Page 23

CHAPTER 22

Stephon

“ D o you miss it?” Jourdan asked as she looked out the window at the hustle and bustle of New York.

“Nah. I have grown used to a slower-paced lifestyle. What about you? Do you miss California?”

“Sometimes, I miss my brother and Tay. Other than that, I appreciate the fresh start from being in NC. I like it there. If being honest, I think I always knew I wasn’t going back,” she said and shrugged. I could see the somberness she always tried to hide in her eyes.

“Good, ‘cause you’re stuck now, Baby. Ain’t no going back,” I said unsympathetically. She smiled and let out a small laugh before turning her head so I wouldn’t see it. I wasn’t laughing about it, though. I planned never to give her a reason to want to leave. After grabbing food, we headed to one of my houses here. It was located on the city's outskirts in Mount Vernon, about fifty minutes from Brooklyn. It wasn’t wise to travel with an arsenal. So, I had homes set throughout the US to keep them. I would get a hotel room in the city after we picked up everything we needed.

I drove slowly into the neighborhood where my home was located. When people typically thought about New York, they couldn’t imagine that there were quiet areas. However, that’s exactly where this house was. We’d finally arrived, and I parked in the driveway of the all-brick rancher with a single garage. It was a quaint two-bedroom, two-bath home. I unlocked my phone, sorting through apps until I found the one to open the garage for our location.

After it lifted, I pulled in and closed it behind us. I got out of the car, rounding it to help Jourdan out. We entered the tiny house and were met with its staleness. I didn’t know the last time I’d been here. It was clean, aside from the coating of dust that had settled on the tops of all the furniture. Jourdan opened a window while I walked through the house, ensuring everything was in place. Once satisfied, I plopped down on the couch, closing my eyes and throwing my head back on the cushion. I had a lot on my mind.

Last week, when Jourdan thought that I was blowing her off, I was sifting through everything I could find on Miller. She had been so eager that she didn’t properly look through it, showcasing exactly why Brice was worried. It also worried me because she was half-assing everything she knew she should be doing, all in the name of vengeance. Leaving her back in Cypress while I came to New York wasn’t an option. I didn’t trust her to keep herself safe. If anything happened to her, my name would end up in the dictionary beside the fucking word executioner. If the underworld thought I was terrible now, who I would become would be nefarious.

The file I’d compiled of Miller included his properties, banking information, and known associates. That’s how I pieced together the fact that he may have known Jourdan’s father. There were even a few photos in the back with people I had no lead on other than them being from California. He’d done a damn good job of covering up his past. The meeting was supposed to take place on Saturday. I had no intention of meeting him as Rock or Stephon. I was here to get a more personal idea of who this man was. I wanted to know what time he usually ate and what he ate at that time. That was the reason that I’d arrived three days in advance.

Some way to spend my fucking honeymoon!

I felt Jourdan sit down beside me. She leaned into my body, laying her head on my chest. The next thing I felt was her leg that she’d thrown over mine, which was sprawled out.

“What’s wrong?” She asked. I hesitated before answering because I wanted to give Jourdan the world. I would feel like a failure if she were upset about us not celebrating our nuptials.

“I’m low-key pissed that we’re here instead of me seeing your naked body covered in white sand. Argh, Damn this motherfucker!” I groaned. His ass was killing my mood. Jourdan placed her hand on my chest and began drawing circles, calming me before she spoke.

“Is that all your ass was thinking about. ”

“Jourdan, we are not going to sit here and act like you haven’t seen yourself naked.”

“I have, and?”

“And… you know why the hell I’m thinking about it then,” I said and laughed.

“Are you upset, Jourdan? That we’re here instead of on our honeymoon.”

“Stephon, I just decided that I wanted to be married yesterday. I haven’t even thought that far ahead. You know I’m excited about this trip. When I first started, my father and I used to conduct recon together. It’s nice to have someone who also knows this lifestyle. I need someone with whom I can share it and who understands. That’s you. Besides, it’s your tight naked ass I’m trying to see covered in sand.”

“I promise to take you when this is all over. And pause. You nasty,” I said, laughing.

“Maybe so, but are we going to sit here all day, or are you going to show me the goods?”

“Oh, that’s all you had to say, Baby,” I said as I pretended to fumble with the button on my cargo pants. She slapped my hand away and quickly stood above me.

“Guns. Now. Stephon,” she said, staring down at me. I held her gaze. There was fire in her eyes. This woman didn’t give a damn about an exotic vacation. She was ready to fuck some shit up.

Damn, she ain’t nothing but good trouble.

I stood, brushing past her, heading toward the basement. Once I reached the door, I entered my code and opened it. I descended the narrow staircase with her trailing close behind me. Once I reached the bottom, I flicked on the lights. Starting from the left where I was standing, the lights came on, illuminating a display of weapons. Each section lit up one by one until the last display on my right was lit.

Jourdan pushed past me and stepped further into the room. She slowly spun around in a circle. She looked like a kid in a candy store. I was immensely turned on, but now wasn’t the time for that. I also couldn’t believe that Brice had done this to me. His ass knew his sister was like this, and he wanted me to take her off his hands.

“That motherfucker,” I quietly said and laughed.

“You said something?” Jourdan asked, peering over her shoulder. I shook my head. Then she went around the room, making her selections. She picked up two twin Smith & Wesson nine millimeters. Holding them in her hands and aiming them. Just then, I remembered the gift I’d bought her. It was folded and tucked under my jacket in the back of my pants. By the time she turned her aim towards me, I’d taken it out and held one side in each of my hands. It was a shoulder gun holster, just like the one I wore.

“Stephon,” she said, running over to place her arms inside where I held it up. She adjusted it on her back and then holstered the guns inside. She leaned up to put a sweet kiss on my lips.

“Thank you, Baby,” she said giddily, and I was like putty, bending to her will. I picked up my twin guns and a Glock, which I placed in the back of my pants. Jourdan had placed an extra on her ankle underneath her jeans. The last thing I picked up was a knife, which I put inside the thigh pocket of my cargo pants.

“You ready to go to fucking work, Lioness?”

“Hell yeah. This is going to be so fun,” she said and smiled while rubbing her hands together like a menace.

Putty!