Page 66 of The Impossible

“Unless it has to do with pregnancy pillows, huh?”

“Only then.”

CHAPTER 16

Aday or two later

Hondo

This morning I made my wife breakfast, ate with her, and talked about our future. A future that, after today, not a man in her family would have. I had allowed O’Leary to stew long enough. It was now time to handle this shit and get back to money being the motivation. This mess had lasted too long and I didn’t like it. I understood going through the proper channels and handling things correctly, but they didn’t, so why should I?

Because I was built for this, to lead the families under my family into a season of more flow than any of us had ever seen.

Fuckers like O’Leary didn’t get to reach the promised land because it was never promised to him and he knew nothing about making it happen together. He was ruthless and selfish. If he was grimy enough to backstab his own blood, what the hell would he do to me?

“You ready?” Otto asked as soon as I got out of the car in the underground parking at The Oak.

“Born this way. You made sure they brought TJ and invited Titus?”

“Course I did. I’m just here to witness your program, baby brother.”

I laughed then continued into the building. “And thanks a lot, dropping off two puppies.” I sent a brief mug in his direction.

“My pleasure. I just knew you were gonna call and curse my ass out yesterday.”

I shook my head, my eyes finding Titus standing outside the meeting room looking timid as hell. This was why I’d never respect him. How the fuck was he a grown ass man but afraid of his father? That unaware shit he tried to feed Nic would never fly with me. At the end of the day, a nigga had to have an inkling about something.

“Can I speak with you for a moment?” Titus stepped away from the door, looking in my direction.

“’Bout what?” I glared at him, ready to take his head off.

“It’ll only be a moment.” He cowered and I shook my head.

I nodded, then looked at my brother. “Give me a minute. We’ll be in there.”

Otto nodded. “Aight.”

The basement of The Oak was built like a big ass maze, with the bar/meeting space in the center shielded by tempered glass and privacy flowerpots with fake flowers in them. We stood in the corner, right before the entry.

“Look, you probably think of me as less than a man. And you’re right. I feigned ignorance to situations because I didn’t want to see what was right before my eyes. I’m fucked up and I have been for years. But what I will not take the heat for is trying to kill my own child, my daughter. I would never and neither would my father.”

I shook my head, then stepped into his space. “And that’s where you lost me. Nothing you say here will take away from the facts. You out here fighting a battle for a motherfucker who sacrificed your son for money, killed your wife, and actually tried to kill your daughter, my fucking wife. Now I would’ve overlooked everything going on in your rotten bloodline had a nigga not come for her, but that line was crossed and this shit right here is happening. Now step your ass on in here so we can get this shit over with and I can go the fuck home.”

He didn’t even look at me. He went into the meeting area. I followed him, my eyes immediately finding Curr’s. If I didn’t know any better, his old ass looked nervous. Today wasn’t his day of reckoning, but I had a feeling it would come soon.

Then I looked at Shamus. His cheeks were red and his eyes were pointed. Those motherfuckers weren’t even blue at first glance. Right now, they were black.

I locked eyes with my brother a second later and nodded. I could tell by the way he was looking he wanted to ensure I was good. The nod was to assure him.

“It’s tense than a motherfucker in here, ain’t it?” Tylon’s voice filled the space as he slipped into the seat next to my brother.

“As all of you know, I recently married Patience, Titus O’Leary’s daughter. The love of my fucking life and honestly the whole reason for this meeting today. Very few of us know about the countless attempts on her life, stemming from the day we were married and I walked in on a motherfucker about to shoot her on our wedding day. A dummy mission. Then the next time, a drive by while she was out in my fucking city minding her business. And the last time, at the hands of her own fucking brother. Got pretty desperate there, huh?” I asked, my eyes locked on Shamus.

He didn’t move nor did he blink. He glared at me.

“And as I tried to tell you in the hall, none of us would have done this. She is our flesh and blood.” Titus was beating a dead horse at this point and damn sure not reading the room.

Otto addressed Shamus. “Shamus, share the family business with your son for once, so he can get out of that denial.”