Chapter 8
“I have the notes labeled under three categories: Things We Hated, Things We Loved, Things We Want to Improve. They’re saved in the gala folder under gala notes,” said Heidi, the administrative assistant that Rocky and I shared.
“Thanks, Heidi. Is there anything else about the gala that needs to be discussed?” Rocky asked.
I looked around the room at our planning committee, welcoming more input or suggestions, but it seemed they had nothing else to offer.
“Okay. Our next planning meeting is in two weeks, and we’ll begin discussing if we want to do the block party or change it up this year and do the back-to-school fest,” I said.
“I’ll be sending out an email to the staff asking who wants to be on the committee. If you want to sit this one out, respond to that email letting us know. You’re dismissed. Thank you for your time,” Rocky added.
“Thanks, everyone,” I said.
Everyone stood to leave, and Rocky and I remained in the conference room. Once everyone was gone, he was the first to speak.
“Rue told me Rose is moving back to The Compound.”
I chuckled. “Word gets around fast, but are you surprised?”
“Shit. You never know with Rose. She’s a hard shell to crack.”
“Don’t I know it, but things are different this time, especially after what happened yesterday. Have you heard from Carl?”
“Not yet. He’s running out of time.”
“We need to meet tonight to discuss what we’ll do if Carl doesn’t deliver. I mean, I know what the fuck I wanna do, but nobody will like it.”
“What time is good?” he asked.
“Nine.”
“I’ll let them know. How are things different between you and Rose?”
“We’re not just friends with benefits, and she knows I intend to marry her.”
“She’s changed her feelings about marriage and kids?”
I didn’t answer immediately, because the answer wasn’t simple, and the topic was very delicate. My brother was my best friend and had always been my confidant, my sounding board, and everything else a good big brother should be. However, I wasn’t sure if I should tell him about Rose’s confession.
“Your silence is telling me a lot. Yesterday was a lot, especially after the night y’all spent together. Emotions were high and those old feelings—”
“Old? Nah. Our feelings for each other never left.”
“I hear you, but if y’all still want different things out of life, getting back together might not be the move. I swear I’m not trying to discourage you, because I think you and Rose have something special, but both of y’all gotta be on board.”
“We never wanted different things, Rock. Rose . . . Rose can’t have kids.”
“Hold up. What did you say?”
“She can’t have kids, so all that shit she was talking about not getting married or having kids was just her protecting her heart. She didn’t think I would want to be with her once I found out.”
“Damn. I had no idea. Rue never mentioned it.”
“Because it’s not Rue’s business to tell, and I’d appreciate it if you don’t mention I told you. I don’t know how Rose feels about everyone knowing.”
“She won’t hear anything about this from me. How do you feel about it?”
“Rose is my heart, and spending the rest of my life without her isn’t an option. There are other ways to have a family if it’s what we want.”
“Is that what you told her?” I nodded. “Good, because had your response been anything else, I would’ve had to fuck you up. I’m glad she finally opened up to you because I didn’t like seeing you all fucked up and miserable.”
I chuckled. “I wasn’t that bad.”
“Yes, you were, and I’m glad it’s over.”
“Me too. Once I take care of Preston, we can really move forward.”
We left the conference room and went back to our offices. It was almost noon, and I hadn’t heard from Rose, so I FaceTimed her to see how she was feeling and what she’d been up to this morning.
“Hey,” she answered, but her voice sounded a little off.
“Hey, beautiful. You good?”
“I’m okay.”
“Let me see your jaw.”
She angled her head to give me a better view, and I noticed her face was wet.
“Baby, what’s wrong? Are you in pain?” I asked.
“No. I’m okay. My jaw is still sore, but it’s better than yesterday.”
“Talk to me, Rose. I can tell you’ve been crying.”
“I’ve been crying all day about everything and nothing.”
“What’s on your mind, baby?”
“It suddenly hit me that Preston broke into my apartment, held a gun to my head, pistol-whipped me, and kidnapped me.”
“We haven’t talked about exactly what happened, but are you feeling some anxiety about it?”
“I think so. Yesterday, I didn’t have time to reflect, because my sisters kept my mind occupied for hours.
When they left, all I could think about was our impending conversation.
I spent the morning with Mama Rush before Daisy, Blossom, and Rue joined us.
I’ve been pretty distracted until a little while ago.
Russell, I overheard Preston talking to someone, and he planned to rape me.
What if you hadn’t gotten to me soon enough? What if he had taken me to—”
“Baby, baby, shh. Breathe, baby.”
She was on the verge of sending herself into a panic attack. The anger I felt hearing her talk about it had me clenching my jaw, but I managed to keep it together and not express it.
“I’m coming home.”
“Okay.” She started crying again.
“I’m on my way. Stay on the phone with me.”
I grabbed my keys from my desk and left my office, stopping by Rocky’s office on my way out.
“I’m leaving for the day. Rose needs me,” I told my brother.
He frowned. “Did something happen?”
“She’s processing what happened yesterday and is feeling anxious. Hit me up if you need me.”
He nodded, and I continued to my truck, which I’d chosen to drive today instead of my bike because there was rain in the forecast.
“Do you need anything?”
“Just you.”
I was so focused on finding Preston and didn’t take a minute to think about how this situation would affect Rose’s mental. Among the things she mentioned, she’d also been bound, thrown in the back of a car, and taken on a high-speed chase before crashing into a pole.
“I’m coming to you, baby. Go lie down, and take slow, deep breaths. Don’t hang up, but I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“Okay.”
I was already on the road but took a quick glance at my phone and saw her moving around. Every stoplight seemed to take forever, and every person on the road in front of me had to be eighty years old as slow as they drove.
“You still with me, beautiful?”
“I’m here.”
“I’m almost there, baby. You’ll be in my arms in a matter of minutes.”
When I finally made it to The Compound, I parked haphazardly in the driveway and rushed past the main house to my suite. Once inside, I ended the call and put my phone and keys on the counter.
I entered the bedroom, and the only light came from the window. As soon as Rose saw me, she opened her arms for me. I wouldn’t usually wear my outside clothes on my bed, but today, I made an exception.
I lay on my back and pulled her on top of me. I could feel her heart racing against my chest, and as I rubbed my hand softly up and down her back, the beats of her heart fell in sync with mine.
“I know it’s hard to control our thoughts sometimes, but I don’t want you to think about the what-ifs. I came for you, and I always will. Those are the facts, baby. I waited a long time to have all of you, and I’ll go to war with the world to protect you.”
“I know.”
We spent the rest of the afternoon not doing too much of anything. She wanted to be up under me, and I let her because that was where I wanted her to be.
“Are you hungry?” she asked when the movie we’d been watching ended.
“You didn’t hear my stomach growling?”
We were lying on the couch, and she was in front of me with her back against my chest. She angled her neck to look at me as she smacked her lips.
“I guess I was too focused on the movie, because I heard nothing. I had groceries delivered, so I can cook something,” she offered.
“What did you get?”
She ran down the list of possible meals she could make with the groceries she’d bought, and we settled on honey garlic chicken with a salad and jasmine rice. We went to the kitchen and got started. While she cleaned and cut the chicken, I started the rice and prepared the salad.
“I have a question,” she said after a few minutes of silence.
“I might have an answer.”
“Have you been following me?”
I chuckled. “Maybe.”
“I knew it.”
“You had no idea.”
“Every time I was on a date, I felt like I was being watched. I should’ve known it was you.”
“It didn’t stop you from taking your ass out every other weekend with those weak ass niggas.”
“Weak is a good word to describe them since they let you scare them off.”
I frowned. “Smart would be a better word. I’ve been told by hundreds of people that I can be very scary when provoked.”
She laughed. “Those men were not provoking you.”
“Baby, pushing up on my woman provoked me in the worst way. They’re lucky they're still breathing. A couple of them tried to test me, but they learned real quick that their lives were on the line.”
“How did you even find out some of their names? Were you following them too?”
“First of all, I know the names of every nigga you communicated with for the past year, not just some of them. How I obtained that information is none of your business.”
“I don’t think I want to know.”
“Good. That’s probably for the best.”
I kissed her neck and left the kitchen before she could interrogate me any further. She’d never know how I kept tabs on her during our hiatus. I prayed I wouldn’t need to do it again, but with Rose’s feisty attitude and no-nonsense personality, there was no telling what I’d end up doing.
Thirty minutes later, dinner was done, and I returned to the kitchen. Before we sat down, I wrapped her in my arms from behind. I buried my face in her neck, inhaled her scent, then left a trail of soft kisses over her shoulder.
“I love you,” I whispered.
“And I love you.”
I waited a long time to hear her say those three words, and I’d never tire of hearing them fall so effortlessly from her lips.
She’d already made our plates and placed them on the table with a glass of sweet tea. We took our seats, I blessed the food, and we began eating.
“You think you’ll be okay if I step out for a few hours?” I asked.
“Where are you going?”
“I gotta take care of some Mayhem business. I shouldn’t be long.”
Her eyes said she would rather not be alone, but her mouth said, “I’ll be fine.”
“You can go to the main house, or I’ll have your sisters come and keep you company.”
“I said I’ll be fine. How long will you be gone?”
“Two hours, max, and I’ll let you know if that changes.”
“Okay.”
We continued to eat, but I could tell she was in her head.
“Rose—”
“Just tell me when he’s dead, Russell. That’s all I need to know.”
I nodded. “Will do.”
We talked about random shit while we finished eating. The mood had gotten a little tense, but as we cleaned the kitchen, everything was back to normal.
When I left, Rose was in good spirits and swore she didn’t need anyone to keep her company. She promised to call one of her sisters or go to the main house if she felt anxious again.
I met Rocky in the driveway, and we stopped next to our bikes.
“How’s Rose?” he asked.
“Better. I think she’s still processing, so she may have more moments like she did today.”
“Rue just put Bliss to bed and plans to talk to her tonight about seeing the therapist she saw after her situation.”
“Yeah. That would be helpful. She’s a bit on edge, but once I take care of Preston, I think she’ll feel a lot better. Until then, I don’t want her to leave The Compound.”
“Makes sense. I don’t think Carl is any closer to knowing Preston’s whereabouts than he was yesterday. I know you’ve thought this through and have a plan to present to the board.”
“I do,” I confirmed.
“I hope it doesn’t entail us going to war. You know we will, but we promised Mayor Harris we’d always avoid bloodshed if at all possible.”
“I’m aware.”
“Good. Looking forward to hearing it. I’m down for whatever, and if they need some ammunition to be convinced, I got something for them.”
I had no idea what ammunition my brother had, but I was grateful for his support. We hopped on our bikes and headed to the clubhouse. When we arrived, everyone was already in place. Rocky and I took our seats, and we got right down to business.
“Carl’s time is running out, and we need to be ready to make a move,” Joe said.
“Preferably something that doesn’t put our members’ lives at risk and have the city’s residents afraid to come outside,” Pastor Marvin added.
“I’m down for whatever the majority decides,” Noel said.
“Same.” Semiyon agreed.
“The nigga broke into my woman’s apartment, put a gun to her head, pistol-whipped her, and had I not gotten to her soon enough, he planned to rape her.
I realize everyone wants to solve this as peacefully as possible, but I honestly don’t give a fuck as long as the end result is me taking that nigga’s life. ”
“Russ, we all have the same goal, but we have to agree on how. What’s your plan?” Rocky asked.
I wanted to invade their territory with guns blazing, but that was exactly what everyone wanted to avoid.
“We shut down their entire organization until they deliver.”
I looked around the table to see if their expressions revealed their thoughts, but they gave nothing away. Rocky reached into his backpack and pulled out a file folder.
“I got this from Officer Downing this morning. I don’t think you should need any convincing, but if you’re on the fence, this should help.”
He gave the folder to me first, and I wasn’t shocked by the information inside, but it made me angry as hell. Preston’s DNA matched for a few rape cases in the Chicago area.
There was a lot in the folder that I’d have to read later, but I didn’t need another reason to go after him. I passed the folder to Joe, and once everyone had scanned the information, he was the first to speak.
“Let’s do it.”
“It would put the pressure on them,” Rocky added.
“We could put our people on their blocks to make sure they aren’t breaking protocol,” Semiyon suggested.
“I’ve also alerted the chapters in every city to be on the lookout for him. Are we all in agreement?” Rocky asked.
“Yay,” everyone said in unison.
I hoped Preston would be delivered within the next twenty-four hours and that our plan would be unnecessary, but if not, we were ready.