“Nothing yet, sir.”
“Okay. Keep your eyes open.”
“Affirmative.” I leaned back in my seat, lit my joint, and watched the house where they were hiding Layken Walsh, the bitch ass snitch. It was still daylight, so I wasn’t going to move on him yet, just stake out to find out the patterns of the officers guarding his loose-tongued ass.
Layken used to be one of my father’s soldiers. He worked for the family up until I took over. That was when the majority of our problems began. Most of the OG’s didn’t like the fact that the twenty-one-year-old ‘lil nigga’ was in charge and left once my father left.
I had no problem with that.
What I did have a problem with was snakes and snitches. Layken was paid handsomely during his tenure under my father. The incompetent, ignorant nincompoop sat at many of ourdinners, calling us hisnephews, and pretending to be loyal to the familia. But when he decided to leave and do his own thing, he got jammed up with an eighth of cocaine, two guns, and a pound of weed.
From the information I was able to gather, they were going to give him fifteen years without parole. In exchange for a lighter sentence, they wanted him to give them information on the five families. That included us, the Kings, the Banks, and the St. Claire family. They had nothing on the DeVato family. We were set to meet with them tomorrow after the pre-trial.
I looked at my watch and saw it was ten minutes until five. I had to get to the house before Yumi pulled up. Shorty had no idea the lengths I’d go through to get her back in my space. I figured if I put a little fire under her, she’d move accordingly.
I put my phone down, started the engine of my Prius, and pulled away from the block. I was confident that Layken Walsh wouldn’t make it to trial.
My phone vibrated in the cup holder, and I saw Normani’s name pop up on the radio screen. I had no clue why shorty was calling me, but I could just about guess. Everything in me told me not to answer, but I did, to find out what she wanted.
“What’s good, Normani?”
“Hello, Emery. Did you forget that we were supposed to have dinner tonight?”
“Nah . . . I thought it was understood that we wouldn’t pursue this. What changed?”
“My father and yours had a conversation. That’s what’s changed.”
“I make my own decisions, baby. You and I both know and made an agreement that marriage wasn’t in the cards for us.”
“Listen. Can we reschedule? There are some things I’d like to discuss with you.”
“What things?”
“Important things.”
I sighed, keeping my eyes on the road and making sure my security detail kept up with me. “I’ll hit you with a date and time soon.” I hung up and turned up the music. I wasn’t trying to go through this shit with Normani, but I could tell she was on the verge of doing too much. We fucked a few times, but I realized there was nothing there for me even to consider wifing her ass. I wanted to be in love with my wife, whether it was arranged or not.
Normani was so ready to please her father that she was willing to sacrifice her freedom for a nigga who had no interest in her to keep money in the family.
I was trying to sever ties with this life, and her father and mine were trying to keep me in.
It wasn’t happening.
After this trial, I was going to sit the families down and let them know I was leaving this shit for good.
I pulled up to my jeweler’s shop and parked in front. Juno and Kevin exited their vehicle and stood alert by the doors.
I checked my gun to make sure the safety was on, then got out and went inside. Valentino stood from his high-backed chair to greet me.
“Mr. Aldana. Pleasure to see you, sir.”
“Pleasure’s all mine, Tino. You got that package for me?”
“I do.” He turned, opening a cabinet to a steel safe. He put in some numbers and opened it while I waited to see what he had done.
He set the leather box down in front of me and lifted the lid. The diamonds shone under the dim lighting as I picked up the necklace first with the YE pendant. Next, I picked up the hoop earrings, then the bracelet, and finally the diamond-clustered ring. I nodded and placed them back in the box.
“Box it up for me.”
