“You are mean,” she spat out.
“I’m not mean. I’m just not friendly. There’s a difference.”
“Well, I don’t like it. If I’m on your arm, you will be nice to me, Neptune.”
“And what happens if I’m not?”
Her tongue swept over her teeth. “I’ll lock your ass back up.”
“I’m not worried about it.” I waved her off. “Do you always introduce yourself by first and last name?”
“Sometimes. What’s the problem?” She lifted a brow. “You asked me to be your fake girlfriend, not a secret.”
“That’s not what I asked you. I asked you to be my date for a few functions.”
“Either way, people will see us together.”
“I know, Kannon, but you were being malicious.”
“Whoop-de-do! I asked how your family would feel about us, and you said it wouldn’t matter. Instead of trying to convince me you run shit, you should have spoken to the people you’re close to.”
Never one to dodge the truth, I stood firm as she went off. Though no one could change my mind, Kannon was right about giving my peoples a warning. Deep down, I wasn’t certain how serious the feud was between her father and mine, and I wasn’t in a rush to confront the chaos.
“Where are you going, Kannon? We haven’t talked about the event I want you to attend,” I reminded her when she exited the ring.
“I don’t like to feel kept in the dark, so I’m going to go. Your pockets ain’t empty, so I assume you’ll have a stylist grab pieces and send them to me. I’ll text you my measurements, and your stalking ass has my address.”
She quietly gathered her things, then left me the same way I did the last time we were together.
She was late.
I had been at Michael Delano’s birthday party for an hour, and Kannon hadn’t shown up. Over the week, she had been acting funny, so I didn’t know how the night would go. My texts went unanswered, and she was short when she picked up the phone. Every day, I waited for her to send a message saying she wasn’t coming, but she reached out on Thursday morning, confirming she received the gowns I had delivered to her. When I glanced up from my watch, I spotted my cousin Levi enter the room. I called him a few times since I’d met Kannon, and a month later, he still hadn’t gotten back to me.
“You got that look in your eyes, Killa,” Pluto commented as he approached me. “You know we can’t show our asses here.”
I nodded and sipped from my glass of tequila. “He knows it too. That’s why his simple ass showed up after being missing. When did he get back to Slyde City?”
“I’m not sure. I heard he pulled up to the casino last night, but he didn’t come inside.”
“Make sure he knows I want to talk to him.”
“I got you.”
When I looked around the room, I saw my father walking my way with Michael DelanoJr, his lady, and his father. Since I was a kid, our families worked together and invested in legit businesses in the city. I never had a problem with the outsiders, though I couldn’t stand the youngest sibling in the pack.
“Neptune!” Michael Jr. slurred my name. “It’s good to see you come from underground.”
“It’s good to see you without a tight-ass suit on,” I clowned.
He freed a drunken laugh, then ushered a pale lady with red hair to his side. “You remember my fiancée, Anastasia.”
I grinned and extended my hand. When I pulled it back, I accidentally brushed against her round belly.
“I’m sorry about that,” I said quickly.
“It’s okay. My bump gets in the way.” She waved me off. “When are you going to have some kids of your own? All of your cousins have little ones.”
Chad, the Delano I hated, entered the circle. “You can’t have a baby if you don’t have a lady. I heard things with you and Chrissy are over.”
