CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
FACING THE MUSIC
BIANCA
T he two-hour nap wasn’t enough. I looked forward to a full night’s rest later.
I was learning so much about my boyfriend. Like if Catch had something to do, he always woke up on time. Probably a military thing. My hand moved over my jean clad ass, soothing the stinging pain.
Nostrils flaring, I glared at Catch. “You didn’t have to wake me up like that.”
He stepped forward, towering over me. His blond curls had dried since his shower earlier.
My free hand twitched at my side. I wanted to tug one of those curls and kiss his sexy pink pouty lower lip.
“You deserved my hand to that soft ass.” He slid his tongue over his lower lip.
“No, I didn’t, Catch.”
Holding my gaze, he unfastened my jeans, then shoved his hand into my pants. His large hand massaged the hot skin.
I felt my clit come to life for him. “Catch, move your hand,” I growled.
He palmed my neck with his other hand. “No.”
Catch slid his tongue over my lower lip. “I love you, future wife.”
Tingles prickled every inch of my skin. I became mush just like that from that one statement.
He didn’t ask you to marry him, Bianca.
“I’m not your future wife. I agreed to be your forever woman.”
He chuckled before slipping his tongue into my mouth. Catch squeezed his hand tighter around my neck as his tongue took hold of mine.
He released my lips long enough to cast down a dark stormy gray gaze. “Put your hands on me now, future wife.”
I did as I was told. My hand swept along his bare chest. “Baby,” I panted, breaking our kiss.
“We have to stop. Catch, we should go.”
“One more kiss,” he demanded, shoving my fingers into his hair as he released my neck.
“I know you love my hair, Bianca. Let your fingers get lost in it.”
His cheeks flushed pink. “I love when your hands are on me.”
“God, Callum, you’re killing me.”
I tightened my grip on his hair. “Callum, I love you. I don’t want you to leave.”
My finger twirled in one of his golden locks. “Baby, your friend will have to pull it together because there’s no way I’ll live apart from my wife for too long.”
“What if I come visit?”
He stepped back out of my arms. His face turned a deep red hue. “You want to visit your home?”
My eyes widened and my heart slammed against my ribcage. “My home?”
“Yes, the moment I knew you’d be mine, my home became yours.”
I closed my eyes and fell against his chest. “What did I do to deserve a man like you?”
“Bombshell, I’m the lucky one.”
It was my turn to step back out of his embrace. “Catch?”
His brows lifted. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I just need to ask you something. Bear with me. This is hard for me.”
“I never want you to be afraid to ask me anything.” He slipped a dark t-shirt over his head. It hugged his pecs as he pulled the hem lower.
“I planned to purchase a used Prius in a couple of months. I’m tired of not having a car.”
Catch’s jaw twitched. I knew he wanted to say something, but he let me continue.
“Can you buy the Prius for me?”
He slipped his fingers through his curls before pulling a baseball cap onto his head.
“Bianca, you’re asking if I can buy the used car you want?”
I visibly swallowed. “Yes.”
“No.” He barked.
I stumbled backward. Shocked at his answer. “Ok. I’ll wait. I can purchase it myself,” I muttered.
A hearty chuckle rumbled in his chest. “Baby, I’m not saying I won’t buy a car for you. I’m saying there’s no way I’ll purchase a used car for my woman. I already called my car guy. They found a new Prius. In that weird blue gray color, you like.”
My mouth dropped open. I was in complete shock.
“With the war going on I hadn’t been able to have the car delivered. He’s waiting for my call.” He squeezed my upper arms. “I assure you, before I return to New Jersey, you’ll have your car.”
I fell into his arms once more. “Thank you.” It felt like a weight had been lifted off me.
Depositing the money in small sums to my bank account wasn’t necessary anymore. Catch took that stress away.
“I’ll install a fire safe inside the floor. Fifty thousand in cash will be at your disposal. We’ll also open a bank account in your name once we’re married.”
I turned my face upward, staring into his eyes. “Catch, the car is enough. We aren’t getting married, so there’s no need to discuss bank accounts.” My smile rose and fell. “Let’s get my brother home.”
I left his warm embrace and darted out of the bedroom. “We can go to an electronics store in Naperville.”
My brother stood against the wall, smiling. “Yeah, we can’t go to the one on the South Side.”
I glared up at my brother as I brought a finger to my lips, hushing him. “Don’t.”
“What? Every time I go to that store, he asks about you.”
I stepped closer to Kam. “He’s innocent. Don’t get him killed,” I whispered.
“Is he really?” My brother arched a brow.
Would I be able to handle one problem alone without Catch going insane and killing them?
My eyes combed over my brother’s low cut dark hair. He had almond-shaped eyes like mine. And the base of his nose poked out a little on each side like our dads.
Guys often said I was too pretty to live in the hood. And that I didn’t look like the average hood rat. That name grated on my nerves. Unfortunately, I was harassed by men often. They said they wanted a taste of the good girl pussy. A shiver shot through my body.
His strong arm wrapped around my neck. He pulled my body flush against his. An evil chuckle rumbled in Catch’s chest.
“Kam, once we’re in the car, tell me the location of the store,” Catch stated.
“Sure,” my brother responded.
“Let’s go.” Catch moved us toward the back door.
“Bianca, you left your purse bag on the dresser. No worries, I grabbed it.”
Why did he insist on calling it that? It was a messenger bag.
His arm possessively remained around my neck. “Who are you protecting now, future wife?”
Correcting Catch would be futile. “Catch, they’re harmless.”
“Sure they are, bombshell. We’ll see just how harmless they are.”
Fifteen minutes later, Catch rolled to a stop outside the electronic store on West North Avenue. His eyes moved over my body.
“You should tie the t-shirt in a knot above your belly button.” He combed his long fingers through my wavy hair.
I left conditioner in my hair after my shower earlier. My shiny strands dangled over my shoulders.
He pushed my sunglasses into my hair. Then dug in my messenger bag. For what I didn’t know.
“Catch, this is ridiculous.”
“I got it.” He retrieved a tube of lipstick.
“Put this on.” I rolled my eyes as I slid the gold shimmery lipstick across my lips.
Catch’s teeth dug into his lower lip. “Kissable.” He winked.
“Kam, go with your sister. I’ll park.”
“Gladly,” my brother stated, hopping out of the truck.
Not giving Catch an ounce of attention, I moseyed into the store.
“I’m going to the game section.” My brother threw up two fingers, symbolizing the peace sign, and disappeared down one of the aisles.
Maybe the guy wasn’t working today. I hoped for his sake he wasn’t.
My fingers moved over the beautiful Mac desktop keyboard. It just occurred to me I’d have to move into the house with my family. I curled a fist at my side at the thought of moving back home. Living in the warehouse was nice. I could stay there for a long time. It didn’t matter that my friends were there, too. We often stayed at the playhouse together.
I’d ask Catch if I could stay there. Actually, the girls and I could make it a home away from home. It could be our headquarters.
“There she is. I’d know that sweet little ass from anywhere,” the deep voice said from behind.
My eyes slammed shut. “Shit,” I muttered.
Plastering a fake smile on my lips, I twirled around. “Hey, Stevie.”
His eyes widened and his tongue slicked over his lips as he rubbed his hands together. “You are definitely the finest woman in Chicago.”
His cheap aftershave wafted up my nose. Gross.
“You say that all the time, Stevie.”
“It’s true.” He stepped closer. His eyes now plastered to my breasts, straining against the cotton material.
“I talked to HQ last month at a party. I asked him if he’d let me get a shot at you.”
My brows lowered. “I don’t belong to him. So you don’t ask him if you can talk to me.”
He shook his head. “Not true.” He waved his finger at me. “That’s not how it works. He made mention at several parties over the summer that you belonged to him.”
“But I don’t. He’s not my boyfriend.”
I knew my real boyfriend was lurking nearby. And if I didn’t tell this guy I had a man, all hell would break loose.
“At the time, I didn’t have a boyfriend. But I do now.”
Stevie’s dark, bushy brows rose in shock. “They probably didn’t get the memo. You’ll want to end it before he does.”
I smiled at that statement on the inside. That motherfucker, HQ, couldn’t do anything from where he was now.
“Who said I’d ever date anyone from the South Side, anyway?”
“You’ve always been that ghetto boujee type.”
Since we were on camera, I reframed from showing emotion.
“Bianca, I found the perfect gaming system,” Kam stated as he approached.
“I see you brought little trouble with you,” Stevie sneered.
“Fuck you,” Kam spat.
“Shut up, little boy, before I put you out of here like the last time.”
“Stevie, have you been harassing my brother behind my back? Yet flirting with me any chance you get.”
“It’s not like that, Bianca. Kam destroys my section every time he comes in.”
“The last time I was here, you punched me in my back. Then threatened to call the police on me. I didn’t feel like being harassed by the police, so I left. Hadn’t been back since. Me and my friends go to the Roosevelt location. We don’t have to worry about fuck boy employees over there,” my brother scowled.
“You can get the fuck out now,” Stevie growled.
“He isn’t leaving this store,” a familiar deep voice stated.
Before I could say another word, a big hand gripped my shoulder. “Baby, take care of the cameras.”
Oh shit. Catch wouldn’t kill him in the electronics store, would he?
I didn’t say another word. I yanked my laptop out of my bag and got to work.
“Who the hell are you?” Stevie asked.
“I’m Bianca’s future husband.”
“Damn, talk about broadening your horizon. This dude ain’t even in our zip code,” Stevie bit out.
“Catch, it’s done,” I stated.
“It seems we have a problem. You are the problem. You harassed a teenage boy. Why? Because his sister wouldn’t give you the time of day. Chances are she just didn’t like you the way you liked her.” Catch approached Stevie and squeezed his shoulder.
“You need to apologize to my woman. How dare you treat her like a piece of meat. She is a human being. Go ahead, I’m waiting.”
“Get your hands off me, man,” Stevie snarled.
Luckily, where we stood, there weren’t any customers.
“Apologize,” Catch ordered in a low growl.
My boyfriend peeked at me. I could feel his eyes darkening behind his Chips aviator sunglasses. Damn, did that man look fine in those sunglasses.
“I’m sorry, Bianca, for disrespecting you,” Stevie reluctantly stated.
“Keep going asshole,” Catch demanded, pushing his thumb deeper into the soft skin under Stevie’s shoulder.
“I shouldn’t stare at your ass when you come into the store.” Sweat beaded along Stevie’s brow.
“Apologize to Kam too,” Catch snarled.
“Kam, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t pick on you when you come into the store.” Stevie rolled his eyes.
It was obvious he didn’t mean it.
My brother smacked his lips. “Catch, can we go now? He doesn’t mean anything he’s saying. All he’s going to do is send someone from his gang to send me a message.”
“Kam, what?” I gasped.
My brother shrugged. “It’s true.”
I knew those words would send Catch over the edge.
Tucking my laptop under my arm, I approached my man. “Catch, can we go please? I’d like to get to my parents’ house.”
Catch released Stevie’s shoulder. “No hard feelings.” He stretched out his hand for Stevie’s.
The piece of shit didn’t move. He was trying to remain hard in front of us. He had no idea he was only adding to the length of time he’d be tortured.
Catch grabbed his hand and shook it as he leaned into his ear. “I’ll be seeing you real soon.”
“If you come back around next time, I’ll be prepared to blow your face off,” he said, snatching his hand out of Catch’s.
Why did the dumb ass say that?
My hand swept across Catch’s rippling abs under his shirt. “I saw a desktop I was interested in.”
“I know, bombshell. I noticed you looking at it.”
Stevie’s face lit up like he had the answer. “He’s your sugar daddy. I didn’t take you for that kind of hood rat.”
And that did it. Catch lost his shit. I side stepped out of the way.
Catch reared his fist back, then slammed it into Stevie’s nose. “You disrespected the wrong woman,” Catch roared.
Stevie stumbled backwards. Catch grabbed him by the front of his powder blue button-down shirt then threw him to the floor. Catch didn’t let up on Stevie’s face.
“Please Catch, we need to leave,” I whisper shouted.
My gaze darted to the left. “Security’s coming.”
I slipped a hand across Catch’s nape. “Please, baby.”
He stepped back, chest heaving. “Ok.”
I turned to the security officer. “Stevie harassed my brother and me. My boyfriend defended us.”
The security guy shook his head. “I’m so sorry about this mess. He’s been warned by his manager. If he received another customer complaint, he’s fired.”
Wow, the idiot harassed other women and children. He was a real piece of work. I knew my boyfriend would come back for him.
“We’ll finish shopping,” Catch said taking my hand.
My man waltzed over to the computers. “Tell the salesperson which computers you want.”
“Computers?” My brows rose.
“Yes. You need a new laptop, too.” He didn’t wait for me to answer. Catch turned to my brother.
“Let me check out the game consoles.”
While they discussed video games, I told the sales lady what I wanted.
Twenty minutes later, we walked out with a new desktop and two laptops. One for my brothers to share. Catch also bought my brothers the top of the line gaming systems and all the accessories.
“Kam, I’ll give my phone number to you. Once you enroll in the fancy new school, I want to see your first set of grades.”
“Not a problem, Catch.” Kam smiled.
Catch had no idea how he made this kid’s year. He wouldn’t have to get into fights anymore just to show he wasn’t weak.
***P***
Kam turned the key in the lock, then pushed the front door open. “I’m home,” he announced.
Mom, Dad, and my two brothers ran to the door.
Dad pulled him into his arms. “We were so worried. Why would you leave like that?” Dad roared.
Catch closed the door behind him. I stepped into my mother’s arms, hugging her tightly.
“Corey said Bianca was in trouble,” Kam explained.
“She didn’t answer my calls, so I took the train to check on her. Corey apologized for playing the prank on me. He said he just wanted to hang out. Bianca eventually called my burner phone. She and Catch picked me up. It was nice spending time with Bianca.”
“Mom and Dad, I think he just missed his friends and me.” I smiled.
“Kam, you’re on punishment,” Dad growled.
My brother’s head hung between his shoulder blades. “I understand.”
“Mr. and Mrs. Landry, this is clearly a tough transition for your family. You know, living in beautiful Naperville. Where it’s quiet,” Catch said.
“I have presents for the boys.” Catch raised the humongous bag.
“Guys, come here.” Catch waved them over.
Austyn and Leven scurried across the living room. Catch properly introduced himself, then pulled the game consoles and laptop out of the plastic bag.
“Oh wow,” Austyn beamed, clutching his forehead.
“Christmas came early,” Leven shouted.
“Oh, hell naw,” Dad boomed.
“You’re not going to come up in here and buy my family. I reluctantly agreed to move to this house temporarily.” Dad’s eyes moved around the spacious home.
“We moved here because Bianca and her friends were in trouble. It was safe to move for a short period of time while they ironed out their shit.” Dad’s mahogany face scrounged up and his dark brows deepened.
I raised my hands. “Dad, Catch isn’t trying to buy us.”
Catch placed his hands on my arms. “It’s ok. Help your brothers set up the systems. I’ll talk to your parents.”
Catch stepped around me, meeting my parents’ gazes. “I’m not trying to buy your family.”
“I just want them to have a better life. They deserve to attend great schools.”
Kam grabbed the bag. I ushered the boys down the hallway toward the bedrooms.
I should’ve been in the living room while Catch talked to them. But at the same time, I needed to spend time with my brothers.
Taking a deep breath, I sat on the floor in Austyn’s bedroom.
“A new school?” Dad yelled.
“I don’t know what you’re up to, but you won’t wave your money in our faces to keep my daughter under your thumb.”
“Mr. Landry, let’s sit and talk about this,” Catch suggested.
“No! Take all your fancy gadgets and get the fuck out,” Dad roared.
“Mr. Landry, I’m not leaving until you hear me out,” Catch shot back.
“I’m going to get my shotgun,” Dad announced.
Oh, fuck! I stormed out of the bedroom.