No Greater Loyalty (9 page)

CHAPTER 14

Sonny
’s confusion was replaced by anger when he realized this was Angel's way of again putting him in his place in front of everyone. Determined to save face, his lips parted to sign the check his words had recklessly written. His ass was getting ready to cash it in full.

"Who da fuck you think you talkin to, Angel? I ain't Carlo."

Chest swollen, chin tilted, Sonny stood there seething. In his opinion, Angel had gotten soft, lost the edge the game had given him. Who the fuck ever heard of running the streets like some fuckin' corporation? This wasn't no boardroom, and Sonny refused to be treated like one of Angel's foot soldiers. He brought in just as much revenue as anybody else here. Probably more. It was time he was given his rightful place in the hierarchy of the organization.

So caught up in the adrenaline of the moment, the next chain of events unfolded before he had a chance to grasp what was happening. One moment, he was rushing forward towards Angel, ready to show him how they handled stuff in
his
hood, the next instant, shit went haywire.

Glimpsing Angel
’s face as he rushed towards him, Sonny suddenly realized he’d made a mistake.

Angel waited until Sonny was only a couple of feet away from him then grabbed him by the back of his neck. Using the other man
’s momentum, Angel forcefully rammed him face first into the window. The thick bulletproof glass may as well have been a brick wall. Sonny grunted in pain. The first contact shattered his nose as bones and flesh met the impenetrable barrier.

Teeth bared and green eyes flashing, Angel slammed Sonny
’s face into the glass again and again and again. Sonny’s blood coated the surface until it resembled a blank canvas in front of an artist that had splattered it with bright, red paint.

Angel kept a hand behind the semi-conscious man's head and pressed so hard it seemed as if he were trying to push Sonny's face through the glass. 

"
You
don't approve of my decisions, you little prick?” he growled in outrage. “
You
don't think I should put my family before business because it will fuck with
your
money?"

Sounding like a tortured animal with its paw caught in a steel trap, Sonny howled in pain. "A-Angel...please..."

Angel was not in the mood to show mercy. Chest heaving, he bent down and whispered harshly in Sonny’s ear. "You take it upon yourself to go behind
my
back and try to conspire against
me?
You stupid son of a bitch!"

The workers below stopped what they were doing and glanced up at the gruesome scene playing out in the room above.

"I'm s-sorry. I meant no...no disrespect, Angel," Sonny slurred.

"That's exactly what you were trying to do. You're disrespectful and unappreciative. On top of that, you're actually stupid enough to bite the hand that feeds you. You
’ve doubled your profits since you've been a member of this organization. Who do you think is responsible for that? This is how you repay my generosity!" Angel yelled. "You sit there and think it’s okay to lecture me about what
you
don't approve of, and what
you
think I should and shouldn't do!"

Angel flung Sonny away in disgust. He stared down at him on the floor for several seconds then squatted down beside him. In an eerily calm voice he said, "You say this is personal to me? You're right. When someone is bold enough to look me in the face and threaten harm to a member of my family, I take it
very
personal. Is that understood?”

Gasping for breath, the movement of Sonny
’s head was barely discernable, but Angel took it as an affirmative answer.

Standing, he turned towards the other members of the Alliance, letting the fire in his eyes touch each and every man there. "Is there anyone else who would like to challenge my authority? Anyone else who shares his sentiments, who thinks the power should be redistributed?" When no one ventured to speak, Angel
’s voice rose to a virtual roar. "I will say this one time and one time only. There is room for only
one
king in this fucking jungle, and that has been and always will be
me
! If anyone else would like to step up and try and change that, then do so now."

The silence lengthened as Angel waited. After several long tension filled moments, he grabbed a bottle of water from a nearby table. After screwing the top off, he liberally poured water over his hands to rinse Sonny
’s blood off as best he could.

Taking the handkerchief that Carlo handed him, he looked up at the men. "I chose you all for a reason. Do not give me reason to regret that decision. Any one of you can be replaced any time I choose. Is that clear?
” Stepping over Sonny, he nodded to Oscar, who pulled out his phone. “Now that we've established that point and everyone is in agreement, I'll leave you with a parting gift before I go."

On cue, the door opened to admit a bevy of beautiful women, enough to where there were two or three for every man there.

"I realize this may be a stressful time, but you have to trust me," he told them. "Just as you would protect your family if a threat rose against them, I'm going to do no less, and I ask no man's permission to do it."

"Of course, Angel. Let us know if there is anything we can do to help you."

"Our resources are open if you need to make use of them."

“
We understand completely, Angel.”

Words of support and offers of assistance streamed out one by one. It was as if no one noticed, the broken, semi-conscious man lying in the middle of the floor.

"Thank you, gentleman. I have everything under control. But in the meantime..." He nodded towards the women. "Cars are waiting to take you to a suite of rooms I've reserved downtown for your pleasure. Enjoy."

A tall, curvy brunette with dark, wavy hair came up to Angel and caressed his chest as she pouted provocatively. "Aren't you coming, handsome? I'll make sure you have a good time." She stepped closer, pressing her body against his and lifting her mouth in invitation. "That, I can promise you," she whispered.

Angel's eyes ran over her face, his expression remaining unchanged. He'd been with some of the most exquisite women in the world, and although this one was indeed gorgeous, her beauty left him unfazed. The day he met his wife, every other woman he'd come in contact with faded into the background. Although he'd led a life most only fantasized about, deep down inside, he was a traditional man. Nikki gave him everything he could ever want and need in a wife and lover. He had no reason to look for it elsewhere when his life didn't lack anything.

Moving away from the woman, he gestured to the other men in the room to direct her attention to them. After all, they were who she had been paid quite handsomely to fuck tonight. .

"I have no doubt you're a very talented woman, but..." Angel paused, his eyes lingering over the curves of her body. "I’ll pass on sampling your charms."

The woman's pout became more pronounced when Angel stepped around her and started for the door.

"What about him?" Someone nodded towards Sonny’s crumpled body.

Sparing Sonny only a quick glance over his shoulder, Angel opened the door. "Don't worry about it. It'll be taken care of. Have a good evening, gentlemen.
”

Outside, Big Dre was standing beside Angel
’s car with the door open. He waited as Angel gave last minute instructions to Carlo before getting into the car followed by Oscar. Less than forty five minutes later, the black luxury vehicle pulled up to the airstrip. After the pilot cleared the flight for takeoff, Angel took a quick shower, changed into fresh clothes, and fixed himself a drink.

Glancing at his watch, he sat down and pulled out his laptop to Skype with his wife. Tapping a few keys, he found his home number and clicked the call button. When Nikki's face appeared on the screen, the strain of the last few hours slowly melted away. This is what she did for him without even having to try.

"Hi, baby."

Nikki smiled into the camera. "Hi, yourself. Are you on your way home?"

"Yeah, I'll be there in a couple of hours."

Nikki's face collapsed as her smile fell from her lips. "A couple of hours? I was hoping you were closer than that."

"I'm sorry, sweetheart."

"What was so important that you had to leave so quickly?"

"Just business. Something that couldn't wait."

Nodding, Nikki hesitantly asked, "Is everything okay?"

"It is now."

Long seconds ticked by as they stared at each other until Nikki changed the subject. "You called just in time. A.J.'s been asking me every ten minutes if he's going to be able to talk to you before he goes to bed."

"Is he still awake?"

"I'm sure he is, I just left out of his room." Nikki picked up her tablet and made her way to A.J.'s room, talking to Angel as she walked down the hall. "Now, maybe he'll finally go to sleep," she grinned.

"What about his mama? Will she be up waiting for me when I get home?" The sexy purr in Angel's voice told Nikki exactly what he had in mind when he got there.

"It depends."

Angel chuckled. "On?"

"On what you have for me and if it's worth waiting on."

"Oh, it's most definitely worth you staying up for. I guarantee that, Mrs. LaCroix."

Nikki pretended to give it some thought then ruined the effect by letting out a throaty giggle. "I guess I can stay up then."

Angel laughed, wishing he were there now. He was getting ready to tell her just that when he heard his son asking about him. When Nikki confirmed that she was indeed talking to his daddy, Angel heard a loud scream of happiness before his son's face appeared on the screen.

"Hi, Daddy!"

Angel smiled as he sat back and talked to his son. He wasn’t blind to the complexities of the man he was, he never had been. Less than an hour ago, he'd brutally beat another man and felt not an ounce of guilt or remorse about it. In fact, he had barely given it another thought other than making arrangements to take over Sonny’s territory.

Angel gave A.J. his complete attention, laughing at the story his son was telling him. This was his only focus right now. Once he got home, the ugly side of his life would be locked out and hopefully kept far, far away. At least for a few hours anyway. He knew it wouldn
’t be long before he’d have to once again awaken the beast that ruled the other part of his world and do it all over again.

CHAPTER 15

Dom held the front door open for Keisha before closing and locking it behind her. The ride home had been made in absolute silence, the tension inside the car hovering like a thick fog on a gloomy night. Keisha had peered at Dominick through her lashes, trying to gauge his mood, but his face had been unreadable.

She knew he was still upset with her, but to what degree, she wasn’t sure. When he'd come back inside with Darrell laughing and joking, Keisha's own spirits had lifted a little, but the hopeful feeling had not lasted long. Dom hadn't said two words to her once they got in the car.

Staring at him now, Keisha had just gathered the courage to ask him if he wanted to talk, but before she could, her cell phone buzzed. She cursed silently. It had rung in the car a couple of times so she
’d turned it to vibrate. Now she wished she had turned it off completely.

Dom looked pointedly at her purse, "You gonna answer that?"

"It's nothing that can't wait. What's important is us sitting down and talking, Dominick."

Although he was tired as hell, Dominick knew they needed to clear the air about what had happened today so that they could try and put it behind them. Nodding his agreement, they headed towards the family room. Before they could sit down, Keisha's phone buzzed again.

Irritated, Dom's eyes went to her purse again. "Keisha, who keeps calling you?"

"It's not important."

"It must be if they keep buzzing you back to back." Suspicion penetrated through his irritation. "Answer it."

"Dominick..."

"Answer the phone." Dominick's voice sliced sharply through the air.

Keisha's mind raced as she got her phone out of her purse. Either way she was screwed. When Dom found out who was on the other line, he was going to go through the roof. On the other hand, if she refused to answer, it would cause an argument and he would find out anyway. Again, she asked herself why hadn't she just turned the stupid thing completely off?

Seeing his suspicion grow, she connected the call with an impending sense of dread. "Hello?"

"Keisha? Girl, where have you been? I've been trying to get in touch with you since this morning but my calls keep going to voicemail. Is there something wrong with your phone?"

"Uh, no, I've just had a lot going on, Elena."

Upon hearing the identity of the person on the other line, Dom shook his head in disbelief while glaring at Keisha. Ignoring the pleading in her eyes, he moved to walk past her to leave the room, but she grabbed his arm to stop him. Keisha could feel his muscles bunch up under her hand, but at least he didn't pull away.

"Elena...Elena..." Keisha tried to cut in, but the other woman was talking nonstop.

Keisha sighed knowing once Elena got revved up it would be nearly impossible for her to stop. The two of them had known each other for a long time. When they lived in Atlanta, they
’d actually kicked around the idea of starting a magazine together, but before they could do more than talk about it, Keisha met Dominick. Elena went on to pursue the venture and made it a phenomenal success. Later, she decided to open another office in Vegas and offered Keisha a position as photo editor. Elena told Keisha that she would more or less be able to set her own hours. She could even bring Christian to the office with her.

That possibility alone had made Keisha jump at the opportunity. Not only would she be able to indulge in her passion of photography again, which she'd missed dearly, but she could still be there for her kids. Although limited travel would be required, the majority of their meetings could be done via video conferencing, telephone, or email.

It had been Keisha's intention to talk to Dominick about the job last night, but it hadn't worked out that way. Thinking Dom had blown off their special evening, hurt feelings had made her call Elena and accept the job. On impulse, she had invited her over for a celebratory drink, which turned into a couple of drinks until they'd polished off the bottle of wine Keisha had originally chilled for her and Dom.

Sensing his growing impatience now, Keisha cut in on Elena
’s endless chatter about the plans she had for the Vegas office. "Elena, could you just shut up and wait a minute?"

Stunned silence greeted Keisha for several long seconds.

Elena cautiously asked, "Keisha, what's going on?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you, but I won't be able to take the job after all." She looked at her husband and said the next words again more for his benefit than anyone else's. "I'm sorry."

"I...don't understand," Elena stated slowly. "Just...just last night..."

"I know, I made a mistake, acted impulsively instead of taking time to think about it. I really am sorry."

"This has to do with Dominick, doesn’t it? You're turning down a job you were over the moon excited about last night because of him. He doesn't want you working with me, right?"

Keisha
’s fierce frown was immediate. "No, this is about me making a decision that's in the best interest of myself and my family."

"But..."

"Elena, I have to go. I probably won't get a chance to see you before you leave, so take care and I'll talk to you soon." Keisha hung up in the middle of a hailstorm of questions from Elena.

The seconds ticked by as she and Dominick stared at one another, both wanting nothing more than to fix the rift between them that was steadily widening, but neither knew where to start.

Keisha's hand slid down Dominick's arm past his wrist until her fingers interlocked tightly with his. Almost from the moment she met this man, it seemed as if he'd been her anchor, her rock. To her, he was invincible and she loved him with all of heart. Keisha knew she'd thrown the first blow that had caused a chink in the nearly indestructible wall of armor that surrounded their relationship. If she were honest with herself, she'd admit that she had used the job Elena offered her to do it because she’d been hurt. 

Keisha knew how Dom felt about Elena. The two women had stayed in touch after Keisha moved to Vegas, having dinner or going shopping or just hanging out at Dom and Keisha's house whenever Elena was in town for business.

It hadn’t taken long for Keisha to realize that Elena and Dom didn't really care for each other. Keisha chalked it up to a personality clash. Elena thought Dominick was too serious and Dominick said Elena was fake and materialistic.

"All she ever does is brag about who she's met, or what she's bought, or the places she's visited," Dom had told her one night after Elena had left their house. "Bottom line, she's a jealous bitch. I don't know why you can't see that."

Keisha's eyes had stretched wide. "I hardly think she's jealous of me, Dom. Elena is living the life, baby. Glamorous parties, exotic cities...she's living out her dream. Believe me, she’s not the type to be tied down."

Dominick had been sitting down taking his shoes off, but something in Keisha's voice made him raise his head and stare at her. "Is that the way you feel about being a wife and mother? Tied down?" He rested his elbows on his knees in what Keisha knew was a deceptively casual pose.

"I didn't mean it that way, Dom, but..."

"But what? We have a great life, or so I thought."

Keisha rushed to reassure him that she felt the same way. "Baby, we do. I love our life. I love you. I love Samantha, and I love this little boy we're getting ready to bring into this world."

When she walked over to Dom and placed her hands on his shoulders, he pulled her close and softly kissed her burgeoning stomach. "I love him so much already, Keish." He looked up at Keisha with an expression that never failed to make her melt.

Cupping his face between her hands, she leaned down until their mouths met in a sweet kiss that quickly turned passionate. Before long, they were both in bed having sex that was so mind blowing, they forgot about the conversation they'd been having until a later incident brought the tension to a head.

"Look, I know we need to talk," Dom said now, disentangling their fingers and putting a couple of feet of distance between them. "But I'm seriously dead on my feet so it
’ll have to wait."

Swallowing her disappointment, Keisha kept her eyes locked with his. When he seemed to struggle with what he really wanted to say, Keisha's mind flashed back to last night, wishing she could have a do over. She admitted to herself that she'd felt a twinge of jealousy at the thought of some nameless woman she knew nothing about having her husband's child. She was full of questions about Isabella. Who was she? How close had they been? What had she meant to him?

She'd lashed out, instinctively knowing where to prod him to get a reaction. She'd just never counted on him snapping back at her the way he'd done.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "For...everything."

"I know you are, Keisha, and I want to believe you got my back on this, but..."

That hurt Keisha more than anything else. They'd always had absolute trust before anything else.

Dom exhaled softly. He walked up to Keisha and stopped in front of her, looking deeply into her eyes as if searching for something. "I’m gonna be honest here, baby. My tolerance level for unnecessary bullshit is zero. You know this. We've been together almost three years. We work because we don't do drama or games. Don't ever try to play me again, alright? Anything you want to know, anything you’re unsure about, all you have to do is ask me."

Keisha looked down and pressed her lips tightly together before lifting her head. "You're right, it's just that everything has been moving so fast. I mean, it's not the fact that you have a son, Dominick, of course I'll love him no matter what because he's yours."

Confused. Dominick's eyes narrowed. "Then..."

"Isabella Cruz."

Dom’s eyes narrowed. "Okay. What about Bella?" Keisha tried not to cringe when Dom called Isabella by the name he'd apparently used for her all those years ago. It just seemed so...intimate. 

"How do you know her? Were you in love with her?"