She saved several women from their abusive pimps, clothed them and placed a roof over their heads. It was something she wished for when she was fourteen sleeping on concrete floors feeling unwanted.
Despite her reputation, Lucille's true motivations ran much deeper than profit or status. She used her business as a shield, a way to protect not only herself but the vulnerable women who came to her seeking refuge. The House of Angels became a sanctuary, a place where second chances weren’t just a promise but a daily reality. Every corner of the building echoed with stories of resilience, hope, and silent battles won, often led by Lucille’s unwavering determination.
The women she employed drove nice cars, houses, and lived outside of House of Angels. Their loyalty was to Lucille, and most of them helped her on her side quests. Even if it meant setting up men with power to get exactly what she wanted.
There was also this dark wavering side to Lucille. The side that remained caught up in her painful past. If there was any woman that didn’t want to revert their lives and speak the tune she loved to hear, Lucille would allow them to keep prostituting, but only under her thumb. She refused to allow anyone to refer to her as their pimp. When truth be told, that was exactly what she was in order to make a good profit off a woman spreading her legs.
“What’s in the bag?”Luca signed.
Once the iron gates closed behind them and the driver navigated further up the private road, Luca felt like he could breathe better.
“I got you a burner phone and a main line. LuLu got a couple of cigars stuffed with weed and a bottle of Remy Martin Grande.” Roy smirked.
He reached down and picked up the brown leather bag and passed it over to Luca. He glanced inside; his eyes scanned the contents with a sense of relief mixed with caution. The burner phone was crucial for staying off the radar, and the cigars and cognac felt like small luxuries in a tense situation. He nodded his thanks to Roy, silently appreciating the care woven into even the smallest details from his mom.
Seconds after his personal phone powered on, his phone pinged and went off back-to-back. Roy shook his head with a goofy smirk plastered on his handsome face.
“That must be Ill Na Na.” He chuckled the words out.
Luca looked down at his phone and saw her name in big bold letters. Although Sanarah was his ex-longtime girlfriend, she once held a special place in his heart. It was Sanarah’s insecurities and controlling ways that ruined them. For thelongest Luca was stuck on Sanarah like a bad drug habit. He ended up breaking up with her the first year of being locked up.
Every other day she accused him of sleeping with the women guards. She went so far as to getting locked up by attacking a woman guard during a visit just because she was pretty with wide hips and ass. It was no secret, Luca loved thicker women. Unlike his father, he remained faithful to Sanarah, no matter how much pussy got thrown his way.
Ill Na Na was the nickname Luca gave Sanarah; he worshipped the ground she walked on. She wasn’t picture perfect either, she had her flaws. Most men of Luca’s caliber could pull a model type of chick with the perfect beat of makeup. Luca loved the authenticity of a woman. When he looked at Sanarah, he saw beauty in her obvious scars that darkened her light toffee complexion.
She was thick in all the right places; he was the man that kissed and licked up and down her stomach. He gripped it whenever he was deep inside of her just so she could know how much he loved all of her. It crushed him to cut her off cold turkey. He knew it had to be done because he didn’t need any added stress or weaknesses while being locked away. Three years into his bid he found out through Roy that Sanarah had a baby by an unknown man.
Roy saw her out pregnant at the mall, spoke to her, and kept it pushing. Luca wasn’t selfish, he knew life didn’t stop just because he was locked away. What Luca couldn’t seem to understand was why was Sanarah still so pressed behind him. What they once shared was dead, and Luca didn’t plan on spinning the block with Sanarah at all.
“It seems like LuLu gets this place repainted every year.” Roy gawked out the window.
Luca slowly slid his eyes out the window and laid eyes on the white limestone columns that rose from the ground in a flawless symmetry. Tall carved cherubs with marble wings stretched toward the sky and was frozen mid-flight. Iron gates curled in delicate patterns of roses and thorns, painted pearl instead of black. The building was beautiful enough to fool anyone who didn’t know what kind of business breathed behind its walls.
The place looked untouched by the grim of downtown L.A. It had manicured hedges, a marble fountain that spilled crystal water into a basin shaped like angel wings, and valet attendants dressed in tailored white suits who moved with precision. If a person didn’t know better, they’d think it was a high-end social club for politicians’ wives and philanthropists. It was the exact illusion that Lucille wanted for House of Angels.
House of Angels was Lucille’s main domain, especially this particular building. It’s where she spent most of her time. Over the years her high-class escort house rose in business. It was also a gold-plated pipeline for information, money laundering, and leverage in which gave her power.
Luca’s gaze slid past the glowing front entrance toward the back of the property. A large camper sat parked behind the building, partially hidden by a row of tall trees. The camper was matte black with chrome accents. Solar panels sat along the roof. The heavy-duty tires on the camper said that it wasn’t built for comfort but for movement… possibly escape.
Luca’s jaw tightened as his thick bushy brows furrowed. He lifted his hand slightly, fingers moving with controlled precision.
“Why is that here?”He signed sharply.
Roy followed his line of sight and let out a low breath. La’Nova remained a big question mark to him. He didn’t know her personally, but knew that she was young, ugly, and big. She worked close to Lucille and was mean as hell.
“La’Nova Reign works for LuLu.” Roy spoke instead of signing back to Luca.
“Employee…or problem?”Luca signed back.
“Depends on who you ask. If you ask LuLu, she’s cool and loved by her. If you ask me…she’s weird as fuck.” Roy smirked faintly. “I don’t trust her either,” Roy added bitterly.
Luca studied Roy for a beat and nodded his head. He wouldn’t speak on the facial expression that he picked up from Roy. Roy didn’t want to admit that he tried his hand with La’Nova simply because he thought she’d be easy pussy since she didn’t have it all in the looks department to him. She turned him down coldly and even bruised his male ego while doing so. Roy saw the look Luca gave him and decided to add more to her description.
“She’s Lucille’s eyes and ears. Overseas operations at this location. She schedules the girls, clients, and sometimes deal with the money flow. LuLu even lets her handle disputes before they reach her. Surface shit, but to me, if shit went bad…Lulu would have to kill her.”
It was evident in Roy’s voice that he disliked the woman. Luca found it comical and interesting. He simply nodded his head in understanding, not wanting to spend wasted time talking about a woman that he didn’t care to know any further. He did find himself wanting to know why she chose the huge camper as a way of transportation to House of Angels.
The Maybach sat idle as Luca remained quiet. Roy didn’t know why Luca hadn’t gotten out of the car yet but knew better than to rush him.
