Ari stepped closer to Joseph’s face.
“Look, I called him all weekend, every chance I got. You know what, just shut the fuck up talking to me! I’m not in the mood for your shit right now.” Ari turned away from him, but he continued talking shit.
“And you think I’m in the mood?”
“I don’t give a fuck!”
“I know you don’t! That’s the fuckin problem!”
The yelling got loud enough to pull eyes from every direction, and before security could make their way over, I grabbed Ari’s hand and pulled her out of the lobby and outside the hotel.
“Listen, do not let them get you more upset. They’re just mad because they spent their last to come here, and their brother did some crazy-ass shit. You heard his mama. Josiah runs away when he is stressed about shit. He pulled this stunt in college years ago when he went M.I.A on everyone for a week.”
“I know. I just can’t stand it. It’s so fucking dumb. They are so fuckin dumb.” I hugged her tightly, letting her cry on my shoulder until she got it all out. Ari wasn’t one to show weakness, so I know it was a genuine feeling coming out of her. I let her cry as long as she wanted to. As long as she needed to.
When her tears stopped flowing, she sat down on the curb, and I joined her, wrapping my arms around her. The wind was coming through Vegas something serious, and for the first time since we’ve been here, it was genuinely cold.
I noticed a Maybach pulling into the pickup loop, and it was no concern to me until Hawk of all people stepped out of the front seat.
The valet man rushed toward him and got brushed off like he didn’t exist. Hawk’s eyes then locked on me, his chin lifting slightly, signaling for me to come over.
“What is he doing here? I’ll be right back, Ari.”
“Okay.”
I stood up from the curb and walked over to him, heading toward the driver’s side, but he motioned for me to get inside.
“I can’t leave my friends. We’re about to leave for the airport soon.”
“That’s nothing to be concerned about, Cyn. Just get in the car. Let me talk to you for a minute.” I looked back towards Ari, who was now joined by Tania. I guess she was finally done cursing out Josiah’s family on behalf of all of us.
I got in the car, and he pulled off immediately, completely disregarding the fact that I’d just said I was heading to the airport.
“So, what’s up?”
“You were just going to leave Vegas without calling me? I thought you and I were better than that.” His diamonds flashed through his lips
“I was going to call you. I’ve just had a lot on my plate. We still can’t find him, and my friend is really upset.”
“Yeah.”
He sounded exactly how someone like him would respond with little empathy. Short and dry. But I didn’t really expect anything more. He doesn’t know Josiah.
“Well, I was coming over here to catch you. Hoping I did anyway. There’s something I wanted to talk to you about.”
“What’s that?”
“Alright, to make a long story short, you know how I told you about Nina, and how she’s been holding contracts over everybody's head around her?”
“Don’t tell me she found out about us.”
“No. She didn’t. It’s not that. I just told her I wasn’t ready to get married and she flipped shits on me. See, Nina and I were under contract. I took over her father’s company, and part of that deal was making her my exclusive domestic partner, if you will.”
When he said that, it all started to make sense. Someone who seemed to be so in tune with that gangster side didn’t seem like the type of man to have everything Hawk owned. Not saying being rich is only for bougie people, but Hawk is young, and I can tell that gangsta mentality is still fresh in him.
“Oh wow. That’s crazy.”
“Yeah, and when I told her I didn’t want to be with her anymore, she threw the contract up in my face and told me that I’d lose everything without her. I used to believe her until I actually looked at the contract.”
