Page 41 of Dreaux: The Corporate Assassin

“I-I’m sure whatever issue you two have can be discussed…” I held onto the door handle as he continued to speed down the dark dirt road. “You guys love each other.”

Chuckling, he tossed his head over with a sinister smile. “I’m not a forgiving man, Denim. I have the utmost respect for the ones I allow in my life. Hence, betrayal inanycapacity won’t be tolerated. A nigga like me will always make you pay—one way or another.”

“Andre, I need to tell?—”

“We’re here,” he interrupted before I could purge my soul. As badly as I wanted to build a case against Andre, I had to think about the bigger picture, which is being here for my family and baby girl. I know in my soul he’s guilty of everything I’m accusing him of, but with no evidence or witnesses, I’m beating at a dead horse.

Looking around the wooded area, I noticed we were at a deserted warehouse. I felt as if I were hyperventilating as he walked over to my side of the car and opened the door.

“Where are we?” I stared up at him with worried eyes as he helped me out of the car. “I thought we were going to a charity event.”

“This is the place.” He smirked as he grabbed my hand. As soon as I stepped out of the car, my heels sank into the moist soil. My shoes were as good as ruined. “Skip said the location was in Sunset Valley. Should I have mentioned that?”

Trembling, I said nothing as I followed him up the muddy bath until we reached the door of a deserted warehouse. My heart pounded in my chest as he knocked on the door and waited for us to be let inside.

“Sunset Valley is a weird place to hold an event,” I stated as calmly as I could. “The event halls in town are so much nicer.”

Humming his response, he held my hand tighter, and all I could think about was him doing it so I couldn’t run. The thought crossed my mind, but I knew I wouldn’t get far. Once the door opened, we stepped inside, and I let Andre lead the way. The building was much more presentable than I imagined. The open space was simply decorated in red and gold with six tables spread about, with a few guests sitting at them while others stood around, conversating. Jazz played softly in the background, and you could tell there was a lot of money in the building tonight from the various designer brands and expensive-smelling cologne and perfumes.

“It’s about time you got here!” His cousin, Jules, walked up, greeting us with a beautiful woman clinging to him. “Had you not shown, I was going to haunt your dreams tonight, nigga.”

“Bad enough I have to see your ugly ass while I’m awake… please don’t pop up in my sleep.” Dre smirked as he embraced him. Turning to the woman, he pulled her into his arms. “Hey, Bunny.”

“Hello, Dre!” She giggled and hugged him back. I felt a twinge of jealousy but shook it off because I didn’t have the right. Jules breaking them up caused me to snicker. All eyes shifted to me, shutting me up immediately. “Hello.” She gave me a small wave. “You are…?”

“I’m Denim.” I held my hand out for her to shake, which she did. “Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to see you again, Denim.” Jules grinned, but in a way that caused me to shiver. “Looks like Dre kept you around longer than expected…”

“What do you mean?—”

“Come on, Lil’ Mama. Let me introduce you to my people.”

For the next thirty minutes, we walked around and mingled with his cousin, Rosier, and his wife, Gabriella. It was then that I found out that Bunny, or Bridgette, was married to Jules. I also met their colleagues, Luca and Nicky. The way the guys carried on with each other allowed me to see another side of Dre. He was happier and more carefree when he was with his people, as he called them.

As the servers came around with food and drinks, the tension I was feeling moments earlier had disappeared. That was until Rosier set his sights on me.

“So, Denim… tell us a little about yourself.” He wrapped his arm around his wife, who was in deep conversation with Bridgette. “Andre tells us you work as a clerical administrator.”

“You’ve told your family about me?” I eyed him, causing him to smirk. I didn’t know if I needed to be flattered or worried. “Yes, that is correct,” I answered as I returned my attention back to Rosier. The server was coming around with champagne, and I was more than happy to grab a glass each time she passed. “It’s not the most interesting job, but it pays the bills.”

“What exactly is it that you do?” Jules asked as he handed his wife a drink. She smiled as she kissed his cheek, and I couldn’t help but do the same. These girls loved their husbands; you could tell through every breath they inhaled and exhaled. “Is there a certain company you work for?”

Looking between the two brothers, I tested my ability to see if there was any indication that they knew anything I didn’t want them to know. There’s no way anyone could. Dealing with this family, I knew I had to be careful with my answer.

“I work for a private institution that helps prestigious companies find people specializing in whatever service they need. Accounting, security… things like that.”

“Sounds boring,” Jules added, causing his wife to elbow him. “What, Bunny? The girl just described someone who works at a staffing agency.”

While she fussed at him, everyone seemed to have decided against getting to know me. Dre’s arm was wrapped around my shoulders as he conversed with Luca. Everyone had chosen a new study, but Rosier continued to sip his drink, with his eyes never leaving mine. Gabby was waving someone over, and as badly as I wanted to see who, I was too scared to move.

“Now, what the hell are y’all doing here with my sister?” Jules stood from his seat, causing the ones near us to stare. “Mimi, why are you walking in with a mime and a gigolo?”

“Fuck you, Harry Potter!” Wild spat as he dapped him up. “I’m locked in with Sweets, and we know she’s locked in with Big G. I ain’t scared of you anymore.”

“Oh.” Jules smirked as he kept his eyes on him. Everyone looked around in amusement. “So, if I go get my little black book?—”

Without a word, Wild took off to the bar. The fellas bent over in laughter at his antics, and I even chuckled, although I was confused. As I was introduced to Dre’s cousin, Noemi, he stood from his seat to greet yet another person.

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