Chapter 3
Choyce Mancinelli
If his stupid ass paces in front of me one more time, I swear he won't have to worry about Lucian wanting to kill me.
I snickered at the thought of putting Talon out of his misery because a thought was all it could be. Regardless of how I felt about him, Talon was Cherish's father, and she loved him. That was reason enough for me to make sure he stayed breathing.
I thought moving us into a house I purchased in Briar Ridge was doing what's best for our family.
Lucian didn't know about the property, which meant Talon was safe.
Lucian was unpredictable. It was nothing for him to ask Honor to kill Talon, just for him to turn around and do it himself.
Keeping distance between the two seemed like the smart thing to do, only Talon was making it unbearable.
My place was spacious, but it wasn't as big as our mansion.
Living in such a condensed space with Talon reminded me just how much he got on my nerves.
First, he bitched about why we had to live here.
I told him I wanted Cherish to go to a school in the neighborhood, and he swore the idea was stupid since she attended one of the best private schools in the state.
Once I stopped arguing with him about that, he chilled out, and we fell back into our normal routine.
Then, out of the blue, he came home last week, saying Lucian had someone following him and probably wanted to kill him.
A part of me wanted to tell him there wasn’t a probably about it.
Lucian wanted him dead and never missed a chance to hint at it.
Lucian's comments weren't direct, but I'd been around him long enough to read between the lines.
He was running out of patience waiting on Honor to do what he agreed to.
More than once, I thought about how easy it'd be for me to do it. We lived together, and he was right there.
Poison in his food or drink. Quick. Clean. Done.
Still, again, he was Cherish's father. I really didn't have a choice but to wait for Honor to come up with a plan — that and the fact that I'd only killed once before, which still somewhat haunted me.
My first time was at the mill with Honor. His voice, raspy and lifeless, quietly daring me to pull the trigger like he already knew that was my first kill, like he knew he was stripping away the last piece of innocence I had left… and didn't give a fuck.
That's where he and Kage differed. Kage protected my innocence, whereas Honor tore it from me.
His breath, cool as mint, curled into my lungs as his words hit harder than any affirmation ever could. Breathe Choyce. Feel the weight. This is power. It's control. This moment is everything you want wrapped in a fucking bow.
I was nervous but hid it out of fear that Honor would think less of me.
I wanted to be everything in his eyes. The epitome of a woman worthy enough to stand beside him.
That quiet dare coaxed my finger to press down on the trigger.
The exhilaration that followed left me dazed for days.
Then the fog cleared, and reality slammed into me.
That night wasn't about death. It was Honor showing me what I was capable of under his guidance.
The synergy between us shifted. I wasn't just the young woman lusting after a broken soul.
I was learning to move with him as the omega to his alpha.
Every glance, every clipped word carried a piece of his feelings toward me.
We were in the midst of death that night, and I should've run.
My heart shouldn't have yearned for him, but it did because, for the first time, I saw Honor for who he truly was. The stench of burnt flesh engulfed us, and still that night became the backdrop for everything that followed because I think that’s when I fell in love with Honor.
"I know you don't believe me, or maybe you do, since you had us move out the fucking blue. But I swear to you, Choyce, Lucian wants me dead. Every time I go out, there's always a blacked-out Impala in the area."
Talon cursing while Cherish was within earshot forced me to give him the attention he so desperately needed.
"Cherish is in the living room. Calm down and find your inside voice."
"She's playing with Legos."
"I don't care. She has sensitive ears, and loud voices upset her, which you should already know." Rolling my eyes, I checked my own temper as my tone begged to rise.
"If you wanna have this conversation, then I need you to stop pacing and talk like an adult."
"This is a joke to you, isn't it?" Talon snarled, sliding onto one of the barstools at the island. "I guess since this has nothing to do with you rising in the ranks, you don't care."
"Feel how you want about my past actions, but don't act as if I'll willingly sit back and allow something to happen to you."
"How can I not?" he shot back, nostrils flaring. "I've been telling you for days that Lucian is up to something, and you've done nothing but go running whenever my father whistles."
"Don't disrespect me because you wouldn't like it if I did the same," I warned, flashing him a look that read don't tempt me.
"You're a grown man… correction, you are a husband, and you're coming to your wife to fix an issue between you and your father.
As a husband, your job is to provide and protect, not cry more than your eight-year-old daughter," I muttered through clenched teeth to keep Cherish from hearing.
"That's not—"
"I don't want to hear it," I stopped him. "So, just listen."
I leaned forward, letting my presence fill the space between us the way Talon was supposed to.
He shifted nervously, probably uncomfortable with how I spoke to him.
He should've been appreciative of the fact that I was taking it easy on him.
Because every part of me wanted to scream for him to stop acting like the pussy he wished he had between his legs.
"Whatever is going on between you and your father isn't for me to fix.
I only have one child, and her name is Cherish.
I was brought into this fucked up life to be a wife, a wife to a man who couldn't protect me the way I needed him to.
I birthed your child and endured beatings from your father because you couldn't stay faithful.
I went through hell and still loved you the best I could. "
I paused, letting my words sink in. Talon and I never talked about me or my feelings. It was always about him.
"I loved you as a best friend because, at the very least, that's what I wanted to be for you. It was the one thing I had a choice in when it came to our situation. I held you, Talon. Tears you cried behind the death of your lovers soaked my shirts. Do you know where my tears landed?"
"Choyce—"
"They fell on my cheeks, on my clothes, even on Cherish.
Everywhere but with you. I've always been there for you.
Was the rock Navy chose not to be for you.
But you were never there for me, Talon, not as a husband or a friend.
My father belittled me. Your father beat me, and not once did my husband defend his wife.
So don't you dare use what I did to my sister to guilt-trip me into fixing this for you when you've never lifted a finger to wipe my tears. "
"I'm sorry I couldn't be the husband you needed, but—"
"There are no buts." I pressed my lips together so hard to keep from yelling that they went numb.
"What are you not understanding, Talon? I don't want to hear excuses. It's too late. The person I love most after Cherish hates me because of what I did to protect myself and her because you couldn't… because you wouldn't."
"You would really let the father of your child die?" he asked, searching my eyes for the naivety that once coated my gaze when I looked at him.
"Of course not, but I'm not acting on your word alone. I need proof Lucian is plotting against you. Then and only then will I do something about it."
Without a word, Talon shot up from the barstool and stormed out of the kitchen like a big ass kid who didn't get their way.
Shaking my head, I finished my bottle of water and grabbed my phone.
Two missed calls and a voicemail from Honor were in my notification bar.
I clicked the voicemail I'd received an hour ago, listening as my heart thudded against my chest.
I'm pulling up. Be home.
"Shit!" I cursed under my breath and stood up from the stool.
Honor coming here while Talon was here wasn't ideal.
The only way our plan worked was if no one knew the truth.
I didn't trust Talon to act normal if I told him Lucian wanted Honor to kill him, but we planned to kill Lucian instead. Too much was at risk to even chance it.
"Cherish, mommy's going to step outside to talk to a friend. Your father is upstairs, so if you need anything, ask him, okay?"
"Okay, mommy. Is it Kage?" she asked, still focused on her LEGOs.
"No… uh, it's Honor."
"Really?" Her eyes lit up. "Can I show him my LEGOs?"
"No, sweetheart. Maybe next time."
"Okay," she quietly pouted.
I kissed her forehead and bolted from the living room toward the front door. Kicking off my house slippers, I slipped on the Crocs I hated but Cherish loved. Phone in hand, I typed a quick message, telling Honor Talon was inside.
The second I sent it, a car pulled up. The engine cut, but he didn't get out.
The windows didn't even roll down. Honor gave zero indication he wanted me to come to him.
Still, my feet moved toward the car like I'd been summoned.
I reached the passenger door and yanked at the handle, but it was locked.
"Honor," I spoke, fighting to keep my voice steady.
The window cracked just enough for me to see his eyes and nothing more.
"Where that nigga at?"
"In the house. Unlock the door. He might be watching from the window."
I pressed my hand to the passenger door, waiting.
A click echoed from the handle, and my pulse jumped.
Opening the door, I felt the pull of him before he was fully in view.
I quietly slid into the passenger seat. The air was thick and scented with him.
Mint probably from his breath mixed with intoxicating notes that made up his cologne.
It filled the space around me, settling in my chest.
"Have you heard from Lucian?"
"Uh, yeah… I… I've heard from him," I stammered.
Honor's head tilted toward me, eyes narrowing slightly with confusion.
"You straight?"
I shifted in my seat, unsure of my answer.
Being around Honor used to mean nothing more than a quick rush in my chest, heat pooling between my legs, juices I silently prayed for him to taste.
My body merely reacting to his presence, I was used to.
I played into it, welcoming the sexual tension.
But this… this haze wasn't just lust. It stripped me of my confidence and left me stumbling over simple words.
"Choyce."
"I'm fine, Honor." I half smiled as I turned toward him.
My gaze lingered on the tension carved into his forehead.
That was new. From what I knew, Honor never paraded his feelings on his face.
Today, I saw worry, stress, and the flicker of absence in his eyes.
It was a hollow look, that I knew all too well.
I carried the same since what I've done to Chosyn.
I didn't regret it, but I missed her. Family meant a lot to me, believe it or not.
I've been doing my best to piece mine back together, but it only worked if Chosyn was willing, and from our last conversation, it was clear she wasn't.
"Are you okay?" I nervously asked.
"Why, Choyce?"
"I don't know," I admitted. He had no reason to confide in me, but I couldn't ignore the hurt written across his handsome face.
"It's just… I see it. The same emptiness I carry because of my fallout with Chosyn."
Honor leaned back, then pinned his gaze on me. "You wanted that shit, though. You orchestrated that fallout because you wanted power."
I tried to hold his gaze, but what he'd said dragged mine down, feeding the hurt I already carried.
"Contrary to what you all think, I didn't want to fall out with my sister. I did what I had to do. You don't know what it was like in that house."
"I don't know," he muttered. A dry, hurt laugh followed behind, making me regret my words. "Before you got there, I was the nigga locked in the basement. I—"
Whatever he was about to say died on his lips. His fingers curled around the steering wheel tightly as he looked straight ahead.
"Let me ask you something," he coldly said, erasing the subtle softness that had been in his voice a second ago.
"Okay."
"When you heard about Chosyn's pregnancy and engagement, how did you feel? You fucked her over, but finding out from someone who wasn't her… that hurt, right?"
"Damn… wasn't expecting that," I whispered, leaning back in my seat.
The easy answer would have been a simple yes, but the fact Honor asked made it clear he didn't want a generic response. He needed to see how I felt, maybe to help process his own feelings.
"I wouldn't say it hurt because it was deeper than that.
Finding out my father pawned me off to his boss's gay son hurt, but finding out Chosyn had gotten married and had a baby, that was pure sorrow.
The day I found out, it felt like my heart had been snatched from my chest. Like I was grieving a loss I didn't fully understand.
The bond we had as kids died that day, along with the part of me she mothered.
I don't know if any of this makes sense, but that's how I felt.
Knowing I missed two monumental moments in her life crushed me in ways she probably won't believe, given what I've done. I’m not trying be in your business, but whatever is going on, fix it.
Don't let bullshit that won't matter ten years from now be the reason you miss the moments that matter most," I finished, my voice barely above a whisper.
I let the silence press between us, my chest tightening as his eyes turned toward me. They weren't unreadable, and they weren't hidden behind his armor. They were inviting with a warmth I've never seen unless he was looking at Navy. For a fleeting heartbeat, I swore Honor felt what I did.
"Honor, I—"
Before I could finish, the moment shattered, taking my courage with it. His jaw clenched, the warmth vanishing and replaced by the coldness I knew all too well.
"Get out," he flatly asserted.
My heart shattered, but I listened. I opened the passenger door, hopped out, and slammed it behind me. Honor started the engine and pulled off. I stood there, watching, unable to shake the memory of what I'd just been privileged to see… and how quickly I'd lost that privilege.