. So I pull out my phone, find her number, and call her.
“Hello? Sammie?” She sounds like she was sleeping. I’m an asshole for waking her up.
“I’m at your door, Lailani. You can either come and open it, or I’m letting myself in so I can climb into your bed,” I tell her.
“I’m not getting out of bed. You can let yourself in,” she says and cuts the call off. She really doesn’t like being woken up. I don’t blame her.
It only takes a minute to pick the lock. She never seems to latch the chain on her door, not that those things do shit to keep people out. Making sure to lock the door behind me, I head in the direction of her bedroom, stripping my clothes off as I go.
By the time I get there, I’m left in only my briefs. Lailani sits up and stares at me. “Did you come here dressed like that?”
“No.” I chuckle, pull the blankets back, and climb onto the bed.
Lailani rolls onto her side to face me. “Are you okay? How was your night?”
“Uneventful.” The lie rolls off my tongue as I reach out to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Better now that I’m here, with you.”
Lailani smiles shyly. “I like that you came. It’d be better if you came over before I fell asleep, though.”
I left an arm and coax her forward. “Come here. Let me help you get back to sleep.”
Lailani shuffles over and lays her head on my shoulder. Her arm falls onto my abs, and I press my lips to her hair.
“Thanks for not shooting me when I broke in,” I tell her.
“I didn’t feel like cleaning blood off my carpet,” she says.
“How was your night?”
“Uneventful,” she mocks me.
“Did you eat?” I ask her.
“Actually, I didn’t and I’m suddenly starving.” Lailani pushes up until she’s sitting on her knees next to me.
“You want me to order something?” I offer. I’m tired as hell, but if she needs to eat, I’m going to feed her.
“Nope, I think I’ve found what I want.” Her hand slides into my briefs and wraps around my cock. Her cheeks redden but she’s not letting a little embarrassment stop her.
Using her other hand, Lailani shifts my briefs down until my cock is free. Her face lowers and then she covers my tip with her mouth.
“Holy fuck,” I grunt. Her mouth feels like a visit to heaven after I’ve spent all night in hell.