Page 64 of João
“We’re gonna have to leverage what we have on LaSalle, call him for a meeting, and…”
“Extort him.” Sal nodded with a sinister grin. God bless Devon, I swear my sister was the most devious of us all. “I’ve been gathering more information than what you had in your files, Q, I was just waiting for you to say the word.”
Jardel and Joaquim’s determined nods meant the world to me. But extortion was a crime, plain and simple, and I wasn’t about to get them involved in…
“Master…”
“Yes, boa menina?” Gisele’s resolved gaze made me pause.
“Do you trust me?” she asked, everything around us falling away. If she had asked me this question a few months ago, I’d assess the situation, measure the different outcomes, and assure her I didn’t need her assistance. No trust would have been granted because I wouldn’t have even involved her in this. But now… I had just declared my love and commitment to her. This was my woman. My words to her this morning were a vow. She might not have thought of last night as a sacrament, but I did.
“I trust you.”
“Good. Invite LaSalle to a meeting now.”
the meeting
JOÃO
Jardel refused to move the gathering to my home. He had the biggest backyard, so we pulled out more chairs when Moses and Pedro arrived. My message to LaSalle had been succinct. I sent him the address and asked him to meet me about the Club.
This ended tonight.
Gisele sat still next to me as I stood with my hand on her shoulder, her face serene as we all awaited in strained silence. Joaquim attempted to crack a few jokes but the vibe had changed. Knox paced in one corner of the backyard, unwilling to leave, wanting to offer support to ensure his woman would not be accosted again.
“Are you good?”
“Yes, of course. Listen, there are things about my Dad that I don’t talk about, but…well…”
The air grew still as the sliding door whooshed open and Jardel escorted Leon LaSalle and that same man that accompanied him everywhere he went. LaSalle’s presence loomed over everyone, a quiet menace that seeped into the air.His easy smile made you doubt your instincts, maybe doubt that he was as dangerous as he first appeared, but that was how he got people to lower their guard. His bodyguard surveyed the space, realizing there were more of us than them, his face impassive.
Sal stared at the two men before she zeroed in on the man next to LaSalle, then back to me with a confused frown. Whatever was on her mind was not as important as she shook her head when our gazes met.
Now the leap of faith.
“LaSalle, I asked you here tonight to talk. These people here all have vested interest in my club, so they have asked to be present in this conversation.”
Gisele sat still, waiting for my sign.
“I see. Well, I don’t mind the audience, especially if they are to become my club members in the future.” LaSalle grabbed a chair and sat in the middle of the backyard, acting as the king of this domain. All tactics to unnerve. If I wasn’t Pai’s son, it might have bothered me, but LaSalle, although dangerous and wily, had nothing on the hate that had lived in Pai’s heart. LaSalle seemed like a man with a code, and that I could work with.
Trusting my heart and my woman, I sat on the chair next to her, and we all settled with the exception of the bodyguard. His face flashed in the back of my mind, tickling something long forgotten…
“Leon, why are you troubling my man?”
Leon?
Attuned to her, I fed off of her calm, my surprise at her words settling into mild curiosity.
I trusted her.
“Shit, I hadn’t realized it was you, Gis! What you doin’ here, sis?”
“Sis?!” Sal exclaimed, and Devon whispered something in her ear, enough to calm her down.
For now.
Everyone’s gaze zeroed in on my face while I stared at my woman, who serenely stood up, the true queen of the Dark Tower. The future Queen of the Club. The Queen of my heart.
