Page 13

Choyce Mancinelli

C atching glimpses of Talon from the corner of my eye, I cursed myself for not leaving the house faster.

Today was the first meeting I was holding as Lucian's right hand in his organization.

A position once held by my late father, may his grimy ass burn in hell.

I was feeling anxious, and when I got anxious.

.. the toilet became my best friend. The extra time I spent on the toilet, then having to re-shower, gave Talon the opportunity to get himself ready and follow me out the door.

Kage almost snapped my husband's wrist when he saw Talon reaching to open the door to his truck.

For a split second, my lapse in judgment almost got the best of me.

Kage killing my husband was the best thing for me, but it would have devastated my daughter.

I couldn't have that. Cherish was the one person in my life I would never use or scheme on to get ahead in life.

She's the bright spot in my dim life. For her, I'd make a sea of enemies because she deserved the life I never got to live in.

The first step was allowing Talon's annoying ass to walk around with the chip on his shoulder that he now blamed me for.

I never denied my role in his demise, but Talon was headed down a path of turmoil long before I out-maneuvered him and made him look small in front of his father.

Lucian did all he could to mold Talon into an image he approved of.

Killing his male lovers and forcing him to marry and procreate with me should have been enough to force Talon's balls to drop, but they never did.

Talon remained the soft-spoken, scared to bust a grape in a fruit fight ass nigga he's always been.

Meanwhile, I learned from his mistake and became the nigga he was supposed to be.

I wasn't proud of the actions taken to get here, but I wouldn't change them either.

I did what was necessary to show my worth and ensure my daughter was never used as a pawn the way Chosyn and I were.

At the thought of my sister, I took my phone from my purse and sent her a text.

Me:

I would love for you to meet your niece. I know things are rocky, but I want to make peace. I love you, Chosyn.

After sending the text, my eyes burned with emotion that never seemed to fall from my eyes.

My days of crying over spilled milk were behind me.

I refused to beg Chosyn for her time, but I did reach out once a month to put the invitation out there.

She was mad and was well within her right, but I was standing ten toes down behind all that I did to get here.

"We're five minutes out. You want me to stay in the car?" Kage asked, catching my eyes from the rearview.

"Yes, you can stay in the car. I'll be going in with my wife. She doesn't need you," Talon spoke up, shocking the hell out of me. I kept my face neutral to mask my surprise by his sudden vibrato.

Kage did the opposite. Laughing darkly, he caught eyes with Talon. The two engaged in a stare-off until my soft-ass husband looked away.

"How you gon' keep your wife safe when you can barely look a real nigga in the eye? They already respect her more than you. You're a joke to them, and because of that, they won't have a problem killing you for attempting to protect Choyce."

"And my father will?—"

"See how you bring up your father? I'm not the nigga who gotta bring up another muthafucka to protect someone I care for. Choyce knows her life is safe when with me and me only."

Seeing Talon's lip quiver, I cleared my throat, capturing both their attention.

"You both will come in with me. Kage, I don't have to say much. You know what to do. Talon, you're there just to show face. You represent Lucian. I'm the mouthpiece and the one with the umph, so I'll do the talking."

"Choyce, this is not what Lucian discussed with us."

Holding my finger up as the car came to a stop, I smacked my lips, then turned to face him.

"Kage, give us a minute, please."

He turned the truck off and then hopped out, slamming the door behind him.

"Lucian said you are the face, and what a handsome face you have, but your voice screams bitch.

You don't have Honor and his people's respect.

Allowing you to speak will drag this meeting out, and, as you know, neither of us has time for that.

Our daughter has a piano recital we both have to help her get ready for.

Now you can sit in this truck, or you can walk inside and be the pretty face your father ordered you to be. "

Knocking on the window, I signaled for Kage to open the door. It swung open with his hand, reaching in to grab mine.

"What you say to that nigga? He looks like he's ready to shoot up the place." Kage chuckled.

"I told him the truth. If he chooses to try to prove a point, it'll be his funeral." I shrugged.

"Don't trip. You know I'll hold my goddaughter down."

"This I know." I smirked.

As I rounded the car, Talon caught up to us. His hand slipped into mine, his fingers nastily cradling my own. Every part of me wanted to slap the shit out of him for touching me in this way. The years of us being friends had come and gone.

"Let this be the last time you hold my hand when business is about to be conducted," I gritted.

Talon said nothing and didn't motion to grab the door handle as we approached the door of the mill. Kage reached out, holding the door for me to walk through, then used his body to sever Talon's hold on my hand. I snickered to myself, thinking Kage was the greatest best friend I could've asked for.

My heels clicking against the cemented floors alerted the owners of my presence and brought them all into view as I sauntered further into the main room. I scanned the faces, making sure I was able to put a name to all four of the handsome faces.

Rize. Lynx. Crown. Honor .

My eyes lingered, and my tongue flickered across my lips as I thought about his darkened butterscotch complexion tasting as sweet as it looked. Honor's eyes, void of all emotion, pulled me in, making me feel smaller than I'd felt in a while.

"Ahem!" Talon's hating ass cleared his throat, then attempted to hold my hand once again. I moved out of his reach, clasping my hands together in front of me.

"Where is Wolfe?" I questioned, noting his absence.

"His daughter had a doctor's appointment," Crown answered, but I wished it were Honor.

"Well, let Daddy Daycare know absences from meetings are frowned upon."

Crown let out a low, menacing chuckle that caused Kage to step slightly in front of me while Talon moved subtly behind me.

"It's okay, Kage and Talon move." I smiled.

"It's clear I need to introduce myself. Hello, I'm Choyce Bochelli.

When it comes to business, I'm a no-nonsense kind of woman.

I have a daughter who is my world, and because she is, I'll never allow my duties as a mother to affect business, because I can understand how the weight of my decision can fall on my daughter if you understand what I'm saying.

I would hate for my niece to pay the consequences of my brother-in-law skipping out on business. "

"Cold-hearted bitch," Crown snarled.

It took Kage all of a second for his Glock to come out and play while Talon stood and said nothing at the insult thrown my way.

"It's okay, Kage. I know Crown meant that as a compliment." I smiled, winking in his direction.

Turning his back to the rest of us, Honor took a couple of steps. I parted my lips to question him, but he beat me to it.

"Choyce, follow me."

The way his rough, dry-ass voice interrupted my heartbeat, you would have thought he said I love you .

"When talking to me, I need you to?—"

"I don't give a fuck what you need. Never did. You can either follow me, or I can have this conversation with Lucian."

Honor continued walking, giving me no other choice but to follow. I whispered to Kage to wait for me outside, then turned to Talon and told him, "I'll be back."

"Wait, I'm coming with?—"

"Nah, you're staying here with us," Rize interjected, chilling the room.

I smirked in admiration at how the youngest in the room was able to command it as if he owned it. I was impressed. Each one of these demons seemed to be leaders who didn't mind falling in line when necessary. That quality was useful.

Honor, a foot or so in front of me, didn't bother slowing his stride or opening the door to the room he was in. I sauntered into the dark room, seemingly unbothered by Honor's aloof demeanor.

"Are we supposed to talk in the dark or?—"

My words dragged until the lights came on, revealing the huge wooden wheel at the opposite end of the room. Four sets of ropes were tied to the wheel, and to the left, different sized axes were racked along the wall.

"Oh, Honor the kink you have." I smirked.

Thoughts of being tied to the wheel, splinters needling my naked body while Honor's dark, hooded eyes roamed along my frame, looking for the perfect spot to inflict his pain.

My eyes fluttered shut as my teeth sank into my lip.

A chill swept me, and when I opened my eyes, Honor was glued to me, not in the way I wanted, but in a way that made me want to challenge everything about him.

"You asked me to follow you, so I presume you have something to say?"

"I do. The money is straight. Rize will bring it out and put it in your trunk."

"Did we need privacy for that? I'm sure the rest of the group would love to hear?—"

"Cut the bullshit, Choyce. The slick talk won't get you far unless a wooden box is your destination."

"Then why are we here if not for you to hear me speak?

" I quizzed, tempted to give in to my temptations.

Honor's cologne engulfed me, clinging to my skin as a prequel to what his body felt like against mine.

I badly wanted to silence the space between us, to breathe him in and allow the danger to burn my lungs.

"For the next meeting, let Kage and Talon handle shit for you."

"Talon isn't equipped, and Kage doesn't speak for me unless necessary. I'm still alive and kicking, so I'll be at the next meeting and every other that follows."

"Cool. I'ma have Wolfe and Crown come in my place from here on out. Lucian knows how to contact me when he needs one of his favors."

"Mhmm." I smirked, not liking how Honor was trying to deprive me of him for reasons I didn't know.

"That's not how this works. Yes, your brothers hold the same title as you... enforcer."

"Picchiatore." He smirked. "Still haven't learned the language of the people you want to be in bed with, huh?"

"Nope, and I don't plan to. They speak English the same as me. When that fails, blue-face hundreds will get the job done."

Scoffing, Honor glared at me, and for a second, I swore I saw disappointment flash in his eyes.

"New money isn't respected with these kinds of men. Blue face hundreds ," he mocked, moving closer in my direction.

I braced myself, but I should have known Honor would never step fully into my space.

Remaining a respectable distance, he continued talking. "They'll accept the money, but they'll never respect you. The people Lucian runs with tolerate new money but respect old money."

I understood exactly what Honor was telling me. Knocking my father off the board was easy. Taking out the king in order to become the queen was going to take a little more thought.

"Thank you for the advice. I'll take it into consideration." Unable to control myself, I closed the space between us. I paused to see Honor's next move. He was unfazed. Nothing about his demeanor changed while my chest was ready to explode.

"I want to give you some advice too," I murmured.

Rising onto my toes, I hooked my arm around his neck, gently pulling his ear toward my mouth. My lips grazed his lobe, and a spark sent electric currents through my veins.

"You love her, I can tell, but what's love if you have to become someone new to deserve her? She's the reason you're backing out of meetings, correct? You don't have to answer because I know. If Navy can't love you as you are, is it really love or just a beautifully packaged cell?"

Slowly peeling away from him, I felt his grip on my neck. He squeezed, probably thinking I'd plead for him to stop, but I welcomed it.

"Don't threaten me with?—"

His gun pecked me on the lips, quickly silencing me. Our eyes met, his void of emotion, but something still hazed in the depths.

"Say Navy's name again, and I'ma let my bitch rearrange your face. Love doesn't lack in my relationship but hate takes precedence in yours. Focus on your own shit. This is the first and last warning I'm giving you."

Jerking me back, I stumbled but caught my composure before I hit the floor.

"Someone is moving in on Crown's territory in Ember Hills. Handle it before I have to."

Flipping my hair over my shoulder, I spun on my heels and got the fuck out of there. I bypassed Crown, Lynx, Rize, and Talon without saying a word. Talon eventually treaded behind me, pissing me off even more.

"When I move, you fucking move," I gritted once we were in the car.

"Had you spoken to me, I'd know what to do. We're a team. I can't know what to do if you don't?—"

"Just shut up!" I barked.

Kage caught my glare in the rearview mirror and motioned for me to calm down. I sucked my teeth, knowing he was right.

"You're better than whatever happened in there. Remember who you're doing this for and let all the other shit roll off your back."

"But—" I started, and Kage flashed me a warning glare.

"But nothing. If you can't take what that nigga is dishing, then stop being the one he serves it to."

With that, Kage focused on the road, and I sucked my teeth.

Had Talon not been in this car, I could've vented and let go of the frustration burning me up inside.

Talon didn't get to see the softer side of me.

His access had been revoked the minute he left me to deal with his father's rage while he went gallivanting with the men he loved.

I wasn't mad at his preference and never have been.

Since he couldn't give me love, the least he could've offered was real friendship.

It was supposed to be the two of us knocking his father off the board.

Unfortunately, Talon was the pussy his father wished he loved, so I had to do it on my own.