Chapter 30
T he bag didn’t hit back, but that didn’t stop me from trying to break it.
“Relax your shoulders,” Ward muttered from behind the mitts.
I gritted my teeth and let another jab fly.
I needed the pain and silence between hits.
I couldn’t get away from Danielle. She was in my home and at work.
There was no escaping her attitude, like I’d betrayed her somehow, getting Navie pregnant.
I didn’t owe Danielle or her skewed memory an explanation, especially when I had an election to win.
That had been my focus, securing my future so Blue and Gummy Bear were taken care of.
She didn’t always agree, but she understood.
She still treated me like I wasn’t unraveling from the inside out.
The thought of her doing something stupid, like running from the stress, occasionally tugged at my heart.
Then she stumbled into my office wearing my t-shirt, being patient as fuck, and that only deepened my obsession.
“Shit,” I muttered, dropping my fists and pacing away from the bag.
Ward watched me, towel around his neck, brow arched. “Did you tell her?”
I shook my head, “No.”
“What are you waiting on, pussy?”
I wasn’t sure what the hell Navie unlocked, but I needed it more than I could admit. She gave me a kind of peace I didn’t think existed in another person.
“It doesn’t matter. I don’t want Danielle.”
“I know better than that, but she doesn’t. The breakup wasn’t as amicable as you claimed. Danielle wants you, and that’s something she needs to hear from you.”
“You don’t know that.”
“We all know it, and if you think Navie doesn’t, you’re a fool.”
“Fuck you.”
“I’ll check in while you’re at family dinner.”
“Your homie’s bright idea. You should swing through. Gram is making Lasagna.”
The only thing that could keep him from Evie’s lasagna was drama, and there was no shortage of that on the menu.
I hoped that finding out we’re having a baby would make Evie so happy she would forget Danielle was there.
Mom promised to do her best to keep Gram on a leash, but Evelyn Westbrook was a balanced breakfast for any opponent.
Ward and I finished another circuit before going our separate ways to handle business. When I stepped off the elevator, Danielle directed the small camera crew on where to set up.
“Where’s Navie?”
“She’s your girlfriend. It’s not my job to keep up with her,” Danielle quipped, going back to her conversation.
Danielle wanted to be. That’s why she was mad as fuck, so she ignored her and walked to my bedroom.
Me: Where are you?
Blue: Helping Daige with the yacht party. I got our outfits.
Blue: Danielle said she didn’t need me. Only you.
I could hear Navie’s sarcasm even through text.
Me: You let her tell you what to do? Gummy Bear is making you soft.
Blue: My boobs are literally ACHING! Don’t irritate me.
Me: I’ll make ‘em feel better later
Blue: That’s how I got in this mess
Me: You love it here.
Tossing my phone on the bed, I hopped in the shower, eager to get this day over with. I had to finish going over talking points for the debate and sit through three chamber meetings before joining my family and Sloane for dinner tonight.
After I dressed for the day, I walked to the front to find Danielle lying on the couch reviewing footage.
“You’re too comfortable in my house.”
“You don’t have to be so rude.”
“You better be lucky you didn’t end up missing after that shit you pulled.”
“My dog did! I know you did something to Brownie,” Danielle sneered, referring to the tea cup yorkie I got her for Christmas.
I had to take my anger out on something. Unlike Lorenzo, I didn’t hit women, so Brownie had to go. Danielle made it easy because she never got him chipped. I kept telling her ass to do it, but procrastination got the best of her.
“How could you do that? Brownie was innocent,” Danielle cried, like that shit moved me.
“So was I.”
“You never even let me explain!”
“Sneaking into my office and making copies of shit you had no business speaks for itself. You let them use you. Use us. It is what it is. Stop crying about it.”
I didn’t want kids, so the story wasn’t a complete lie. It was an easily digestible story that protected all parties involved.
“I was trying to save my mother . You think I wanted to take that deal? I was out of options, Tre. You would have done the same for yours!”
Mine wouldn’t have been embezzling funds to afford a lifestyle she couldn’t afford. That was all, Deidra.
“You saved her, right? You got what you wanted.”
“No, I didn’t. I wanted a life with you,” Laughing at her response infuriated Danielle, “There was a time you wanted that too.”
I had her cornered before I even thought about it, the words ripping out of me like fire.
“Wants change, so do your fuckin’ job without giving Navie an attitude before I take that too.”
Danielle’s back hit the wall, and I stepped in, close enough to feel the warmth coming off her.
“You’re not going to hit me, so get the fuck out of my face!” Danielle’s chin lifted, that same defiance that used to drive me crazy.
“I don’t hit women, but I know a lot of bitches that will for the right price. Final warning.”
She was so pissed off, she didn’t want to shoot anymore.
I had a busy day, anyway, so I followed her out.
The first order of business was a chamber meeting to discuss the Calloway Initiative.
The smell of paper and coffee hit my nose as I walked into the chamber.
The meeting hadn’t officially started, but Victor was already poaching the room to back the Calloway Initiative as if it didn’t have to still go through me.
We were here to handle city business, not trade campaign jabs, but with the election weeks away, every word felt like shadowboxing. Connie called the room to order, and round one commenced.
Victor stood, addressing the room. “Madison Pointe needs the Calloway Initiative. It will create sustainable growth, bring in businesses, and finally give Madison Pointe the shine it deserves.”
“That initiative isn’t about sustainability. It’s about Calloway carving his name into this city while families watch their rent double and schools lose funding.”
A ripple moved through the chamber. Some heads nodded while others avoided eye contact.
Victor adjusted his tie, a smile plastered on his face.
“Councilman, you seem more concerned with scoring points than solving problems. This city deserves leadership with vision. Not leadership that gambles with our future by pushing reckless policies like legalizing drugs.” \
“I’m glad you brought that up. Since legalization, Madison Pointe has generated $185 million in new revenue.
That’s money reinvested directly into schools, small business grants, and mental health services.
” I paused while the room stirred, pens scratching, eyes shifting.
“Violent crime is down 22%. Drug arrests are down 78%. That’s fewer young men clogging the system, fewer families torn apart over minor possession.
That’s what leadership looks like, but I guess it doesn’t matter when the money isn’t going into Winston Calloway’s pocket. ”
Victor’s jaw flexed, struggling to hold a smile. “You can spin numbers, Treason, but families still see the cost in their neighborhoods.”
I leaned back in my chair. “Families also see fewer police raids tearing through their doors. They see jobs created from legitimate businesses instead of street corners. They see their tax dollars working for them, not against them.”
A murmur rippled through the chamber. Some nodded, some frowned, but all were listening.
Victor tightened his smile. “What you call leveling the playing field, I call normalizing chaos. Madison Pointe doesn’t need more excuses for broken homes and addiction.”
“Don’t twist my words, Victor. You talk about broken homes like you’ve ever lived in one. You talk about addiction like it isn’t already here—like people aren’t already dying because leaders looked the other way.”
The meeting ended with Victor pissed off, just how I liked him.
I went back to my office and spoke with Zoe before leaving for the day to attend to campaign business.
Fallon was busy handling other tasks, but made sure to leave a to-do list with Milaya upon my arrival.
Peeling off my jacket, I checked in with Navie, then got to work.
“We need to talk!” Sloane announced, pushing my door open with Milaya frantically trailing her.
“I’m so sorry, Mr. Westbrook. I tried to stop her from barging in,” Milaya sneered, cutting her eyes at Sloane, lowering to the couch.
“I’ve had a harder time taking a shit than getting past her,” Sloane replied, crossing her legs.
“I got it. Thanks, Milaya.”
Milaya was slow to leave my office, gritting at Sloane for making her look bad. She was the ultimate professional and took her job seriously, but I didn’t hold this against her.
“Next time you think about walking into my office unannounced, don’t. I’m not Jaleb, that shit doesn’t impress me.”
“Nobody’s thinking about Jaleb but you. I didn’t come here to talk about him.”
“What do you want?”
“What do you want from my daughter?”
“Get out,” I replied, walking back to my desk to sit down.
They might not have been the same, but both shared the same skepticism about men. She sounded so much like Navie I almost answered. Then I remembered she wasn’t Blue. I didn’t care enough about Slaone’s feelings to rehash shit that didn’t have anything to do with her.
“You want me out? Do it yourself, but I’m not leaving until you answer my question!” Sloane fussed, shooting up on her legs, ready for a fight. “I failed her. A lot, and I won’t let another man take advantage of her.”
Instead of engaging, I went back to fine-tuning my speech because that was more important. Sloane’s tantrums weren’t my problem, but she thought otherwise after ten minutes.