East chuckled and shook his head. “Nah, I decided on being out after a year long before I met her.”
“True but you can’t deny that she’s the reason why you don’t want Navi doing your deliveries. She’s nice to look at, I’m a man, so I get it, but all of a sudden you’re putting your foot down. You’re telling me to cut her off.”
“I don’t shit where I sleep.”
“I’m not asking you to, but you’ve employed control all these years. Why is now any different?” Cabo questioned with a stern look. East just stared at him for a minute then laughed, lifting a hand to move it over his hair. He chose to move past the question.
“That’s not the point. I’m careful so handling Patterson is not an issue.”
“And Joi’s ex?”
“I’m not gonna kill him. I’m gonna beat his ass but I’m not gonna kill him.”
“Okay but the fact still remains, you’re moving different. You have more to lose. Let me handle Patterson my way and get rid of the issue so there’s no risk on your end. As careful as you are, there’s always room for a fuck up,” Cabo warned, which had East considering the possibility. No matter how dirty he was, Patterson was still a detective. Killing a cop was risky. It wasn’t just Joi he had to consider. His mother and sister were factors too. The crazy thing was East putting Joi in the equation without hesitation.
“Let me think about it. I’m not really feeling that shit when I know I can easily get it done. I trust myself. I don’t know these people you’re talking about.”
“Again, I don’t doubt that you can. Just pay an old man some consideration.” Cabo leaned back and smirked before getting serious again. “If it goes wrong, Ava will have my ass and I’m not trying to fuck up my peace when there’s an easy solution that keeps both of our hands clean.”
East chuckled and looked over at the bar. Ava was chatting away with the woman behind it while nursing the drink in her hand. It wasn’t until then that East noticed how much she and Joi resembled each other.
“Let me think about it. It’s just not how I move.”
Cabo wanted it handled and he wanted it handled in a way that would exclude both of them. As much faith as he had in East, neither of them needed the additional attention nor did they need even the slightest chance of being tied to killing a cop. However, none of it mattered. Cabo knew East and he was going to do whatever the hell he wanted.
“Get back to me soon so I will know how to proceed.”
“He’s got it coming but I don’t move until I’m ready to move. I’ll let you know when I decide,” was East’s answer. It was a nice way of saying exactly what Cabo already knew. East was going to handle it his way.
“Good enough. Are you heading back tonight?”
“Yeah, I need to get back. I have a little something I need to check on.” Thoughts of Joi filled East’s head. He wasn’t aware of the slight smile that surfaced, but it wasn’t missed by Cabo who chuckled.
“A little something orsomeone?”
When East’s attention was given to Cabo again, it was East who was amused. He moved his hand down his face before gripping the back of his neck while shaking his head at the same time. “Someone.”
A broad smile spread across Cabo’s face while East’s expression was more along the lines of mild frustration. His feelings for Joi annoyed him because there wasn’t much he could do to control them.
“A woman like that will be your greatest conquest or your most memorable downfall. As long as you understand her power and position in your life, you’ll be fine.” After a moment of reflection considering his own situation, Cabo continued, “At least let me feed you. This place…” Cabo’s expression grew serious as his eyes moved around the building, admiring the full house, “it’s a legacy. My legacy. They’ve done my grandparents and parents well. The food tastes just like it did when they had their hands in it. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed.”
East felt his stomach turning in the moment. He could smell the delicious cuisine that surrounded them or passed by on the trays as servers moved about, but he was on a tight schedule. “If I can get it to-go, then that works.”
Nodding, Cabo signaled for one of his staff to come get the order, understanding East was ready to get home. He himself had been in that same place a million times before with Ava so Cabo respected East’s position. A man who understood life was about more than money and power was a man who would always have it, because he would never let it control him. The control of a man belonged to the woman who loved and protected his sanity, and apparently Joi was becoming that for East, whether he realized it or not.
24
“Ionly have about twenty minutes so?—"
“Why the fuck you ask me to come here if you didn’t have time to talk?” Reese glared at Nyelle, annoyed that she was basically hoeing him. She was completely controlling the narrative between the two of them right now and his ego was suffering because of it.
“Twenty minutes is all I need. I just want to be sure you’re clear on the difference in co-parenting and?—"
“And you’re fucking another man trying to replace me in my son’s life and yours.” Reese felt himself slipping but he couldn’t help it. No matter how badly he had fucked up, he didn’t want to lose the one person he knew always put him first, stood by him, and would never do him dirty. Even now, the two of them were ducked off in the corner of a small café near her job to discuss their future and he showed up with the child he cheated on her to create. Did Nyelle trip? Not even a little. She doted over his daughter, kissed her face, and spoke on how beautiful she was. Nyelle was a grown ass woman who he took for granted and basically shitted on for the childish person who was now the second person to bear a child for him. Reese hated everythingabout Michelle but was stuck with her. He loved Nyelle with everything he had but could no longer have her.
“Stop cutting me off or you can leave now,” Nyelle warned, not moved by Reese’s tantrum. Her goal was to come to an agreement on how they could co-parent their son. It had been two weeks since the incident with Vega and Reese. Things needed to be settled because the unknown held her hostage. During that time, she placed a lot of consideration on what she wanted, what made her happy, and how she planned on pursuing it. At the root of everything was Vega. Since their talk after leaving his brother’s house he had fallen back some. They talked and had seen each other in passing, but Vega made it clear that he needed Nyelle to be sure about what she wanted. That was the reason she reached out to Reese. Nyelle wanted Vega. That meant being clear to Reese that under no circumstances did she want him back and he would have to deal with watching her move on with her life.
“Aight. Go ahead and hit me with that bullshit you think I’m about to run with then I’ll tell you how things are really going down.” Reese shrugged, leaning back in the metal chair, hands folded together and placed on top of the table. Nyelle’s narrowed eyes traced his body from head to toe, with anger filling her by the second. It made no sense for the man to be so fine yet so damn disrespectful and evil at the same time.
