Chapter Two- Buddha
I sat in the backseat of Dior’s new Mercedes as she drove.
Behind my designer sunglasses, my eyes burned.
The way I scanned everything would make anyone believe that I was paranoid.
I watched every car that drove past us; I watched every person out walking, minding their business.
I made sure security was very close behind and in front of us in the car.
This was my fucking fault; everything was my fault.
I didn’t need anybody to tell me different; this was my fault.
The day we got shot, I knew something was off; I could feel it.
My first red flag was that I couldn't reach Lorenzo.
He would not show up for something this important.
Lorenzo was an excellent shooter. Had he been there that day, everyone would have walked out of that warehouse alive and well.
Instead, everybody got shot, including Ivan and his men.
Ivan survived, but his men weren’t as lucky.
Ivan’s wife had visited me before I got discharged from the hospital.
She came with three other Russian men, her face grave as she looked at me on that bed, without pity.
She told me that I was the one responsible for the shooting, for the robbery of the black diamonds.
Most importantly, she blamed my ass for her husband getting shot.
“You have exactly one month after you’ve been discharged to fix this.
I don’t care how, but you fix this. You either bring those responsible to me or you eradicate them yourself.
I’ll contact you in exactly one month. If there is nothing different to report, if the men who shot my Ivan are not dead in a month’s time…
I will be sending a shitload of Russians your way to finish what those men started. ”
A nigga couldn’t catch a mothafucking break! On top of getting shot, Lorenzo and my fucking dog being killed by my own fucking fake-ass family. Now I was about to have the Russians on my ass if I didn’t kill Lorenzo and Luca.
I looked at Dior as she drove. She had dark circles under her eyes and appeared a little thinner. I knew this was hard on her; shit, I knew I had been hard on her. I didn’t even mean to be like that. I just didn’t know how to be any other way.
The decision for us to wear bulletproof vests the day we got shot was made at the last minute.
When I told Snow what I had learned about Francesco, we decided that wearing vests was the best course of action.
When we told Tomasso that we all were required to wear the vests, he fought us tooth and nail.
Swearing that he knew Ivan way too long and our lives were no way in danger.
After a whole lot of pulling and tugging, Tomasso finally agreed.
We never revealed to our father what we found out.
I often wonder if I had been honest from jump about what I found out about Francesco with my father, if I had shared the information. If things would have gone differently. I knew my father cared a lot about Francesco even though they weren’t blood brothers; my father never made that a problem.
I spun my wedding ring around and around on my finger as my brain worked overtime. I went back to that day at the hotel restaurant when I met up with Catalina. The things she confessed to me about Edwardo and Francesco.
Think Buddha, think, I said to myself as I watched the ring spin on my finger.
Catalina said she had known Francesco and Edwardo were friends for years before she and I started sleeping together.
He would come by their home to see Edwardo.
At first, she said she thought nothing of it; she knew who Francesco was and that he was my father’s stepbrother.
One day in particular, she was walking past Edwardo’s home office; Francesco was there, and they were both talking.
Catalina said she slowed her steps and stood close enough to hear their conversation. She heard Francesco say to Edwardo that Tomasso was getting greedy. She claimed that Francesco wasn’t getting what Tomasso had promised him.
“I told you about that man. We should do business together and leave Tomasso by himself. He even did the same with me,” Catalina said she heard Edwardo say. When I heard that, I knew both men were full of shit. My father may be a lot of things, but being unfair and a thief weren’t among them.
Spin…spin…spin. I kept spinning the ring as my mind kept turning.
“A few years ago, Francesco and I accidentally bumped into each other. He and Luca were on a family trip in Italy. Thank goodness Enzo wasn’t with me.
He made a sleazy remark to me about my choosing him over Edwardo.
Then I wouldn’t have needed a nineteen-year-old to satisfy me, claiming he would have gotten the job done.
I ignored him because he’d always been a creepy mothafucka.
“I guess he sensed I didn’t like what he said and apologized.
We managed to have a pretty decent conversation and exchanged numbers.
The main reason I gave him my number was simply that I didn’t want him telling Edwardo he'd seen me. The enemy of my enemy is my friend type thing. Francesco and I have been in contact on and off over the years.” I listened to Catalina and frowned a bit.
“So Francesco never found out about Enzo? He never knew you and Edwardo shared a son?” I asked, needing clarification.
“No, I made sure of that. He never knew.” My frown deepened as I wondered if Catalina was being 100% honest with me.
“I promise you, I wanted to protect Enzo. The fewer people who knew about my son, I believed, the better for us. Besides, Francesco and I haven’t spoken in about six months.
I will say this: the last time we did speak.
He said he was planning to cut ties with your father and work alongside Edwardo.
If I were you, I’d be very, very careful, keep an eye out for Francesco. ”
“Are you sure about everything you’re telling me?
Francesco is seriously thinking about not doing business with Tomasso anymore because we have a very big deal coming up.
” I asked, Catalina, deep in thought. Did I really believe that Francesco was going to walk away from this black diamond deal? I highly doubt it.
“I am absolutely certain; be very careful, Philippe. I know you may not believe this, but I think about you and us very often. Maybe in another lifetime we would have been the perfect couple.” Catalina said, reaching over the table so she could hold my hand.
Ignoring the last thing she said, I looked her in the eyes.
“I hope what you’re saying is nothing but the truth because now I have to be very vigilant where Tomasso is concerned.
If I find out that you’re fucking with me, I think you know how that will go.
” Catalina pulled her hand back when I voiced my threat, and she wore an uneasy expression.
“Hmm, I’ve heard about your dark demeanor.
I always knew between you and Vincent that you were the one who would more quickly slit somebody’s throat.
” Catalina smiled seductively at me and reached for my hand again.
“You have nothing to be concerned about, as you rightfully said, you have a big deal coming up. Maybe after that black diamond deal is done, that’s when you really need to keep an eye out if I were you.
Do not trust Francesco,” she said with a shy smile.
Spin…spin…spin. I watched my wedding ring swing on my finger. Then suddenly, I stopped. My heart began racing in my chest. I really am a slow mothafucka at times.
“Maybe after that black diamond deal is done, that’s when you really need to keep an eye out if I were you.”
How the fuck did she know it was a black-diamond deal if all I ever said was that we had a big deal approaching?
If Catalina claimed that she and Francesco hadn’t spoken in six months, then there was absolutely no way she would know about the black diamond deal.
We only made the arrangements a little over four months ago.
I secured my ring back onto my finger, shoving my hand in my pants pocket. I took my phone and quickly found Catalina’s number.
The number you’ve dialed is no longer in service…
“That fucking bitch,” I muttered, staring at the phone in my hand in disbelief.
“Excuse me?” Dior said, looking at me in the rearview mirror.
“Nothing, I was thinking about something,” I muttered, looking around, only to notice we were now at the memorial service.
The palms of my hands got really sweaty, and I brushed them on my lap.
Dior found a parking spot and switched off her car.
I made absolutely no attempt to get out; Dior turned and looked at me.
“Do you need some time before you come in?” She asked with a sad look in her eyes. Dior looked fine as hell; I had the prettiest wife in the whole world. No amount of grief would make me not appreciate how beautiful she was.
“Yeah, gimme a minute. I’ll be right in.
” Nodding her head, she opened the door and hopped out.
I watched as she walked away and stopped at the SUV that carried my mother, father, Snow, and Sofia.
With my head resting on the back of the seat, I watched as Dior did her best to assist. Tomasso attempted to climb out of the passenger side.
My mother held out her hand; Dior stood beside her, and they both helped my father out of the vehicle.
I was never one who showed emotion, but seeing my father need assistance with something as simple as getting out of a car was the hardest thing I’d ever seen in my life.
I avoided interacting with Tomasso since he was discharged.
I barely visited him, barely spoke to him.
I just couldn’t bring myself to it. It was hard seeing him like this.