Page 8

COCO

Now that it was morning, I stood outside of Adir’s mansion in awe at the beauty of his land.

I’d already walked the entire property line, amazed at how grand this place was.

I committed every tree and shrub to memory, smiling at how everything around the property seemed to thrive like nothing I’d ever seen before.

In the distance, other mansions were scattered about.

Each mansion sat behind a gate.

As a matter of fact, there was a gate before even entering the gate leading to Adir’s mansion.

Your house, girl.

I couldn’t bring myself to call this place my house yet.

Even though it felt every bit like home.

Last night, I slept so well that I didn’t want to get out of Adir’s bed.

He’d woken me up with the sweetest smell.

Breakfast in bed was something I’d only dreamt about.

My past relationships were nonexistent, raising Quilo and working took up all my time.

Chuckling, I recalled telling Haven about this foolishness.

“Girl! What the hell?” she hissed.

“I know it sounds crazy, but… I’ll have to give you the details another time. I guess when I fully process what the hell I’m doing.” I’d given Haven the bare minimum when it came to last night’s fiasco.

All I needed was for her not to worry.

Haven sighed. “Well, I mean… I’ve been trying to get you out in the dating world, and you just go and deep dive off the cliff like a maniac.” She laughed.

“Wait until my husband hears about this.”

Tickled, I chuckled.

“Tell Jabari I’m safe so he doesn’t think he has to fly his ass here for some straightening.”

We both laughed.

Jabari was such a good husband to Haven that he looked out for me and Quilo from time to time.

He’d talked to Quilo for me several times, but my brother would let Jabari’s advice go through one ear and out the other.

“So, his name is Adir Bell, huh?”

“Yes,” I replied with a smile.

“He’s as handsome as they come.”

“Hm. Maybe Jabari and I will fly there just to make sure you’re okay. He’s not going to believe me.” She laughed again.

“Be prepared to see us.”

“Noted.”

“Like what you see?”

Adir’s voice behind me brought a smile to my face.

I peeked over my shoulder to find him standing there with his hands in his pockets.

He wore a pair of designer jeans and plain white T-shirt.

He looked delicious.

Turning from him, I nodded.

“This place is exquisite. Are we on private property?”

He came up next to me and nodded.

“Bell Estates.” He pointed to the mansions situated far enough to have space but close enough for a good walk.

Starting from the left he said, “My parents’ house. The next house is my lil’ brother’s house. Bianca lives next door to him…”

His entire family lived on this land.

“Just beyond those houses, there are more. I was born and raised on this land.”

“That’s so beautiful, Adir. Are we still in Pensacola?”

He shook his head.

“Niceville Shores. It takes about thirty minutes to get to the office from here.”

“Oh. Tell me about this land.” I’d never met a family so close knit.

Last night showed me some things I’d never seen.

“Alistair Bell was my great-grandfather. He was into oil.”

“Is your family still in oil?”

“Absolutely.”

“How many of you are there?”

He smirked.

“Plenty. You’ll meet everyone as we go. You’ll meet my security team as well.”

Just then, a sedan cruised up the street and pulled into Adir’s expansive driveway.

A man much larger than Adir stepped out of the sedan.

He looked like he could pick that car up and toss it on top of the mansion’s roof.

“Pretty, I want you to meet Russ.”

Russ approached us, dapped Adir, then stuck his hand out to me.

“Hey, Miss—”

Adir tilted his head.

Russ chuckled. “ Mrs. Pretty. It’s good to meet you.”

“Russ is gon’ be ya bodyguard.”

“Bodyguard? Is that necessary?” I questioned.

The sinking feeling that this man was just…

different resurfaced.

Adir and Russ glanced at each other, which in turn caused me to bounce my eyes from man to man until Adir reached for my hand.

“Let’s take a walk,” he said.

I’d already walked but fell in step beside him.

His stride was longer than mine, but he walked slowly enough so that I didn’t feel like he was dragging me.

We started down the long driveway, with neither of us saying a word.

Once we exited the tall wrought iron gate and hit the street, Adir exhaled a deep breath.

“You’re more than a doctor, aren’t you?” I asked anything to keep my mind from wandering into the trenches.

His hand holding mine felt too right and too familiar.

Adir smirked. “My family is one fourth of the most powerful families in the South.”

Shit.

“It’s been that way since my great-grandfather settled here. In his teens, he worked as a cement layer. By the time he was twenty, he’d saved enough money to buy some land and build his first home.”

Adir pointed to a house in the distance.

“Allistair and three of his closest friends built that house. One Bell Place is what we call it. It’s still fully functional.”

“Does anyone live there?”

He shook his head.

“We use it for family gatherings.”

“So… Outside of Bell Estates, there’s still more of you?”

He chuckled.

“Yep.”

Laughing, I couldn’t believe it.

“So, are you the head family physician?”

“Among other things.”

“What does that mean?”

Briefly, he met my eyes.

Those eyes that stared at me in Smooth Brew were still as dangerous as ever.

“I’m the head of my family.”

This was even worse than I thought.

“That’s why everyone moves when you say move.”

He laughed.

“You make me sound like a drill sergeant.”

I simply shrugged.

We walked a little way before he spoke again.

“Dr. Bell & Associates caters to the streets. Meaning, we see it all. We treat any and everything a normal emergency medical facility does. We just do it without involving the laws.”

I stopped to look at him.

“How do you even get away with something like that? Aren’t you afraid of losing your license? Hell, what about the police? They have to know what you’re doing.”

Adir pinched my chin and said, “Relax, sweetheart.”

I didn’t realize my hand had tightened on his and my forehead was all scrunched up in concern.

“What if I told you there’s many like me?”

“I wouldn’t believe you.”

Chuckling, he tugged me along as he started walking.

We were coming upon his parents’ mansion.

It was just as grand as his.

“Well, whether you believe it or not, it’s the truth. Many of us choose to walk this path because it’s the cloth we’re cut from.”

“Wait. Your family is in the streets?”

I stopped again to peer at him.

Gently, he tugged me along.

“When my great-grandfather moved here, you can imagine some of the resistance he faced. While this area wasn’t heavily populated, there was enough opposition to drive the few Blacks that lived here to band together. They were farmers, teachers, communal physicians, and businessmen. They sourced their own liquor and healing medicines. The community started growing to the point where order was necessary.”

“Sounds fascinating,” I said.

I’d never heard anything like it.

At least not from someone outside of history documentaries.

Listening to Adir talk about the intricacies of his family’s beginnings was something I could see myself being hooked on.

“It’s fascinating now. Back then…” He shook his head.

“Allistair and his three friends took it upon themselves to protect the community. Over time, those four families became the pillars of this region.”

“Who are the other three families?”

“Smith, Fountain, and Winters families. My mama is a Fountain by the way.”

“You don’t say. Do they all live in this area?”

He shook his head.

“As you can imagine, newer generations come, and people spread their wings.”

“Did the other families remain close?”

This time he stopped, then turned us around.

Only then did I realize how far we’d walked.

We started back toward his mansion as he continued.

“That’s just it. The bond the families have is deeper than friendship. They created a code—a bond that leaves no room for disloyalty. Everyone knows it. Everyone is to abide by it.”

Thinking back to last night and how those men were subjected to Adir, I knew…

I just knew.

“You’re untouchable.”

“I’m not. However, the consequences of even thinking about touching me or anything connected to me carries the stiffest penalty.”

Gulping, I croaked, “Death.”

He simply looked at me.

As untouchable as Adir seemed, I understood what he meant.

Being at the top had a for certain target on his back.

Out of everyone in his family, he had the most dangerous position.

“What about the boys?” I needed to change the subject.

A smile graced his face as it lit up.

“My boys aren’t really boys anymore. However, I refer to them as such. Humble is the oldest at nineteen. He’s the one who will most likely take after me.”

“Even though he isn’t your biological son?”

He nodded.

“He’s never known his parents. Tilda, his foster mother and one of my closest professors, had him since he was born. I already had a relationship with Humble. I watched him grow up since he was five or so. So, I knew that I would take him in. One morning, I woke up a single man with no kids. By the end of the night, I had four sons.” We both chuckled.

“Peace is turning nineteen soon. Kalm and Bragg are fifteen.”

“They’re giants,” I mentioned playfully to which he agreed.

“My boys… I love them to death.”

The softness in his deep voice conveyed as much.

“How did Tilda die?”

“Cancer. It came out of nowhere and took her far too quickly before anyone could do anything about it.”

“I’m sorry.”

A bittersweet smile crept on his face.

“Tilda was ready. Despite what she faced, she knew I was there to get the boys. They were her greatest concern.”

“That’s admirable of you.”

“More like, I was too close to the boys to let them be fucked over by the system. I’d kill behind them.”

His statement squeezed my heart.

“What about Peace, Kalm, and Bragg. What are their stories?”

“Peace’s entire family died in a house fire.”

I clutched my chest. “That’s so sad.”

“Very. He was the oldest of his siblings. Sometimes, I think he blames himself for not saving them. However, he was just a kid himself.”

Tears welled up in my eyes.

What a burden to carry for such a small kid.

“The twins…” He sighed.

“Their mother died in childbirth. Their father was never in the picture.”

“So, Tilda adopted all the boys?”

“She did. Cared for them, raised them, and made sure they had everything they needed. They took her death hard. They’ve been with me for five years now. I made it my business to give them a life that is full. One where they’ll never be abandoned again.”

“But you live the life you live,” I replied.

His life sounded so unpredictable.

He sighed heavily. “I do. Which is why security is necessary. It’s gon’ take trust you never knew you possessed to walk this walk with me, Pretty. Although I am the man I am, I’m only one man. I’m a man who has to be able to perform emergency surgeries at the drop of a hat. My mind has to be clear. Saving lives ain’t easy. I have control over some things, and I don’t have control over others. When a person’s heartbeat is in the palm of my hands, I can only do so much to keep it beating. That’s just one thing I don’t have control over. What I do have control over is how I protect my family. If that means ‘round the clock security, that’s what it has to be.”

We made it back to the driveway and through the gate.

Unbothered by our departure, Russ stood in the same spot we’d left him in.

On our approach, he opened the back door for me.

Like last night, I entered the sleek sedan with too much trust in my heart.