Chapter 5
Unwanted
Rico
I needed to put distance between me and Oni this morning. Last night I thought she might have taken off after the shock wore off. Once I realized she only returned to her own room, I decided to back off.
I don’t want to come off as some creep. I really am interested in getting to know her like I know all my guys, but I have to admit I’d never invited one of them to lie in my bed to tell me about themselves. I went too far last night.
That’s why I’m here at the gym trying to clear my head when I already have a home gym at the house. I had Mario set up a driver and someone to take Oni shopping for new clothes. Anything to keep us both busy.
This chick on the treadmill keeps eyeing me. She’s cute, and from the look in her eyes, I’m sure she’s down to fuck. If I’m in her, I can’t be thinking about Oni.
At least that’s my logic as I watch her stop her machine and come over to the weight bench I’m on. I’ve tapped a BBL or two. Nothing like the real thing, and after a while, it’s not as attractive as you would think, in my opinion.
It’s a lot of work to keep up and not all the girls with them are up for the task. This chick looks older as she gets closer. Older women are fun.
They have just enough experience to keep my attention, but I still have the ability to shock them and put them down for the night. However, something turns me off once this one is standing in front of me.
“Hi,” she says.
“How you doing?” I nod.
“Oh, you have an accent. Jersey or New York?”
I scoff. The nerve. While I have a shit ton of family in Jersey, New York is where I was born and raised.
Brooklyn has been my stomping grounds for as long as I can remember.
“New York,” I say as if it should have been obvious.
“Are you on vacation or do you live here now?”
My phone rings, grabbing my attention. I’m not mad about the interruption at all. I’ve lost interest and my thoughts were already turning back to Oni.
Fuck, I’ve got it bad. In three years, Oni is going to be a smoke show. She’s already fire. Smart, pretty, talented, and ready to ride or die.
That shit last night turned me on so much. She was ready to bag a body for me. That’s the type of woman you need in this life.
“Hello,” I say into the phone as I pick up and walk away from the chick from the treadmill, leaving her with her mouth flapping.
As she calls asshole after me, I shrug it off and laugh. She’s all but forgotten. I’m not one to fall all over some chick. I’m pretty sure I’m not the first guy to dismiss her so easily.
“Hey, are you mad at me?”
“Oni?”
“Yeah, my phone died. Mario let me use his.”
“What makes you think I’m mad at you?”
I bite my tongue before I can call her baby or sweetheart. I wish she were here so I could look into her eyes. There’s something in them that pulls you into her spell.
The determination, the wit, and the constant look of acknowledgment. As if she’s absorbing everything and learning every second.
“I haven’t seen you today. You sent me shopping with the silent bodyguard and … I didn’t come back last night. I thought maybe I pissed you off,” she says.
“And …”
“My uncle said he’s coming to pick me up. You’re sending me home.”
“What?” I roar as I freeze in my tracks.
“Before my phone died, he sent me a text. You changed your mind? You don’t want me to work for you anymore? Is it because of last night? I went to call my mom—”
“Oni, you’re not going back. I didn’t give any such order. I don’t know what the fuck your uncle is talking about, but you better be in my house when I get back,” I say harsher than I mean to.
“Oh, maybe I misunderstood. We’re almost back to the house. Once I charge my phone, I can call Uncle Claude and find out what’s going on.”
“Do nothing. I will get to the bottom of this,” I say and hang up.
I have a feeling I already know what’s going on here. I’m not the only one who can see I have a young and beautiful girl under my roof. A girl who would be mine to choose.
My uncle and I get along for the most part. He’s always been like my second dad. However, about two months ago, he informed me of an arranged marriage I have no intention of taking part in.
Oni’s uncle made an agreement with me and my pop. The only way he would try to renege on that is if my uncle got involved. Oni is a threat to him.
Any woman I show interest in is a threat until I agree to this marriage. Well, my uncle can call on an army because I’m not agreeing to that shit, no matter what. It’s a power play.
He doesn’t even like the Abato family. Juliana Abato is a whiny, entitled bitch. One hour in a room with her and I was ready to blow my own brains out.
Apparently, we used to play together or something as kids. Now her father and my uncle think we’re a match. If anything will keep me from being don, it will be this arrangement.
However, I never lose. I always get what I want. I’m not about to allow some stupid arranged marriage to get in my way.
“Hello, I’ll get my niece out of your hair within the hour. I’m on my way,” Claude Raven answers the phone.
“Why the hell would you do that? I told you I have a project I need her for. I have already been paid six million for a single contract. Are you trying to make me look bad?”
“No. What the hell is going on? I got a call this morning that I should pick her up and send her back home, that her debt has been taken care of,” Claude says tightly.
“That call didn’t come from me or anyone under me. I’m almost a hundred percent it didn’t come from my pop either.”
“What have you gotten my niece into? The call came from Emilio himself. My brother’s baby girl is now on that man’s radar, Rico. What the fuck?”
“I’ll handle it. I promised you I’d take care of her, and I will,” I bite out.
He curses and mutters away from the phone. I have respect for Claude, so I hold my temper. In all honesty, I should allow him to take her back home.
I can find another driver for this job, but I want her. The fucked-up part is, when I say that, I’m not sure if I just mean for the job anymore.
“I’ll handle my uncle. Oni stays.”
“Respectfully, Rico, your family may have to just bring the smoke. I don’t know what kind of bullshit y’all are on, but Oni won’t be in the middle.”
Oni
“Thank you,” I say with a tight smile as the chef places a bowl of fruit down next to my plate.
Now, in the light of day, this place is so bright. The sun is pouring in through the floor-to-ceiling windows that wrap the house. Sitting here has made me nostalgic for the times when I used to sit with Daddy in our big house before everything went to shit.
I don’t know why I was so disappointed to find out Rico wants to send me back. I was taken aback by the text from Uncle Claude. I woke this morning with a plan for how to make this all work for me.
After making a call back home and asking some vague questions, I was able to figure some things out as I mapped a course of action. This doesn’t have to be all bad.
I was even a bit excited to get my new wardrobe. I can’t say I was surprised when Mario took me to the high-end shops. From the looks of Rico’s guys, they all dress to impress. Why should I be any different?
However, from his tone on the phone, I have this sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. Things are about to change again. It feels like my life has shifted at least five times since I’ve been here. Each decision, each action, changes the course of my fate.
I should be happy. I’m getting out and I’m going home. Maybe I can actually spend the summer with my uncle like I planned. All my plans have fallen apart, and I will need to figure out what I’m going to do after the summer ends, but it looks like I’m about to take a turn off this dangerous road.
At least that’s what I believe until I hear the sound of tires screeching in front of the house. After Mario and I returned from shopping with all my bags, he left me here, saying he had some business to handle for Rico. I was told to stay put.
Since then, I’ve been sitting here picking at the sandwich the chef made for me. It’s not that the food isn’t good—my stomach has just been in knots about what’s going on. The alarm announces the front door has opened, and movement starts to pick up all around me. Even the chef looks a bit nervous.
“Where is she?” Rico bellows through the house.
I jump in my seat and turn just in time to see him storm into the kitchen like a madman. I stand and wipe my sweaty palms on my new wide-legged slacks. Reaching up, I touch my braids that I pulled up into a bun.
I shift from foot to foot, thinking I should have gone with a more sophisticated top, not this crisscross crop top that bares my stomach. Rico eats me up with his eyes. That heated stare makes me both nervous and curious about what he’s thinking.
His fists are balled up at his sides, and his nostrils are flaring. He looks angrier than he was last night in that shed as he killed those two men. I can’t help wringing my hands as I stand with my mouth hanging open.
“This is why I’m about to start a war,” he mutters to himself.
“Huh?” I say.
I knit my brows in confusion. This guy makes my head spin. Even if he were attracted to me, he’s so out of my league.
“Nothing. Your uncle wants to see you and make sure you’re okay. We’re going to do this on my father’s property.”
“Okay,” I say.
“Oni, this is your chance to show me your loyalty. You’re returning here with me, no matter what; it’s your job to make sure that happens.”
“What? What are you talking about?”
“Your uncle is ready to go to war with my family for you. That wasn’t how this was supposed to play out. This was a friendly merger. If he pulls out now, not only do I look weak, but he’s asking for the Gallo wrath.
“That’s not what my father or I want. I want you here. I need you here, but I’m not going to tolerate the disrespect. I feel where your uncle is coming from.
“I would have the same reaction. I need him to chill so I can fix the real problem. Do you understand?” he explains.
“Yeah, I get it. You need me to calm my uncle down so I can stay.”
“Good girl. Come here,” he says.
Slowly, I move to where he’s standing. Looking up into his eyes, I watch as he begins to calm himself down. My head is reeling.
I learned last night what happens to the disloyal. However, who is Rico to me? My uncle is my blood.
Should I really choose him over Uncle Claude? As I think about it, I may need to in order to survive. I know too much not to side with Rico.
He could decide to kill me and my uncle. Uncle Claude didn’t ask for this. He’s just trying to protect me.
I’m the one who stole the truck. If I hadn’t, those drugs wouldn’t have been lost. I wasn’t thinking.
When I found them in the truck, I took a picture of the plates and took off. I didn’t think of someone finding the vehicle and taking some of the product. I’m sure they had planned to go back for the rest, but I had already called Uncle Claude to fix my mistake.
I’m lucky they didn’t take it all. I would probably be in a much different situation. Rico pinches my chin between his fingers. I come out of my thoughts and focus on his face.
“This is how you earn my trust, Oni.”
“I get it. I understand.”
He kisses my forehead. “Good, you look nice. Did you get everything you need?”
“I think so.”
“Don’t hesitate to let me know if you need anything else. I’ll take care of it. Let’s go. Pop is waiting.”