Page 35

Corleon had dipped into the half bathroom that was connected and washed his hands.

He stopped by the desk where Menace sprayed his hands and then handed him another wipe to wash and disinfect his hands.

Then he handed him a hospital smock to put over his clothes before he was able to touch the baby.

I was debating on if I wanted to even touch the baby with all this shit I had to go through to hold him. Corleon didn’t mind as he carefully picked him up, careful of his head and placed him on his chest.

“Hey Dennis… you putting your parents through it, huh?” He chuckled, as he looked over at Menace.

Mens had this sparkle in his eyes as he looked at his son. It was one that I had only saw once before, when I graduated from college. He wasn’t one full of emotions, but if you watched him close enough, you were able to see the small hints.

“Who is Dennis?”

“My fucking son. You don’t give a fuck about your nephew?” he asked, and I shook my head because all these fucking names had me confused.

Stevie was Wanda.

Menace was Mitchell.

Now I had to deal with Dennis. Who the fuck was Dennis, and why were they calling this baby that?

“I thought he was a junior.”

“He is.”

“Never mind… I don’t care.”

Corleon did this soft bounce thing while he held the baby. “I can’t wait to have another one.”

“Another one?”

He shot me a look. “You said he didn’t make my god daughter?”

“Aye, I’m not doing this with the both of you… not today. What the fuck is so important? I’m tired.”

“Not too tired to be out in Brooklyn with that girl,” Corleon busted me out, and I looked at the snitch.

“I’m grown.”

“Ecru’s cousin.”

“Her name is Navy.”

Menace messed with his hands as he looked at me. “I saw the way you looked at her when she was in the back.”

“She cool.”

“I think death is cool. Wonder… I think she’s spectacular.” He sniffed the air. “She down here?”

“What in the fuck?” Corleon blurted.

“What does this have to do with anything?”

He looked at me. “You like her?”

“Yeah.”

“Hmm.”

“You made me come all the way here to ask if I like somebody, Menace?” I was ready to mix up his damn organized nuts sitting beside me.

He leaned back, as Corleon sat down in the chair beside me. Dennis, or Maverick… whatever is damn name was, was chilling on his chest. “Learned a lot?”

“Yeah. Didn’t realize how much you actually do, Mens.”

“Cause y’all always assuming I’m fucking si?—”

“Mens, you don’t have to be on the defense,” Corleon said and looked at his best friend. “He’s admitting that he didn’t realize how much it takes to walk in your shoes.”

“I’ve always respected you. May not like you very much, but the respect has always been there.

These few days, I learned a lot about what it takes to be you.

Shit not easy and you wear that shit like it’s nothing.

I’m sorry if I was ever selfish and spoiled to the fact that I didn’t know what it took for me to have that penthouse and cars. ”

He messed with his hands, a sign that he was uncomfortable.

Operating in his feelings wasn’t normal for him.

It didn’t matter that he was a married man and had a child of his own.

Menace wasn’t emotional, and he damn sure didn’t wear them on his sleeve.

I wasn’t the most affectionate person either, but it was something I had always craved.

When Navy wrapped her arms around me or gave me a quick kiss on the cheek just because, that shit did something to me because I wasn’t used to it. Even with her mother, each time I saw her, she gave me a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek, always checking me over to see if I was good.

I wasn’t used to that.

“I had you take my place because I want you to oversee all the weapons and arms contracts.”

I leaned forward and looked at my brother, who stared me back into my eyes, never looking away. “Stop fucking with me, Maverick.”

“Fuck you calling me by my name for, Landon?”

“You just called me by mine.” I smirked, as he gave me his version of a smile. Shit was creepy if you didn’t know him.

“Don’t fuck this up.”

Corleon squeezed my shoulder. “You earned this shit, Don. I’ll do the onboarding and shit for your salary this week.”

“Salary?”

“You think your sisters just make their regular salaries?”

“I figured their trust funds help supplement their income.”

Menace chuckled, while Corleon spoke, “Mens pays them all a salary. They are put into these positions to protect this family and those around us.”

“Good to know.”

“Beans is your lieutenant now. This shit takes me away a lot, and I can’t be away from Wonder and my son right now… I don’t want to be. You can be smart when you want to be.”

“The fuck, Menace?”

He stared at me like he didn’t say shit wrong.

“As you can see, there are government contracts, Don. Big shit that if they feel slighted, this shit could come back down on us. Shake hands, handle business and don’t become chummy with them.

All that golf and buddy-buddy shit is all cool until you being judged by twelve or murdered.

You never like to ride around in your Rezvani, but that shit is a must now.

Your brother don’t ride around in his because he wants to. ”

“I do though.” Menace looked at his best friend.

Corleon shook his head. “You in an important position. No longer operating as someone running reports and shit, Don. You damn near shoulder to shoulder with your brother. Running a division that he’s giving you full control of with the help of Beans.

He kept you away for a reason, and the more you see, the more you’ll realize that he was protecting you.

I ain’t even tripping because I know you’ll rise to the occasion. You a fucking Caselli.”

I understood everything that he was telling me. Witnessing the amount of powerful men that were associated with Case House, then seeing the men that I shook hands with over this past week was enough to not trust anybody.

These were lawmakers, governors, and fucking important military officials that wanted their hands dirty with the Caselli name. Each person had a high respect for my brother, and that was because he handled them the way that he did.

There were no friends in this shit.

“Heard you.”

“I need the numbers for the Case House gala. I don’t like that Jeffie has me changing locations.”

“Need something new,” I replied.

He looked out the window. “Yeah.”

Jeffie had convinced him to do a royal theme gala this year in the south of France. Menace was a creature of habit, so change wasn’t something that he did well with. With new clients, and then wanting to keep the old, we had to switch things up to show that we were moving with the times.

The gala had been held on our private island in Monaco, and we needed new. “I want to see the numbers. Jeffie locked me out of my email.”

“How the fuck?”

His eyes became wide as he looked at Corleon. “You ready for your future wife to be unemployed?”

“You would cut your hand off before you fired Jeffie.”

As if she knew she was the topic of conversation, she breezed into the room with her iPad. “Hey baby,” she stopped to kiss Corleon, and then rounded the desk. “Sign there and there.”

Menace without reading anything signed his name electronically. As much as he complained, he knew Jeffie had his best interest at heart. She loved him, and would do whatever she had to, to protect him.

“What did I just sign?”

“To put a million in my account,” she sarcastically replied while she was busy doing something on the iPad.

“Bruster, you broke? Why all your women always asking me for money?”

“Menace, please,” Jeffie headed over toward Corleon, and looked at the baby and smiled at him. “Hey Denny… God Mommy’s pride and joy.”

“Don’t ever ask me how I’m doing. Going through delivery wasn’t easy. Still sore,” Menace rambled on, and we all looked at him. “What? Wonder fucking held my shoulder hard as shit.”

I stood up. “Good looks, Mens… I got you.”

He extended his hand, and I shook it. “Us.”

“ Us .” I nodded my head.

Corleon winked at me while he and Jeffie fawned over their god son. As I left the office and headed out, my phone buzzed.

“Yo?”

“Got the word?”

“Hell yeah.”

Beans laughed. “We up, nigga… come through the block. Skip always talking big shit about taking your money. They throwing a little birthday cookout for Navy.”

I snorted. “Skip cheated me.”

“Oh yeah, young ass. Come let me cheat you again.” I could hear Navy’s grandfather talking mess in the background.

“I’m leaving Menace’s crib now. Be there in a little while,” I told Beans, who was all too tickled that Skip was talking shit.

“Finally met your nephew.”

“Something like that.” I chuckled and ended the call.

The driver who brought me here was no longer standing by the back of the truck, and the tank I arrived in was no longer there. Instead, the Rezvani Vengeance was parked in its place with a bronze tint to it.

“Mr. Caselli, my name is Jett Grant… your driver.” This big ass man stood there holding the door open for me.

Duke was already big, but this nigga was taller than Duke, and more muscular. I was starting to think Menace had a warehouse full of big ass security drivers that he called whenever he needed one.

“Don. Leave that Caselli shit at the door.” I extended my hand, and he dapped me up which told me that we could rock with each other.

“Got you. Taking you back to your penthouse?”

I looked at him. “Menace got you watching me?”

He smirked. “Something like that.”

I looked around. “If this gonna work, let me be my own man. His security is loyal to him. Need you to be the same.”

Jett nodded his head. “If that’s the type of time we on, then I got you.”

“We heading to Crown Heights. We chilling tonight, Jett.” I slapped his broad ass shoulder and got into the back of the truck.

“Got it, Boss.”