But Paul spoke before I could. "Or niggers."
Crimson. That was who'd come outside. "Is that what you're really scared of?" I asked. "Worried that some non-white people might step foot in this town? Well, they will. Darnell grew up here too."
I listened as Darnell came closer, and then he dropped a hand on my shoulder. "You need me to escort this man off the property, Violet?"
"No, I'm fine, Darnell." I glanced back to give him a smile, making it clear that I really was. "Mr. Simmons is just letting me know that gays and Blacks aren't welcome in town. The problem is that he doesn't have a leg to stand on, we have laws making his prejudice illegal, and he hasn't yet figured out that his opinion doesn't trump that."
"Ah." Darnell nodded. "Lucky for you, Mr. Simmons, I'm just here to visit my family." Then Darnell leaned in toward my ear and whispered, "Teal called. Everything's cleaned up. We got a report."
"Thanks," I breathed. "I'll be in shortly."
He nodded, then looked over to Paul. "Pleasure to see you again, Mr. Simmons. How's Ricky doing?"
"Rick," Paul corrected without thinking.
"Well, let him know I said hi." Then Darnell turned and leisurely strolled his tattooed self back up the stairs and into the house.
Paul immediately rounded on me. "That boy's a gang-banger!"
"Was," I corrected. "Southwind got him out and let him start a new life. He's now the Treasurer for the Board of Directors of Southwind and the owner of a successful private security firm in Ft. Worth. He's a success story. One of many. Ashton Walker owns a multi-million-dollar lingerie and women's loungewear company. Cyan Marshall is a doctor of psychiatric medicine. Cessily Blackburn is one of the best attorneys in the entire country. This place didn't make little successes. It turned criminals into some of the best members of our society, and I'm going to do it again. You can't stop me, Mr. Simmons, so quit trying."
"Maybe not, but I can make sure you wish you'd given up." He lifted his hands and stepped back. "But you go right ahead, Miss Dawson. You keep thinking this place is just like New York. I know how these people work, and when it's your little boyfriend taking the hits, your tune will change. Luke's not getting custody of that girl. I'm damned well going to make sure of it."
"You don't give a shit about Faith," I countered.
The man grinned. "Oh, but Meredith's like a daughter to me. I tried so hard to get Luke to do the right thing. Even gave that boy a job, but he had no interest in manning up and making a wife of her. Guess that means I'm gonna have to do what I can to help her out, hm?" It was all bullshit, and his tone made it clear that he didn't care if I believed him.
Which meant that Luke's case had just gotten a little more difficult. If Paul Simmons thought breaking Luke would break me, then he'd throw all his money into this case, and it was just enough to make me worried. Not that I'd ever let Paul know that, though.
"Mr. Simmons, I would like you to get the fuck off my property now, and please do not come back. I've been respectful and haven't stormed onto your land, so the least you can do is reciprocate."
"Or what?" he demanded.
"Or I'll call the cops for trespassing, just like you threatened to do to me. I don't really care for double standards, you see."
And then I just turned and sauntered my hot little ass back up the stairs, knowing the man was glaring daggers in my back. I also didn't care. When I reached the door, I opened it to find the entire household in the living room, all waiting tensely for me. Darnell sat on the arm of Cessily's chair. Luke and Cy were on the couch. Ash was pacing between the living room and kitchen island, but he paused when I shut the door behind me.
"So..." I said, dropping that into the room. "We've got problems. Sounds like Paul Simmons is now involved with Meredith's case. Chartreuse? How bad did this just get?"
"Unlimited funds means there will probably be a private investigator watching us," Cessily said, ticking things off on her fingers. "I'm sure the psychologist they'll want for Faith won't be cheap - "
"I got that," Ash promised. "Money's not a concern, Cess."
"Luke has to pay it," Cessily told him. Then the woman who was both Luke's attorney and my big sister turned to look at the stairs, making sure the thirteen-year-old girl was out of earshot. "Most of all, it means that you four need to keep your shit clean. Perfectly clean. It's not that long, people - less than two weeks - and there can't be a single hint of anything polyamorous in front of her."
"We can do it," I promised.
Darnell huffed out a laugh. "Really?"
I just looked over at Luke. "We have to. I'm with Luke. Ash and Cy are a couple. That doesn't need to be a secret, right?"
"Right," Cessily said. "They just need to make sure they aren't too…"
"Public," Ash finished for her. "We need to keep it to Disney levels."
So I nodded. "Then for the next couple weeks, we'll just keep it clean. Better safe than sorry."
But Cy looked up at me and in that moment, I knew this was a lot easier said than done. As much as I loved Luke, I loved Cy and Ash just as much. Thirteen years, I'd waited. I'd assumed I'd have to choose, and they'd made it clear I didn't. Now, the world was trying to force us to play by its rules.
