Chapter 6
Chapter
Six
EMERY
“Radio one, come in,” I said into the walkie-talkie.
“Radio one checking in,” Herman responded.
“Anything moving your way?”
“Nothing yet, sir.”
“Okay. Keep your eyes open.”
“Affirmative.” I leaned back in my seat, lit my joint, and watched the house where they were hiding Layken Walsh, the bitch ass snitch. It was still daylight, so I wasn’t going to move on him yet, just stake out to find out the patterns of the officers guarding his loose-tongued ass.
Layken used to be one of my father’s soldiers. He worked for the family up until I took over. That was when the majority of our problems began. Most of the OG’s didn’t like the fact that the twenty-one-year-old ‘lil nigga’ was in charge and left once my father left.
I had no problem with that.
What I did have a problem with was snakes and snitches.
Layken was paid handsomely during his tenure under my father.
The incompetent, ignorant nincompoop sat at many of our dinners, calling us his nephews, and pretending to be loyal to the familia.
But when he decided to leave and do his own thing, he got jammed up with an eighth of cocaine, two guns, and a pound of weed.
From the information I was able to gather, they were going to give him fifteen years without parole.
In exchange for a lighter sentence, they wanted him to give them information on the five families.
That included us, the Kings, the Banks, and the St. Claire family.
They had nothing on the DeVato family. We were set to meet with them tomorrow after the pre-trial.
I looked at my watch and saw it was ten minutes until five. I had to get to the house before Yumi pulled up. Shorty had no idea the lengths I’d go through to get her back in my space. I figured if I put a little fire under her, she’d move accordingly.
I put my phone down, started the engine of my Prius, and pulled away from the block. I was confident that Layken Walsh wouldn’t make it to trial.
My phone vibrated in the cup holder, and I saw Normani’s name pop up on the radio screen. I had no clue why shorty was calling me, but I could just about guess. Everything in me told me not to answer, but I did, to find out what she wanted.
“What’s good, Normani?”
“Hello, Emery. Did you forget that we were supposed to have dinner tonight?”
“Nah . . . I thought it was understood that we wouldn’t pursue this. What changed?”
“My father and yours had a conversation. That’s what’s changed.”
“I make my own decisions, baby. You and I both know and made an agreement that marriage wasn’t in the cards for us.”
“Listen. Can we reschedule? There are some things I’d like to discuss with you.”
“What things?”
“Important things.”
I sighed, keeping my eyes on the road and making sure my security detail kept up with me.
“I’ll hit you with a date and time soon.
” I hung up and turned up the music. I wasn’t trying to go through this shit with Normani, but I could tell she was on the verge of doing too much.
We fucked a few times, but I realized there was nothing there for me even to consider wifing her ass.
I wanted to be in love with my wife, whether it was arranged or not.
Normani was so ready to please her father that she was willing to sacrifice her freedom for a nigga who had no interest in her to keep money in the family.
I was trying to sever ties with this life, and her father and mine were trying to keep me in.
It wasn’t happening.
After this trial, I was going to sit the families down and let them know I was leaving this shit for good.
I pulled up to my jeweler’s shop and parked in front. Juno and Kevin exited their vehicle and stood alert by the doors.
I checked my gun to make sure the safety was on, then got out and went inside. Valentino stood from his high-backed chair to greet me.
“Mr. Aldana. Pleasure to see you, sir.”
“Pleasure’s all mine, Tino. You got that package for me?”
“I do.” He turned, opening a cabinet to a steel safe. He put in some numbers and opened it while I waited to see what he had done.
He set the leather box down in front of me and lifted the lid. The diamonds shone under the dim lighting as I picked up the necklace first with the YE pendant. Next, I picked up the hoop earrings, then the bracelet, and finally the diamond-clustered ring. I nodded and placed them back in the box.
“Box it up for me.”
“I got you. She must be one special lady.”
My cheek lifted, but I didn’t respond. Yumi was most definitely special to me.
This set of jewelry proved that I’d do anything to be back in her orbit again.
I knew she didn’t want to be with a criminal, but I was moving away from that situation just so this wouldn’t be an issue.
I had more money than I could count, I had the jet, the cars, the reserved box seats to all the sports and concerts, the businesses, and the properties.
The only thing missing was her and our babies.
“Good evening, Mr. Emery.” Chas, my personal chef, greeted me when I entered my home.
“What’s good, Chas? Everything set up in the dining room?”
“Yes, sir. Just waiting on you to approve the menu, then I will get started.” He handed me the laminated menu, and I looked over it.
Yumi was a big Italian and soul food lover.
Since I had already made her soul food the other night, tonight, I chose Italian for the menu.
For the Hors D’oeuvres, there were Italian meatballs, the appetizer was rosemary focaccia, and the garden salad.
For the entree, chicken parmigiana, and for dessert, sfogliatelle.
I nodded my head with approval, and he smiled, returned the gesture, and walked off. Jake, my butler, approached me next.
“Good evening, sir. The dining room is complete for you and your guest, and the smoke room is also complete. Did you need me to do anything else before she arrives?”
“Nah, just set up the playlist. I’ll let you know when to run it.”
“Will do, sir.” He, too, walked away as I headed upstairs to shower and change.
It only took me thirty minutes to get together.
I chose to dress casually in a black button-down, black, stone-washed jeans, and black loafers with no jewelry.
I looked at the time, and it was five minutes until she was supposed to be here, and that shit gave me anxiety.
I didn’t want to have to pull up on her again, but Yumi was trying me really hard.
I pulled up my tracker app and went to her name.
I frowned, seeing that she was still at home.
This girl want to take me out of my element, I see.
“Jake!” I called out to him, knowing he wasn’t far.
He appeared in the entryway of the dining room. “Yes, sir.”
“Let Chas know to just prep the food. I have to make a quick run. I’ll call you on my way back so he can start cooking.”
“Will do, sir.”
I texted Juno to pull the car around as I grabbed my keys, wallet, and gun. An alert chimed on my burner phone. I pulled it out of my pocket while walking out the door.
+1 3459 -125: All Black Affair tomorrow at nine. Wear proper attire, and let’s have fun!
Location: Sunnyside Villa.
The encrypted number, along with the message, made me sigh as Juno pulled the car up to the door.
I knew the message was about Layken’s ass, meaning this meeting was about us taking his ass out.
What they needed to know was that I had it covered.
That nigga was going to be a memory before the week could end.
Juno got out, opened the door for me, then got back inside and pulled out of the gates.
I had already texted him where I needed to go, so the ride was silent.
I hated that I had to pull up on her, but I needed her to understand I was not playing an ounce of games with her.
I wanted my girl back, and if I had to execute every nigga standing in the way of that, then so be it.
Twenty minutes later, we were pulling up to her home.
Juno let me out, and I casually walked up to her door and rang the doorbell.
It took her almost two minutes to come to the door.
When she opened it and saw me, her eyes were wide with surprise as I leaned into the doorjamb.
My eyes trailed her little slim-thick frame as I licked my lips.
The pink bodysuit with the flared skirt she wore, which stopped mid-thigh, took me back to the old days.
Her hair was in pins, and I could tell she had just finished her makeup. Yumi was a vision.
“It’s 5:45, Yummy.”
“I know what time it is, Mr. Aldana. You could have called, and you would have known that I was in the middle of getting dressed.” She walked away from the door, and I stepped inside.
“You had hours, shorty.”
“I went to church!” She sniped. My hands went inside my slacks as I stared at her. I cocked my head to the side, and she lightly cringed.
“You left the house of the Lord acting like that?”
“I apologize. I’ve had a long day, and you and your punctual demands aren’t helping.”
“It’s not a demand, baby; it was a request you should have taken into consideration. I told you I was coming if you weren’t at my house by the allotted time.”
“Yeah, but—” The ringing of her cell stopped her sentence. She looked at the caller ID and closed her eyes tightly. “It’s Liam.”
“Go ahead and tell him it’s over. I’ll wait.” I took a seat on her couch, tossed my arms over the back of it, and placed my ankle on my knee.
“I’m not telling him that.”
“You want me to do it?”
“Why would I want you to do that?”
“I could ask the same question.”
“Do you get off on being controlling? I’ve never known you to be this way.”
“I’m not that young boy anymore, Yum Yum.
The one who didn’t articulate how much my heart beats for you.
The one who let you get away, and now I’m fighting to get you back.
I’m a grown ass man, and now I’m going to do what I should have done all those years ago.
” Her phone stopped ringing and started again.
“I’m taken now, Emery. As much as I’d love to rekindle what we had, someone else’s heart is involved now.”
“I can arrange for his shit to be ripped out. Problem solved.”
“Why do you want to kill him? You think I want someone who would kill an innocent man?”
“Nah, you want someone who’s going to appreciate you, love you, marry you, and give you babies. You can stop playing house with that clown, baby. Your home is right here.”
“You had your chance, Em. That ship has sailed, and I need you to be okay with that.”
“The ship sailed and docked right at your front door. Answer the phone, shorty,” I told her, ignoring that bullshit she was saying.
“Please don’t say anything.”
I chuckled lightly and held my hands up in surrender while she answered the call.
“Hello?” There was a pause before she scoffed.
“It’s been two days, Liam. You haven’t called me in two days.
Right. It’s always about your job. Listen, I can’t talk right now; I have work to do.
If I’m available, I’ll come by. Exactly what I said, Liam.
Good night.” She hung up, and I shook my head.
“Are you ready?”
“No.” She walked off, and I debated whether I should follow her and tie her ass up to carry her out, but when she returned with her bags, I smiled and stood. “Don’t smile at me. If I didn’t care about Liam, I would have told you to get the hell out.”
“What does he have to do with this?” I smirked.
“Considering you keep threatening to kill him, I have no choice but to do as you requested.”
I winked at her. “You learn quickly.”
“Whatever. Let’s go.” We left out as I guided her to my ride. Before she could get inside, I pressed her against the door, halting Juno from coming around. I looked down at her, taking her chin between my thumb and pointer so she could look me in the eyes.
“I respect you, Yumi, but I can’t stop my heart from longing for you.
After all these years, my shit won’t let go of you.
If you want this with me, then let me remind you of how good it feels to be loved by me.
If you don’t, and you want to be with that nigga, then don’t get in the car, and I’ll walk away and won’t bother you again.
” I could see her battling with my ultimatum.
In my mind, I was begging her to get in the car.
I needed her to see how much I needed her to heal my broken heart.
I signaled for Juno, and he came around to open the door for me. I slid inside, purposely leaving the door open for her to choose whether to get in or close it. She stood outside for a good ten seconds, and when she handed her bags to Juno, my heart smiled.
She got inside, and he closed the door behind her.
“Let’s keep this friendly for now, Emery.”
“I can be your friend, but I’m also going to be your man.”
“You said you respect me, right?”
“I do.”
“Then respect my wishes. Let’s get to know each other again before you make me choose.”
I smiled and looked over at her. “You already chose, my baby.”