Chapter 15 #2
“Excellent,” she cooed, flashing him a lovely smile. “There’s just one more thing, Mike. I think you need to reduce the price by twenty-five percent. Let’s face it, the sofa and the chair have been here for several weeks.”
He opened his mouth while shock bore down on his face seconds before she placed her hand on his chest, tilting her head. Was she batting her eyelashes?
For the first time in weeks, I felt a little lighthearted.
“Emmeline. That’s a lot. I don’t know…”
“Come on, Mike. I’m one of your best customers. Aren’t I?”
“Well, yes, you are, but…” She wasn’t budging and he could tell. He glanced at me and I offered the same alluring smile. “Fine. I can do that.”
“You’re a peach, darlin’.’ Now she was dragging out a Southern accent. I adored this woman more and more as time went on. “Put everything on my account.”
“Ah. Thank you. Can I talk to you for a second?” Mike asked.
“Of course.”
He took her elbow, leading her aside. It took less than thirty seconds for her to shut him down. She was masterful.
“Let’s grab a cup of coffee and not at my pastry shop. I know you want to talk.” Emme looked me directly in the eyes. “You deserve answers. I’m sorry that I’ve been very cautious.”
“You don’t need to tell me anything.”
“You’re going to find out sooner versus later about my family. Not like it’s a town secret.” We remained close to the building and that’s when I noticed a dark SUV leaving a parking space. Seconds later, I sensed they were following us.
The fear that I’d had in New York returned and I started to shake.
“What’s wrong?” Emme was concerned, gently pushing me against the side of the building.
“We’re being followed.”
She glanced over my shoulder. “Yes, we are. More for me than you, but they’ll protect you if necessary.”
“Why?”
When she looked away, it was easy to sense she wasn’t certain what to say to me. “Remember I mentioned my father being gunned down?”
“Yes.”
“He was murdered by some very bad people and my family went through sheer hell. Since then, I have had a security team. So does my mother and grandmother and the women involved with my brothers. I’m used to having them around. They don’t usually interfere because they haven’t needed to.”
“You’re mafia.”
She seemed surprised I’d figured out why, taking a few seconds to glance both ways with the sidewalk and busy street in front of us. “We are a family run operation that goes back generations doing things a little differently than typical corporate America. Does it need a label?”
“Emme, I don’t have a way of answering that truthfully.” That wasn’t a lie. “I just need to know what I’m dealing with and who I can trust.”
When she grabbed my hand, I didn’t fight her. “You really can trust me. Perhaps more than almost anyone. Let’s get that coffee. Okay?”
Nodding, I glanced over my shoulder once again as we started walking.
Given my circumstances, there was a benefit to having security people around from time to time.
What was I thinking? I’d done everything in my power to leave this damn life and here I was attached to another dangerous family.
The two men inside the SUV were barely paying attention.
“What did Mike ask you?” I asked if for no other reason than to lighten the conversation.
“He’s asked me out for dinner about ten times and ten times I’ve told him the same thing. But he keeps trying.”
“Maybe I should learn how to wrap a man around my little finger.”
“Who are you kidding, girl?” Emme asked. “No matter what you think of my brother, I haven’t seen Jaxon that flustered around a woman ever before.”
“I don’t buy that. I can’t lie to you. He’s very…
nice looking, but I don’t think we’re a match made in heaven.
Although he was very nice at the event last night.
” Why was I telling his sister that he was handsome?
I certainly wouldn’t consider going on a date with the man even if he was interested, which he wasn’t.
“I cannot believe I just told you that.”
“I just bet he was. You should meet my other brothers. But they’re all taken.”
“I’m not looking for a boyfriend, Emme. I’m happy with my life the way it is.”
“Mmm… I’ll keep that in mind. Oh, let’s go here. They have the best latte in town. Don’t tell anyone who works for me.”
“Simply the Best. A great name.”
“My sister-in-law owns it.”
“What?”
“Don’t worry. All the secrets we share will be safe.” She threw open the door, waltzing inside. The beautiful woman behind the counter lit up like a firefly, racing around the end toward us.
“Emme! What are you doing here?” They hugged and I reminded myself what it was like to have friends who cared about you.
The girl was stunning even while wearing an apron with a smudge of flour on her cheek, her copper hair catching rays of sunlight coming in through the window. She wiped her hands on the apron while shooting me a quick glance, recognition settling in.
“Just taking my friend shopping. We needed refreshments.”
“Ah, you must be Anna. I’m Josette.” She held out her hand for a shake, her lips curled into a natural smile.
“Does everyone know I just moved here?” I was stiffer than I should be, surprised how accommodating Emme and her friends were. In New York, none of this would occur.
Josette laughed. “You’ll learn there is very little in New Orleans that goes unnoticed with the Prince family.”
“How’s that?” When I asked the question, the two women shared a look between them that I couldn’t quite read. But it was obvious Josette had no issues with being involved with the family. I still wasn’t certain what to think at this point.
“My brothers and the men who work for them are very observant,” Emme piped in.
“What would you ladies like? It’s on me as a welcome to New Orleans treat.” Josette was eager to shift the conversation.
We ordered and I’d already learned when around anyone in the Prince family that the word no wasn’t meant for my vocabulary. When we were settled at a table in the back and far away from the windows, Josette was called away by a delivery in the back.
The SUV was in plain sight, although with the smoky glass, I couldn’t see their faces.
“Josette is married to Sinclair, my second to oldest brother. A true pain in the ass, but he means well. At least Josie can handle him.”
“Four brothers, huh?” I asked, taking a sip of the pumpkin spice latte. “This is delicious.”
“I told you. Josie rivals Indulgence and I love the competition. Four big brawny brothers. Alexander runs the family given my dad’s… passing. Sinclair is next in line then Montgomery and Jaxon. They are all much older than I am.”
“The worst.”
Her face clouded. “I’m so sorry. I keep forgetting you didn’t have a family growing up. Maybe one of your foster families became a decent role model, showing you support?” Why did I have a feeling she was fishing for information?
“What I’ve learned over the years is that every family holds secrets, harboring them close, fearful that if anyone discovered what they were hiding, they’d either be ostracized or have targets placed on their backs.
I’ve seen it time and time again, which is why I’m perfectly fine with not having a family. At least for now.”
Emme took a sip of her latte, her eyes narrowing. “You’re right, Anna. I always believed my parents were heroes. Especially my dad. He was larger than life, a huge man with bulging muscles.”
“Like Jaxon.” I flushed the moment I mentioned one of his many attributes, which caught Emme’s attention.
She lifted a single eyebrow, her expression more mischievous than before. “Every one of my brothers takes after my dad. Burly guys who enjoy using their physical attributes to get what they want with their enemies and the ladies. But when I was a kid, I had very few friends.”
“Why? You’re an amazing chick.”
Her smile could light up a room. “You’re sweet.
I was shy if you can believe that, but the children were told that my parents were bad people.
For a long time, I didn’t understand why I wasn’t invited to birthday parties or sleepovers.
Then my mother and father sat me down and explained that we were different than other families.
They called us special and tried to make the fact that we were ostracized from society out to be because we were somehow better than everyone else. ”
“When did you find out what your father did for a living?”
As she twisted her cup back and forth, she half laughed as if remembering.
“This girl was new to the school. She’d just moved to New Orleans with her family.
I was in seventh grade, I think. Anyway, she tried to bully me since I was the quiet kid.
She was pulled aside one day by a group of girls and told that she needed to watch her back because my father would make her and her entire family disappear.
They called my father the Prince of Darkness.
The name sticks today only my brother Alexander thinks it’s hysterical. ”
“Oh, my God. What a horrible thing for a child to hear. What a terrible nickname.”
“I know. Granted, with coming from a Cajun family, very creative. However, I ran home in tears, absolutely hysterical. We had a family meeting, including my two brothers who were in college and that’s when I learned my father was involved with various criminal activities.
I also learned we came from a long line, my grandfather and great-grandfather starting the family business.
Through the years and with Alexander at the helm, we’ve become more legitimate, but our roots still stand.
My bubble was burst when I was thirteen, but I learned over the years that everything that people said had been true.
There are hundreds of amazing things about my family though. ”
“Look at you. You’re an amazing woman. A business owner. You give to charities and other businesses. You’re so kind to everyone. Look what you’ve done for me.”