Page 62 of Love Letters From Memphis

Lei ran her hands down her face. “I just want to go home, take three showers, and sleep for a few days. I need to forget this ever happened.”

“We can make that happen. I’ll take you home and get you settled in before taking care of this.”

“Can it wait?” Lei wrapped her arms around him. “I don’t want you to leave me tonight.”

“I can wait if you want me to.”

“Good. Because… not knowing if I was going to make it out of there alive changed my perspective, Londen. I know I’ve been hesitant about marriage and wanting to move slow, but I want everything life and love has for me. So… whenever you want to propose… I’d say yes.”

For the first time, Londen smiled. “You lucky your people in the truck. Otherwise, I’d press you against this wall and dig inside your pussy.”

When his lips lowered to her neck, Lei chuckled. “Thank God I got your lips on me. You were scaring me for a moment.”

“Honestly, I didn’t want to touch you and this moment become a dream. I didn’t want to wake up in the car on the way to you.”

“Well, I’m real, and this moment is real… in more ways than one. I hate this happened, but I’m also glad it did. It showed me that Yandi is not to be trusted but it also showed me how crazy my family is and how lucky I am to have you as my man. I really do love you, Londen, far quicker than I knew was possible.”

“Baby,” he moaned, lifting her into the air. “Let’s just walk to my place now. I’ll take you home later.”

Lei’s giggle was cut off by his lips connecting with hers, and she had no complaints about his plan at all.

forty-five

When Lei invitedLonden to her parents’ house for family dinner, he was surprised. Though they were in a committed relationship, the invitation seemed to make things more official. He enjoyed his time with them, but the visit was bittersweet. Londen didn’t know when he’d be able to have her around his family… well, his parents. She and Megan were practically best friends already, texting every day. Londen was grateful for that and hoped the connection would give his sister a reason to come home more, but he wouldn’t blame her if she didn’t.

Londen’s hesitance to have Lei around his parents stemmed from the guilt that consumed him whenever he was around them. With his mother, she guilted him about his brother, and his father guilted him about the business. There was no part of him that wanted Lei to experience the shift in his energy or the dynamic change in his character when addressing his father. The gentle gangsta who never shied away from taking control with her turned into a little boy who struggled to make clear boundaries with the man who raised him. All he could do was pray that one day his issues with both of them would be resolved so they could meet the woman he planned to spend the rest of his life with.

Before dinner, Londen was given a grand tour of Lei’s parents’ home. It was… luxurious… to say the least. With all Londen saw, they didn’t have to leave home for much of anything. They had two living rooms, ten bedrooms with attached bathrooms, several common areas, two kitchens, a gym and game room. Home offices were in the backyard, and there was a space for detailing their cars off to the side. A smaller home was on the opposite side, equipped with a bar and small convenience area that had just about everything they would need from the grocery store.

From the way they were living, Londen couldn’t help but wonder if Ace was really out of the streets. If his business investments and wealth from founders and the secret society provided this type of wealth, that was all the more reason for him to join.

As he and Lei were preparing to leave, Ace asked to speak with him privately. They went outside to his home office, which looked more like a chill area than anything else. To Ace’s credit, there was a small writing desk in the corner with a laptop on it, but it didn’t look like he did much work in there at all.

“You good?” Londen confirmed as Ace closed the door behind them.

“I’m great. Have a seat.” Ace waited until they were seated in the two burgundy chairs that were facing each other, with a small, round table between them to continue. “As thanks for what you’ve done over the years and recently, plus a way to welcome you into the family, I want to offer you an official position in the secret society. Not just doing hits as our freelance security, but a salaried position that will be yours until retirement, should you accept.”

Leaning forward, Ace pulled the small burgundy and gold box closer to him. He opened it and pulled two Cuban cigars out. Londen was familiar with the brand; it was the same kind Lei smoked. She was always so fucking sexy with her cigars and cognac on Fridays. There was nothing more attractive to him than a woman who did exactly what she wanted, no matter what others thought. Lei was in tune with her feminine and masculine energy, and he loved every facet of her. From the layer that could smoke, play pool, and talk shit with him to the layer that loved shopping, being pampered, and spending time with her girlfriends.

Ace extended a cigar in Londen’s direction. He accepted it and lit it as Ace continued.

“Should you accept the position, I’d need you to move to Memphis. I’ve always wanted Lei involved in the secret society’s legal department for several reasons, the most important being it would keep her and Cade from competing, and it would also set her up with permanent wealth beyond what I give her. I believe if you joined, she would too. I don’t want her to return to Memphis, but I know I can’t hold on to her so closely just because I missed the first part of her life. Taking these new positions would be a great new start for the both of you.”

“I respect your reasoning. What position do you want me to fill?”

“Well, I know you wanted to be a profiler for the FBI, but your father gave you to the streets before you could take that path. In Memphis, you can head the criminal profiling and private investigation division. The truth of the matter is, things are getting worse there and a lot of our services are being requested.”

Londen thought he was hearing things. He refused to believe Ace had just offered him a position to do what he’d always wanted to do. Sticking his finger in his ear, Londen wiggled it, as if there was something inside that he needed to clear out.

Ace chuckled before puffing on his cigar.

“I don’t think I heard you correctly, Ace.”

“You did.” He laughed softly and sat up in his seat. “You would have to go through two years of additional training since you already have a degree, but if you want the position when you’re done, it’s yours. You can do the training here, but you’ll have to move to Memphis when it’s complete. Our division will work directly with the FBI and MPD. We will get our cases directly from them, but they won’t have a say in our tactics or who we hire.”

Rubbing his hands together, Londen swallowed hard and blinked his glossy eyes.

His voice was so thick with emotion, it almost sounded choked when he said, “Wow. I… I don’t know what to say.”

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