24. Cairo
TWENTY-FOUR
cairo
“I knew you’d come back around. She wasn’t going to do it for you the way I can.”
No.
She definitely doesn’t.
Bay Astor was sitting in a jail cell because she murdered a girl. Meanwhile, I caught Vivian watching Keeping Up With The Kardashians and painting her nails. There isn’t a homicidal bone in her body.
And while there might be another one for me since I sent Torin, I had my own shit to do. I’ll deal with Bay’s smart-ass mouth later.
“Your dad sleeping?” I ask, permitting Vivian to run her palms up and down my chest needily as I exhale the hit I took off my joint.
“Yeah,” she says mischievously. “But you know he’s a heavy sleeper. He won’t hear us.”
I’m counting on it.
I’m not here to reminisce about our fucked-up relationship or the simple fact I’m here because I need to blow off some steam. I knocked on Vivian’s window because I know Muncy locks his house up like Fort Knox, and I wasn’t looking to set off any alarms.
Vivian did it for me when she held an index finger up for me to wait, then proceeded to let me in. It’s the oldest play in the book. I just didn’t think my body would keep crawling the way it is with the way Vivian won’t keep her fucking hands off me.
I point at her door. “I’m going to go grab something to drink.”
I’m not able to even take a step before Vivian’s in my way, blocking my path so I can get into Muncy’s room and delete the evidence of Bay’s killer photo.
“How are you here?” Vivian asks, a twinge of suspicion laced in her tone. “Last time I heard, you were babysitting that bitch.”
“You got it,” I surmise, placing the blunt between my lips. “Babysitting.”
Vivian’s long fingernails curl into the front of my shirt. “You’re with her.”
“I have to be to babysit.”
“Why? Was I right?” There’s hope now in her voice. Her imagination running wild with possibilities of what the fuck is really going on. “You’re playing her? There’s an ulterior motive?”
Nope.
Nonetheless, I can’t tell her that. The last thing I need is Vivian whistleblowing my plan and the reason I’m here.
“Do you think I’d fuck long-term with a South Shore slut?” I press back flatly and inhale another much needed hit. “I’m the King of fuckin’ Wharf Bay.”
“That hasn’t been annotated for that role yet.” Her nose wrinkles, as if I’m out of my mind for not doing it yet. Truthfully, I don’t care. In reality, it still needs to happen. “You haven’t picked your queen yet.”
I don’t need to.
However, it’s always been on Vivian’s mind. It’s why she bothered with me for so long.
“I’ve been a little busy, Viv.”
“ Torin got her out of jail,” she leers, waving away a cloud of smoke I’ve just released. “I have a feeling that has something to do with you .”
“But I’m here, right?”
Vivian takes a step away from me, as if suddenly realizing, at this moment, me randomly showing up here is far fetched as it is. “Why? You’ve been nothing but awful to me. You ignore my calls and my text messages. You won’t even see me, but you’re randomly here?—”
“Get on your knees, Vivian.”
She balks at me, green eyes wide in surprise, but I hold her stare with one that doesn’t want to be argued with.
Which isn’t far off the mark.
I knew I wasn’t getting out of this visit unscathed. That I would have to pull out all the stops to get her to shut the hell up so I could, somehow, get into Muncy’s phone and delete Bay’s evidence.
I hate to ruin this memory for me.
The last time I had a blunt in my hand and a pretty girl on her knees was Bay Astor.
Now I have a blonde bitch who’s done nothing but ruin my brother and cause nothing but a massive headache.
I pass Vivian the blunt, as if it’s a silent peace offering. She takes it without hesitation but stares at it as if it’s a foreign object.
She doesn’t smoke.
It’s too beneath her.
But she’ll get fucked up on vodka and pills from time to time.
“Does my pretty girl not want to get high?” I ask with a fake smirk. “Don’t want to get that lipstick smeared?”
Her gaze flicks back up to me, and she slowly shakes her head. “No.”
My smile widens either from my high, or the fact she can never read me. Bay would never get so deterred or distracted. It doesn’t matter how much I charm or seduce the woman, she’d be on her shit.
Vivian seems to have already forgotten.
“Would you like me to grab you a drink? I need some fucking aspirin; my head is pounding.”
“I’ll grab it.”
She pivots then, but I’m quick to snatch her bicep and spin her back to me. Her body immediately tense at the initial contact because I couldn’t hide the fact, at first, that I didn’t want to touch her. “I think I have some making up to do, Viv. The least you could do is let me grab you something to drink.”
Her body softens a bit against my touch. “It’s not a big deal.”
“It is to me.” Her lips part, more than likely off a retort, but I tack on, “A king also serves his queen, too, Viv. I know you know that.”
“I’m not your queen, Cairo,” she argues, pulling her arm away. “You’ve made that perfectly clear.”
“Can’t have you walking and talking about how we’re together. Not when I’m trying to get inside?—”
“What, her ?” she clips out, yanking a bit on her arm, but she doesn’t do it hard enough to get free of me. She wants me to chase. “You think I’m fucking stupid ?”
I scoff with a slight shake of my head and pull my lower lip between my teeth. “Alright, fine. I’m not going round and round. If you want to be pissed, get pissed.”
“You’re not for me.”
I turn on my heels and start for the window, praying to God she stops me because she can’t help herself.
She doesn’t, I’m fucked.
And I’m not and would never get on my knees for her to forgive me.
My right leg is through the window by the time she’s yanking on my shirt sleeve and coaxing me back inside.
“What are you here for?” she asks lightly. “You don’t visit anymore.”
“I already told you. I’m getting tired of acting. Can you blame me, Viv? I have pressure from all sides. My father is?—”
“Alright,” she cuts in softly. “I…get it, okay? But in front of the guys? Do you have to feed them the same story? They’re mean to me, Cairo. Cruel, even.”
I bow my head, as if I’m listening and give a shit. “Yeah, I know. I’m sorry about that.”
“Make it stop,” she mutters before I cup one of her cheeks and tilt her head up. Vivian’s breathing hitches a sliver at my touch. “Please…”
“What will you give me for it?”
Her green eyes gloss over with longing and hope. Two things she should know are dead and gone. I’ve only made it clear a million and one times over several years, but that’s the problem with denial.
It’s a powerful yet consuming concept or idea.
It’s a dream Vivian will never reach in this lifetime or the next when it comes to me. Because while our relationship is dead and gone for reasons already mentioned, my head is already preoccupied with a dark-haired vixen with a nice ass and an even bigger mouth.
“Anything,” Vivian replies instantly. “You know how much I love you.”
I could choke.
I know what my ex loves, and it’s a strength I haven’t even begun to use fully to my advantage yet. A position that would make her unstoppable. A fantasy she can live off of for the rest of her life.
“Then why aren’t you on your knees yet?” I pose, earning that allegiance of position she so desperately wants.
Vivian lowers herself to her haunches and begins straightaway for the button of my jeans.
My skin crawls because, again, all I can think of is Bay doing the same exact thing to me. Her blue eyes played up and looking at me like she was about to suck my whole soul out of my chest cavity.
All because she wanted to.
All because she didn’t want me with the woman in front of me.
Jealousy was what it was, but I’m not in equal parts denial like Vivian here to know Bay was making sure she could trust me. I’ve only been trying to pull South Shore and Wharf Bay together, despite my alliance with The Landings. It was always a long shot, I know Levi Wallace was a fucking asshole, but he knew how differently we could reshape the future together.
But now that big dickhead is gone, and it’s only a matter of time before I either need to become besties with that muscled gearhead, Hot Rod, or if they’re going to pass the buck to Bay. A queen would shift the reality. I’m all for working with a woman, but I’m not entirely sure how much work I’ll get in when all I want to do is choke her out while I’m fucking her.
“I love when you give orders,” Vivian mutters, just when her palm glides along the material of my boxers and brushes my cock.
“Oh really? You’re giving out orders now?”
“I am.” Bay’s tongue darts across her lower lip to pick up the excess whiskey she just drank. “Especially if I’m going to be putting some time in you, Sinatra.”
“Time,” I repeat softly. “You think you need to watch your investment.”
“I need to watch my so-called ally. And he’s sleeping with my enemy.”
“I’m not sleeping with Vivian.”
“And when’s the last time you’ve done that?”
I remain rooted to my spot, ping-ponging how the fuck I’m going to get out of this, but I knew damn well when I breached Vivian’s bedroom I would need to take one for the team, no matter the cost.
I can’t get close to Muncy any other way than by his stupid daughter.
My cell phone pings once, then twice in almost equal succession, and I fish it out of my jeans while Vivian is still trying to figure out how to get my limp cock out.
LITTLE T: Torin is going to kill Emilio.
LITTLE T: You’re stupid as fuck.
Noted, and that’s fair.
You’d think I’d be running out of this room right now to stop Torin, but I’m not. It’s been boiling down to this. I knew Torin would get Emilio one day or another. It’ll open up a fuckload more problems, but it would take a big player out of the game.
The biggest one.
The most hated one.
Sure, Ramsey will step up on the Landing’s seat. His keeper will be dead and gone which will only ensure his psycho to come out and play, but he’s the underdog.
I’m the leader of the Forsaken Crew.
He’s the head of a bunch of wannabe thugs who can’t do shit but smoke themselves into an alternate reality. They’re untrained, undisciplined, and really…embarrassing.
CAIRO: For which part?
LITTLE T: The part where you sent him to come get me.
CAIRO: And here I was thinking you would thank me.
LITTLE T: Where are you?
“Cairo,” Vivian chides lightly. “Put your phone away. We’re together now. I want this to be special.”
My fingers fist in her hair, yanking her head back, and she yelps out in pain with her lips parted. “Don’t rush me, honey . With Levi Wallace gone, my workload has increased significantly. No mistakes can be made.”
Her gaze softens. “Are you going to take South Shore?”
I stop myself from rolling my eyes. If she only knew how much of a fucking pain in the ass that would be. South Shore might not be the next biggest tourist attraction, but the people there are loyal as fuck. The only reason I’m allowed to walk in there is Bay. Wallace would’ve had my head if it weren’t for her.
And The Nameless know that.
They’re not huge fans of it. I’ve had more names shouted at me and more threats thrown my way than I have my whole life, but they follow their orders.
But their leader is currently buried six feet deep with a best friend who is going to hunt De Leon down one way or another.
“I could use their ports,” I reply evenly. “It’s a conversation.”
“You should. Take what is owed to you and leave no signs of mercy.”
Nothing in South Shore is owed to me. My father took our family and left that town a long time ago. I highly doubt I’m going to have a parade held for me with open arms if I ever decided to do that.
“That’s a hard battle, Viv. They won’t go down lightly. And I’m not entirely sure what’s up the line as far as their new leader yet and what I’ll be up against.”
“You should hit them now, while they’re down. It’s what kings have done in the past.”
I smirk. “Have you been reading up on your history?”
She bobs her head as if it will please me. “In case something might come up that could help. Any strategies that have worked well for others.”
Right.
That’d be thoughtful if this woman meant a damn thing to me.
“You’re looking to get royally fucked tonight, aren’t you, Viv? Have you been dreaming of my cock? Do you want me so deep inside you that you scream into my palm?”
“Yes,” she breathes. “All of that.”
Vivian couldn’t handle rough if her life depended on it. She’s the textbook definition of basic and vanilla in the bedroom.
“I want you on your bed, naked and sprawled out for me by the time I get back.”
She frowns. “Where are you going?”
“Aspirin,” I remind her. “I have a fucking headache.”
Vivian’s excitement gets her amped up to finally follow my instructions, giving me a fucking moment of her not touching or talking to me so I can get what I need done.
Shoving my dick comfortably into my jeans, I button them back up as I hear Vivian whisper for me to hurry back.
Bye, bitch.
If I can help it, I’m not reentering that fucking room.
Turning my ringer and notification alerts off, Bay’s text message still sits on my screen, and I take the limited seconds I have to respond back.
CAIRO: Out handling a few things, Little T.
LITTLE T: I need you here.
Shit .
With all the things happening and that have happened, and with Torin doing whatever the fuck, she’s calling for help and not going off and doing what she wants to do.
That, in itself, is fucking something.
CAIRO: Hang tight.
LITTLE T: You’re killin’ me here, smalls.
CAIRO: You’re a big girl.
LITTLE T: I said I need you, and you’re telling me to ‘hang tight’ while your boy is off his shit again.
CAIRO: Where are you?
LITTLE T: Driving around. He told me to leave.
CAIRO: Good girl. Give me fifteen minutes, and I’ll be at the house.
LITTLE T: Marine Boulevard.
My lips heave into the first authentic smile of the night.
It’s the street where Torin and I caught her running through The Landings. The one where I know she had drugs in that van.
CAIRO: I’ll see you there.