Chapter 14 Lesley #2
“I know what it was.” Coco set her glass down.
“You wanted to know who you were dealing with. I understand that. But Mr. Grimson, with respect, I didn’t marry your son for access or financial security.
I’ve been my own security since I was a teenager, standing in a hospital watching my mother lose a fight neither of us could stop, making decisions no child should have to make.
” She looked at him steadily. “Might I add he kicked down my door.”
My father looked at her for a long moment. Then he picked his fork back up. “Good,” he said simply.
That was Legend Grimson's version of an apology and a blessing delivered at the same time, and everybody at the table understood it.
Everybody except Karyn, who smiled tightly and reached for the bread.
We moved to the dessert. Coco had made a Biscoff cheesecake that had my father reaching for a second slice before she’d finished cutting the first round. That was all the approval she needed, and she knew it.
That’s when the buzzer went off.
Malice’s voice came through the intercom, tight. “Boss. You need to come down. Swine in the lobby. Two of them. Say it’s urgent.”
I looked at my father. He was already setting his napkin on the table.
“Excuse us,” he said to the women, standing. This wasn’t a first but it never got less irritating.
I followed him to the elevator without a word.
The doors closed and we rode down in silence, side by side.
We stepped off the elevator to find two feds who I assumed were Troy and Walker, the same agents that approached Coco.
They straightened when they saw us come off the elevator together.
I watched one of them recalibrate — they’d expected one Grimson, not two.
“Mr. Grimson.” The male agent addressed me, then caught himself looking between us. “Both Mr. Grimsons. We apologize for the interruption.”
“No, you don't,” I said. “But go ahead.”
“We need—”
“You need to tell me why you’re standing in my building at nine o’clock at night,’ I said. My voice was even. “Because whatever it is couldn’t wait until morning, which means somebody sent you here to disrupt my evening on purpose. So let’s talk about that first.”
The woman stepped forward. “We have reason to believe—”
“We have reason to believe.” My father repeated it slowly. “Bullshit, but humor us.”
Troy cleared his throat. “We’re here to formally advise that the Grimson Enterprise is under active federal investigation. We have reason to believe a significant arms shipment is being coordinated out of your organization within the next thirty days. We strongly suggest…”
“Where'd you get that?” I asked.
“We’re not at liberty to—”
“You’re not at liberty,” I repeated. I looked at my father. He was looking at Troy in amusement.
Walker stepped forward. “Mr. Grimson, this is serious. We’re offering you an opportunity to cooperate before—”
“Before what?” I stepped closer. "Before you show up at my home again during dinner? Before you approach my wife at the hotel ballrooms?” I tilted my head.
“You’re persistent. I’ll give you that. Or perhaps it's stupidity. It’s almost like y'all don’t take heed to warnings.
” I let my hands explode slowly, fingers spreading wide, and smiled at them.
Walker's jaw tightened. Troy went very still. I could see it in their face that they were getting the hint. Next time I wouldn’t miss. Who the fuck was going to check me? Cocky? Yes, but definitely fucking true.
“We have a credible source,” Troy said finally.
“I'm sure you think you do.” I looked at him steadily. “You’ve been given information by someone who wanted you standing exactly where you’re standing right now. I’d think carefully about who benefits from that before you keep pulling on that thread.”
He looked at both agents with so much stillness the room temperature dropped. “You have no warrant. You have no charges. You have information someone handed you because they needed you here tonight.” He straightened his jacket. “Go home. Tell whoever sent you that the message was received.”
Troy looked at Walker. Walker looked at the floor for just a second, which was all I needed to see.
“This investigation isn’t going away,” Troy said.
“Neither am I,” I told him. “Have a good night. Get home safe.”
We watched them walk through the lobby doors and out into the night. My father stood at the window for a moment watching their vehicles pull away.
The elevator doors opened behind us.
We stepped in.
The doors closed.
“The shipment,” I said.
My father looked straight ahead. “I know. Just trust me.”
“How long?”
“Long enough.” He straightened his cuff. “Seems we have two foxes in the hen house, Son.”
Neither of us said anything else until the doors opened.
Once we stepped off the elevator we were no longer Big Grim and Grim, we were Legend and Lesley.
The women were laughing about something which was odd, but I let it ride.
For the next thirty minutes, we chatted because we didn’t want to make shit awkward.
Coco’s vibe was a little off, but she clung to me, and shit, I clung to her.
I stepped away to take a call when my father appeared at my side.
“I’m proud of you, son. Real proud. Consider anything I do from this second on a wedding present. She’s a beautiful girl. I like seeing you be a man, but also a man to a deserving woman. Everyone doesn’t get this lucky.”
“Thanks, pops.”
“Walk us out.”
Goodbye’s were said, to go plates packed before I walked them to the elevator. My father shook my hand and held it a beat longer than necessary. He looked at Coco standing behind me in the hallway.
“Colecion,” he said. “Thank you for dinner and being a wonderful host. Dinner was amazing.”
She smiled. “Anytime, Mr. Grimson.”
The elevator doors closed.
I stood there for a second and then turned back to my wife. The penthouse was quiet now, just the two of us and the remnants of the evening — good dishes that needed washing, two empty wine bottles, a cheesecake that was more than halfway gone.
“You good? Wanna talk about it?” she asked.
“Yeah, I’m good. This ain’t new to me.” I pulled her into me and held her there for a moment, her head against my chest, my chin on top of hers. She smelled like whatever she'd been wearing all night and underneath it, faintly, like the kitchen she'd been standing in since morning.
“Should I be worried?”
“Now, why would you do that. Pretty baby, I pray nightly, a worry is the last thing on your mind with me around.”
I kissed the top of Coco's head.
“Beautiful way to say no.” She smiled and tried to clean up, but I pulled her back.
“Nah, we got housekeepers for this. Go get ready for bed, and I’ll call,” I said.
She looked up at me, and whatever she saw in my face made her reach up and touch my jaw and shake her head.
“Okay,” she said.
I turned the lights off in the dining room and called downstairs for the cleaning staff.
Within ten minutes, I was climbing in the shower with a soap-covered Colecion Alexandria Grimson.
My pops was right. I was lucky because she was one of a kind.
She washed my back before wrapping her arms around my waist.
“Tonight was perfect.”
I turned, grabbed her waist, and smashed my lips against hers. Our tongues moved fluidly; there were no cares in the world when it was just us.
“Almost, perfect.”
She smiled and kissed me again. That led her to being bent over and folded up until light snores filled our room. Now the night was perfect.