25. Patience
Patience
Even if they’re being tried, women don’t go before the First Nations Council. They’re real patriarchal like that. But I have to answer for my crimes, and being a First Nation Princess, I matter a little more than the average woman.
The clay colored slip dress makes my bump look more prominent in my opinion. I pout as I slip on a pea coat over it, before putting on my boots. It’s finally feeling like autumn in East Kenton, and I want to believe that’s a sign from the spirits that things will go my way.
I walk into the dining room like always, sitting next to Cochise and taking a sip of orange juice. But my stomach’s too queasy to eat anything. My father hasn’t said anything about the tribunal, not that he would have anyway. He’d never show favoritism, not even behind closed doors.
“Ready to get married, today?” Cochise’s ass asks me.
“We don’t know what the outcome of the tribunal will be, Cochise. We have to remain impartial.”
I glance at the imaginary camera. See what I mean?
Cochise waves Daddy off before buttering his toast. “Are you gonna say why you left in the first place? I mean, one day y’all were toxic but together, and the next you vanished.”
Would I? Disclose to the Council what Grimey did? I looked at my little brother, stuffing the whole slice of toast in his mouth like he was ten instead of thirty, and the corners of my mouth lift.
He’ll always be my baby brother. I couldn’t risk him being tainted by the sins of our elders, and Monty would let it rip if he was desperate enough.
I wipe some stray crumbs off his face and shrug. “I got tired of being cheated on.”
And then I glanced at my father. “And I got tired of everyone acting like it was no big deal.” I stand since it’s no reason to eat if I have no appetite.
“Fox–”
“You could stop this.” I turn to him, ignoring the pitying expression on his face.
“If you weren’t so worried about how they perceived you, you could have voided the Covenant years ago.
But I know you wouldn’t have. That’s why I asked to leave instead.
For thirty years you’ve made moves only to restore yourself to your former glory, but newsflash, Daddy: they’ll never like you.
They’ll never respect you. And they’ll never accept Cochise.
And instead of protecting me, you’re letting a monster steal me away from the people I love.
” I wipe the tears that sprouted from my eyes and smile.
“I guess it’s fitting you and Monty are the same type of evil. ”
When I glance at Cochise and refocus on my father, his own eyes narrow. I don’t stop to see if he understands. I just squeeze Cochise’s shoulder, and go to the foyer to meet my escort.
And stop dead in my tracks.
There, in a lace front wig and growing goatee, is Rico.
I skid to a stop, and I swear his lips twitch before his eyes go back dead.
“I’m here to escort you to the Council Hall, Ms. Beverly.”
How…? What…?
But I school my expression, nod, and let him lead me outside to a town car.
Once he makes sure I’m safely inside, he rounds the car, gets in, and peels off, before slowing to a crawl once we get on the main street.
He lowers the partition and throws a grin my way before focusing on the road. “Hi, zorrita. How you doing?” he purrs.
“Rico how–”
“We don’t have much time. These cars aren’t bugged, but they are tracking the car. I didn’t expect to work my way up this fast… I fear I’ve made myself indispensable and I’m ready to take this fucking wig off.”
The laugh that bubbles out of me borderlines on hysterical. My life has never been normal, but this shit is absurd.
“Thank you,” I say when I calm down. “I really needed this laugh before my life ends.”
Rico tsks at me and catches my gaze in the rearview mirror. “Don’t count Turk out, little fox. He’s pulled off the impossible more than once.”
“You’re trusted enough to escort me, so you’ve seen enough. You know this is a whole other ball game than South Kenton.”
But Rico, ever cool as a cucumber, just shrugs. “I’ll admit, the First Nation culture is fascinating, and very militant. But there’s cracks in the armor, like any older civilization that refuses to adapt to the times. Again, this ain’t our first rodeo.”
Rico pulls into the back parking lot and turns off the engine. “Everything is going to work out exactly how it’s supposed to. You’re coming home today, little fox.”
Home. My heart pangs as I nod and unbuckle my seatbelt. He gets out and rounds the car to help me out, squeezing my hand for a second before dropping it.
I take a deep breath, looking up at the three-story building with our flag flying in the center.
Here we go.
My tribunal is in the main room. Rico waits with me outside until I’m called in, and I hold in my eye roll when I see the heads of the five families sitting in a row at the far end of the room.
Elias Bloodmoon. Old as dirt. Would rather be in our library. Makes a particularly strong moonshine.
Sonny Spear. His family owns SpearMart, a chain of grocery stores. The Spear family used to only send proxies and is an infamous tiebreaker, so this is interesting.
Of course, my father. *skips*
Aero Nabahi. Surprised to see him, especially since Shakari is married and eligible to take over his family seat. Then again, he’s been more interested with running behind Monty than taking over Tomahawk Casino.
And last but not least, Montavious Grimes of the Geronimo Family. I’ve felt him staring a hole in the side of my face since I walked in, and when I look at him now, he nods to me.
I’m so glad I didn’t eat breakfast, because the small sip of orange juice is threatening to come up right in the middle of the tribunal room. Oh, fuck.
I’m really about to be sold to this nigga.
“The tribunal of Foxtail Beverly will now commence. Montavious, please state Miss Beverly’s alleged crimes.” My father’s voice rings out, and I will myself not to look at him. I refuse to let him see me break.
But I do shift to Monty and find him still staring.
“Miss Beverly is accused of breaking Covenant with her betrothed, and deserting the First Nations, consequently not paying her tribe taxes for sixteen years.”
I scoff, prompting Bloodmoon’s old ass to bang his gavel at my insolence.
Fuck these muthafuckas, as Nut would say.
“Something to say, Fox?” Nabahi says softly. He’s always seen me as his daughter, from the days that my mother was alive.
I glare at Monty as I said, “Montavious has never been faithful to me. I have evidence that he broke Covenant–”
“Being faithful is not a requirement of Covenant, young lady,” Bloodmoon interrupts me.
“He mustn’t have a child out of wedlock that’s not with his beloved, desert his beloved, or cause bodily harm, and going steady with women outside of our fold isn’t causing bodily harm. Now, has he done anything else?”
The fix is definitely in, and I’m fucked with no lube.
I hunch my shoulders and shake my head, blinking back tears. Monty looks on with a victorious smirk, pulling my card perfectly. I don’t want to be with him, but going on record of my father’s transgressions will do nothing but irreparably destroy his and Cochise’s relationship.
“Then the Covenant is still active between the Geronimo and Beverly families–”
Loud commotion takes over just outside the tribunal room, with people shouting.
Rico, who’s been “keeping guard” speaks into his earpiece and runs toward the door.
As soon as he grabs the handle and opens it, I see Ty come in first, guns drawn.
Him, Reem, and Nutty form a circle around two people as they inch inside the room.
Rico backs up toward me, taking his guard role seriously.
I gasp when I see Royce inside the circle, holding a gun to Cochise’s head.
“WHAT’S THE MEANING OF THIS!” my father roars.
Royce wraps an arm around Cochise’s neck and makes him lean back. “Insurance. Hey princess.” He winks at me and I hate that a part of me simpers at the pet name. I don’t know if I like ‘princess’ or ‘honey crisp’ better.
“My homie is gonna collect y’all guns and if you try any funny shit I’m putting a hot one in this nigga.”
Bloodmoon bristles, making Reem screw up his face.
“Nigga you can go right after. Prolly fart dust.”
Nutty’s shoulders shake as he locks the doors to the tribunal room.
The elders grumble but Reem collects all their guns, including two from Monty. Nutty and Ty post up in opposite corners of the room, while Reem sits Cochise down in one of the rows, and Royce guides me to the front row and sits us down there.
“Aight. Where were we?” Royce claps.
“Young man. This is a closed First Nations Council tribunal. You and your friends aren’t a part of–”
“With all due respect, Pay–Foxtail is my woman, and she’s having my baby. I have a right to be here, especially if you guys are asserting she broke one of the most revered laws of the land.”
“And, we the one with the guns, nigga. So proceed,” Nut grumbles from behind us.
Something makes my father flinch, and he moves to his microphone.
“We will proceed. Miss Beverly, we just decreed the Covenant between the Beverly and Geronimo families was in fact valid and in effect when you broke Covenant by leaving First Nations soil. The consequences of breaking Covenant are deferred to the party in suffering. Montavious?”
Monty grins evilly as he rubs his hands together. “The Covenant should be reinstated and enforced immediately.”
“Very well–”
“Question. Ay, y’all don’t be sighing and shit. A nigga is new to this shit.” Royce glares at the Council before continuing. “The Covenant states ‘a Beverly daughter and a Geronimo son,’ but what if there’s more than one Geronimo son?”
The smirk drops off Monty’s face so fast I almost blink and miss it, lille I almost missed my father’s lips twitching.
It’s Bloodmoon that answers Royce’s question. “Most Covenants will specify which son or daughter is being promised, but in the event that there is more than one that could be applied, then the opposite party will choose who they want.”