CHAPTER SEVEN Flight
XERXES
“YOU HOPPED A flight up here for what reason?”
Ori leaned back in his seat of the private lounge we owned. It was in the penthouse suite and only opened when one of us was in town. Since he lived in DC, his ass normally used it as his own personal playground and we appreciated it rather than letting it go to waste. Because of the salary he earned through the government, its ownership was locked up within half a dozen shell corporations to keep his name out of it.
“I need a favor from you.”
“Didn’t I just help you get some bitch cased up in Texas?” He took a sip of the Okolehao he loved to drink as he glared at me.
Ori was bitter. I knew it and so did everyone else in the Consortium. He and his people felt that since they’d entered the fold later than everyone else, that he was getting punished. The truth was, his family’s only blood tether to the Consortium was through his mother. When she wanted to walk away from the life because of how it had devastated her family, Ori was the one who would’ve missed out. His grandfather stepped in to offer his father’s family’s port business to earn their in . The offering was large enough that when they brought it to the table; they were offered a seat. Instead of being happy that his people were allowed into some shit that they would’ve otherwise been denied, Ori was mad about what it cost him. We didn’t treat them any differently especially when we discovered that his grandfather was biracial. The product of a GI stationed in Hawaii after WWII who died while his grandfather was still cooking. Because he was the son of a founding Consortium family his father’s family got to secure his seat and his grandfather could sit on the elders’ council. Some of his extended relatives didn’t like working for us, and others didn’t give a damn because they either had partners of other races or they were happy to be earning the type of money they were. As long as he kept them in line and not in our business, it wouldn’t matter to any of us.
“You did, but zhat vas somezing else to add to your long list of accolades within your department.”
He scoffed looking like he wanted to throw his glass out of the window rather than take another sip. Instead, he swallowed down the remnants and put it on the table. “What’s the favor?” He straightened his vest having tossed his suit jacket and he never wore a tie.
“I need you to alert me if anyone in the Mahdavi family comes into zhe states. Zhem or any attaches zhey have.”
He sat forward with his interest clearly heightened. “Problems in the Gulf?”
I smiled slowly and adjusted the blazer as I shifted to pick up my water. “Vhen I cut off t’eir funding there will be.”
Ori’s brow quirked, his mouth forming into the ghost of a smile before he prodded. “And why the hell would you be doing that?”
“Because zhey are going to protect Kamran in his bullshit instead of holding him accountable.”
“He tried to traffick a woman. That’s not a big deal?” Ori’s people hadn’t been around when everything went down between the Consortium and my father’s family of origin. He knew they didn’t deal with us, but I’m sure he assumed that they at least had the same moral standards that my father did. He would’ve been wrong on that point.
“Not to zhem. Especially not because she’s Black.”
He grunted as his brow furrowed in annoyance. I knew how some of his people felt about his mother. Despite her connection being the reason they could eat, they were more than willing to look at her as weak for not wanting to stay in the Consortium . To be real, I couldn’t blame her. Her father married her off to Ori’s dad to gain control of their ports. When that didn’t work, he tried to annul their marriage but Ori was already baking. Fences weren’t mended with Ori’s birth and even worse, it tore apart his parent’s fragile union. They were made to pick sides and hadn’t formed a close enough bond to lean on each other without question.
He scratched at his scalp through his man bun in a way to calm himself. “That ain’t right.”
I dipped my head in gratitude. “On behalf of myself, my mother and my future bride, I agree.”
“You still think that girl is going to marry you?” He laughed as he shook his head and settled further in his seat.
“Wiz all the weddings we’ve been in wizin zhe last few years, You don’t zhink it’s possible?”
He shrugged again his attempting to look unbothered but I knew weddings were a sore subject for him. “Anything is possible, that doesn’t make it probable.”
“Still deciding zhat you aren’t getting married?” I knew that Ori was going to give in at some point. The way he showed up for everyone, I knew he deserved to have the same. And there was a woman who would be more than happy to be that for him. If his mean ass allowed it.
“The fuck is the point? My parents weren’t like y’all’s. Well, they were kinda like Mir’s but still. Once it went bad, it stayed that way. I’m not even sure what happens when someone with no siblings has no children. I guess the Nakoas will finally lose out on the protection that has been helping their ungrateful asses for the last thirty-five years.”
He rarely spoke negatively about his father’s people, but I could understand how this topic would irritate him. His grandfather wasn’t too bad, but other members of his family who thought they had a say didn’t hesitate to tell him how he should do things. Despite his grandfather being on the council of elders, he didn’t hold any actual power.
“Get zhat shit off your chest, zhis is a safe space.” I waved my arms around the empty room that was flooded with light from the floor to ceiling windows.
His eyes flickered to me, heavy brows furrowing with contempt. His big body was testing the limits of the leather armchair beneath him. He was almost as tall as Couba but might have him beat in weight. “Fuck you—”
I grinned at his antics knowing he was being honest, but he appreciated my camaraderie. “I’m saying if you want a husband instead of a wife we’ll have no problems with zhat.”
“I will hang your Blarab ass out the window before Quentin could take the head shot to save you.”
I barked a laugh at his comment because he should know that he’d have a scope trained on him and a bullet through his head before he could get the window broken. Even still, he sat in his seat unbothered. “I’ll tell him you doubt his accuracy.”
“Keep an eye out for the family. Got you. Anything else?” It was his way of changing the subject. Despite growing up as a member of the Consortium, his father tried to keep him isolated from us. It wasn’t until Ori was almost a teenager that he was brought around and that was only because of his grandfather’s insistence. Since the reasons for that were tragedy, he was difficult as fuck to connect with. We’d developed a bond, but there were still times that he would shut down. This was clearly one of them.
“Nozing else. Hopefully, they take this L and keep moving. But you and I know the likelihood of zhat happening is slim to none.”
Ori’s grumbling laugh echoed through the near empty room. “More like none to none. Kamran has no clout without your money. And that shit has been a drug to him. For him to do as much dirt as he does, he sure as fuck doesn’t hide it. Never seen a prince with a fucking social media presence like him.” Ori was disgusted because of the things he’d seen with the government, we knew it weighed on him. Hell, the stuff we’d discovered on accident was enough for us to seek vengeance. And we did. But Ori was bound by the confines of the law and the system of justice he knew was flawed.
“He’s not ashamed of wasting money and few people take him seriously enough to warn my grandfather about him.”
“A problem that will soon come home to roost.”
“Precisely. I zhink zhat very few monarchs realize zhat people are no longer enthralled with zhe blood made me zhis way mentality. It has spread zhrough all zhe colonizer countries—”
His cavernous laugh sounded through the room, and he sat his empty glass on the table. “Bruh, you realize that your father’s people and the Arabs fucked up the Horn of Africa, right?”
I smirked because the Persian side of me was so diverse that it was hard to tell where all of our ancestors descended from. “No denying the truth. But ve have at least started to make amends. The programs that those of us who care about the people of the country are doing what we can to change the way people view the family.”
“Certain parts of it.” Ori wasn’t being negative, but he was reminding me there was only so much that could be done. Saving the public image of my relatives wasn’t my goal. Restoring the family name was.
“Zhey could all get zhe goodwill if zhey did the good work. I’m not in zhe mood to carry a man when he is perfectly capable of walking. Zhat smacks of weakness and I can’t abide it.”
“Your last shipment is coming in tonight. Who will be point to pick it up?” Another subject change, but this time for my benefit instead of his.
“Quentin’s people. Zhey’ve got zhe buyers lined up for zhis set of weapons so all I had to do was collect zhe fee.” I drained the rest of my water going through my schedule mentally.
“Easy money.” He rubbed his hand as he grinned wickedly. I could only imagine what he would do when he got away from his government position.
“You could say zhat. Any issues on your end?” Ori looked calm but his eyes were tight like something had been on his mind.
“My mother.” That was a response I hadn’t expected to ever hear him say.
“What about her?”
He looked nervous, a state of being that was probably as unfamiliar for Ori to feel as it was for me to witness. “She keeps wanting to have conversations and I’m not in the mood for them.”
“Why not?” The conversation about his mother was one he never delved into. I thought it was too painful for him, but there always seemed to be something major unresolved that he never wanted to speak on.
“There is too much about this situation I don’t know about and kinda want to leave it where it’s at. I’m trying my best to just not let the past fuck with me you know? But then she pops up and this shit is going to fuck with my head.” Ori scratched his head again, but he looked like he needed to get it off his chest.
I was still shocked at how much he shared. “Damn, you been waiting to let zhat shit out, huh?”
Ori flipped me off and took another sip of his beer while I laughed at him. “What happened to safe space, muhfucka?”
“It’s zhere. But I get it. My fazer feels zhe same. His fazer had no issue treating his mother like she was less zhan. Her people had lost everyzing after zhey were forced out of Palestine and you know how people in the Levant can be.” Persians could be some of the most self-isolating people in the Middle East. Some of them, my family included, felt as though they were better than their Arab neighbors.
“Yeah but a lot of that is over resources and regular we wanna rule everything bullshit.”
“True. But my grandfazer liked to hold it over her head zhat she had nowhere else to go without him. He could do what he wanted and my fazer is convinced zhat zhe king’s first wife was zhe reason his mozer died so young.”
“Damn. You saying that real calm.”
“Can’t get upset about something zhat happened before I was born. Besides, zhe queen is dead. My father will ensure zhat his father pays for zhe sins of his fazer.”
Ori’s foot was tapping and he clearly wanted to act but couldn’t. “So, we’re in a holding pattern.”
“It won’t be long, my friend. Moves will be made soon because I’m too impatient for Vanya and I can feel now is zhe time to strike.”
Hearing the word strike brought a smile to his face and he nodded his head happily since cutting up was on the horizon. “Bet. Just give me enough time to get down there. Y’all not about to leave me out the fun.”
I raised my empty glass of water, and he did the same. “You have my word.”
“What’s the problem?”
I was apparently making a tour of my friends because I was sitting in Liam’s office in the Merrick Distillery’s Carolina Falls headquarters. I needed to speak to him about the information I’d found out about Vanya’s past.
“I know who keeps doing zhis shit to Vanya.”
Liam’s eyes zeroed in on me, scanning my features before he responded. His eye twitched and his fingers fluttered like he wanted to grip his knife. “Who?”
“No guesses?”
“Nay in the mood for guesses. My wife’s friend is worried. Which means my wife is worried. And a worried Frankie makes Liam a murderous boy.” He didn’t sound at all worried and the grin on his face showed he was happily looking to fuck someone up for messing with his wife’s peace.
“Liam, you say zhat as zhough murder isn’t your favorite zhing to do.”
He held up three fingers with a grin on his face. “Third favorite. My wife is always first and loving my babies is my second.”
“Which is a natural result of engaging in your favorite zhing to do.”
He grinned brightly at my reasoning nodded as he spoke. “Aye, isnae life beautiful? Cyclical in its perfection.”
I shook my head but could knew my advice would fall on deaf ears. “Let zhe girl breathe zhis year, Li. She just had a baby.”
“Aye, last year. I willnae overwhelm her, but yoo ken Francesca doesnae do anything she doesnae want.” Liam bounced his light brown brows suggestively.
Knowing Frankie he wasn’t lying. “True.”
He rapped his hands on his desk to get me back on track. “So, what is the issue with her friend?”
“Her ex is harassing her.”
“I thought yoo ‘ad Sho and Quentin ‘andled ‘im.” I knew he was about to talk shit, but I had to be honest. Couldn’t have him thinking my men were slacking on the job.
“I did but it was a no kill order.”
“Yoor first mistake.” Bhaltair chimed in from his seat next to me and I could only smile.
“Apparently. But how does one get someone as skittish as Vanya to agree to somezing she doesn’t want to do? You forget her past but I have not. Because I care about her emotions. She should have what she wants at least once in zhis lifetime. I feel as zhough I’m yet anozer person taking away the choices that she gets to make.”
Having Vanya as my wife seemed like destiny. But her hesitation made me feel as though I were slowly backing her into a corner.
“It’s a choice to make but it’s one I’m almost positive she would ‘ave, anyway. Liam might nae tell yoo what ‘im and Frankie say, but the girl likes yoo. She just doesnae want to.” Since he found love with Yacouba’s sister-in-law he’d been wishing love on everyone. That seemed to be the natural order for all of us, though. One by one we were happily falling like dominoes.
“And I should respect zhat. Zhat she doesn’t want to be bozered.”
“Where the fook is our friend at? When yoo go soft, Xerx?” Liam was frowning at me like he expected me to come out swinging.
“‘E’s nay soft, ‘e’s concerned for ‘is love. Big difference.” Bhaltair’s ass was sitting there spouting knowledge like a man who’d been married for decades instead of a few months.
“My concern for her doesn’t negate zhe fact zhat she zhinks I’m crazy.” I looked around and waited on one of my friends to refute my statement to make me feel better, but these fools were just staring back at me with blank faces. “Damn, t’at’s w’at we doing?”
“Xerx, ain’t nan muthafucka in this office wrapped too tight. You act like you and the two Scots over here don’t come to fights with ceremonial swords and shit. Me and Ori the only sane ones in this bitch.” Ori had hopped his ass on my flight and Cou refused to be left out of this impromptu get together. They were sitting at the table near Liam’s desk listening to our banter.
“You. Who kidnapped your wife from her engagement party to somebody else?” He really was playing around calling himself sane. Couba’s sneer was laughable because he looked like he was pissed about David all over again.
“She wasn’t finna marry that fuck nigga.”
Liam tried to stifle his laugh but he couldn’t hold it in. “She definitely canna now since she killed ‘im.”
We all cracked up laughing and I could remember when Cou put us up on game that we needed to keep an eye out for David. Me, Quentin and Sho had eyes on him but Jasmine swooped in for the kill before we could get it. We kept quiet about it until he brought it up. We ensured she didn’t get caught by stripping away any trace of her ever being there.
“Damn right she did. And you saying that like your girl ain’t keep a man alive so you could watch him get eaten by ants.” He turned to look at Bhaltair next. “And yours didn’t bust a bitch’s implants before setting her on fire. Alive .”
“Aye, my lady is perfection in motion when she’s angry. I almost wish the clan ‘ad more enemies so we cuid vanquish ‘em toge’er.” Bhaltair’s face looked like he was daydreaming about his wife as he sang her murderous praises.
“I’m so glad you’re not going back to Scotland soon. Your ass just said vanquish in a sentence like it’s normal. That air was getting to you man.” Cou shook his head but even I had to agree with him.
“I willane make the trip back until it is time for the bairns to come.”
“Bruh got a two for one on the first try.” Ori spoke like he was teasing but I could tell he was happy, maybe even proud of Bhal. He’d dropped the dead weight that was his last girlfriend and let Frankie put a bullet in her head. This happiness is what Bhal more than deserved.
“Your wife might want your head—
A knowing grin came over Bhal’s face. “Aye, morning, noon and night it seems.”
Yacouba balled up a piece of paper and threw it at Bhaltair who easily caught it. “That’s my damn sister-in-law, bruh.”
“Doesnae ma’er. She’s my wife.” Bhal didn’t have to say shit else because he knew he had Yacouba beaten.
“Can we get back to my problems since you all are living your dreams at zhe present?” They wanted to get together and shoot the shit but I needed real help. Should’ve taken my ass to Atlanta to see Mir. He couldn’t come up because he was preparing his sermon but I could’ve come through for confession or something.
“That’s on us. So, what are you going to do?” Ori knew I had plans, but I hadn’t provided him with the details. Yacouba asking meant he wanted me to let them know what was coming so they had time to have my back.
“You have to at least talk to her. Between her ex harassing her and the Mahdavis, she needs to understand how serious things can get. The only thing she can say is no.”
“Zhe ONLY?! You act as zhough it’s not zhe worst zhing she could say.” I was looking at all of them wondering why no one saw that I needed to move extra carefully in this situation.
Yacouba pumped his hands silently telling me to calm down. “Xerx, my nigga, I need you to tighten up. You really let this girl shake your thinking.”
I bristled at the implication that I needed to chill. “And if it was Jazzy?”
He conceded my point with the raise of his hands. “ Jasmine , bruh. And fair enough. I know y’all had to set me straight my damn self, but this is us returning the favor. So, talk to her from the heart. She’s worried, and you gotta be honest with her so that she knows what’s at stake. If you don’t, she’s gonna feel blindsided.”
“I’m more zhan ready to drop a bomb on zhe palace and take zhem all out at once. It seems far less difficult zhan getting Vanya to not frown at me and runaway when I tell her my family would rather kill her zhan let her be wiz me.”
“Killing a palace full of people is easier than getting your girl? You slipping.”
“You had a far easier way of it zhan most, Owo. Your girl had a reason to change what she was going zhrough. Liam knew Frankie loved him and Bhaltair, your ass had everyone being your wingmen for you. Fate was really running the point for all of you in your favor. Mine seems to work against me at every angle.” I ran a hand through my hair because for the first time I was stressed out about this shit.
“Maybe your overly blessed ass gotta work for something once in your life.” Ori tossed a balled up piece of paper at me, forcing me to crack a smile.
I’m not worried about zhe rejection—“
Another ball of paper hit me this time from Yacouba’s side of the table. “Lie again—”
“I’m worried about what her rejection means for her. She doesn’t understand zhe issues zhat will arise. I need to get her to safety before I can handle my family. Zhey’ll know she’s off limits once she’s family. Until zhen, zhey’ll keep up with zhis revenge shit.” Vanya turning me down wouldn’t take her out of harm’s way. In fact, it might make things worse for her.
“Well, they ken ‘ow well ‘at worked out for ‘em last time. Auntie Babette was nothin’ to play with. Even if yoor Vanya is a lamb, she is ‘appily protected by lionesses. Frankie loves ‘er. The ladies loved ‘er, even Jada. I think yoor overthinkin’.” Liam was still trying to ease my mind but this was something I could feel becoming an issue very soon.
“True. It’s not like I can’t protect her. I just want her to be okay wiz zhe potential what ifs.”
“She’s survived bad already. Put it to her and see how she takes it. That’s all you can do.”
I fell back in my seat after hearing Ori’s final piece of advice. With my friends, I didn’t have to have all the answers. Like they had with me, I could be vulnerable because they’d remind me we’d work this shit out together. But my heart was so deeply involved in getting the outcome I desire that it was hard for me to remember who the fuck I was.
“True.”
“Yoo headin’ ‘ome?” Bhaltair I’m sure was gauging if they needed to prepare for potential fallout. If I fucked up, Vanya would be on the phone with Frankie calling me everything but a son of God.
“No. Maman has called me to Tennessee. When I leave here I’ll meet Midas in her office.”
Yacouba rubbed his forehead like he was worried this visit to my mama might end up being a problem for us. “Lord, not all the Cannons congregating. Something we need to help with?”
“When I find out, I’ll be more zhan happy to let you know.”