The Family Business 3 (7 page)

As I descended the basement stairs I could hear the distinct sound of a .38 being fired, and I knew exactly who was shooting before my feet hit the ground. I touched the cold steel of my nine, heading toward the gunfire. I probably should have gone back upstairs to get Sasha, but it had been a long time since I'd had an opportunity like this, and I wasn't about to let her outshine me.

As I turned the corner, I watched my father take aim and then place three rounds dead center. LC Duncan wasn't one to go into the field anymore, but he was no joke with that .38 he always carried. I slipped in beside him, taking out the target next to his with three rounds of my own.

He glanced over at me and smiled. We used to do this type of thing down in our basement shooting range all the time, before my son Jordan was born and I was still considered his baby girl. You can't even imagine how much I loved my daddy.

He took off his protective ear covers.

“What you doing down here shooting, Daddy?” I asked.

“With everything going on, I figured I better make sure I keep my skills sharp. You never know.”

“True that,” I replied. “Orlando said you wanted to see me?”

“Yeah, where's Sasha? I wanted to see you both.”

“She'll be down in a minute.”

“Good. That'll give us a little time to talk.” He put his headphones back on and started to shoot, taking out his target's head.

“Talk about what?” I asked, though I wasn't sure if he'd heard me through the gunfire.

Lowering his gun, he turned to me and pulled the ear covers behind his head. “I'm worried about you, Paris.”

“Why? What'd I do now? I got my shit together.” He shot me a disapproving look. “I mean, I got my
stuff
together. I'm taking care of Jordan, being responsible, doing my job.”

He placed an arm around me. “I know that, but you don't have to do anything for me to be worried, little girl.” I loved it when he called me his little girl. “Sometimes a father just worries.”

“You really worried about this mess with Junior, aren't you?”

“Yeah, but not in the same way I'm worried about you.”

I looked at him, confused. “Huh?”

“Rio told me what LaSalle said about Niles,” he said.

Just the mention of Niles' name still caused my stomach to flip, but I couldn't let Daddy know that. “Fuck LaSalle,” I shot back. “Niles is dead. I killed him myself, Daddy. Just like I killed LaSalle's fat, lying ass.” Suddenly, I was on the verge of tears, and I wasn't doing a very good job of hiding it. Daddy pulled me in close, wrapping his arms around me.

“It's okay, little girl. Let it out. I know how you felt about him. I'm sorry it had to come to that.”

Usually I prided myself on being one ultra-tough bitch, but it felt good to be held in my daddy's strong arms for a minute, just like I was a little girl again. I pulled back in a hurry, though, when I heard footsteps approaching and then my brother's voice as he came into the room.

“I just got word that Vegas's plane landed, Pop. Oh, and you were right. Junior's gone,” Orlando said. He glanced in my direction, but if he had noticed me wiping away the last of my tears, he didn't react.

My father's face was grim.

“Where the fuck did Junior go?” I asked, not happy that I'd been kept out of the loop.

“Where do you think?” Orlando said.

I shook my head in disbelief. I knew Junior was head over heels for this chick Sonya, but I couldn't believe he'd be stupid enough to go see her when she was the cause of all this drama in the first place.

“That bitch gets my brother killed and there won't be a rock she can hide under,” I seethed.

“Calm down, baby girl,” Daddy said. “It's not just her. I told your mother that Junior wasn't going to give her up, and he's certainly not going to get over her right away.”

I couldn't believe that he was taking this all so lightly. Daddy was acting like he'd been expecting Junior to go to her all along, while I was ready to go find him and smack the shit out of him for being so stupid. Then again, I was always the hotheaded one in the family.

“What do you want us to do, Pop?” Orlando prodded, staying much calmer than I was.

“Where's Sasha?” he asked.

“Here I am, Uncle LC.” We turned to see her coming down the stairs.

Daddy looked at her and then at me. “I've got something I want you two to do.”

I preferred to work solo, so I wasn't necessarily thrilled about being sent on a mission with my cousin. Still, if it meant getting the hell off the compound, I was down. “Sure, Daddy. Just point me in the direction of whoever I've got to kill,” I said, only half joking.

He ignored my attempt at humor and said, “With Vegas back we have a little more room to maneuver. Orlando, you and me are going to the office for a meeting. Paris, you and Sasha—”

“I know. You want us to find Junior.”

“No, I'll send Kennedy and Rio to do that on their way to the airport to pick up Vegas. I want you two to find Brother X—and do it subtly. I know he's somewhere in New York. Concentrate first here in Queens, then in Long Island and Brooklyn. Orlando will get you copies of all the information we have on him. Be careful, and read the file.”

“What do you want us to do with the body?” I jumped in, itching to handle my business.

He glared at me sternly. “I didn't say I wanted you to kill him. I just want you to find him before he finds Junior.”

“Don't worry, Uncle LC. We'll find him and just run surveillance,” Sasha stated smugly, always trying to brown-nose Daddy.

Daddy caught me rolling my eyes at her, and he put me in my place. “You need to keep your attitude in check, Paris, and work closely with your cousin. This isn't some ordinary guy you two are looking for. Brother X is a killer on another level, who trains men to kill.”

As soon as Xavier's men put me back in the car and pulled away from the curb, my phone started vibrating. I pulled it out of my purse to check the caller ID. “Junior,” I whispered sadly as I rejected the call. His name on my lips would be the closest I'd ever be to him again. The pain of that realization was intense, and suddenly I was wishing that Xavier hadn't confiscated my pills.

Within seconds the phone was vibrating again. Each time I ignored the call, it would almost immediately start vibrating again. Junior blew up my phone during the entire ride home. By the time the car pulled up in front of my house, I'd given up and turned off the phone. As I slid it back into my purse, Xavier's driver opened my door, extending his hand to assist me out of the car.

“I don't need your help. I don't need shit from you,” I snapped angrily as I stepped out of the car and slid past him. “You work for him, not me, so don't get it twisted. I sure as hell won't.”

“I understand exactly who I work for, Mrs. Brown.” I hated it when his men called me that.

“Look, I've had a long day, and the next time I look out of that window”—I nodded toward my house—“I don't want to see you or anyone else sitting outside, unless you want me to call the cops. You got that?” I poked him in the chest, but it had no effect, since the mountain of a man was four times my size.

“You finished?” he asked with an eerie calmness.

My courage dissolved quickly as he stared me down. I stood there, trying not to shake in my stilettos as I prayed that he wasn't the type of man who would hit a woman. When it came to Xavier's people, I couldn't be sure. They may have called themselves Muslims, but those murders had no moral compass whatsoever.

“You can call the cops, the National Guard, or the Marines. I really don't give a damn. Ain't no one going to stop me from doing my job.” With those words, he walked back to the driver's side of the car, giving me the side-eye the entire way.

“Fuck you. I hope you die.” Though I wasn't brave enough to say it louder than a whisper, it still felt good to curse him. With my fists clenched tightly, I marched into my house and locked the door behind me.

Leaning up against the door with my eyes closed, I took a few deep breaths in an attempt to steady my nerves. With each exhale, I hoped to release some of my pain, but my heart still ached intensely. If I didn't have the pills that would end it all, at least I could get drunk enough to forget for a few hours, I thought, as I went into the kitchen and headed straight for the unfinished bottle of wine.

A sudden movement behind me sent a shot of adrenaline coursing through my veins. I gripped the neck of the wine bottle and flung myself around, prepared to attack whoever had invaded my home. Then I saw him, and the bottle fell from my hands, crashing to the floor.

“Oh my God, Junior. Your mother is going to kill me. What are you doing here?”

“You haven't answered my calls for days,” he said. “Then I get here and you're nowhere to be found. Are you back with him?” he asked, looking as vulnerable as I had ever seen this gentle giant.

“No. I hate him.” I should have lied, but I couldn't bear to hurt him like that. I wanted Junior to leave, but there was no way I wanted him to believe that I could go back to my husband, or that my feelings for him weren't real.

He took a step closer, and I could feel the heat rising off his body. It took every ounce of my willpower not to throw myself into his arms. Every nerve ending in my body was craving his touch, but I knew it wasn't safe for either of us.

“You can't be here,” I said, stepping away from him. The broken glass crunched under my shoes. “They've got people following my every move. They're probably following you too.”

He shook his head. “Baby, you know what I do for a living. Ain't nobody following me if I don't want them to.” He read my expression, which told him I was still worried. “But if it makes you feel any better, I cut through your neighbor's backyard to make sure I wasn't seen.”

“I'd feel better if you left,” I told him. “This isn't smart, and we need to be smart.”

He shrugged. “I've never been known for my brains,” he said. “I'm known for my heart, for the way I react when someone close to me is in trouble, and the way I am when I love someone, so I'm not going anywhere.”

Junior placed his hand on my cheek, and for a moment, I allowed myself to cherish the sensation of his skin on mine. I closed my eyes and inhaled. When he pressed his lips against mine, a small moan escaped from me before I came to my senses.

“No, I can't.” I pushed him away. “We can't. I promised your mother.” Turning away from him, I fought back the tears that were threatening to pour down my face. “It's over, Junior. I'm sorry, but you have to go . . . and never come back. It's for your own good.”

He dropped his hands to his sides, a wounded expression on his face. “Tell me that you don't love me, and then I'll go. I will go and you will never see me again.”

I stared at him wordlessly, unable to form those words. I opened my mouth, but still no words came out. Looking into Junior's eyes, I saw all the love I felt for him reflected back at me. I'd never known love like this before, not even with my own husband, and the fact that we weren't able to be together felt entirely unnatural. I was mad at the universe for putting us in this impossible situation, and I took my anger out on Junior.

“God dammit, Junior! I can't say that and you know it!” I shouted as my tears began to flow freely. But I couldn't be selfish, I told myself. I had to set him free. I shook my head. “Xavier is crazy. He's never going to let us live in peace. And I promised your mother that I'd keep you safe. Don't you understand that?”

“Yes, I do, and that's why I'm here. You think I came over just because I couldn't stand being away from you?”

“It's true, isn't it?” I questioned.

“Yes, but that's not all of it. The last couple of days I've been watching my family prepare for a war. A war that is starting because of me . . .”

“No, because of me,” I corrected him.

“Shhhh! Let me finish.” I shut up and allowed him to continue. “One of my best traits is that I know how to listen, and so the last few days, I've been like a fly on the wall. I overheard Vegas talking to my father about Minister Farah, an old family friend. Apparently Vegas went to see him about this situation before he left. Minister Farah suggested very strongly that I should disappear. That
we
should disappear. See, the thought is that if we disappear, your husband will lose all interest in my family.”

“How can you be sure?” I asked him. It made sense, but I also knew my husband, and he was a vengeful motherfucker.

“I can't be sure, but what other options are there? This war; it's on. My family is prepared, but there's nothing anyone can do to stop it at this point. What I do know is that if we leave, the battle will be a whole hell of a lot shorter, and less blood will be shed.”

I was still skeptical. “I don't know, Junior. I don't see Xavier stopping until he's brought down your entire family.”

“I hear you, but no matter how jealous or possessive you say he is, he's still a businessman. Minister Farah suggested that once we're gone, the family can approach Brother X and offer him some kind of olive branch. Give him money, or allow him to use some of our contacts. Truth is, our businesses could help each other.”

It was starting to make sense, and part of me wanted to believe it could work, but one thing still didn't feel right. “I don't know, Junior. I mean, there must be a reason your family didn't take the advice. No one came to you and told you to leave town, but your mother just straight up threatened me and then kicked me out. She doesn't want you to leave; just me.”

He smiled. “Yeah, my moms is intense that way, but one thing I do know about her is that ultimately, she wants nothing more than for her kids to be happy. After we get through this, we will be happy, and she will come to accept us being together. I promise.”

“You make it sound so easy.” I walked into the living room, checking out the window to see Xavier's thug still parked across the street. That man would never let me go, and not because he loved me, but because in his mind, he owned me.

Junior came up behind me, and I dropped the curtain in a hurry. “All we have to do is get on a plane and leave, Sonya. Maybe go to Europe or Asia, somewhere they'd never think of looking for us. I can keep us safe. Don't you see that we have no choice?”

“You think your family is going to just let us disappear? We're talking about your mother, the woman who insists that all of her grown children live under her roof. Besides, let's just say we manage to get away somewhere safely. Then what are we supposed to do for money? I can't be a nurse on the run. Xavier's men will track us down and kill us.”

“That's not going to happen.” In spite of my attempts to come up with all the reasons his plan couldn't work, Junior remained calm. “I've got a few million stashed away for a rainy day. We should be able to survive on that for a while. I'm not like my brothers and sister: I don't need much other than you.”

I wasn't sure I'd heard him correctly. “You have millions stashed away? You say that like that's normal.”

“Every Duncan has a rainy day plan, Sonya.” He planted a kiss on my lips, and this time I didn't push him away. “Now, get dressed. We have to go.”

And that became the moment I decided to put my life in the hands of the only man I had ever truly loved.