His to Have

Prologue

Teo Donatelli

Atlanta, Reed Estate – Six Years Ago

Ispotted her before she noticed me, strolling down the stairs with that familiar spring in her step.

A round pair of glasses perched on her nose seemed almost too large for her delicate features, while her tight curls framed her face.

The rainbow-colored frames added a quirky charm, highlighting her bright eyes and playful smile.

Ayanna Reed was simply beautiful.

She paused midway, when her eyes finally landed on me.

“You bring me a present?” The smirk on her face let me know she was about to be on some good bullshit.

“You know you can’t come up in here empty-handed on the best day of the year.

It’s my birthday,” she declared as if I didn’t know.

As if her entire circle of people didn’t know.

“Gee, how could I forget?” I retrieved the envelope full of cash and the beautifully wrapped box from the back of my jeans pocket.

Our relationship? It was complicated—a mix of friendship, something like siblings, and maybe a little more. We walked that fine line but never crossed it.

Our families were connected.

Her father ran the underworld in the South, and my father New York.

He was one of the five mafia families up North.

Through our families’ business ties, we’d been thrown together for years: Me, her, Bash her brother, and Sophia my sister.

Though, none of that complicated shit mattered right now with her clutching my gift to her chest.

“Teo! You shouldn’t have!”

Her eyes widened with pure happiness as she carefully unwrapped the box, revealing a delicate rose gold bracelet with a charm shaped like the letter “A” dangling from it. She slipped it over her wrist, admiring the intricate details. “It’s so pretty.”

Her smile was bright. And beautiful.

A few seconds later she opened the envelope, revealing the neatly stacked hundred-dollar bills.

“For me?” She gasped.

I couldn’t help but tease. “For me?” I mocked, throwing my hands to my chest. “Yes, for you. That’s for the lil’ shopping trip you’re bout to go on. Ain’t that where you’re headed? To the mall?”

She paused, narrowing her eyes with a playful smirk. “How you know where I’m going? You wanna come with me or something?”

I chuckled. “Hell nah. I’m not bout to be in the mall for hours with yo’ ass. Bash mentioned it before heading to the meeting with the old heads.”

The meeting I had been dreading for weeks.

Talks of merging territories had been circulating among families.

Which was code for merging families by marriage.

I was the prime subject. It wasn’t surprising.

Alliances shifted balances and made families stronger.

I knew this coming here today, yet it thrilled me about as much as watching paint dry.

It wasn’t that I was avoiding responsibility or duty.

I’d do whatever it took for my family. I’d been groomed to take over since I was a child.

The power and respect… it was in my blood, and I thrived on it.

But an alliance by marriage? At eighteen?

I wasn’t sure if I was ready for that kind of commitment, especially when I still had my whole life ahead of me.

Taking care of business, providing, protecting —financially, that would be easy. I’d be good for someone. But emotionally? Mentally? I wasn’t there. Not yet. At least not with someone random.

Ayanna snickered, pulling me from my thoughts. “I’m not gon’ tell daddy and Uncle Marco, you calling them old.”

I smirked, leaning casually against the banister, my eyes fixed on her as I slipped my hands into my pockets. “Come on now, you know I’ll tell those old niggas that to their faces.”

“Who you calling old, lil nigga?” Samuel Reed stepped up behind me. His tone was stern, but the look on his face was full of amusement.“You better watch it, or I’ll show you just how strong these old bones can be.” He winked at Ayanna.

I grinned. “Old bones? Man, please. You ain’t done nothing but sit on that big ass leather chair for so long, your knees probably snap, crackle, and pop every time you stand up.”

Ayanna cackled. Samuel shook his head. “Lil’ mouthy ass,” he muttered, smiling despite himself. “Man... the meeting is about to start in a minute. Bring yo’ ass on.”

“Aight,” I nodded, watching him take off down the hall to the family room where the rest of the members of the Faction were gathered.

Turning my attention back to Ayanna, who had finally eased off the steps. I peered down at her while she fumbled with the hem of her dress, tugging it down to meet the middle of her thighs. My eyes did a small appreciative crawl tracking her movements. “Who’s taking you to the mall?”

“Daddy is sending Big Tony and Carlos with me.” Her glossy lips pouted. “I swear, it’s like I can’t go anywhere without a full entourage.” Her lips pursed before rolling those pretty eyes. “That’s why I can’t get a boyfriend now. They’re all scared.”

I shrugged. “They should be.”

“But I don’t want them to be.”

“Why not?”

“Because I want to be normal. Go on dates, have fun... you know, regular teenage stuff.”

I leaned against the banister. “You ain’t regular though.”

“Yes I am!” She giggled, finally making her way closer to me, her manicured hands playfully landing on my chest. “I paint my nails, gossip with my friends, cry at those sappy movies… all super normal. The only thing not normal, is my dating life.”

I smiled slightly, even if the thought of her dating annoyed me.

“Don’t worry. The right nigga will come along and scoop you up. Then you can do all that regular people shit.” The eye roll she hit me with said it all. She wasn’t trying to hear any of that. “Until then, how about you let Big Tony and Carlos do their jobs.”

“Whatever Teo.”

“It’s for the best. They keep you safe.” I pulled her close and kissed the top of her head. “Go on and spoil yourself. It’s on me. I have to go.”

I looked down the hallway her father just disappeared into.

“Call me later,” I pushed from the banister. “Happy birthday, Amore.”

Family Room – The Faction Gathering- Six Years Ago

Power clung to the air as I stepped into the family room. Taking my seat at the long oak table, I surveyed the faces around it, listening to the light chatter that floated between the men and women in the room.

Every face at the table represented Black power. Some politicians, a few street niggas, and a handful of cops. Not all mafia, but all influential.

A nudge to my elbow snapped my attention to the person seated next to me. “Think your pops is gonna let you run the meeting today?” Bash asked, his eyes doing a slow perusal of the guests, many of them already gazing our way.

“We’ll see.” I kept my voice low before switching gears. “How did your search go? You find anything new on Orlando’s crew?”

“Hell, nah. Not anything my pops didn’t already know. You?”

Before I could respond, the atmosphere froze.

Conversations that were once loud and lively died mid-sentence as my father Don Marco, Crime Boss Samuel, and Don Gianni entered together.

While no single one of them governed the faction solely, they did lead it collectively, with me and Bash as their successors.

“Gentlemen,” Gianni’s voice cut through the silence as everyone settled into their seats.

“And, ladies.” He smiled at the two women in the sea of men before taking his seat at the long oak table.

My father sat to his left and Samuel to his right, prompting Bash to abandon his seat beside me and take his rightful place beside his father.

“Y’all know why we’re here. Orlando Moccasin. He’s been busy. The people in this room have controlled the East Coast for the past twenty-five years, and he is threatening all of it.”

An eruption of voices filled the room as everyone began talking at once. It wasn’t the first time Orlando had been discussed, but today felt different.

“We gotta get a handle on him.” Samuel cut through the chatter. “He’s been making moves in territories that were once untouchable.”

The governor of their great state, rubbed his forehead in frustration but asked Samuel straight on. “Like the protected neighborhoods we agreed you would keep guns and drugs out of?”

“Yes, Nathan,” Samuel’s voice was tight. “He’s not just hitting Georgia—he’s expanding across three states.”

“He’s right,” the Jersey senator cut in. “Orlando’s pushing product through my districts. If this escalates, it could cost me my seat.”

“If he’s in Jersey, that’s Marco and Gianni’s territory. How’s he getting past your people?” A federal agent who’d been on our payroll for decades asked and my father’s jaw tightened.

We’d been dealing with Orlando’s little crews for the past month.

Running them off the blocks we deemed neutral, or making them pay a premium tax to do business in our city.

Of course some slipped through the cracks because Orlando’s been careful about where he sends his men.

Especially up North where New York and New Jersey were both controlled by the Five Families, with the Donatellis and Vitales being among them. It was much harder to fill gaps there.

“He’s not hitting our main operations. He’s flooding small towns, with limited law enforcement presence, and recruiting locals who have no ties to any of the families,” my father replied tersely. “We’ve taken over six towns just this month.”

“See?” Samuel gestured around the table. “This isn’t about me keeping my house in order. This is a faction problem that will only get worse.”

“So what’s Orlando’s endgame here?” The agent asked. “He can’t think he can take on all of us. Our network is way too large.”