“He’s not the head of his family anymore. The five families have now been cut down to four. My brother will take over with finding a new arms dealer.”
“And you expect us to be okay with adding another family we don’t know?” Louise asked.
“We can always make it three families,” Emil spoke. The room was quiet, waiting for Louise to say something else to combat the decision. He tossed his hands up in mock surrender and remained silent.
“I just wanted to know what happened.”
“He was a snake, and that’s all that needs to be said about that. Any more questions?” I asked. Louise, Pierre, and Sloan shook their heads as I stood. “Well, if that’s all, I have to get going.” I walked over to Emil and hugged him. “Be great, my G.”
“I got you, bro.”
“Well, gentlemen, I believe this meeting is adjourned.”
The men rose, shaking my hand and congratulating Mill. Once everyone left the room, aside from my family, my popsstood and looked at me. “Come by the house tomorrow so that we can have a little chat.”
“No can do, Pops. I’ll be in Antigua, then Fiji for two weeks. I’ll hit you when I return.”
“Antigua? For what?”
“I’m taking my wife there.”
“Wife?” Uncle Nick queried with a look of confusion on his face.
I chuckled. “We’re getting married on the beach there. Private and intimate. Then, we’re going over to Fiji for our honeymoon.”
“And when were you going to let us in on this? You know ya moms is going to put a fucking hit out on you if she finds out you got married and she doesn’t know,” my pops reminded me.
I chuckled again. “Yeah, I know. But with everything going on with her people and me trying to get my school open for the fall and winter semester, I’m already behind schedule on giving y’all grandkids. We’ll do the wedding thing later, but right now, it’s just us. I got Moms.”
He laughed. “Yeah, . . . if you say so.” He walked over and pulled me in for a hug. “I’m proud of you, Son. I knew from the very beginning that this wasn’t an end goal for you. And whenever your knucklehead brother wants to call it quits, I’ll grant him the same as long as he chooses the next Aldana to represent.”
I nodded.
“Proud of you, too, Cuz. And since we announcing shit, me and Mill are about to hit Cancun and enjoy being free men!” Mook exclaimed.
“Nah, Cuz, you on ya own with that. I’m in the biggest doghouse known to man. I’m trying to figure out a grand gesture to present to my wife because her ass done moved out on me.”
“Damn, she wasn’t playing, was she?” Mook asked.
“Unfortunately not, but when I’m not working, I sit outside her crib every day and every night, making sure she ain’t bringing no niggas in that bitch.” We laughed as my pops and uncle shook their heads.
“That’s your fault, Mill. I told yo’ ass to stop playing with that woman’s feelings. You better be glad she didn’t kill yo’ ass,” Poppa told him.
“She humbled his ass; now he trying to act right,” Uncle Nick jested.
“Speaking of: What happened with the Banks?” Poppa asked, looking at me.
“Torrance is somewhere recovering still, and Normani is probably somewhere committing suicide.”
They frowned.
Mook spoke up. “He severed two fingers on both her hands and cut the tip of her tongue. That bitch won’t be able to snitch or write another fucking testimony again.”
“Damn. Well, she deserved whatever happened to her,” Uncle Nick said, shrugging.
“Indeed. I gotta bounce. I’ll see y’all when I get back,” I told them, heading toward the door.
“Give Yumi my love,” I heard my pops say.
