Chapter 1
Phoenix threw his keys in the bowl near the front door as he entered the foyer of his home. “This is the last time I’m getting you out of any other bind, Portia. You’re constantly putting yourself in situations you can’t get yourself out of. You’re twenty-five years old and it’s time..”
“You grow up,” Portia whined, finishing her father’s sentence. “I know daddy, I know. You tell me every other week.” She rolled her eyes as she walked to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator to see what she could get her hands on.
Portia Denzel was the kind of girl some may consider problematic and rebellious, but if you got to know her, you’d come to find that she was just…
lost. Every other week she was into some trouble and constantly on her father’s nerves.
Phoenix had it up to his ears with her mess and was no longer going to tolerate it.
But the real question is, is Portia going to listen?
“If you did as much as you knew, you wouldn’t constantly hear me say it over and over again. You have to stop drinking, Portia. It’s causing you to spiral out of control.” Phoenix looked at his daughter with sad eyes. Eyes that were tired and unsure of what else he could do to save her.
Phoenix sat in the kitchen nook and patted the seat beside him, motioning for Portia to sit next to him.
Portia was a daddy’s girl. She knew she had the key to his heart, but she hated how much she continued to break it repeatedly.
She knew her father expected more from her, but it was hard for her to live up to his expectations.
Before her mother passed, she was the darling girl her father knew her to be.
The girl her father yearned for her to remain.
She could see it in his eyes–but that girl died with her mother years ago.
Portia’s heart now remained broken with a missing hole that was once filled with the woman who gave her life.
The woman who held her hand when she first learned how to ride a bike.
The woman who wiped her tears after a hard day at school and laid with her until she fell asleep because of her night terrors.
The only mother she had, and could never get back.
She laid her head on her father’s shoulder and released a deep sigh. “I know daddy, I know.” Her only words ever spoken when her father brings up her drinking and behavior.
Phoenix looked down at her and moved a few of her braids from her face to find her misty doe eyes–they were the eyes of the little girl he once knew.
“Sweetheart, I know it’s been tough since your mother passed, but it’s time you get some help.
Drinking isn’t the answer to cure your pain.
” Phoenix touched his chest where it still ached from the day the love of his life took her last breath. “And trust me, I know how you feel.”
A tear rolled down Portia’s face. There wasn't anything else in the world she wanted more than to see her mother again.
To hold her hand, twist her curls around her fingers, and hear her laugh one last time.
Portia sniffed up the moisture from her nose, hoping to prevent the rest of her tears from falling.
“I think it’s time you get help. I found a local AA group that will be a good start. You can talk to them about what you’re experiencing and hear about how others have progressed in their own journey.”
Portia quickly sat up straight and scrunched up her face at her father. “AA dad, really?” Portia knew she had a drinking problem, but she damn sure didn’t think she was an alcoholic.
“Yes, Alcoholics Anonymous. You have a problem, Portia. Whether you want to label it alcoholism or not, you need to find a new way to cope.” Phoenix crossed his arms over his chest, meaning every word he said.
He wasn’t in disbelief, because this child of his never agreed with him about anything.
“It’s either that or therapy. And I know you don’t… ”
“Alright dad, alright.” Portia put her hands up in surrender. “I’ll try this AA thing.” She took the meeting flier from her father, which had all the information she needed.
“Good. Benny’s going to take you every Tuesday at 2. So please be ready, on time,” Phoenix said sternly as he watched his daughter’s mouth drop open in disbelief.
Portia had a thing for stalling when she had some place she was required to be.
Her father was no longer going to tolerate another excuse for her behavior.
“And no, this isn’t an option. It’s an order.
You’re going and Benny will ensure that you’re attending every week.
Not only that, he will also be supervising your whereabouts. ”
Portia had every objection ready, but she knew her father wasn’t playing.
He was right. She had a problem and needed to fix it yesterday.
AA wasn’t on her radar and therapy damn sure wasn’t what she wanted, but she had to agree to the lesser of the evils.
Therapy wasn’t her style. It didn’t help right after her mother passed, so why would it help now?
Kannon entered his office and scanned his view to ensure all of his children were present. “Where’s Sage?” he asked.
“Running late as usual,” Salem said, rolling his eyes. “I think she had a hair appointment this morning.” He looked out the window behind him to see a black G Wagon pull up in the driveway. “Looks like she’s pulling up now.”
Kannon sighed, and Salem laughed. “You gotta be used to it by now, Pops,” he said. Sage was never on time for anything: meetings, lunch… her own birth. Shit, the girl will be late to her own damn funeral.
A few moments later, the door swung open and Sage hurried to take a seat in the chair facing her father. “Sorry, Pops. Traffic was crazy.” She pulled her long locs into a top knot, showing off her freshly shaved sides.
“I’m sure it was,” he said nonchalantly, rolling his eyes. He knew she was lying through her teeth, but everyone knew not to expect her to be on time.
“Oooo nice cut!” Salem gassed her up. He placed his hand on the side of Sage’s head to check out her new look.
“Y’know I had to get a new look. Give the ladies what they want,” Sage cheesed as she stroked her invisible beard.
“Alright you two,” Kannon said, breaking up the twinanigans. “Now for what we’re actually here for.” He cleared his throat and walked over to the office entrance to shut the door. “We have some new updates in the business and I need all of you to participate.”
Sage’s face lit up as she moved to the edge of her seat, anticipating to hear about the news.
Her father rarely allowed her to get in on family business, so she was hoping this time she’d play a bigger part than usual.
Any other time, she handled administrative work or was an extra pair of hands down at the center.
So this time she was hoping she’d be more than behind the scenes and get to do some groundwork.
“We have a new potential partner on our roster.” Kannon passed a manilla folder to his oldest son, KJ. “He’s offered to cut a deal with OneHeart to purchase blood units on a monthly basis.”
KJ scanned over the papers within the folder as his father continued to explain the inner workings of their new potential partner. “He’s a vamp!?” he said in disbelief after reviewing the profile Kannon put together. “Pops, I thought we never enter their territory.”
“That was before I heard the numbers he was willing to bring in,” Kannon clarified.
“I know we’ve had a rough history with them, but I’m willing to level the playing field with this new operation.
He’s offering over $100K monthly, which will bring in double what we’ve lost from the center since the virus hit. ”
KJ wasn’t convinced his father was fully invested in this ordeal, but he knew his father would never stir their family wrong.
“So,” Kannon continued. “KJ, I need you to man this operation over the next six months. I have my hands full with freight and need you to ensure business runs smoothly. No hiccups. Keep your eyes on them to make sure nothing goes wrong. This is a lot of money on the table.” KJ nodded, reassuring his father’s requests.
“What about us, Pops?” Sage said, pointing between Salem and herself. She was still on the edge of her seat, waiting to hear what role she’d play in all this.
“I need you two to be my eyes and ears on the street,” Kannon said.
Sage smiled. She almost jumped out of her skin thinking about how much her father is entrusting her. Kannon wasn’t easy going when it came to being a lookout, so she knew this had to be a big deal.
“Phoenix has a daughter that’s been a little out of control lately and I need you two to fill in as her bodyguards,” Kannon added.
“A bodyguard!?” Sage and Salem both said at the same time. Sage didn’t like the sound of that. The last thing she wanted to do was babysit some vamp’s bad ass kid. Before she could get any words out, her father shut it down.
“Yes, and you will use this as your way of hearing and seeing what goes on in their home. Phoenix needs eyes on his daughter, and I need eyes on him. So, it’s settled.” He continued explaining the ins and outs of the operation with his children.
Kannon knew this would be a big role for the twins, considering they were usually behind the scenes.
Dealing with vamps wasn’t as intense for their other partners, so he knew they could be trusted in their role.
Although vamps fed off humans, he knew it wouldn’t happen, considering the state of the outbreak.
Sage knew if she wanted to gain her father’s trust to receive higher ranks within the family business, she had to take this on.
Hell, she really didn’t have an option since she was living under his roof and he was fronting her entire lifestyle.
But the choice was truly hers if she wanted to stay in her father’s good graces to possibly lead in the family business one day.