The Conglomerate: A Luxorious Tale (37 page)

             
“Ok then there you have it,” Joey told Mish, then directed her attention to Evan,               “The fee for her service is two hundred thousand and plus the ten percent recovery fee will come out your money.”

             
“I have no problems with that.  I just want it to be over. Whatever I need to pay to get this psychotic nigga out of my life once and for all.”

             
“That’s what it is then,” Mish said. “When it’s done I’ll bring confirmation.” She got in the car with Kisa.

             
“Aye Joe,” Kisa called out. “Everything worked out for you?”

             
“Only time will tell, thanks for the referral though.”

             
Lightly smirking, Kisa nodded her head, chucked the deuces, and peeled off.

             
Evan stopped Cee and Joey as they were walking away. “I wanna say something before we leave.”

             
Both women paused and silently gave her their undivided attention.

             
With a noticeable awkwardness in the air Evan began. “Um I know what a lot of people think of me, especially now that my past has been aired out... I want y’all to know that I’m truly sorry for the pain and trouble that was brought to your families because of what I did and I deeply regret hiding things from my two best friends.”

             
Stoic faced Cee and Joey stared at her with no response.

             
“Also, I really appreciate that after everything you suffered because of me, you still cared enough  to protect me from Gage.”

             
Dead silence.

             
“So, I guess whenever y’all are ready we can discuss where we go from here personally and business wise.”

             
Still nothing.

             
“Well, talk to you girls later.”

             
As Evan passed, Cee grabbed her hand. “There is nothing for us to talk about with regards to our friendship or the Luxe Group.”

             
Saddened, tears welled up in Evan’s eyes. “I deserve that,” she wiped a plump tear off of her cheek with her finger. “I’ll have my attorney contact yours to figure out how to split the conglomerate up.”

             
“That’s not what I meant. There is nothing for us to talk about, because nothing has changed. Our businesses will remain a conglomerate.”  Cee placed her hand on Evan’s shoulder, “our friendship, isn’t just a friendship. We are sisters. Three girls from the westside, from the dirt, and at the end of the day we are all we got. Yeah, you fucked up royally and it may take a while for everyone to get over the things that happened. I’m highly upset, but you will always be one of us and I love you.” Cee pulled Evan close and embraced her tightly.

             
Evan planted her face against Cee’s shoulder and let out a good shoulder heaving cry. Joey wrapped her arms around her best friends, she kissed Evan’s cheek. “I’m pissed with you, but I love you Ev and I always will.”

             
“Ayo,” Zay shouted. “Hate to interrupt y’all lil moment, but we gotta blow.” he dapped Reza. “We need to get up soon.”

             
“On the real my nigga.”

             
“I can tell you really down for Evan. Just remember keep one eye up at all times.”

             
“No doubt.”

***

              “What a welcome home this has been,” Tony said sitting on a stool eating breakfast on the center island in Joey and Zay’s kitchen. 

             
“I can’t even put last night into words,” Rico added animatedly. “I mean, we went from the best party ever to being in the middle of some wild gangsta movie type shit.”

             
From the opposite side of the island Joey and Zay laughed at Rico. It felt good to laugh after all the recent occurrences. Finding out that Gage was behind it all had brought a small sense of closure. They wouldn’t be able to ascertain full closure, until they knew that Gage was eliminated. “It isn’t always like this,” Zay said to his brothers.                “We live a calm family life.”

             
“That’s right,” Joey added.

             
“You ain’t just plain Suzy Homemaker,” Rico joked at Joey. “Not the way you were handling business last night.”

             
“Every now and then Joe-Joe from the westside creeps out,” Joey smiled. “I have to keep that bitch tucked deep inside ’cause she ratchet!”

             
Rubbing the back of Joey’s neck, Zay shook his head and laughed. One of the things that he loved about his wife was her quirky-sometimes-dark sense of humor. He missed moments like this with her. Now that all the Gage and Evan drama hopefully behind them, he prayed that many stolen moments like this were in store for the days ahead.  Zay took his hand from behind her neck to answer his vibrating phone.

              “Hello?”

             
“Hey Zay,” his attorney Scott Fleischman greeted, “if you got a minute to spare I need to speak with you.”

             
“Go ahead I can talk.”

             
“No, not over the phone.  I’m having breakfast at Pancake House on Charlottetowne Avenue. If you can get over here kinda quick before I have to be in court we can talk.”

             
“I’m on the way.” Zay ended the call and stood up.

             
“Who was that?” Joey asked.

             
“My attorney, he needs to see me.”

             
“Do you need me to go?”

             
“You might as well come, he close to the hospital right now.”  He looked at his brothers. “Since I gotta make a stop, if you want y’all can take one of the cars and go ahead to the hospital to be with mom.”

             
“I don’t feel like driving,” Tony replied.

             
“Me neither,” added Rico. “I don’t have a problem waiting while you stop. Besides, moms called before we started eating. She said Aunt Fran is stable and resting, so she’s going home to shower and get some clothes.”

***

              “Jason,” Cee shook him lightly as he lay asleep on the couch in her bonus room.

             
“Yeah,” he stirred awake looking around trying to remember where he was.

             
“I didn’t want to wake you. I know that you’re dead tired.”

             
“I’m straight.” he slowly sat up, “just dozed off for a minute.”

             
“A minute!  More like two hours.”

             
“Damn, I been sleep two whole hours.”

             
“Yes sir and you can go back. I woke you only to see if you wanted something to eat. I’m going to get the kids something.” Cee sat on the couch to put her shoes on.                Just out the shower, makeup free, in a black YSL logo shirt and black leggings she was glowing youthfully. “I’m going to Salsarita’s and Showmars. Which one do you want?”

             
“Neither really, but I’ll take a flounder and shrimp from Showmars. How is Taleah doing?”

             
“She’s doing better. She stopped crying for now and I think that’s because PJ and Shelby are up. Those two are smart. They know that something is going on.”    

              “How did Talia and Tanine take the news?”

              “They were relieved that she was okay. The trips can always sense when each other is in trouble or hurt. Tanine and Talia had been trying to reach Taleah all night and morning ‘til we got here.”

             
“Wow, what about her boyfriend?”

             
“He is really shook up. He had some pounds of weed in the house whenever he woke up from being knocked out he was scared to call the police.”

             
“Gage and that crazy bitch caused a lot of problems.”

             
“Yes they did,” Cee agreed, “I can’t believe Pete’s killer was around me every day, attended his funeral, the repast, and gave my family a sympathy gift.”

             
“Gage got that bitch head fucked all the way up, worse than he probably had Evan’s. She didn’t care that she been sleeping with one of her brother’s killers for the last ten years.” 

             
“This entire thing has been ludicrous I can’t believe that all this shit has happened to my family over something that had zero to do with...”  Staring off into space, Cee said in a low voice, “I should have killed her. I don’t know why I couldn’t.”

             
“It was good thing that you didn’t. You may have not gotten Taleah back. Not only that, witnessing a killing can haunt you for life. Doing the work yourself can destroy you.”

             
“It doesn’t seem to bother that chick, Mish.”

             
“We don’t know that, even if it doesn’t bother her y’all are cut  from a different cloth. Mish is beautiful, with rough edges and hard interior. You,” he stared at Cee while thinking of the right words, “you’re gorgeous too, but you’re delicate, honest, and soft. The things dudes like me want in a woman.” He smiled continuing to peer at her adoringly.

             
“Why are you looking at me like that?” she blushed.

             
“No reason,” he shrugged, really wondering if they could ever be more.

             
Cee reached out, cupped Jason’s face, leaned over and gently caressed his lips with hers.  With the tip of her tongue she traced then parted his lips and kissed him fervidly. Feeling it, Jason sunk deep into the kiss, only to pull back seconds later.

             
“What are you doing yo?”

             
“What you wanted to do, but wouldn’t because you’ve been trying to be such a perfect gentlemen.”  Cee replied giving into the feelings that she’d developed for Jason.  Her infatuation with him had been brewing for weeks. Not wanting to dishonor Petey she fought and did her best to suppress her wildly growing emotions. Now that things were at a fever pitch between them she could no longer hold back. “You didn’t like my kiss?”

             
“I didn’t say that...I don’t want to go there with you while you’re still grieving and all this other chaos is going on.”

             
“I may be grieving for years to come, so if you go on that we will never get to see what we could be.”

             
“True,” he agreed, “but-”

 
              “But what? Look, I’m not trying to make you my man or jump in the bed with you. I’m not ready for either of those things. I kissed you because you’re special to me, I appreciate you, and I wanna explore slowly to see if we could be more than friends.”

             
“I wasn’t going to say that I didn’t want to go there with you, because I do. You special to me too, but this is still Petey’s house and I respect his memory. Kissing you, hell even having this conversation, here feels creepish and weird.”

             
“So ride with me to get food so that we can converse some more. Then after I feed the kids, why don’t we go somewhere that you feel comfortable and a little more conversing and some more kissing.”

             
“I’m with that,” Jason winked.  “I want to be clear before we cross this line no matter what happens we should not ruin the friendship that we have right now.”

             
“No doubt, and if I’m moving too slow for you and another woman comes along that you pursue a relationship with, by all means go for it.  I don’t want what I’m going through to hold you up.”

             
“You don’t have to worry about that.”

             
“Yeah-yeah, that’s what you say now until some cute lil young thing strolls by.”

             
“Like I said Cee, that ain’t nothing to worry about.”

             
“How can you be so sure?”

             
“I only want you.”

***

              Deep in a Xanax induced sleep; Evan rolled over and reached out for Reza. He wasn’t there. Eyes still closed she patted the mattress. When she didn’t feel him she opened her eyes, and saw that the right side of the bed was empty. Raising up a little she looked to her left. Reza was sitting in a sky blue upholstered wingback chair with a glock 380 resting on his lap leering at Evan. Spooked she sat straight up.

              “Reza, what’s wrong? Did you hear a noise or something?”

             
“Only the sound of a snake slithering.”