Page 105 of Bear
Fuck that.
I wanted him to be caught off guard. I wanted his ego crushed to nothing.
“Does your father have a weapon on him?” Tito asked, craning his neck to look at the cypress trees.
“He does. I didn’t ask him to put it away. He would have immediately become suspicious. I’m trying to put his mind at ease. I know for a fact he has a pistol and a knife. I don’t know if he has anything extra.”
“You sure you don’t need my security to take him down?” Tito asked. Kareema snuck outside and materialized at his side. His hands found her hips naturally. I still didn’t know how I felt about that shit but Tito was a stand-up guy so far.
“I’m sure. This is a personal murder. I want it to be poetic and beautiful.” I stared at the darkening sky and mapped out a scattering of stars that made me think about Cecily’s freckles and the way they danced across the bridge of her nose and her cheekbones. Everything made me think of Cecily.
“Beautiful?” Kareema scoffed at my word choice.
“Beautiful,” I reiterated. “There’s beauty in everything. Even murder.”
“I’ll hold him to the same standards I would for any potential client. I’m sure he won’t make the cut,” Tito laughed. I pulled out a cigar from my pocket, flipping open the gold case. I handed Tito one and he took it gladly.
The spark from my gold bear Zippo put out a flash of orange light that lit up an orb around us. I turned to Ace and said, “Text my father and tell him Tito is here. I don’t want the info to come from me. I want him to think you’re already working for him.” Ace nodded and whipped out his phone immediately.
“He’s coming. I’m sure he didn’t last long in there with your mom, Bear.”
“Not really the type of consolation I want right now, Ace.” I shook my head and he shrugged apologetically.
“I was trying to help,” he laughed.
“Don’t be an ass, Ace,” Cecily warned. He held up his hands in surrender and flashed a smile at her.
“My bad, Dimples.”
“You’re lucky I love you, Ace. I swear,” she said.
“Go ahead and round up the soldiers and bring them out here. I’d love for everyone to see. It’s definitely going to be a show,” I said with a wicked smile spreading across my face. I noticed the way Cecily looked at me and I wanted to peel away her layers to know what she really saw. I wondered if she finally saw the evil breeding beneath my ribs or did she still see the man she loved.
“Sometimes you’re so dark it takes my breath away.”
“Is that good or bad?” I asked, leaning in so that only she could hear me.
“It’s very good.” She moved closer, taking my shirt in her fist. I dipped low enough to kiss her. She tasted like sugar. I was going to fuck the shit out of her once everyone was out of my house. I was going to pour all my love and appreciation into her and engrave my heart all over her walls.
“Or we could you know…not do that out here while everyone is around,” Kareema scoffed. Tito gripped her hips a little harder and smiled.
“They’re in love. Can you not see the passion dripping from them? Nothing wrong with it. I know I’ve made you drip quite a few times.”
“I could have gone forever without hearing that shit,” I groaned.
“On that note, I’m going to round up the fellas,” Ace chuckled, walking back in the house.
Tito’s men stood the farthest back while my soldiers stood in a semi-circle around the patio where Tito and I sat finishing our cigars. “So this must be the man of the motherfucking hour! Tito, I’m Griffon Stone. I’m sure you’ve heard a lot about me.” Dad offered Tito a firm handshake when he strolled out of the house. He had a seat at the table then looked around at the men lining the huge stretch of backyard. “Damn, I guess it’s been a while since I had a sit down with a connect. I forgot about all the soldiers involved. We can do business without our men,” Dad said, brushing off the soldiers that worked for me. They didn’t budge.
Tito leaned closer and extinguished his cigar in the ashtray on the patio table then flashed a smile. “When I do business with new clients, I always make sure we both have our men present. I’m on cordial terms withBear. Not you.” His words stung Dad’s ego. I saw it in his eyes when they flared with anger. He nodded anyway though. You didn’t talk shit to the man trying to offer you business and he knew that. He also knew Tito was bigger than any of the connects he maintained while he was in jail. He wanted to land the deal so he put up with his ego being insulted.
“Okay, that’s fine.” Dad looked at Cecily and Kareema and frowned at their presence. I waited for him to say something about it. “Anyone wanna tell me when we started allowing bitches at meetings?”
My brows crashed together but I bit my tongue. I saw Tito’s face twist into a frown as well. “I like eye candy and I don’t like to call them bitches. We have decorum where I’m from. I don’t know about you.” Tito flicked his gaze at me and tucked his tongue behind his bottom lip in an expression of disgust. “You know, Griffon…more and more I’m realizing that my business would be better kept with Bear.”
I sparked another cigar and chuckled through the haze of smoke. Dad’s gaze was full of fury. I felt it emanating from of him. It was absolutely fucking beautiful.
“A little decorum goes a hell of a long way doesn’t it, Tito?” My laugh was dry and wrapped in gray smoke.
