CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Reigna sat at her desk, making the final arrangements for the rechristening of the library in the Devereaux Inc. building. Her cousins and sister had handled most of it, but there was a new development that only the queen of Nyeusi could carry out.
“Do you think Jasiri is going to handle this well?”
Reigna looked up at her sister’s question and saw Regina and their five cousins filing into her office.
Regina, Jeremiah, Trey, Lyric, Amara, and Stephan all stood in the middle of the room like a protective barrier from the wind, waiting to cover her when her world was crumbling around her.
“If he knew what my plan was,” Reigna began, “I don’t think he’d be handling it well at all.”
Reigna had known the moment Jasiri had crossed that final line that if she was going to save their marriage, she’d have to find a way to deal with Pili and end the head games he was playing with her husband. To make that happen, though, she needed her family, and she needed to change the arena in order to capitalize on home-court advantage.
Jeremiah spoke up. “Everything is settled on my end, Reigna. My connect has everything set up. They’ll be by the morning of the event to get everything arranged and go over the detailed plan with you. We’re gonna finish this once and for all.”
His wife Trey placed her arms around his waist and smiled at Reigna. “Jeremiah’s right. We’re gonna teach this fool that if you come for one Devereaux, you come for us all.”
They all nodded in agreement, including Reigna. This family didn’t play about theirs, and Prince Pili of Nyeusi was about to find that out the hard way.
Her family exited her office, and she knew it was time to set the most important part of her plan in place. She took in a breath and dialed, expecting to get a notice that her number was blocked. Instead, Jasiri picked up on the first ring.
“Reigna?” His voice was rushed, tinged with a bit of relief. When she didn’t answer immediately, he spoke again. “Please tell me you’re safe. Are my guards near?”
“I am safe, and your guards are just outside my office door. I have complied with all their demands. I wouldn’t risk my life unnecessarily. Not when I want to come home, Jasiri. I don’t want to be without you any longer than I have to.”
“Then, don’t, baby. Come back to me.”
The sound of his voice melted through the cold numbness she’d carried around in the two weeks she’d been gone.
“I want to. But I need to know you trust me to make decisions for myself. I need to know you trust me to fight at your side. I need to know you trust me to fight for you when you can’t or won’t fight for yourself.”
“Reigna, what you’re asking—”
“Jasiri, I know part of this is my fault because I ran without an explanation, and I hurt you as a result. I’m trying to tell you now that this is different. I’m not running because I’m scared, I’m fighting for us and for Nyeusi. The question is, will you trust me enough to fight with me?”
* * *
Reigna made her way through the crowd, stopping to chat with friends and colleagues of Ace as they praised the work she and her cousins had done to create such a touching memorial to her uncle. It was then that Reigna caught sight of Jeremiah, and he gave her a quick nod letting her know it was go time.
“Sweet Lord in heaven, please let this work. Not only is the future of a whole nation on the line, but so is my heart.”
Her prayer said, she gathered the flowing skirt of her evening gown heading toward the executive elevator. With her royal guards falling in step behind her, she found herself and them emerging from the elevator and onto the executive floor in no time.
She stepped inside of the dark room, forgoing the wall light for the dim lamp she used when she was working late or needing to think in silence and semidarkness.
She sat behind her desk, looking out into the window that made up the back wall. From here she could see the serenity of the lights of the Brooklyn Bridge stilling her nerves. That bridge was Brooklyn’s strength and resilience personified, and if she needed any more encouragement, she could hear the rap goddess Lil’ Kim telling her Brooklyn didn’t run from ish to soothe any uncertainty she had about executing her plan.
The glint of metal reflecting in the window glass shut down any remaining doubts she had. She was Queen Reigna I of Nyeusi as well as Reigna Devereaux of the Brooklyn Devereauxs. Just in case there was any misunderstanding, she was ready to set shit off.
“Prince Pili,” her lip curled a knowing grin as she slowly spun around in her chair to face her husband’s uncle. “Right on time as scheduled.”
“As scheduled?” he huffed with a dismissive tone, as if he was shooing her away with a condescending silly girl . “There’s no way you knew I’d be here tonight.”
Reigna raised her brow, keeping the rest of her body still in the chair.
Pili walked toward her slowly, taking the seat in front of her desk as if she’d invited him to sit down. Entitlement just oozed from this man, and Reigna couldn’t wait to be done with him.
“What can I do for you, Pili?”
“Oh, My Queen, I am the one who is here to do something for you.”
She leaned back into her chair, crossing her leg and granting him permission to speak with a wave of her hand.
“It’s been brought to my attention that the king isn’t doing well since that unfortunate attempt on your life.”
Reigna shook her head, already over this man’s feigned concern. “An attempt we both know you’re behind, so why don’t we stop with the pretense and get directly to the point of your visit, shall we?”
He chuckled as if she were amusing him, and she smiled in return. This man was underestimating her, and he had no idea what a foolish move that was.
“Well, then, if that’s how you want it, I’ll be perfectly honest. Yes, I was responsible for the so-called attempt on your life. But since I abhor murder, you should know that I had no intention of bringing harm to you. I just knew that thinking you were in danger would send my besotted nephew into a tailspin.”
She steepled her hands together as she looked at him. “I don’t understand how you thought provoking Jasiri this way would benefit your cause.”
“You wouldn’t,” he sneered. “You haven’t been at court long enough to know that a king more concerned with his wife than his kingdom isn’t fit to rule. By whipping Jasiri up into a frantic tizzy, I have all the proof I need that the king is not fit for the crown. I didn’t need to kill you to accomplish that. I simply needed to make it look like I was.”
She breathed slowly through her nares to control the anger swelling in her chest. She was almost there; she couldn’t let him win now.
“The only problem is you had someone plant real cyanide in my pastries. If I’d taken a bite of one, I’d certainly have died.”
He smiled as if any of this was the slightest bit funny, shrugging nonchalantly as if this were all some sick, twisted game.
“But you didn’t, so it all worked out in the end, right?”
She closed her eyes, smiling before she looked at him again.
“Pili, you are absolutely right. It did work out in the end.”
“I’m glad you see things my way,” Pili responded. “Now, if you want me to stop my mental warfare on the king, have him abdicate, or I promise you I will ruin him before the eyes of the Nyeusian people.”
Reigna leaned forward, chuckling as she did so. “You really do think you’ve got me right where you want me, huh?” When he opened his mouth to speak, she held up a hand to stop him. “It was a rhetorical question. This attack on Jasiri was cute, and it might have actually worked if he were married to any other woman but me.”
Pili’s smile slowly dripped off his face as he watched her, as if he finally realized he might not be as in control of things as he thought.
“Pili, while you were playing checkers, I was playing chess. You see, in Brooklyn, you’ve always got to know somebody, because knowing somebody is how we get things done. So when I called my cousin Jeremiah to tell him about my plan to get you out of my hair once and for all, he was all too happy to call one of his friends from way back in the day who just happened to be an NYPD captain. Captain Heart Searlington, would you like to introduce yourself to Prince Pili?”
From the shadows of the office, a tall Black woman with her dark hair pulled into a tight bun stepped into the dim light. She wore a bulletproof vest emblazoned with NYPD as she slowly stepped toward Pili’s chair.
“Prince Pili, is it?” Her question was rhetorical, but to a megalomaniac like Pili, failing to acknowledge him was a cutting blow. “It seems you’ve been a bit chatty. You actually admitted to attempted murder in a room where anyone could be listening.” She pulled a radio from her waist and spoke into it. “Did we get that, boys?”
“Copy that, Captain,” crackled through the airwaves leaving Pili gripping his armrests as his jaw dropped in shock.
“You were recording me?”
Pili had found his tongue, apparently, and his backbone too, because his shock turned visible as he sat ramrod straight in his seat.
“Well, you villainous types like to hear yourselves talk a lot, so I figured it shouldn’t be that difficult to get you to admit your crimes on tape.”
His brown skin flushed with anger, as his eyes turned nearly black with rage. If it weren’t for the fact that a police officer was in the room with them, she had no doubt Pili would’ve chosen violence in that moment.
Catching himself, he recovered quickly and fell into his royal facade easily.
“It doesn’t matter what you’ve recorded. I have diplomatic immunity. I could’ve assassinated the king in front of this officer, and there wouldn’t be a thing she could do to me.”
* * *
“That’s easily fixed.” Reigna smiled as she spoke to him. “I’m revoking your diplomatic immunity right now.”
Pili laughed loud enough to shake the walls. “You’ve been queen for all of, what, five minutes? I think you need to take some more civics lessons to figure out how diplomatic status works in Nyeusi. Only the monarch can grant or remove diplomatic status.” His lips pulled into a loathsome grin. “Being the whore he beds doesn’t give you any power over my status.”
“Oh, Uncle.”
At the sound of that deep and powerful voice, Pili’s confidence slid off his face, turning his skin from a deep brown to an ashy death gray.
Jasiri stepped into the room flanked by his adjutant Sherard on one side and General Askari on the other.
“When my wife…” Jasiri let the word dangle in the air as an open objection to his uncle’s attempt to disrespect and degrade Reigna “…arrived in the United States, she did so as my regent. As my regent, she wields the full power of my office in the capacity I have granted her. Today, that would be in state matters where she can decide which of our emissaries will be covered by the might of our nation.”
Jasiri pulled a folded piece of paper from his pocket, opening it and holding it in front of Pili’s gaze. “Two hours ago, she signed the paperwork revoking your diplomatic immunity. An hour before that, she had my written permission to do so.”
Pili’s eyes widened, and his jaw dropped open as realization hit.
Jasiri moved to stand near Reigna’s chair, pulling her to her feet and placing a protective hand at her waist as he pulled her into his side.
“You can either return to Nyeusi and be tried and convicted of treason and attempted regicide, where the penalty is death.” Jasiri gave a brief nod to Captain Searlington before he continued. “Or the captain can arrest you and you can face trial in the American justice system for your admission of the attempted murder of a foreign dignitary. Either way, you will never be free to come near my wife again.”
“Nephew.” Tiny beads of sweat bubbled on Pili’s top lip and forehead. “You can’t do this. We are blood. Think of your father.” Pili had been reduced to bargaining for his life. He was a dead man walking, and he knew it.
Jasiri pointed at himself before speaking. “I am king of Nyeusi. I decide how to handle all threats against the crown. My father mourned his brother the moment you made an attempt on the queen’s life. He knew then there would be no version of this where you would walk free of your crimes. Make your choice, and make it quickly. My general is aching to throw you in the dingiest cell he can find.”
Captain Searlington handed a thwarted Pili over to her lieutenant. When she returned her gaze to them, Jasiri reached out and shook her hand.
“Captain Searlington, you have the appreciation of all Nyeusi for protecting our queen. Should there be anything I can do to repay the favor, you have but to ask.”
“I appreciate your offer,” she said, sharing a reassuring glance with Reigna before she returned her gaze to Jasiri. “My husband has had a twisted family member put him in harm’s way too. I know the worry you must’ve felt. This was a freebie. You don’t owe me anything.”
She turned to walk out the door but looked over her shoulder and said, “There’s a bunch of Devereauxs that are clamoring to get upstairs. You want me to let them up?”
“No,” Reigna responded, “I need to speak with my husband alone.”
Captain Searlington left the room followed by Sherard and General Askari.
As soon as the door clicked, Jasiri had Reigna in is arms and his mouth pressed against hers. He devoured her. Not just in a sexual way, he was drinking from her, drawing life from her into himself.
He finally tore his mouth from hers, leaving them both fighting to drag air into their lungs.
“You took years off my life,” he choked out. “Don’t ever do that again, Reigna.”
She smoothed her hands out over his cheek, so grateful to be in his arms again.
“You trusted me to fix this, Jasiri.”
The sentence came out half statement, half question. Like she’d witnessed a miracle unfold before her own eyes.
“I had no choice, Reigna. I needed you back. This was so different than our breakup two years ago. Then, all I had were crafted fantasies about what it would be like to have you by my side as queen. Now,” he said and cupped her face, sliding his thumb along the gentle line of her jaw, “now I know what that feels like, what the reality is, and my fantasies can’t compare. I was so out of line, Reigna.”
He closed his eyes, shaking his head while he admonished himself. “I would definitely understand if you wanted nothing to do with me.”
He took her hand and bent his knee as he looked up at her with contrition glimmering in his gaze.
“Kings don’t kneel before anyone but God, Reigna. But this king would take the knee as many times as you deemed fit if it meant you’d give him another chance to prove he will be better.”
She tugged at his arm, bidding him to stand before her.
“This queen does not seek to put her king on his knees. All she has ever wanted was to stand by him, to fight with him, and to fight for him. When you are weak, it’s my job to fortify you. As long as you remember that, I’m packed and ready to go home right now.”
The smile on Jasiri’s face warmed her heart airing out the dank places that pain and mistrust had left to rot.
“If you won’t accept my supplication, I hope this will express how much you mean to me and how committed I am to having you by my side.”
He reached into his inside jacket pocket and pulled out folded documents. He gave them to her, and she wasted no time scanning through them.
“You’ve turned complete ownership of Ace’s house over to me?” The words tumbled from her mouth quickly as she continued to read. Then her gaze slid across the last line of the transference, and a tear slid down her cheek and onto the page, blotting the corner it had fallen on. “This says you signed these on our wedding day?”
He let a gentle finger slide across her cheek to collect her tears as he smiled down at her. “When I told you who I was, I expected you to end our deal and demand I take you home. You completely surprised me when instead you demanded to be my partner, to stand by me and share the load. I knew then that you deserved better than me holding something significant to you over your head. I had my lawyers draw up the papers that very day. I signed them digitally and had the forms notarized and filed in America. This house was always supposed to be yours. I was simply correcting my great wrong.”
His palm cupped her cheek, and she burrowed into it, letting his warmth fill her. This man had loved her and protected her even when they both refused to acknowledge their love in that moment.
“Take me home, Jasiri.”
He nodded and then clapped his hands, and the door to her office opened with Sherard standing at the ready.
“Sherard,” Jasiri said without taking his eyes of Reigna, “the queen and I are ready to return home. Make it so.”
“By your command, My King.”