Chapter Five
Jonah Cross
“What the hell happened? I thought we were supposed to have a meeting.”
I looked up as Yaya stormed into my condo. She was carrying her signature tote bag, with her hair pulled into a sleek, low bun and a worried expression on her beautiful face.
Damn, she’s fine.
Tatiana was sitting at my dining table, holding a coffee mug filled with Coke and rum. She took a deep breath before glancing at her best friend, who was eager to know why the meeting had been canceled at the last minute and why she was instructed to come to my place.
“My father called and said someone tried to kill him. He thinks they might come after me and Nazira next. With Raphael gone, he believes everyone wants a piece of what we have,” Tatiana explained, leaning back and looking stressed.
What started as an ordinary day turned chaotic as I rushed to Tatiana’s condo, catching her right before she was about to shower, then hurriedly brought her and Nazira back to my place.
I always protected them, but now I felt an even stronger duty since Karim was no longer here. I’d kill for them without hesitation.
Yaya flopped into a chair with her purse still on her shoulder, staring at Tatiana.
“Shit. Is he alright?”
“His security has taken him to a safe location until they can figure out who would want to hurt him.”
I scoffed while pacing near the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking FDR Drive and the Brooklyn Bridge.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Yaya’s voice drew my attention from the view to her sexy, pink, pouty lips.
“There’s a long list of niggas who would want to get at his ass,” I replied.
I could feel her doe-shaped eyes following my every move, but she quickly looked away when I turned to meet her gaze.
Yalina liked to play games. She would try to act like she wasn’t interested, but the way she sucked in her breath whenever I was near told me that she wanted me.
One time, my body brushed against hers while I was grabbing a cup from the cabinet, and I swore I heard a moan escape her lips.
It was no secret I wanted her just as much as she wanted me––well, maybe to her.
I only allowed the games because I knew Yalina wasn’t ready for what I was ready to give her, and one reason was because of Sav.
She was the one thing standing in the way of Yalina and me having what we truly wanted––each other.
Yalina, being the loyal type, I knew she wouldn’t just leave her years-long relationship with Sav for an uncertain future with me.
But I also knew––based on the phone conversations I overheard between them––that Yalina wasn’t happy.
Whenever I was around while she was on the phone with Sav, Yalina always sounded withdrawn and never excited.
“Jonah,” Tatiana said, gently squeezing my forearm.
“Tati, I’m not going to front. Your pops has his hands in a lot of shit––some shit even Raphael didn’t know about.
So, there’s no limit to who might want to hurt him,” I said.
Then, as I walked back over to the windows, I muttered, “Hell, I want to get at his ass, too,” making sure to say it low enough so she wouldn’t hear me.
I wasn’t a big fan of Malcolm Rich, and honestly, I didn’t trust him.
He was always doing too much. Karim shared the same feeling when he was alive and wasn’t crazy about the guy either.
We only tolerated him because he was Tatiana’s father.
Malcolm may have clawed his way out of the trenches, but a nigga never forgets what he did to get to the top.
He found a way to leech off every possible person higher up than him.
She groaned as I returned to her side. “Am I supposed to hide in the house for the rest of my life because of whatever he has going on?”
“No, but I’m getting security for you and Nazira. I’m not taking any chances.”
Tatiana looked up at me. “Someone with us all the time, following behind us everywhere we go? You know how I feel about that. I argued Karim down about it.”
“Um, that’s what security is supposed to do, Tati.
” Yaya chuckled as she slipped her bag from her arm and placed it on the floor beside her feet.
“Jonah is right. We don’t know what your father is mixed up in, and with you basically being the head of the Sterling family, we can’t take any chances when it comes to your safety. ”
I looked over at Yalina. “Well, I’m glad you agree––because you’re moving into my crib in Greenwich so I can make sure you’re safe, too.”
She choked on her words. “Excuse you?”
I looked over at her while licking my lips. “Don’t believe I fucking stuttered, Yalina. You live alone, and you’re Tati’s best friend. You don’t think they would come at you, too? Shit, we don’t even know who they are.”
She folded her arms and poked that sexy-ass lip out. “You’re not the boss of me, Jonah. I’m a grown woman who is capable of taking care of myself.”
“I don’t care how grown you are––I’m gonna make sure no harm comes to you. You can have all that ‘independent woman’ shit, but when you’re in my presence, kill all that noise,” I replied.
She looked away from me, breaking our intense staredown.
Tatiana looked at Yaya and then at me. “Am I interrupting something?”
“Nah,” I responded, never taking my eyes off my baby.
She was trying hard not to look at me because she knew I was right. Sav was in prison and couldn’t protect her. What was she going to do from behind bars? Hell, she hadn’t done much of shit for Yalina besides stress her since she was sent away.
If she had listened and taken the damn lawyer I offered her, she wouldn’t have gotten as much time as she did.
Instead, she followed her paid lawyer’s advice and is serving more.
Sav’s pride was as tall as Shaq, and that shit irritated me.
Always puffing out her chest like she was the biggest thing walking the earth, but she was only put on because Karim had a soft spot for her.
She was homeless and staying with friends until Karim offered to help change her life.
Tatiana sighed. “I guess I should call my father and ask him to send over some of his security for me and Nazira.”
“Negative,” I said, glancing at Yalina as I pulled out my phone to check the text message I received.
“What do you mean?” Tati questioned.
Yalina finally looked at me as I was replying to the text.
“Stop stressing, Yummy. I ain’t got no bitches hitting this line. I’m respectful.”
She snorted, crossed her arms, and rolled her eyes. “My name isn’t Yummy. Where’d you even get that from?”
I smirked. “Let me test my theory first, then I’ll tell you.”
She shifted in her chair, clearly reacting to my words.
“Call me Yaya or Yalina. Pick one.”
“Heard you, Yum,” I replied while still smirking.
Tatiana looked at both before turning her gaze back to me. “I’m starting to feel like I’m interrupting something between you two.”
“You’re interrupting absolutely nothing, Tatiana. Jonah loves to get under my skin,” she said, uncrossing her arms and looking away from me.
What I wanna do is get in your skin, I thought while checking my phone.
Tatiana rested her head on the table and sighed again. “What about Bloom?”
“She can stay with you. She already lives with you part-time,” I replied, quickly sending another message before slipping my phone back into my pocket.
I gently rubbed Tatiana’s back to comfort her. Just when it seemed like she was trying to move on after Karim’s death, she was knocked back a few steps. Life was unfair to her, and I did everything I could to ease her stress.
When it came to the spa, I didn’t hesitate to invest money and sit back.
Even though Tatiana didn’t finish college, the girl had brains, and I knew she could double my investment.
Malcolm might have been a sleazebag, but I couldn’t deny the man knew his shit.
As his daughter, Tatiana watched and learned to be about her business, but Karim handled all the meetings because Tatiana hated that part.
She preferred to play the back and see her vision come to life.
I never had much to say about any decisions they made.
As long as I was making back the money I invested, I didn’t feel the need.
But when my boy passed, I quickly stepped in to make sure Tatiana wouldn’t have to take on his responsibilities.
As much as suits made me uncomfortable and being around those stiff fucktards annoyed me, I sucked it up because my sister needed me.
“Why does Bloom get to stay with Tatiana, but you’re forcing me to stay with you?”
I looked over at her. “I’m not forcing you to do shit, Yum. Just thought you would want your own space. You stayed in my guesthouse last year when your crib was being painted, and Nazira and Tatiana were sick.”
“True,” Tatiana chimed in.
“Girl, hush. You ditched us and only waved from outside the front door with soup because you didn’t want to catch our germs. Just rude.”
“I don’t enjoy being sick. Nazira is forever bringing home some damn cold.”
Yaya chuckled and crossed her legs. “Listen to us. Someone’s trying to kill your father, and we’re talking about catching colds. What’s wrong with us?”
“Look, it’s nothing you two need to worry about right now,” I told them. “I just want to make sure you both are safe until I find out what’s going on.”
Yaya looked over at me. “Do you have your people looking into it already?”
I smirked. “You already know it, Yummy.”
She rolled her eyes, shook off her trench coat, and pulled out her laptop from her bag.
“I’ll reschedule everything and tell them it’s a family emergency. Tati, do you want to go visit your father?”
Tatiana laughed. “After the last conversation we had? No, I’m fine knowing he’s alive. No need to see him.”
I left them in the kitchen and stepped out onto the terrace to make a call. If Malcolm thought I trusted his people to keep my girls safe, he thought wrong. I didn’t trust his ass, and I sure as hell didn’t trust the people he kept around him.
Sitting on the outdoor furniture, I held the phone to my ear. “Put the word out that I need his services.”
“Bet,” replied the person on the other end.