Reluctantly, Bria passed him her phone and watched him tap on the screen. His phone suddenly vibrated on the table before he silenced it. After another five minutes of tapping, he passed the phone back to her. Lifting his left arm, Lo glanced at his watch.
“I got some where to be so I’ma get out of here.” He rose from his seat. “Lunch on me. See you at the altar, baby.”
And just like that, Lo was gone. Remnants of his cologne lingered in the atmosphere, prompting Bria’s intrigue of him to increase. She sat, whirling from her encounter with Lo. He was going to be something she couldn’t explain; that she could tell. His cool demeanor stirred something deep in her being. Heseemed like a no-nonsense type of man that was going to give her the blues.
Bria should’ve been calling her father to opt out of the setup. She should’ve professed how this man had come to her with a set of rules for her to follow. She didn’t like it but again, this wasn’t about her. It was about the family, and she unfortunately had to take one for the team.
Hopefully, this won’t be something I regret.
Starting Off…
Jhene Aiko’s“On the Way”played in the distance. Smoke sauntered from his parted lips while he stared at the woman sitting in front of him. The scene had been set. She was good at motivating his sexual nature to make an appearance. However, this night, Lo wasn’t consumed with sexual desire. His thoughts were fixed on the girl he had met earlier. If Picasso was asked to create the most beautiful woman on paper, he still wouldn’t come close to Bria’s radiance. Beautiful women didn’t move Lo. They were scattered all over St. Parklynn, so it wasn’t a rare occurrence to see an attractive woman.
Bria was built differently though. Her curves weren’t ones that had been surgically enhanced. She was toned and muscular but not in a masculine way. She still possessed her femininity, but her body was cut. He found it difficult to believe that she was a dancer. Specifically, a ballet dancer. Ballerinas were usually slim with small builds, but Bria was tall. If he had to guess, she was probably five foot ten with long, muscular legs and abs that resembled his. Unexpectedly, he found her extremely attractive.
“Your mind is somewhere else, Lo.”
Tapping out of his thoughts, he focused on Jamira as she crossed one of her bare legs over the other. Her D-cups sat high on her chest as a diamond chain nestled in between her breasts.She was his link-up when he wanted to release some stress and a few nuts.
“Tell me what I want to hear,” he requested, taking a pull on his blunt.
She licked her lips and answered, “Well, I heard the feds are about to take Tuck down. I heard it’s a lieutenant working with them too. I’m not sure who yet but they're closing in on a lot of members from TLM. The sweep will be soon.”
“Tuck from The Legacy Mafia?” he questioned with a raised brow.
She nodded. “Yep, so that means Noble will be promoted to top dawg. I’m not sure how that’s going to affect the organization.”
The Noir Mafia was operated by the chiefs with structure and respect. No one made a move without their approval. If there was someone that wasn’t a fit for the organization, they were either ex-communicated or deleted, depending on the circumstances. On the other hand, The Legacy Mafia ran amuck. There was no honor amongst their society.
“One of your soldiers was taken into custody on Friday.”
Lo’s forehead rumpled. “Which one?”
“Romeo but he didn’t talk or anything like that. I think he was arrested for disorderly conduct. You know how the cops are in Boudoir. They get bored and try to fuck with the young niggas, especially if they suspect they're in The Noir Mob.”
Jamira worked at the St. Parklynn police station. She was his ears and eyes whenever they needed information on a case or a head’s up on any police activity. There were tons of law enforcement on Noir Mob’s payroll, but Jamira was Lo’s personal liaison, especially when it came to The Crown Family.
“I heard you're about to jump the broom. How come you didn’t tell me?”
He snorted, adjusting his body in the seat. “When do I ever tell you anything about my life?”
Snickering, she replied, “You got a point but still, I would’ve rather heard it from you that you're about to be someone’s husband.”
Lo chuckled at her reminder. A husband? Yeah, that had never been in the cards for him until his thoughts became darker. Whenever there was some sunshine in his life, the moon would slide in front of it, casting a dark shadow that followed him around. When Devyn got married, he didn’t see himself ever making that move. It wasn’t until Meco jumped the broom that made him feel left out. It was childish but Lo didn’t want to be the only bachelor in The Crown Family. He wanted someone to call his own, but his characteristics would either run her away or draw her to him. He was hoping for the latter to happen.
“It’s a business move.” He shrugged.
“Business?” she quizzed, wearing narrowed eyes. “What kind of business?”
“Mob business.”
“Which means you're not going to tell me?”
Smirking, he bobbed his head. “You know the drill. Loose lips, sink ships.”
Playfully, Jamira rolled her eyes. “Here you go with that shit. I come in here and tell you everything. I could be fired but I still put a bug in your ear. How come you can’t do that for me?”
“‘Cause this ain't about just me. It’s other parties involved, and I ain't no chatty-patty-ass nigga. Besides, you don't need to know about what’s going on in my life.”
