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“No, you’re not. Your father understood his privilege was rooted in understanding neither of us truly holds any real power unless they want us to. It’s all an illusion, Ezekiel. You and the Devereauxs seem to keep forgetting that.”
“Yet you wanted us united. Pushed for it.”
Which was why Elias had married Cress.
He smirked. “Because it worked in our favor. Anything that doesn’t…” He shrugged and lifted his drink. “You’re expendable. So is Christian. It would be wise for you to understand what that means.”
That was the one detail I never forgot. Someone was always pulling strings which was why I worked so hard to create independence and wealth that wasn’t connected to the family’s. Nothing lasted forever.
“They want Christian out. He hasn’t been playing ball with The Collective for a long time. The trafficking thing is just a way to get it done.”
I glanced at McCants briefly.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Ask Christian. He’s family, right?”
When my expression turned hard, he chuckled. “I guess all families have secrets. You’d be wise to find out yours before you lose everything behind someone who doesn’t give a damn about his future or yours.”
“I’ll ask Christian when I get home but for now I’m asking you.”
He stared at me for a long moment. “Your father and I were close so I’ll grant you this one concession.”
I eased my hands into my pockets and waited. “They didn’t take too kindly to Christian refusing to take over where his father left off. It’s been years and with the way things are changing, they need him. They offered him a deal to clear his name. A way to fix this shit. Taking the deal can either be considered smart or stupid but that’s for him to decide. It really depends on what he values most.”
Smart because if he clears his name, he keeps his status. Stupid because if he allows them to do so, he’ll be even deeper in their debt and forced to do their dirty work.
They’d offered him a deal.He told me he had no clue where to start with this shit. Christian fucking lied.
“I appreciate the heads up but please understand, if you fuck with my business again, even on their behalf, the rules that govern us no longer apply. I will fucking end you.”
I turned to walk away because I had another priority to tend to. Jhorie. My father had questionable business practices. He did what he wanted no matter who got wronged or hurt. The Collective always pulled him out of the shit he got caught up in.
Mostly because he did whatever they asked of him. He was fearful of the consequences. I wasn’t. My father was also controlled by his greed. I wasn’t. If this all ended today, I would be fine, my family would be fine, but I wasn’t compromising my morals for them. I wasn’t my father and they didn’t like that shit.
“Let’s go.” I extended a hand to Jhorie, not appreciating the feeling of McCants watching us. If her ex had any status in the city, it made sense that he was familiar with McCants.
“Everything okay?” She looked over her shoulder and I pulled her into my side, pressing a kiss to her cheek.
“Yeah, everything’s straight.”
At least until I get home and deal with Christian.If he fucking lied to me then he had better have a really good reason. Even then, it might not matter.
As soon as we were on the elevator, Jhorie got a call. She answered with a smile and from the greeting I assumed it was the friend she’d mentioned having here.
“Hey, I was going to call you tomorrow.” She frowned. “Yes, how do you know? Oh, well yeah I am.” She looked up at me. “Are you with him? Then no, I’m leaving anyway. Can we do lunch tomorrow? Wait… you’re walking in now? Umm, yeah, sure. Okay, see you in a minute.”
“That was Malin.”
“Your friend.”
The elevator stopped on the main floor and we stepped off but I pulled her to the side. “Yes, she’s here with her fiancé…”
“And your ex?” She nodded and I looked around. “Is that a problem for you?”
“No.”
“Then let’s go because it’s damn sure not an issue for me.” I slipped my hand against hers and we moved toward the main area of the club, hand-in-hand until a small woman in bright red rushed us and threw her arms around Jhorie. She would have taken her down if I hadn’t grabbed her.
