Strike, p.44
Strike, page 44
part #4 of Stronger Series
We passed a huge bar with several topless bartenders serving drinks, continuing beyond the DJ that was playing in the corner until we came to a set of stairs guarded by two men that led up to a VIP section. Passing another two guards who nodded at us, we came to a loft-style space with a balcony that had a view out over the scene. A private bar with a single bartender was set up at the far end with several sofas and chairs arranged in the middle.
Apparently, we were, in fact, late for a party since several people I didn’t recognize were already socializing. Two guards stood near the bar, and four were surrounding the seating area. They didn’t appear too tense for the atmosphere. Among them were probably ten or fifteen different men in suits sitting or standing around with drinks in one hand and a woman in the other. These women seemed to be different than the ones on the first floor. They were dressed a little classier, their attitudes exuding confidence and sex appeal as they practically wrapped themselves around the men.
The professionals.
My stomach soured at the thought.
Taking in the rest of the crowd, I felt some relief ease the tension in my muscles when I came across some familiar faces. Matt was lounging in a chair with Kayla in his lap, his face warped with disgust as he watched Dominic and Regina make out on the couch next to him. While none of that was surprising, I was surprised to see Dan and Katherine here. They made rare appearances for a reason, and they certainly didn’t look pleased. I wondered if they were just as happy for the newlyweds as everyone else was.
I noticed Kayla lean in to say something to Matt. When he nodded, she nearly bolted off his lap toward me, slowing her approach before Darren might swat her away. Thankfully, he just released my shoulders with a final squeeze before pressing a quick kiss to my temple. “Get a drink and relax,” he said before walking ahead, giving Kayla the clearance to embrace me in a massive hug.
“Oh, my God!” she screamed. “I thought you were dead and I would never see you again!”
A fair assumption but damn if it wasn’t salt in the wound.
“I’m fine,” I replied, bringing my arms up to comfort her. “No need to worry.”
“I mean, Jesus, it was like two seconds, and you were gone!”
“Yeah, I remember.” Could we stop remembering now?
“Clive and Owen said it was just a training exercise, and that you would be fine, but damn, I didn’t know that! What if they were traitors and had lied about it! I would have never known!”
I narrowed my brows at her, not liking that idea one bit. Because she made a good point.
“Well, let’s be glad that wasn’t the case,” I said, shooting Clive and Owen a dirty look as they stood beside us.
“Glad to know it wouldn’t be much of a challenge then,” Owen said with a laugh.
I turned to him with a glare. “Tell that to the last group of men who tried. I don’t think they were laughing in the end.”
Owen’s face went serious. “Mario Ricci hired idiot criminals off the streets and put guns in their hands. We actually train our men. Now you know the difference.”
I smirked. “Clive, how are your ribs feeling?” I asked, reminding both of them that they weren’t invincible to amateurs either.
“They’re just fine,” he replied, his voice deep with a little menace in it.
“Oh, I’m sure they are,” I said with a smile before turning back to Kayla. “Come on, let’s get a drink.”
With a Jack and Coke in hand, Kayla and I left the bar and headed over to the balcony so I could observe from a far. Darren seemed relaxed in the conversation he was currently having with three other men, the women around them appearing completely unaffected by his presence. I memorized the faces of everyone in that room, taking mental notes of who Darren seemed to favor and who he didn’t based on his body language. He looked comfortable with just about everyone there.
Regina, on the other hand, appeared even more than comfortable. She laughed alongside Dominic, clutching his arm so she could rub her obnoxious cleavage all over it. The heated expression on Matt’s face as he watched them was almost comical. Katherine looked uncomfortable as she stood next to Daniel while he spoke with the same group of men as Darren. I waved at her, wondering if maybe she could come join us, but all she did was smile in return.
Kayla seemed a little tense as she kept her focus on Matt as he chatted with other men as well, his eyes frequenting the chests of the other women around him. He didn’t appear too shy about it either.
Eventually the crowd shifted and Matt, Dominic, Daniel, Darren, Scott, and three other men were involved in conversations, which was when Darren finally called me over to join them. Kayla was right behind me since Matt had then signaled her to approach as well.
Standing next to Darren, he pulled me into his side, his arm wrapped tightly around my shoulders as he smiled down at me for quick second before introducing me to his guests.
“Jaden, this is Anderson, Terrance, and Victor. They run several enterprises in Detroit.”
“Enterprises.” That was cute.
Each of them replied with the general pleasantries. “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Davis.” Barf.
This time, I didn’t feel like playing the nice little wife.
“Detroit, huh? How long have you all been there?” I asked, eyeing each of them.
“All my life,” Terrance answered. “These two only wish they were that lucky.”
There was some banter and laughter between them, but I didn’t share in it. I could feel Darren stiffening beside me, and I enjoyed the fact that I was making him nervous.
“Well, there’s really only one way to tell if you’re a true Michigander,” I challenged.
Terrance caught my eye, the smirk on his face clear in his willingness to prove himself.
“Do you know how to play Euchre?”
A big belly laugh burst from his mouth as he threw his head back, his shoulders shaking as the chuckle rolled through him.
“Of course, I do!” he said through his laughter. “Shit, I haven’t played that in years. We should set up a tournament sometime if we can even find enough players who know how to play.”
“If they know how to play Spades, they should be able to pick it up quick enough,” I answered.
“Oh, shit, speaking of Spade,” Matt interrupted. “Before I forget again, he wants to renegotiate your contract since those three years are almost up.”
Darren didn’t look too pleased at Matt after that little addition.
“I’ll call him,” Darren said, his tone finite, clearly unwilling to discuss it any further in front of everyone.
But Dominic didn’t look uninterested. “Wait, Javier Spade?” he asked, his intrigue alarmingly obvious.
“Don’t get any ideas,” Daniel warned as he glared at Dominic.
“What!” Dominic said, brushing off the concern like it was some kind of joke. “The fucker only still owes me his Pagani after that poker game I won.”
“You mean the poker game you cheated in?” Darren added, completely unamused. “He knows you paid off that dealer. Let me handle it.”
“Why don’t you let me go down there, and I’ll square the whole thing up. Clear up the game and negotiate some better terms for us,” Dominic continued, his tone full of challenge and humor that I didn’t trust.
“Don’t you have a honeymoon to plan?” Daniel chided, causing Matt to visibly grimace.
Dominic shrugged as he pulled Regina closer to his side with a wide smile across his face. “I doubt she’ll mind. Besides, the rest of our lives can be one big honeymoon.”
Regina smiled up at Dominic before she managed a quick sneer back at me.
The fuck was she playing at?
“No,” Darren said, the finality of his tone dismissing Dominic’s request. “I need you here, not in Honduras pissing off the very few allies we have left down there.”
Dominic waved him off. “I can handle him just fucking fine. You have nothing to worry about,” he replied, the venom in his voice suddenly very familiar. But Darren wasn’t impressed.
“Oh, really? Because I just cleaned up the turf war you were about to have with the goddamn Chop Shop because you couldn’t secure negotiations with Marcus like I told you to months ago. Instead, you pissed him off, and he went to the Italians to arrange a deal to take you out of Vegas so they could split our turf.”
Dominic’s face went from lighthearted and joking to fierce rage in a single second. “What the fuck are you talking about? I spoke with him two weeks ago. Everything was fine!”
“Your intuition is shit if you seriously thought everything was fine,” Darren chastised. “You’re not going to pull the same garbage with Spade if that’s the kind of negotiating I have to rely on.”
Dominic suddenly burst forward, shrugging Regina right out of his arms. “Man, why the fuck do we even use Spade anyway? He’s just a fucking middleman.”
“Dom, do you have to argue about everything?” Daniel chimed in, clearly annoyed.
“Seriously, I have a lot invested with this guy. Don’t fuck with it, Dom,” Matt warned.
Darren released me from his side and got right in Dominic’s face. “He’s a damn good middleman with the connections we need to ensure our shit moves from Columbia without issues. If you can’t comprehend that, then there’s clearly no reason for you to go down there so you can fuck it all up. I don’t need to go to war with him or his brother because he killed you for running your fucking mouth.”
Now Dominic looked insulted as he took a step toward Darren nearly shoving Regina even farther away from him. “What the fuck—” was all that came out of Dominic’s mouth before Darren took him by the shoulders and quickly moved him away from the group.
“Walk and we’ll talk,” Darren rumbled, Dominic stiffening as he went with him into another room that from a glimpse looked like an office before they slammed the door behind them.
Awkward silence resumed.
“You just had to bring that up now?” Daniel said, turning to Matt.
Matt shrugged. “I’d forgotten three times already. And he mentioned it like three weeks ago.”
“He’s a fucking hothead, Matt. You should know this,” Scott said before he parted from the group for the bar.
I glanced at Katherine who managed to maintain a blank face as she held Daniel’s arm. She didn’t seem surprised at all. Regina looked a little confused as her brows knitted together, her lips forming a tight line while she fiddled with the rock on her finger. She caught my raised brow at her expression and quickly returned a glare.
I suddenly got a whiff of opportunity.
“Well, I think this calls for a run to the ladies’ room,” I said aloud and excused myself from the group that was beginning to chuckle at the display of sibling rivalry.
Marching past the guards, I made my way into the restroom that resembled a damn suite, walking through a lobby until I got to the back that held at least ten stalls. After relieving my bladder, I moved to wash my hands, managing to dry them before the door opened again. I tried not to smile as Regina stood in the way of the lobby.
“Hello, Jaden,” she said, her voice far more confident than it should be.
“Regina,” I said with a nod, a hint of warning in my voice.
She crossed her arms under her large fake chest, creating even more cleavage in her already low-cut gold beaded cocktail dress. “Did you have a nice honeymoon?” The sneer in her voice was unmistakable.
“It was an unforgettable experience. I almost didn’t survive it,” I said enthusiastically.
She stared at me for a beat before she answered. “Yes, I heard about the shootout in Rome. I’m so glad to see you weren’t hurt.”
“Yeah, it was pretty intense. But of course, it wasn’t the only attempt someone made against me,” I replied, narrowing my eyes at her.
“Oh? There was another?” she continued innocently.
I rolled my eyes. “Oh, come on, Regina, it’s just us girls in here. You don’t have to lie to me.”
She pursed her lips, popping her hip out before she finally admitted it. “Did you at least enjoy the high?”
I chuckled at her. “It was very surreal, but not something I’ll be looking to partake again in the future. I like to keep a clear head, ya know?”
She rolled her eyes. “Sounds like you had a good time then.”
I nodded. “Sorry, you’ll have to do better next time if you really want to be rid of me.”
She scoffed. “Like I need to worry about you anymore. I already have what I want, and you haven’t even congratulated me on it.” She lifted her left hand to twirl her hair between her fingers, bringing my attention to the giant engagement ring flashing in the light. “We’re practically sisters now.”
I felt my stomach retch at the thought.
“Congratulate you on your success of manipulating your way into this fucked-up family? My condolences for your missing brain cells.”
She scoffed at me before she glared. “Dominic will make a fine husband. And I’ll be free of Matt and be the queen you only wish you were.”
Oh, bitch, please just line the dominos up for me. This was going to be fucking easy.
It was my turn to scoff. “And your strategy was to marry the one at the lowest end of the totem pole? Brilliant.” I even gave her a small clap of applause.
“Well, it’s not like I got the entire pick of the litter,” she snapped.
Oh, was that shade for me?
“But Dominic’s going to be at the top of the world before you know it,” she continued. “He’ll even surpass Darren one day. You’ll see. And then you’ll be sorry you ever doubted him. Or me.”
I bursted out laughing. “I’m sorry, were we not just privy to the same conversation? Darren can’t trust him with anything because he’s a class A fuckup with the history to prove it. You saw how quickly he shut him down out there. He’ll never be anything more than what Darren allows him to be. I wouldn’t forget that if I were you.”
Taking two angry steps toward me, her platform bright pink stilettos clacking against the tile floor, Regina pointed a very sharp and polished acrylic at me. “Listen here, you tiny little shit, I will stomp all over you if you push me too far. Don’t make that mistake.”
I smiled up at the pretty fake face of hers. “Careful, Regina,” I said, taking a step toward her. “There’s no one to protect you from your own stupidity in here. I kicked the shit out of Dominic in a matter of minutes. You sure you want to threaten me?”
She stared down at me with a hellfire I could feel all over my face. Good. I wanted to stir that fire until it was a fucking inferno.
“It doesn’t matter,” she finally murmured. “You’re just another doubter standing in his way. He’s gonna take the world by storm one day and do what Darren only wish he could.”
Goddamn, she was so delusional it was embarrassing.
“Yeah? I’d love to see him try that in Honduras. Oh, that’s right, he listens to Darren like he should. So I guess we’ll just never know, will we?”
“We’ll see about that, you little cunt,” she spat before she turned around and stormed out of the bathroom.
I released a breath of deep satisfaction, certain the seeds I just planted in Regina’s head would bring forth the fruit of destruction I was officially growing. One by one, at some point or another, they would all fall to the ground, and I would kick their moldy, worm-infested carcasses right out of my life.
Fixing my hair in the mirror, I turned back toward the door and left the bathroom to find Dominic and Regina walking down the stairs. Evidently, they were leaving the party. Darren made his way toward me, a concerned look on his face.
“What did you say to Regina?” he asked. So, she’d made her attitude known. Excellent.
I shrugged. “Told her that her shoes were ugly.”
Darren snorted, obviously not finding that reaction to be far-fetched for her.
“Were you able to calm Dominic down?” I asked, keeping my tone incredibly genuine.
“For now,” he replied as he watched them make their way through the crowd and leave. But his eyes still held the concern he had every reason to feel. But penance wasn’t a road we were bound for. War was on its way.
50
Showtime
For the next two days, Kayla and I spent our time in the hotel since I was benched from public outings without Darren. We gave Camaro a bath and played with her in the suite before lunch, watched a few movies, worked out, played video games, and then I’d see Darren at the end of the day when I was already in bed.
On the second day, we decided to teach Clive and Owen how to play Euchre since all they’d been doing was watching the damn news. The only thing that was on was more bad news anyway, so I couldn’t understand why they were suddenly so fixated.
They were at least able to pick up the rules pretty quickly since they were familiar with Spades, and pretty soon, we had a full-blown game going with Clive as my partner and Owen as Kayla’s since it was only fair. It didn’t take long for the shit talking to start either.
“What the hell are you doing? I threw the king; you’re supposed to throw something shitty,” Kayla chastised Owen as I took the trick I’d just won. “You could have won the next trick with that.”
“That was the only card in suit I had!” he replied.
“You should have used it earlier then when I called hearts trump.”
I chuckled as I shuffled the cards for the next hand. “It’s okay, Kayla. That’s why it’s called Euchre. Now, cut the deck,” I said as I handed her the cards.
After the deck was cut, I passed out the next hand, watching as Clive looked at his phone, texting something back before pocketing it and picking up his cards.
“You girls need to be ready to leave in an hour,” he said as he moved his cards around in his hand.
