Chapter 28
TWENTY-EIGHT
Armond Davis
TOO MANY THOUGHTS PARADED through my brain as I navigated the streets of Colton.
I had a meeting in Arlington and wished I was staying at my brother’s spot out there instead of the hour and a half I took to travel in the opposite direction.
Though my peace was well with this trip, my thoughts— though they needed to be on the task before me—were steady on my girl.
Dr. Hanna was there to prove to Brandy what I’d already known. My baby was pregnant and I noticed it the second I saw her and her sister in the mall when I returned from Germany.
She’d gained weight in her thighs. Not a lot but as much as I stared at her there was no denying I would notice.
Those hips were spreading and she looked damn good.
Brandy often picked at her food, when normally, she’d pig out.
It didn’t matter what we were consuming.
Shit, I had more takeout boxes in my fridge than I’d accumulated in a year because of her “food moods.” My only concern for her now was how she was going to play it off for our mothers.
After a few minutes of debating on where I’d want to raise my family, I focused on the meeting I was about to sit in on.
Arlando figured out what he wanted to do with Serg.
And the information I’d learned about him over the last couple of months had me questioning a lot of things I normally had no concern about.
I found myself driving more often than not since I touched down. I never realized how much peace I gained when I was able to process my thoughts in silence without interruption. Of course, I had Manuel following me, but this, if I stayed, would become my new norm.
I pulled up to my Aunt Giulia’s estate and instantly noticed my father’s ugly ass Cybertruck.
I still didn’t know what possessed that man to get it.
Didn’t matter what paint job or tires you put on it, the shit would still be ugly.
Parked next to him was my mother’s brother’s, Uncle Vino, red Lambo.
At least I knew who was present without being surprised.
My brother’s Range Rover was pulled up to the door. Lazy fuck.
I parked beside my father’s truck then made my way to the entrance. My aunt was already outside waiting when I walked up.
“Ciao, nipote,” she said with extended arms.
She was a tiny little woman with a big voice and big hair. Her curly mane was dyed ginger, and though it looked good, the wind was trying to blow the style away. I wrapped my arms around her and kissed both of her cheeks before she led me inside.
“Ciao, Zia Giulia. Sei bravo?”
“You know I’m well, nipote. Not so much for Serg though. Arlando beat him to a pulp. He’s barely recognizable. Come.”
She led me through the foyer and living areas then ushered me down two flights of stairs, bypassing the entertainment area we would all prefer to be in at this moment.
The basement, which we weren’t even supposed to have in this part of Texas, was nothing but concrete and metal, the perfect backdrop to anyone’s horror film.
We walked a little before being greeted by the open space and Serg sitting right in the middle. He was held by chains. Only clothing he had on was his underwear barely hanging on.
I nodded at my father who stood to the side with two of his underbosses, my cousins Gino and Carlo.
My uncle was on the opposite side with Arlando and his underboss Bello.
He walked over to me and extended his arms for a hug.
Vino had always been the friendlier uncle though his tactics were vicious.
I greeted him then walked up to my father.
He kept a stoic face, but I knew he was happy to see me.
I was his spitting image and ran my organization along the likes of his.
Though I didn’t like my father personally, business wise, we were more alike than I cared to admit.
“Father,” I said.
He shook my hand but didn’t say a word. He was pissed off due to having to leave his bimbo back home and not chilling on a beach.
“Glad to see you’re doing well though your people tried to steal from me right under your nose,” I stated.
His eye twitched and his nostrils flared. His jaw got tight. I knew it. This was all him and he was using Serg as his pawn. I didn’t need anyone telling me that. I saw it in his demeanor. Fucking bastard.
I looked at Arlando and he nodded. I shook my head then left my father where he stood. I didn’t have any words for him. Not in this setting anyway. Shit, in no setting. Fuck him.
“Serg, our once loyal Serg, decided to take orders from our father instead of staying loyal to those who’ve taken care of him and his family for years,” Arlando explained.
“Made him give up shipping information, link ups, drops, warehouses, ports, fuck… the list goes on. Apparently, our father’s business ventures aren’t holding up to his standards, so he thought it was cute to steal from his kids.
Then had the nerve to order the hit on Bryce when shit didn't go his way. He reached out to Joshua.”
Giulia sucked her teeth and Vino shook his head. They were the only ones who had any power over what happened to our father. Though I would kill the bastard myself, right fucking now, I had to respect the house I was in and those who lived here.
“You steal from your children when you have billions of dollars to yourself? You should be ashamed of yourself, Andre.”
“I didn’t steal anything.”
“Motherfucker, you tried,” Arlando spat.
“And what did my poor Bryce do to you? That is dishonorable to our treaty. You know the rules,” Giulia said.
“Fuck those rules! You only made them because of Adriano,” Andre barked.
“You raise your voice to your sister?” Vino asked.
“Fuck off,” Andre sniped.
“Fuck off?” Vino chuckled as he swiped his nose. His eyes went to Giulia and her nostrils flared.
“Carlo,” she said, directing herself to our father’s second in command.
“Yes, Auntie?”
“You will be taking over the Boselli enterprise moving forward. Gino will be your only underboss. You get Lorenzo, Remi, and Lenny on board,” she explained.
“The fuck you will,” Andre said.
He had turned bright red and was about to pop.
My hand was already on my gun, but Carlo took the initiative and planted a shot right into my father’s head.
Gino shot him twice in the chest to ensure his demise.
I felt no way about it. If they hadn’t, I would’ve.
Though that was his job to handle, first step of initiation.
If he hesitated in any way, he would’ve been taken out. Glad that wasn’t the case.
Arlando walked up to Serg and slit his throat. I hated seeing him go but knowing he blatantly put our family in harm’s way would never allow me to show any kind of remorse.
The mood instantly lightened and my cousins came forth to give us dap. We’d always maintained a positive relationship with them. They were supposed to be taking over for us but now that the tables had turned, we’d have to take another approach and find two others who were worthy.
“This has been planned for quite some time. We’ve noticed your father trying to step into each of our organizations. Once we found out Serg was the tie between us all, we knew this day would come sooner than later. Please do not hate us for what was done here today,” Vino explained.
“I don’t give a fuck,” Arlando said. “That motherfucker was dead to me the minute he killed our uncle.”
“Before that for me,” I chimed in. “No ill feelings whatsoever. But you do have to find replacements because Carlo and Gino were about to take over for us.”
“You’re going into retirement, nipote?” Vino asked.
“Yes. I’m growing my family and I want to spend time with them. Arlando will be getting married soon and he doesn’t need to be so heavily involved either. It’s time.”
Giulia squealed and bum rushed me into a hug. I laughed and hugged her tightly. Vino slapped Arlando on the back while Bello went about taking Serg’s body down. Carlo and Gino were heading outside with our father’s body. Good riddance.
Though I was having conversation with those around me, my eyes watched everything. Every movement, every expression, every gesture. I had to make sure this wouldn’t go any other way than it had thus far. My family stuck to the rules, but they were also some tricky motherfuckers.
“Serg acted alone?” I asked once she let me go.
“We already killed the rest. He was the final tie. After you told me how he acted at the restaurant, that was enough to warrant this whole shit. I only waited this long so our father would show up and think nothing of it,” Arlando explained.
“Whether they killed him or not, he was going to die today.”
“I feel that. Zia? How about we merge what was left of our father’s organization into our own.
It’s only a matter of port relocation and clientele.
Most of his associates have come our way.
It only makes sense. No point in having them trying to rebuild what he’s taken years to dismantle,” I suggested.
She looked at Vino and they had a silent discussion. Arlando looked at me and nodded. He approved of my suggestion. He could read them better than me and it seemed like they were about to agree as well.
“Fine, but I will be taking over the art auctions and galas. It needs a woman’s touch,” Giulia said, then smiled widely.
“Shit, that’s less stress on me. I’m all the way with that,” Arlando said. “I can finally spend more time with my lady.”
“Speaking of which, are we still on for dinner tomorrow?” Vino asked.
“Absolutely. Tomorrow night. Seven. Don’t be early but don’t be late,” Arlando said.
“Ahh boy, go on,” Giulia said.
She hugged us both then pulled Vino along. I looked down at my shoes and noticed blood on them. I hissed then walked over to the entrance, making sure I wasn’t tracking blood, and took them off. Thankfully, I always brought another pair with me. These would be getting burned.
“You did good, brother,” Arlando said. “I was so sure you were going to kill our father the second you laid eyes on him.”
“Yeah, me too.”
“Look, Vino doesn’t care about the shit with Joshua. I already cleared that up. As far as Jeffrey, he’ll be sending out word that he got caught up in Puerto Rico. That will leave the rest of his family off our asses over their precious monster. You good with that?”
“More than good with that, brother.”
“Bet. Give me those shoes and head back to your lady. I’m sure Dr. Hanna has some news for you two.”
“For Brandy you mean? I’m already knowing, brother.”
“Well, it looks like we have a baby shower to get ready for, huh?”
“Can we plan your wedding first, brother? Always worried about me. Got Chardonnay twiddling her thumbs.”
“Ay, off me.”
“Yeah, exactly. Come on, let’s give Vino a run for his money on the pool table.”
“Hell yeah. He swears he’s the very best.” Arlando laughed.
“I’ll let honeybee rest for a bit. By the time we take Vino’s money, she should be good and ready for me.”
“You getting soft on me, brother?”
We laughed and made our way up. What should’ve had me grieving and chopping heads ended up bringing me peace I didn’t know I needed. I was grateful my father had slipped. He showed us how he truly felt about us and I was glad that we had rid ourselves of that bastard for good.
Using Serg was a blow to the gut. He used our closest pupil to disrupt our operations, knowing how we felt about him, thinking he was hitting us where it hurt the most. And honestly, he had.
He didn't have to kill Bryce. Serg could’ve come to us at any point and told us what our father was aiming to do.
For that, he lost his life too. Oh well.