2
“He sounds like an asshole.” My mother was blunt and I waited to see if I would have to leave this man’s wife a widow depending on how he spoke to her.
“He absolutely takes after his mother in his arrogance. Another reason a more powerful hand is needed with my daughters.”
“You don’t trust them around their own mother?” Mr. Miller was now sitting forward and I could see the Nakoas exchanging glances.
Mr. Avery hesitated briefly, which forced me to glance at Midas. His shoulder rose like he had no clue what was up. I knew he was going to ask his wife as soon as he could. “There is a lot to say to that which could be discussed further later. Patriarchy is a thing in every part of the world touched by colonization. Eritrea is not exempt from it. But I have come with the proposition. I understand that moving money around is something that needs to happen on a larger scale because of the amount of influence and revenue you all bring in. I have the capacity to do that. I’m more than happy to waive any fee that would customarily be provided in exchange for the assistance needed with helping Eritrea.”
“Wait a minute, you want us to float our money through your network and all you want us to do is to help with knocking off a few corrupt people in your homeland? Without collecting a fee? No offense but how ugly are your daughters for this to be a concern?” Ori was being blunt as usual but I couldn’t help but wonder the same damn thing. It was crazy to think he was going to do all of this without wanting payment. I could understand being proud of your homeland, but to work for free and put up your kid as collateral was wild.
“I have twins, you may know one of them as Sasha Avery.”
“The model?” Ori sounded intrigued as well as confused. Sasha Avery was a beautiful woman so there was no way in hell she would give up her life to be a mob wife. Her profile as a model, former or current, was almost too high for us.
His smile was one of a man that truly loved his daughter. But parents could play favorites and he was still offering a kid for a business deal. “Yes. Because of her work and her stubbornness, her sister who is far calmer than she is would be the person who was better suited to this type of lifestyle.”
“Have you discussed this with either of them?” My mother was pissed about this and was going to step in however she could to see that this girl was protected.
“The idea has been battered about but nothing set in stone. Because of the heart she has, I know my daughter will put herself up for this. Whoever gets her will be getting a strong and caring wife. I hate to speak of her in these terms, like she’s chattel—”
“Yet you’re doing it anyway.” Ori was pissed off and I wasn’t sure if I was going to interfere or not. He seemed far too involved right now.
Mr. Avery cleared his throat as he sidestepped Ori’s accusation. “But there are still other considerations. I won’t take any fees from your organization, but my daughter has to be well provided for. I’m not sure of your views on divorce, but if it’s not allowable then I’m fully prepared for my daughter to live a life separate from whoever is her husband. Mr. Cannon I understand that you travel extensively so that wouldn’t be a problem for you. Mr. Nakoa, you’re a part of the government and are actually in the same area as she is currently.”
Ori’s brows dipped harshly as he stared at his screen. “Who is your kid?”
“Avery. Dr. Asha Avery. She is a professor of—”
“Criminology at Georgetown.”
It was Mr. Avery’s turn to frown up at Ori’s recognition of his daughter. “Yes. How did you know that?”
“I know her. Know of her. Through a case.” Ori was backtracking and fumbling, which is something that never happened.
“I thought the FBI used their own people.” Mr. Miller now honed in because he peeped what I did, too.
“We do. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t cases where outsiders aren’t needed to be brought in.”
Mr. Miller nodded before looking at his screen to speak directly to Ori and me. “Gentleman, I understand this isn’t what you all expected to hear when you got on the phone. I’ve told Mr. Avery that a few days would be needed to go through the discussions on all of this. I’ve already discussed with Mrs. Cannon moving resources into the area through some of our Middle Eastern contacts to help those who are in the most need first. At least until a decision can be made on which family will take the Averys into the fold.”
“I’ll do it.”
I sat forward not willing to let my brother stand in the way of this for me. “Ori—”
He was shaking his head and refused to look at the screen. His hair was braided back off his face, the blazer from his suit long discarded somewhere. He had his sleeves rolled up and his tie was gone. “I said I would do it. Everyone knows that Xerxes is in love with someone. I’m not going to relegate him to a life of being without her because I want to stay in my singleness.”
“You’d make that type of sacrifice?” His grandfather was looking at him like even he wasn’t sure what his grandson was doing.
“As I said, I know her. And she’s a nice girl. Whether we’re compatible outside of working on a case,” he shrugged like marriage wasn’t that big a deal. “And don’t think of it as a sacrifice. This is what family does. Just make sure you get your girl so this wasn’t all for nothing.” He looked back at the screen and I knew his eyes were on me.
Mr. Avery grimaced before he spoke up. “I wouldn’t say that my daughter was for nothing.” I could appreciate the fact that he was going to stand up for his daughter no matter that he needed our help.
“No, but you should know upfront that my mother and father had an arranged marriage. It’s something I said I would never do. I’m not a cruel man, despite how I may look or sound. She will be well respected and I wouldn’t want her to change anything about herself.”
“Ori, are you sure?”
I had to ask him. I hated that the trip I’d taken to see him had been me talking about Vanya. I felt like I’d backed him into having to accept this without either of us thinking of an alternative.
“It makes sense, Xerx. We run the ports and have the shipping contacts. They need help to get to their people who are along the coast of the Red Sea so it’s accessible. If your people want to help, they’re literally on the other side of the peninsula in the Gulf. We could launch a ship from Bushehr to Massawa and have our first delivery to the people within 9 days since its roughly 1500 nautical miles.” Ori wasn’t going to let me change my mind. He was giving logic for the benefit of everyone else. I knew once he agreed that he would’ve jumped through whatever hoops necessary to keep his word.
“Can’t believe you can still do zhat in your head wizout (without) issue.”
His grin was faint as he sat back and seemed resigned to his fate. “Y’all call me Aquaman for a reason.”
“Yeah, cause you look like zhe actor if he bazed and actually cared about putting his best face forward.” He smiled at the screen and I was thankful my joke had eased the forlorn look on his face.
“So is this agreed then?” Mr. Avery interrupted the moment of levity but I could understand that he was anxious. My father had been the same when he found out that his people were still suffering under his family’s greed.
“Further conversations have to take place. And I’m remiss to do anything without speaking to your daughter myself. As the father of a princess who I love more than my sons, I have to know this is her will and not pressure from you. I will offer her a haven from you if I think you’re forcing her into this.” Mr. Miller didn’t hold back putting Mr. Avery on notice that we didn’t play that shit. I knew he would speak to Dr. Avery to ensure she was doing something that she wanted to do.
“I wouldn’t do that. If you only understood—”
Mr. Miller held up his hand to stop whatever he was going to say. “Your reasons are not for me to hear. They are for her. And maybe Ori. Ori is a good man. One that I’ve watched come out of his shell. When he says he will treat your daughter well, that’s not lip service. Just because you didn’t have the example that we would’ve wanted you to son, doesn’t mean that the ability to make something like this work isn’t within you. The only person who ever doubts you is you, Ori. Maybe it’s time you stopped.” The sincerity in Mr. Miller’s words let me know he’d allowed a little Uncle X to sneak into this conversation.
I wasn’t sure when this turned into a pep talk, but Ori was only nodding his head like he appreciated Mr. Miller’s words.
“So we are agreed then? Xerxes may pursue his choice?” My mother’s words cut into the conversation and I was stunned she was putting it out there so easily.
“You’ve more than approved of her, Babette. If House Cannon sees no issue, then we have no problem with Xerxes pursuing her. He’s got to win her over first though from what I heard.” The smirk on his face let me know that Uncle X was in full control.
“You doubt me?”
“I’ll be awaiting the wedding invitation.” He grinned and wrapped up the meeting. “If nothing else, I’ll be speaking with you William and you Ori very soon. We’re done here.”
The call ended and I realized now why maman couldn’t lead it. She was too involved in the outcome since I was her son and Uncle X would’ve given a semblance of neutrality. He wasn’t big on the idea of arranged unions, so I knew deep down he was biased.
“This is a lot.” Midas blew out a breath and I could only nod.
“So, anozer family is going to join. Zhat’s zhe big secret.” We turned our seats around to face maman who looked less stressed than she had when we walked in.
“It was brought to us and I’d already told them you wouldn’t be interested because your attentions were elsewhere. For now, Ori has prevented your name from even being in the running.”
“Crazy. He didn’t even try to come up with another solution.” I know Midas had hung around Ori enough to know him, but I’d seen another side of him on our last visit.
“He’s trying to prevent her from becoming his mother.” The timing of his mother coming back was either kismet or foreshadowing a hell that was yet to come.
“How so? I thought this life was something that his mama didn’t want even before the marriage. That’s why she was okay with being hands off.”
“Trust me. Nomi was the type of woman who would’ve folded under pressure. I don’t know what it was about this life that she just refused to accept.” Maman looked mildly irritated at the memory of Ori’s mother, which didn’t bode well.
“What was the issue?”
My mother sighed and leaned back into her white leather chair that reclined slightly. “I think she let what her father said get her down. And then he married her off to someone that was all too happy to further instill in her that she had no power. The Franklin branch wasn’t doing as well as the rest of ours. If there was anyone who wasn’t holding up their end of things, it was them. But that was through mismanagement, not from lack of opportunities.”
I nodded remembering the bits of information that had been gathered. The Franklins were doing so poorly that Ori didn’t even have to take his mother’s name when he was born. The old heads were more than happy to allow the Nakoas to step up as long as Ori was leader when he came of age. His father wasn’t allowed the power he thought he would get by marrying and his bitterness washed over to his son. The rest of the Franklins felt slighted because of the lack of involvement once the Nakoas ousted them from their seat and they cut contact with Ori. No one fought for him except his grandfather. Although the two of them bumped heads, there was a lot of mutual respect between the two of them. It took him a long time to warm up to any of us because of the abandonment issues he had with his people. His grandfather never wanted him to forget the Franklin side of his family, despite how angry they were at what happened.
“You tink they’re going to vork it out?”
“It’s your job to ensure that they will.” My mother dropped the responsibility for Ori’s happily ever after in my lap when I hadn’t even secured my own.
I put my hand to my chest wondering how I was going to be responsible for two grown ass people getting along. “My job?”
She wagged her manicured finger toward the both of us with a determined look on her face. “You and your damn cousin. We are a family. Our generation faced too much difficulty and hardship. It was a time of expansion and we didn’t bond the way you all did. We made sure that all of you were good with one another. Even Jemma Marie before she went away. He gave you the gift of being able to choose who you love. You can’t turn your back on him now.”
“I have no desire to turn my back on him. I’m simply trying to understand just how much I can ask of him vhen it comes to his bride. You seem to forget zhat zhe man is as yielding as a steel vall vhen he doesn’t feel like being bothered.”
“The three of you are probably the worst to get married off. The lady you want thinks you’re insane, Ori doesn’t even want to get married, and Jemma is probably too feral to be tied down to anyone who is afraid of having to help her overcome the issues she surely has from being institutionalized. If only you hadn’t messed this up by being your daddy’s son.”
“I didn’t do anything.” How I messed up being born by the man she chose was beyond me.
“Then maybe that’s the problem. Are you sending her gifts? And not the usual stuff that y’all like to do.” She furrowed her brows at us like she did when we were younger and coming in sweaty from playing ball. She refused to speak to either of us until we washed the outside off.
“Who is y’all Tata ? I’m just sitting here!” Midas was laughing at the strays he caught by just being present.
“Yes, but you’re a rich little asshole just like this one. I love you boys both and you’re good men, but you’re still men. Midas you’re lucky your wife even still bothered with you after the shit you pulled.”
“Forgive me for having the dark and the light trying to come after me and thinking she was too green to survive.”
Maman grinned because Nev was something of a hero in our family. Anyone who could make my infallible cousin weak in the knees had to be supernatural. “She showed your ass what thinking got you didn’t she? And I’m sorry, but Xerxes are you not even slightly insulted that your cousin didn’t think we’d be able to protect his wife? Like we don’t do for family?”
Midas leaned back and shook his head like he was bracing himself. “I know you’re about to get mad when that accent turns less French and more Nawlins .”
“Ack like yuh hurd me den.” My mother cocked her brow in defiance letting all that gentility drop out her voice forcing Midas and me to crack up.
“Let us go look up gifts for your girl before tata starts speaking in tongue. I do not feel like kicking my leg out like a frog for the next week because I’ve irritated her. Let all that finishing school go and was looking ready to come ‘cross that desk.” Midas was laughing but something he said had me curious.
My eyes narrowed at the specific way Midas said what he did and I turned my head to my mother. “ Maman , tell me you didn’t.”
“Xerxes baby, you know I never lie. He’s lucky it was a frog and not a dog. I could’ve had him pissing on lamp posts and getting arrested. Even when I’m granting you favor, I gotta hear lip. I will not have it.” She smiled so sweetly at the both of us and I was with my cousin on getting out her way.
“I feel like I owe Ori a cask of liquor or some property for how he’s doing zhis for me.” I was anxious to talk to him, but I knew he was going to retreat into himself for a minute.
“It will be the best thing for him mark my words.” My mother had that tone in her voice that meant her infamous gut was kicking in. Everyone had that person in their family that was more in tune with the other side. It seemed in heavy concentration with people from New Orleans. Maman said it was because the people there never stopped believing in our spirituality so the power never faded.
“And on that note—” Midas and I both got up from where we’d been sitting before a word from maman gave us pause.
“ Fils .”
We both stopped and turned back to her. “Yes, maman ?”
“It is time.”
Her face was too calm when she said what she did and I wasn’t sure how to take it. Part of me wanted to be excited but I knew that we would need to get ahead of what was coming.
“Are you sure?” Because I didn’t want to get my hopes up only for her to soften again.
“Aren’t I always?” She smiled softly and I knew this was something she’d kept in her back pocket for a minute.
“You are. I will see to it now.”
“Make sure to up your security when you do it.”
She was worried and I thought it was sweet that she trusted me but still worried for me. “Yes, maman .”
“What was she talking about?” Midas waited until we were out of my mother’s office until he posed the question.
“It is time to reach out to my uncle. We are cutting the funding to zhe Mahdavi’s immediately.”
He whistled as we moved through the halls of my parents’ elaborate estate. We were in the east wing of the house that was reserved for business. “Thank God the horses were safely moved last week.”
I was nodding because the horses were now in quarantine in the US. “Zhat was zhe first step. Before we were allowing zhe endowments earned from zhe businesses to stay wizin zhe family’s coffers. Zhose are getting stripped.”
He held out his hand stopping my progress. “That’s a huge amount of money.”
I scoffed, but I was glad this shit was ending. “It is, but we’re also pulling out what has accumulated along wiz interest.”
He was silent for a second before he spoke up almost panicked. “Xerx, that’s a few hundred million. You don’t think they’re going to throw a fit over losing access to that kind of money?”
“Of course they will.”
His eyes narrowed and he nodded his head so that we could keep moving. “And you’re not worried.”
I had to shrug because it wasn’t anything that could be avoided. “It’s expected. As is zheir lashing out. Plans have been put in place for years and I understand why now is the time. We have so much to look forward to and enough plans are in place. I’m just happy she gave me zhe go ahead.”
“What was the wait?”
“ Baba . Zhe respect she had for him. Zhe hope zhat zhey would finally behave zhe way zhey should. But I zhink zhat hope died with zheir last attempt at control when I was last in Tehran. Vhen ve vatch as zhey continue to do everyzing to excess. Our support is only enabling zheir bad behavior and now it ends.”
“How widespread?” He wanted a list of the damage we would do so he could mitigate it or profit from it on his end.
I sighed going through the mental list of what would be happening. “Credit cut off. The only one with access to anything that bears our power behind it will be Afshin. That is how it has been officially for years. He has always controlled the purse strings of the money that is meant for improvement. We have always known how they attempt to bully him into doing what they want but he is too well protected. Now we need to make sure he’s impenetrable.”
We finally made it into the kitchen, which was in the middle of the home and saw Omega standing with Quentin and Shoaib. They were finishing up whatever meal my parents had requested for them to enjoy during this meeting. One look at us and they were immediately on guard.
“What’s good?” Omega pulled out his gun and Quentin and Shoaib laughed but theirs were already out on the table.
“Shit’s about to get hectic.” Midas moved around the island and started to look inside the pots that were on the stove.
“Here or there?” That question came from Quentin who was now on his feet. All three men were dressed in suits but were ready to put in work.
“Both.” Midas spoke up causing all three men to smile.
“Do we need to add eyes on Nev and Mansa or do you think the compound is protection enough?” Omega had his phone out ready to do whatever Mi needed him to.
“This is all on Xerx, but you know they are more than good. Right now, we gotta worry about keeping his sayyida safe.”
“She’s got protection wizin her office but I am ready to get to her. From what I can see, zhey don’t know anyzing about her, but zhat will change zhe second she agrees to be my wife. When zhat happens zhey will definitely try to stop zhat.”
“You must be slipping if you’re still doing convincing and it hasn’t been put into action yet.” Omega was teasing me the same way that Midas would but I really wanted to ask him where his girl was at.
“Zhe sayyida loves him. Zhat is not zhe problem. Ve vill have an arusi , soon.” Sho spoke up with a smile on his face and I was going to send him a raise just for speaking this into existence.
Midas was laughing as he pulled a bowl out of the cabinet. “At least Sho has faith in you.”
I chuckled as I removed my jacket as I followed Midas in seeing what the hell was on the pot. Seeing that it was bādemjān, eggplant stew, I was ready to eat. “Probably because I pay his salary.”
“No, he’s not wrong. Black women have a tell and she is constantly showing hers. She ain’t cussed you out and she hasn’t gone to Liam to tell him to get you away from her so you’re good. But stop pussyfooting around. She already found us that nice ass house and I’m ready to move into it and settle for a minute.” Quentin holstered his gun since everything was good and leaned against the island as he tried to tell me about my life.
My brows quirked because he above anyone else knew how much I’d done to win Vanya. “You zhink I have not been moving toward zhe goal all zhis time?”
“Yeah, but double time it. The last thing you want is to give somebody else time to invade your territory. Y’all don’t know how to act when y’all don’t get your way.” He made me sound like a child who’d gotten a toy taken away but I couldn’t deny his sentiment’s accuracy.
“Any man zhat attempts to step between me and fate will meet whatever god he serves far quicker than he hoped.”
“See. And I know Ms. Babette taught you manners.”
“I did, Quentin, but I also played an integral part of teaching him the art of war. But he’s right, son. Go get my daughter so that we can start planning this wedding.” My mother appeared with a grin and was greeted by our men with bows of respect.
“Already?” How she thought I could go from this girl hating me to her marrying me in weeks had to be nothing but a mother’s confidence.
She sat down on the bar stool that Omega held out for her and Midas place the bowl of bādemjān he’d prepared for himself. She accepted it and thanked him by kissing him on the cheek. In a room full of killers, my mother was the white oleander: beautiful and just as deadly.
She blessed her food but before she took a bite she looked at me; her face now serious.
“You heard your Uncle X. The entire Consortium has been waiting a year for you to get it together. Don’t sully the Cannon name by messing this up. Besides, it has already been written. Your ancestors are waiting on you to win your wife.”