Power (Romantic Suspense) (36 page)

“Me give him dat real love. Me give him dat real love. He grip me so hard, when me give him dat real love.”

I needed to approach the war from another angle and had to admit that Vinese’s cards had shaken me. Had me thinking differently about it all. According to Vinese’s reading, I couldn’t battle Butterfly with death. I had to dig deeper and figure out this love thing that Vinese talked about.

So, I stayed home and spent time with my queen.

I could get used to this.

On a darker note, Mary Jane had woken up screaming that morning, mumbling about dead bodies and vomiting chains. Tears had streaked her face. She’d done her best to wipe them away and pretend like everything was okay, but I knew that my life and these weeks had changed her. She’d told less jokes. Throughout the morning, she was jumpy and her hands shook when she thought I wasn’t looking.

She must have had nightmares last night. I need to remove her from this shit.

Ignoring the city, my men, and Butterfly’s antics, I stayed with Mary Jane all day and took care of her. Sometimes when a person went through shit, they just needed someone by their side, holding and loving on them. I’d never done it for anyone else, but Mom would always say that.

Mary Jane was mine now. Somehow, I’d learned to love her more than I loved myself. Somehow, she’d submerged inside of me, and taken my mind, body, and heart over. I’d told her I loved her, when I’d never said those three words to myself. I feared for her safety, when I’d never even gave two shits about my own life. I shed tears in front of her, when I’d never cried over any of my friends’ deaths.

She was mine now.

How had things changed so much?

I had to take care of her. And what else could I do when it was certain that my stubborn woman would get into trouble on her own? And what was better than being in her space? What other person would I want in my bathtub?

Mary Jane. Mary Jane.

All those times I’d laughed at fools that fell in love and now I understood the concept of passion in the most addictive way.

The beat picked up as the singer continued to boast,
“Jah know. Me body take control. Jah know. Me wine the waist pon him so slow.”

Mary Jane had me lost in her love with no help in sight. What else could be said? I’d spent my entire life trying to rule the world and here the softest and sweetest woman reigned over me.

There was just one problem. My life would eat her up and chew away that laughter until there was nothing left. Another year on the streets and she’d be dead inside.

She’s already having the nightmares. How am I going to fix this? Plus, I have to deal with Butterfly. And I have some abused singer in my apartment, trembling and silent.

The chick wouldn’t take off that rainbow gown. The only person she let close to her was Mary Jane, and even that wasn’t guaranteed. Mary Jane gave her breakfast, but she cowered away from Mary Jane during lunch. There was something off about the singer. Never talked, mumbled, or cried, only stared at us with terrified eyes and remained in the corner. For whatever reason, the chick wasn’t a fan of me. Anytime I walked into the room, she dove for the floor and hid her face. I had no idea why she would fear me. Maybe it was because she watched me kill people in that brothel.

Crusher peaked in every hour to check on her. I was sure his monster face didn’t soothe her. Personally, I thought Crusher and Mary Jane were crazy. They claimed she sang beautifully. I doubted it. When Mary Jane finally convinced the girl to eat, I dragged my baby back into my bed for some more loving.

When her body couldn’t take anymore, we lounged in my oversized bathtub, marinating in lavender scented water.

“Jah know. Dat man don’t ever go.”

“Ladies and gentlemen. Introducing!” Mary Jane placed a crown of bubbles on my head and laughed. “King Noah. The Beast of Din City.”

I frowned as bubbles dripped down my face. “You do realize that I’m going to have to get rid of my Beast title now?”

“No way.” She put more bubbles on my ridiculous bubble crown. “Why?”

“Really? You can’t think of any reason?” I pointed at my head and bubbly ears and cheeks. “Nothing comes to mind?”

Her giggles filled the room. “Nope.”

“You’re turning me into a square-ass dude that sits under his woman and lets her primp him.”

“What?” She made a show of appearing shocked.

“You ordered me to put my guns up.”

“Because it didn’t make sense to bring them into the bathroom. You’re taking a freaking bath.” She dried her hands and lit the joint that she’d rolled for us. Of course, Fuji had copped the weed. Of course, I’d torture him in a way that she wouldn’t know.

Mary Jane continued, “and guns scare me.”

I wiped the bubble crown off of my head and sank deeper into the water. “You’re going to have to get used to the guns.”

She took a hit off the joint and blew smoke rings above her. “Nope. You’re going have to get used to love.”

“Me give him dat real love. Me give him dat real love.”

I tensed, thinking about how her words were so close to Vinese’s. “What did you say?”

“I said you’re going to have to get used to love.” She puffed some more and handed it to me.

I waved it away. “No. I don’t fuck with weed any more. I did back in the day. Besides, I’m already hooked on one type of Mary Jane. No need to get addicted to both.”

“Funny.”

I raised my eyebrows. “I’m actually serious.”

“Even funnier.”

“Go back to what you were saying about love.”

She quirked her eyebrows. “What do you mean?”

“Last night, I had a sort of. . .advisor tell me that in order to save myself, I had to choose the light. The person also said something about love.”

Vinese’s card flashed in my head—a queen with no eyes, covered in thorny roses, and holding a skull and sword.

“Your enemy sits in the shadows plotting your demise,” Vinese had said. “You’ve allowed this for some time, ignoring the problem for too long. If only you can take off the blindfold from your own eyes, look in the past, and see the solution.”

Mary Jane inhaled some more. “Does this have to do with Madame Butterfly?”

“Yes.”

“Hmmm. I’ve had some questions about all of that, but you’ve been so busy and—”

“Questions?” I asked.

The song ended and changed to a slower tune with no lyrics. Mary Jane flicked ash on an empty plate that had been stacked with chocolate strawberries. “So Butterfly clearly loves you in some sick way, but you don’t love her?”

“That’s not a question.” I raised my eyebrows. “Right?”

“Of course, it’s a question.”

“Mary Jane, you’re the only woman that I’ve ever loved, besides my mother.”

“But what’s your history with Butterfly?”

“Nothing special.”

She blew two more circles. “Butterfly is trying to kill me and everyone else to get to you. I would say it’s a pretty big deal.”

“Why is everybody so hung up on this imaginary love affair with Butterfly?”

Mary Jane’s face turned cruel and scary. “Excuse me?”

“What did I say?”

She exhaled out more smoke. “Everybody thinks that you two have a love affair going on? Seriously?”

“Wait. It’s not what you think.”

“What’s your history with her?” she asked.

“Maybe I should get a hit of that.” I leaned her way to grab it.

She put the joint to her lips and tossed me a death stare. “What’s your history with her?”

“Butterfly and I just have a bunch of stories that really don’t mean anything, but the streets talk and they like to over analyze things and—”

“A bunch of stories?!” She dropped the joint into the water. “How much history do you and she have?”

“Baby, I’ve known her since I was like fucking twelve. Of course, we have a few stories.”

The joint forgotten and sinking into the water, she stared at me with the saddest expression. “Tell me them.”

“Baby, it’s not that serious. It’s just—”

“Tell me.” She sighed. “At the bare minimum, I could probably figure out a way for you to fix this with her, since you have no fucking idea how to deal with women.”

I sank deeper into the water. “You look upset.”

“I’m not upset. I’m just a bit jealous which happens with love. I get that you’ve been with other people. I’m just not excited about it.”

“I get it. I’m not that excited about you having history with other men either.” Fuji had told me about Harrold and some dumbasses showing up at Mary Jane’s dorm. Once this Butterfly situation ended, I would make him wish he’d concentrated on regaining his ability to walk and not messing with my woman. Fuji and I agreed that Mary Jane didn’t need to know about how we would handle Harrold.

“So, tell me about Butterfly and you?” Mary Jane pulled me out of the lovely daydream I’d been having of hurting Harrold.

“What?”

“Tell me your history. I bet that together we could figure something out.”

I wasn’t so sure, but Mary Jane’s face hadn’t returned to a relaxed expression. “Fine. Let’s go down memory lane, but trust me, it’s not that big of a deal.”

“We’ll see.”

I laughed.

“What’s so funny?” she asked.

“I’m used to a yes, boss and people doing what I say.”

“You’ll have to get used to me.” She stuck her tongue out. “How did you two meet?”

Discomfort plagued me. On paper Butterfly and I sounded like some sort of modern day version of Bonnie and Clyde. All of our history dealt with violence, sex, and the streets. She’d played a part in most of my years—I couldn’t pretend like she didn’t mean anything at all. But in reality, she didn’t. What type of person did that make me? Cold? Unloving? Frozen and dead inside? Rasheed and Domingo always thought I was too icy with her. But what could I do? There was nothing warm about her either. We were just enthusiasts of blood and bullets. How could love rise from that?

Here we go.

I sank into the tub another inch and told her about saving Butterfly in the old Miller Plant.

She raised her eyebrows. “You stopped her from getting gang-raped?”

“Yeah, but I would’ve done that for anybody.”

“Of course, but that’s such a big deal. I would’ve followed you around too.”

“There are other things.” I ran my fingers through my wet hair. “Butterfly’s father used to beat her and her mom, a lot. I caught him doing it one time. He punched Butterfly, over and over, like she was a grown fucking man. He kept calling her a whore. I stormed in and used a wrench on his hand. His fingers never healed back like they were supposed to. Never could make a fist, after that.”

“So you saved her, again?” Mary Jane asked.

“He was an evil bastard. I would’ve done that for anybody.”

“Okay.”

Mary Jane looked away. “And you two had sex?”

“I took her virginity.”

“Jesus.” She shook her head. “You’ve saved her twice, became the first person that she ever had sex with, and made her a powerful woman in this city. Did you ever have feelings for her?”

“No.”

She studied my face. “How is that possible? If I was you, I would’ve had feelings for her.”

“We’re two different people, Mary Jane. If you were me, you wouldn’t be telling jokes.”

“Not the point.”

“But it is.”

What was Vinese’s next card in the reading? Oh, yeah. Something about lovers.

They’d been embracing each other. At first they looked normal, but as I’d peered closer, the flesh seemed to rot before my eyes. I remembered hating that card, not liking the lovers’ decaying skin.

Vinese had warned, “Everything you thought you loved may crumble, if you do not focus. But what is it that you truly love, Noah? What or who are you truly trying to save? Is it your empire or the woman that’s taken your heart?”

“Must there be a choice?” I asked. “Why can’t I have it all?”

A cackle had come from Vinese. “So old, Noah, but still so young.”

Within the warm water, I stroked Mary Jane’s thigh. My dick getting hard as my fingertips slipped against her soft skin. “Butterfly is like every other woman that I’ve met in this life. I’ve saved others. Street men love to hurt beautiful things. There’s always a girl or woman to save. And all of those chicks that I’ve helped, hoped that they would be mine.”

“Have you ever at least been infatuated with someone?”

“No, and this isn’t about me. We’re talking about Butterfly.”

She stuck her tongue at me. “This is about you and her.”

I didn’t like Mary Jane putting me in the same sentence with Butterfly. In fact, talking about the bitch wasn’t what I wanted at that moment. Mary Jane’s thighs felt too good. I knew she was still hurt and yesterday’s events hadn’t helped with the healing process. Fucking her last night and all this morning, probably didn’t make things better either. I was careful, until the end, when I couldn’t help myself and pounded my climax into that sweet flesh.