15. Chapter 13
Chapter 13
Brixon
I finish cleaning up the mess from last night and breakfast this morning, then head back next-door with Jinx fast on my heels. He stayed with me today instead of going with Evie, which I find hilarious. Maybe he just feels the need to keep an eye on me for some reason.
I go in through the front door and hear laughter coming from the kitchen.
I turn the corner and see my best friends sitting at the kitchen nook with Emily and Lily. I figured Emily would still be here since she never came back home before I left, but the redheaded author… Well, I didn’t expect that.
“Good morning.” I pipe in as I make my way to the coffee pot, dragging a little as I pour myself a cup.
“Our girls seem to really like your books. Evie was telling me last night that you are working on a new stalker-slash-murder romance.” I try to make small talk, knowing how much of a hard on Noah has for her.
She is pretty. Her strawberry blonde hair is up in a messy bun. She is wearing grey joggers and a crewneck that says, I still like fairytales; they are just dirtier now, which makes me laugh internally.
She doesn’t have a drop of makeup on and looks like she is blushing under her freckles as she pushes her black frames up on her nose.
“Thank you! You have an interesting name. Sorry, I’m a bit hung over and need food, or I could talk for days about my books. I swear, Noah had me dancing, drinking, and talking until three a.m. I think it’s great that you and Evie are together. That girl never shows interest in men. Congratulations!” She smirks as Emily swats her arm telling her to shut up under her breath.
“Thanks.” I smirk, understanding more and more that my little witch has literally gone without having any kind romantic relationships in my absence, as I take another sip of coffee.
“Y’all’s story is still insane to me. Emily has been explaining everything that Noah refuses to. I write love, dark love, but honestly, don’t really believe in it. Maybe watching you two play out will change my mind.” Lily says matter of fact.
“Honestly, until recently, I didn’t either. It can sneak up on you when you least expect it. If you are willing to accept it.” I wink at her and give Noah a shoulder nudge.
I sit in awe at the table with everyone, drinking my coffee, watching my friends look very much into the girls that sit with them. It’s definitely different.
“From what Noah tells me, you own a sex club? That interests me very much.” Lily says with a wink as she takes a bite of her breakfast casserole, surprising the hell out of me.
It’s the cute, sweet looking, quiet girls that seem to always be the freakiest when it comes to sex.
Noah went all out if he made his signature breakfast casserole. He must really like her. I know he has been obsessed and may have been stalking her a bit since we followed Emily to her place.
When he saw her for the first time, it was over. He is making the same goo-goo eyes at her now.
“Oh yeah? Why?” I ask her, hoping she doesn’t crush my friend.
“In the murdery book I’m writing, one of the love interests owns a sex club. It helps with research.” She says matter of fact with a smile.
I chuckle slightly, “Oh, then Noah should take you for a tour. It’s under renovation right now, but when I talked to Nadia yesterday, she said they are getting close, just putting on the finishing touches. We will have to go sign off on everything in the next few days if you can take time off.”
“Oh, that would be fucking amazing! Really, you wouldn’t mind Noah?” She looks at him expectantly, grinning from ear to ear.
“Mind? I would love to take you to the sex club and let you experience it without other guests.” He smirks at her.
I watch the blush creep up to her cheeks as she leans into him, giggling, and gives him a small peck on his cheek.
“So, if you don’t believe in love, then how do you have relationships? Or do you just prefer situationships?” Liam speaks up, asking the question like he read my mind. We both know the power this chick is going to have over our friend.
“Guys, we just met a couple of days ago. Calm down, we aren’t getting married any time soon.” Noah puts his hands up, smiling, but with a fuck off look in his eyes, already letting us know not to fuck with her.
“Yeah, I don’t believe in marriage either. I honestly think it’s an old way of thinking. Why can’t two people who love each other’s company spend as much time together as they can, without the labels, and just see what they are over time, without a piece of paper binding them to one another for life? I mean, it’s a nice notion, but I’m twenty-four, and have never been in love with anyone. Lust, easy, but love to me is when you stay with someone even when you know they are the worst thing for you at the time, yet you want to be near them so much that you would sacrifice your own soul to not be without them. If I ever want anyone around long enough to feel that way, then I would consider marrying them.” She says the words the way only a hopeless romantic would spin it, if they were on the darker side and obviously had their heart crushed at some point.
She definitely has a way with words.
I look over at Noah, who looks even more mesmerized by the mystery that is Lily James. When we looked into her, there wasn’t anything before the age of eighteen. Noah got intrigued and figured out that she had changed her name at eighteen to Lillian A. James. The court records are sealed as to what her name was before. Noah figured out the reason they are sealed is because there is no real record of her.
So far, he knows she just grew up in the Catholic orphanage, and started writing at the age of eighteen under her pen name Lily James. She worked at a little tavern in town until she became successful with her books over time.
She is a hermit, just like Emily and Genevieve, closing themselves off to the world around them. The other two have their secrets that we know about. With Lily, we have no idea who she really is.
“It’s only a matter of time before you ultimately love me.” Noah jokes, kind of.
He chuckles, and she takes it as a joke laughing with him, but deep down, he means it.
“We have lunch with Alec at one to discuss some important business in the quarter. Noah, are you going to be able to make the meeting?” Liam asks, looking amused, watching Noah swoon over this girl almost as if he is under a spell.
Liam looks happy and relaxed with his arm draped around Emily’s chair, which is not his usual broody self, looking for his next adrenalin rush.
“Yeah man, wouldn’t miss it.” Noah replies, still smiling at Lily, not bothering to tear his eyes away from her.
“I’m going to go shower and attempt to get a little work done before we have to head out.” I say as I get up and take my coffee cup to the sink. I say bye to the girls and head upstairs.
I’m glad we are getting closer to knowing more about Mark Boudreaux. I know if Evie is going to get past all of the bullshit surrounding her birth parents, she needs to know what happens to them.
I may not be able to hand Mark over to her, but if the Saints are already putting a bounty on his head, it won’t be long before he is caught.
I rush through my shower and get dressed for lunch thinking of all the things I have looked up about Mark and the woman he gave up his daughter for. No one knows her real name for sure. Saints, no doubt, are protecting her.
The question is, who?
I open the email from Alec confirming lunch today at Mamou off Rampart St. at one.
I remember Alec from when we were all kids, but he is a few years younger than us, so we never paid him much attention. He has done well for himself. Not that he had any choice in the matter.
We do what we are brought up to do and become the men they expect us to be, then pass down the torch to future generations as our fathers have to us. The cycle just continues forever.
That’s why this meeting with Alec is so important, not just for my little witch’s sanity, but for the Saints as a whole. Our fathers have tried to make things better since we were all born. They ended the one son in and one son out rule. That’s why none of us have siblings. They refused to ever have to make that choice. That little experiment went on for over ten years. We have to continue changing the Saints way of thinking.
Alec will be answering to us soon enough. We need to make sure we are all on the same page when it comes to the trafficking and the treatment of the women and young girls, whether born or brought into our organization, have to endure.
The times have changed, and so has the mentality of the Saints over the last thirty years. That’s why places like my clubs need to be in every major city the Saints are in. Pets are no longer going to be an option. They are going to need an outlet. This shit ends with us. We all made the pact when we were told we would be expected to produce heirs.
I think about how our fathers tried to bring us up, but it just never stuck. Darius always had his pets on the side, my pops did after mom died, but he treated them very well.
I can honestly say I have never fucked a pet and never would. The pet my pops got me for my twenty first birthday got a thousand dollars from me and put in an uber back home.
When I fuck someone, it’s because they want me to, and because I want to. I would never force any woman to do anything that she wasn’t willing to do.
My mother would come back from the dead and kill me if I even thought about it.
My dad loved my mom, he was faithful up until about a year after she died. His friends had told him to move on, but he didn’t. I finally told him it was okay, and that mom would understand.
The next week he had two blonde women naked in the kitchen. That was Pops from then until he died, always fucking a blonde somewhere inappropriate. He would tell me to fuck for fun until I found the love of my life, then fuck her like your life depends on it.
“I don’t understand why we can’t just tell them to hand over Boudreaux once he is brought in. We are the head of the Saints; we can do whatever we want.” Noah huffs as he turns onto Rampart St., looking for a parking spot close to the restaurant.
“Because our dad isn’t dead, he is thriving, and we haven’t technically taken over anything yet. He wants us to go through Alec, so that’s what we are going to do… For now.” Liam explains, back to being his broody dickhead self.
“Alec knows we are going to be taking over, but he has no idea when, just like us. Right now, he is the one calling all the shots with this whole operation. He has his reasons. He answers to Devereaux, for now. Their line is crumbling and with us coming back to New Orleans, the power shifts again. This meeting is to get as much information on the Devereaux’s and their connections with Boudreaux and the Queen. It’s to figure out if they are in fact part of the sex trafficking ring or not.” I try to help Noah see the bigger picture.
“I get it. It just sucks that we have to go through all the motions.” Noah sighs.
We finally find a parking spot and head into the bougie restaurant. Alec made sure to pick a place that shows his status without being over the top. It’s a nice place, but I prefer more secluded hole in the wall places when conducting Saint business.
He wants everyone to see us together. He likes the influence he will gain from this meeting.
The hostess takes us to a table in the back where a very tall, lean, clean-cut, blonde guy in an impeccable suite sits. He stares at his phone resting in his hand, not paying attention to us walking up to the table.
“Alec, nice to see you again.” Noah startles the poor guy, making him drop his phone.
We watch him scramble to pick it up off the floor before he stands up, putting his hand out to all of us. We shake his hand, exchanging pleasantries, and take our seats.
The waitress comes over, takes our drink orders, and tells us the specials to mull over.
I took the liberty of looking at the menu online, knowing exactly what I want, so I don’t have to spend my time looking over menus. I want to get a read on this guy.
“So, let’s not beat around the bush. You have information on Mark Boudreaux and his business dealings?” Liam sits back in his chair looking at the menu.
“He has been detained for a while, which is why I thought lunch would be a good idea.” He smiles as he takes a drink of whatever is in his tumbler.
“When is a good time for us to interrogate him?” I ask, a little more forceful than intended.
The waiter brings our drinks and takes our orders. I stiffly order the risotto with quail, waiting impatiently to get more information as the others order.
I take a long drink of my Manhattan as I take in the light and fresh feel of the place with flowers hanging everywhere. I think Evie would love this place.
Is this what she wants for a proposal?
“We have time. Devereaux has assured me that he isn’t going to kill him or his accomplices quickly, and my soon to be bride has been more than forthcoming with all information about him and his so-called queen.” Alec laughs as if something he said is funny.
We all just stare at him.
“Augustine Devereaux has him? What could he possibly want with him or the woman he protects, the queen or whatever?” Liam asks with an apparent scowl on his face.
Alec chuckles, “Your father really hasn’t given you any of the information I sent over about them?” Alec asks, slightly dumbfounded, shaking his head, “Your little witch’s mother, who calls herself Queen Fiona, is none other than Viviann Devereaux.”
He takes a sip of his drink and sets it back down before continuing when we just stare at him without showing any emotion to what he just said, even though I want to rip someone’s head off.
“Augustine believed that she was dead. He had no idea about the sex trafficking, or that his son, Sebastian, aka Bash, was involved. Augustine actually married one of their accomplices, Sylvia Bennet, recently, but that didn’t work out in the end. Now that you are caught up, I have information that you aren’t expecting. Have you heard of Christian Devereaux?” Alec sits back in his chair with a cocky smirk on his face.
“No, should we have?” Noah chimes in as we all look at each other, knowing exactly who he is, but until he just mentioned him, I hadn’t put two and two together because I assumed Viviann Deveraux was dead. I didn’t look at how long she had been dead! We just crossed her off the list of initials V.D. when we saw that she was deceased.
I’ll admit, I’m a little thrown off by the information.
“Tell me, how do y’all feel about how women are treated within the Saints?” He asks.
I watch as his demeanor changes slightly. He is nervous. I can tell he is sweating, rubbing his palms on his pants under the table.
“Cut the shit. There is no need for theatrics. We know that you are trying to take out whoever has been trafficking girls using the Saints as a front. We want the same thing. Now, what exactly do you need from us?” Liam replies, taking a drink of his bourbon.
“I want the bullshit women have to go through to be done with. My covenant, I met her when I was twelve, and knew she was it. She was raised with Mark and Viviann to be a pet. Nothing more. All because she was born to parents who couldn’t protect themselves, let alone her. My girl, MJ, was their revenge on Sylvia Bennett for getting Vivian exiled from New Orleans. I want her. We are to be married in February. She is with the Devereaux’s now. Viviann had several children that no one knew about, including your little witch, her twin sons, Christian and Sebastian Devereaux, and Maxwell Augustine Jr, that we know of. The Devereaux’s will get their retribution. Max had Christian’s wife, Savvy, for over ten weeks, and he just recently got her back. She is in her third trimester now, just weeks away from giving birth to their son. We can interrogate the people detained before Devereaux’s wife kills them all. She is one I don’t want to mess with. MJ, my covenant could be tarnished. I need to know that when the facts come to light, that won’t happen, and that she will remain safe. That’s all I want.” Alec hangs his head, knowing everything he just quietly said could get him worse than exiled.
He must really love this girl.
“My little witch has a name, Genevieve. She is not a pet or anything else other than mine. She deserves to know what happens to her parents, that’s all. Boudreaux hurt one of her friends. She wants his blood, nothing more.” I let him know, without saying it out loud, that we are all on the same page.
“We will all pay the rebels a little visit soon. You can get retribution for Genevieve and her friend, maybe even some answers. But don’t throw new family at them just yet, they are dealing with a lot. I think you will like this particular Devereaux. He is new to the Saints way of doing things and feels the same way we do when it comes to the woman he loves. He is just very skeptical of who to trust at the moment.”