Page 38 of Objection

“Yaaassss she would love that! She’s always talked about going to Denver to smoke and her ass don’t even really smoke like that.”

Her revelation made me laugh because I’d noticed that too. She would hit the blunt a few times and be done because she was a lightweight, but I gave her credit for trying.

“Aight, say less. I’ll get some things planned with my travel agent and keep you in the loop. We’re gonna make this holiday season perfect for you and our girl.”

“Thank you, Kaos. I really appreciate you. Thank you for being so good to and for my sister. This version of her—it’s light, and peaceful, and refreshing. One I’ve never seen on her or any of the women in my family honestly. I know it’s because she’s finally living for herself, but I know it’s also because of you.”

It probably wasn’t her intention to put me in my feelings, but that shit meant a lot to me. It meant a lot to me to know that as a man, asSerenity’sman, people were seeing a difference in my woman because she was being loved properly. We talked a little more before I shared my calendar with her so she could schedule a couple of follow up talks while she was at the office so Serenity wouldn’t know what we were up to before we ended the call.

I groaned when we pulled into the parking lot of the pool hall and Raquel laughed. I didn’t believe in wasting my energy or my time, but Unc insisted on talking face to face about shit that he knew I’d say no to. I was about to start telling his ass to come to me. As always, I told Raquel to keep the car running, then spoke to Mini and made my way inside.

The sound of heightened voices caused my feet to move quicker, and when I realized one of them belonged to my father, I pulled my Glock from my hip. Uncle or not, I’d lay anybody down behind my woman and my parents, and he was no exception.

At the sight of me, they both stopped speaking. Pops’ shoulders relaxed and face softened. His eyes focused on my Glock and his eye twitched.

“The fuck is going on?” I asked, slamming the door behind me.

“This crazy son of a bitch has officially lost his mind,” Pops answered while Unc dramatically waved his hands in the air.

“I don’t see what the big deal is,” Unc said.

“Andthat’sthe problem,” Pops reprimanded, pointing at his brother. “All you see is the mafia. You don’t see the real people, real lives, that are attached to it. There’s no way in hell my son will agree to this, and even if he wanted to, I wouldn’t allow him.”

“Agree to what?” I chimed in, needing more insight on what had them about to come to blows before I walked in.

Unc scratched his brow and motioned for me to sit down but I preferred to stand, especially with tensions being so high.

“You remember I told you that since I smoothed things out with Woody that you owed me, right?” he reminded me, as if that was needed.

“And you remember I told you I wasn’t going to do anything I didn’t want to do?”

“Yeah, but you shouldn’t have any problems with this. It’s a favor for an old friend.”

“Old friend?” I repeated. “Who?”

“Fedora.”

Fedora.

Fedora wasn’t an old friend—she was my ex. At one point, she was the woman I was supposed to marry. Had I stayed in the mafia, she’d be my wife. The thing about a woman like Fedora was she’d do whatever she could to get what she wanted . . . no matter who she used, hurt, or betrayed in the process. The moment she found out I was leaving the mafia, she cheated on me then moved on to the next man. That would have been cool if it wasn’t our enemy. Now, I had no loyalty for her at all. Her ass could be on fire, and I wouldn’t piss or spit on her.

“Iknowyou didn’t waste my time asking me here about Fedora.” Though I couldn’t see my face, I felt it twist and frown.

“Hear me out, Nephew.” Sighing, I nodded my agreement. “I realized with this whole Woody situation that there’s power in partnership. A lot of the recent deals made have been made through hostile takeovers, which leads to a lack of loyalty and trust in the long run. What Woody and I have now is solid because we are both looking out for and benefiting from this arrangement.”

“What does this have to do with Fedora?”

“I reached out to Mason to broker peace. She was the connect because of her previous ties to you and our family. Mason isn’t completely on board, but Fedora is willing to get him to agree on one condition.”

Here we go.

“Which is?”

“She wants you.” I literally laughed in this man’s face, yet he continued. “She’s heard about your relationship and fears it’s serious. So serious you might be permanently off the market soon. Fedora believes this is her last and only chance to make things right with you, so she’s willing to get Mason to agree if I can get her another chance with you.”

Me and Pops locked eyes, and he shook his head as if he couldn’t believe the delusion his brother was spitting either.

“Are they not in a relationship?” I confirmed, solely out of curiosity.

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