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“Give me your dad’s number. If he has proof to back up what you’re saying, I’ll let you go ASAP…”
forty-three
When Mercedes askedLonden for a menu and cooking instructions for a cooking and cocktails party she wanted to have, he happily agreed. He even offered to give her a lesson before the party so she could help her guests and she was glad he made the suggestion. Though Londen offered to do it for free, she insisted on paying him something. He hadn’t even considered what to charge for something like that. As soon as he arrived at her home, she was handing him a golden envelope that he hadn’t looked inside of yet, but Londen could tell the stacks of cash were thick.
While they discussed the upcoming party, no other topics were on the table. It wasn’t until they wrapped up the planning that they began to talk about their personal lives. He listened intently while Mercedes gushed about Noah and how she hoped he would be out soon. There was a great chance that he, too, could be out in a few months. Londen didn’t want to get her hopes up though, so he chose not to allude to that fact. It was when they started to talk about Lei that Mercedes’ tone shifted. As she walked him to the door, she told him…
“So, Lei and I have never really called each other friends, but doing the bet changed that. We talked a lot and got really close. I care about her and… I wanted to warn you about something.”
Londen turned to face her instead of opening the door. “Warn me about what?”
“Yandi.” Mercedes looked away briefly and squeezed her arm. “I stopped talking to Yandi today because I didn’t like how she was talking to and treating Lei. She’s been giving me bad vibes and the last straw was her bashing Lei for posting about you on her page. Lei told me she was going to end their friendship, but Yandi still needs to be watched. She can be scandalous when she’s hurt, and if she doesn’t want the friendship to end, there’s no telling what she will do.”
“I appreciate the heads up. Even before I got out, I didn’t trust her. I warned Lei about her myself. Hopefully, Yandi won’t try no funny shit, because if she does, she can be handled just like a nigga would.”
Mercedes chuckled. “That used to be my girl, but I don’t blame you. Protect Lei at all costs. I would want my man to do the same for me.”
“Oh, don’t worry. Noah will.”
Mercedes blushed as he opened the door. They said their goodbyes, and Londen slowed his walk at the feel of his phone vibrating in his pocket. He held his hand up toward Keith so he wouldn’t open the door of the Bentley as he accepted Ace’s call. They were on good terms, but not the kind of terms that called for casual conversation.
“You good?” was Londen’s greeting.
“That pussy ass motherfucker had his brother take my princess.”
His chest caved and legs grew weak as a chill shot down his spine.
“What? Someone has Lei?”
“Tussi’s brother. He told him to kidnap her and keep her until I had him released from prison.”
“Aw, that nigga want his whole fucking bloodline to die,” Londen decided, hopping into the car.
“Don’t move too recklessly. I’m already on it. Lei told him I didn’t have that kind of power, and even if I did, because he’s serving a reduced sentence as an informant, there would be nothing I could do.”
“Fuck. Vernon didn’t know Tussi snitched on Marco.”
“Exactly. He told her if I could get proof, he’d let her go now.”
“Where you at?”
“I’m headed to my office. I had the prosecutor who handled his case to forward a copy of the deal to me. As soon as I have it, his brother is going to give me a meetup location.”
“Don’t leave until I meet you there.”
After disconnecting the call, Londen gave Keith the address to Ace’s office and told him to drive as if his life depended on it. It didn’t matter how much he told himself to remain calm, all he could think about was getting locked up on a petty charge just to handle Tussihimself. What surprised Londen most was the extreme at which Tussi had gone to get to Lei. He guessed since there was no chance she’d give him any play romantically, Tussi decided to take what he wanted… literally. There was no doubt in Londen’s mind that Yandi was involved, especially after his conversation with Mercedes.
The entire ride was done in a blur. By the time they arrived, Ace and Cade were outside, waiting for him. Londen hopped in the back of the truck, not bothering to say or ask anything. As long as Ace had what was needed to secure Lei’s freedom, Londen would handle the rest.
forty-four
Squeezedbetween two people in the back seat of a car, Lei shook like a leaf in the wind. She had no idea where they were taking her, but there was no doubt in her mind that her father would be there waiting. Before her mouth, ears, and eyes were covered again, Lei heard the man who had taken her, speaking to her father on the phone. Their conversation ended with Ace sending him proof of what Lei had said. As soon as it came through to his phone, he was heading to the back of the house and telling two more men they needed to go.
Lei didn’t know how long the ride had been, but it seemed like forever. Before she could gather herself, she was being pulled out of the car and carried away. They’d warned her not to scream or try to bring attention to them, and she agreed. In her line of work, Lei knew all too well the consequences of trying to play hero. She was placed on concrete before her hands were pulled behind her and wrapped around a pole.
“Your dad is on his way to get you. As soon as my guys confirm he dropped the papers off where I told him to, I’ll leave and tell him where he can find you.”
Nodding rapidly, Lei wished he would pull whatever was in her mouth down so she could speak. She wanted to ask what he planned to say or do with his brother now that he knew the truth. If he was upset enough with Tussi snitching to let her go, she wondered what else his brother would do. Lei could hear the hurt and anger in his voice when he talked to her father about how he refused to believe Tussi was the reason their other brother was in jail. Worse, Marco was serving a life sentence for murder.
