Snapped (15 page)

Baron looked at Frankie and shrugged. “I already told you. There’s only one person besides me that Pops would trust to run all this shit. That’s you. So if you don’t want it, how can I take a break?”

Frankie thought back to his conversation in Nobles’s living room not so long ago and shrugged. “You got a point, you know what I’m saying.” He stared off as if deep in thought. “You got Gillian.”

Baron thought about it, but quickly shook his head. “She’s not ready.”

“That’s not what you said before. We were at Camille’s birthday party and you were talking to me about how much you loved Angie. How you wanted to settle down, start a family with her and all that. But she was in your ear about leaving the game alone, scaling back on all the shit you’re into. And you said the only person you felt you might ever trust with what your father built was Gillian.”

Baron looked at Frankie and nodded. “I remember saying that. But I wasn’t talking about now. I was talking about if I ever got to the point that I couldn’t hold my own. Like how Pops is.”

Frankie nodded. He didn’t want to seem too eager to champion Gillian’s cause.

“She wants it,” Baron said, swigging his beer again. “I know that for sure. But Gillian ain’t ready.”

Frankie shrugged. “She might not be. But you and I both know she won’t ever be ready unless you show her the ropes yourself. Start grooming her for the business so that if you ever get to that point—God forbid—you’ll know that Gillian is ready to step into your shoes.”

Baron thought about it. Frankie might be right. He loved his sister and was very protective of her. But she had been soaking up the game for years. Maybe it was time for him to truly take her under his wing. Baron looked at Frankie and wondered if he should admit the truth. He trusted Frankie, so he leveled with him.

“I don’t have a problem with giving Gillian some play. My problem is with her mother. Mayra doesn’t love my father as much as he loves her. And sometimes I wonder if she’s the reason why Gillian stays so caught up in this life instead of
being legit. Like . . . is she trying to push my sister into this shit so that she can see as much of the Nobles family money as me and my moms?”

Frankie realized immediately why Nobles had asked him to speak to Baron, rather than doing it himself. It was no secret that Celia—Baron’s mother—harbored resentment toward Mayra. The woman had basically stolen Nobles right out from under Celia’s nose, after all. And while Celia had been a dutiful, demure, and respectful wife, Mayra was pampered, extravagant, and spoiled rotten with Nobles’s money and power. Despite the fact that the two women were cordial in each other’s presence, they were in silent competition with one another—using their children as pawns in their twisted game of chess. Frankie had watched Nobles gracefully sidestep the simmering drama between his first and second wives. Nobles had managed to remain friendly with his ex-wife—he still paid all the bills and doled out cash whenever she needed it—while enjoying a happy marriage with his sexy, younger second wife. Frankie understood now that he had to be the one to get Baron to let his sister in the game, since Nobles suggesting it would have seemed like playing favorites.

“But it’s not about Mayra. Pops is the one who laid the foundation with Gillian. He taught her the basics because he don’t want her to settle for being one of those wives you were talking about before. Sitting around waiting for her husband to come home and lavish her with shit. He wants her to have her own, not somebody else’s. And he taught her well, too. She has that going for her.”

Baron nodded, staring blankly at the TV. “She does have this shit down pat.”

“Exactly,” Frankie cosigned. “What she needs now is her
big brother to take her under his wing and show her the shit up close and personal. The same way I’ve watched you scoop these young fools off the block and show them how to really get money, you can show Gillian how to do what you do so that you can finally take that break you deserve. I think that’s the solution right there.”

Baron thought about it. Frankie was right. He did have a knack for taking the most hopeless of prospects and turning them into real contenders. If he could do the same thing with Gillian, he could keep the money in the family while giving himself the time to live a little. They had grown up closely, and Baron had protected and catered to Gillian as much as their father had. Being almost ten years older than his sister, he had schooled her and helped to mold her into the queen she was now.

But, truthfully, the one thing he had over his sister was his seat at the helm of the family. His position was what he believed endeared him in the heart of his father. The last thing he wanted was to relinquish that spot to his sister, for fear that she would do just as good a job—if not better. As much as he loved Gillian, there still existed a sibling rivalry of sorts for the admiration and respect of their father.

“I hear you, Frankie.” Baron nodded. “But I can’t walk away from this shit now. That’s not an option for me. This is my life.” He seemed to think about it for several long, silent moments. He sat there as if entranced, until a KFC commercial snapped him out of it. He picked up the remote and turned the channel. “Eventually, when I’m ready to stop, Gillian can have the business and all the headaches that come with it. Then I can spend more time watching
Maury
and shit.” He flipped past the paternity-test episode as he said it.

Frankie was disappointed. Convincing Baron to step
down would be harder than he’d thought it would be. “Gillian won’t let you down. You know she’s respected, she’s smart. You should have given her the shot a long time ago.”

Baron smirked and looked at Frankie questioningly. “Yeah?” He laughed. “I would expect you to say that. She got you wrapped around her finger.”

Frankie laughed. “Gillian ain’t got me wrapped around nothing.”

Baron was smiling. He loved his sister, but she was cunning as hell. He suspected that she had probably sold Frankie on the idea of her taking over long ago. Nobles, too. Frankie, in Baron’s opinion, was being teased into submission. Baron watched his sister like a hawk, so he didn’t believe that she had ever been intimate with Frankie. Baron thought back to a conversation he and Gillian had years prior concerning her feelings for Frankie. Their discussion about Frankie’s upcoming wedding somehow turned into Gillian ranting about her disdain for Frankie’s soon-to-be wife. She believed that Camille was undeserving of the life she was marrying into. After listening to her bash Camille for a while, Baron had asked Gillian point blank if she had feelings for Frankie. Gillian admitted that she did. Baron had allowed that Frankie was a good man, and he really didn’t mind the idea of having him as a brother-in-law. But he also pointed out that Frankie seemed to really love Camille. Baron had advised his sister that if Frankie actually went through with the wedding, she should let go of any feelings she may have for him. She had taken his advice so far, and Frankie was really like part of the family. But Baron was not blind to the fact that his sister was a beautiful woman. He suspected that Frankie might have a crush on Gillian. He was sweet to her, thoughtful and patient. Gillian had their father eating out of the palm of her
hand the same way. She was cultured, refined, and sassy at the same time. And when she wanted something—especially from a man—she tended to get it. As a daddy’s girl, she’d been spoiled rotten. True, she was down to go to a football game. But trust that she’d be watching from the skybox with a bird’s-eye view. She did everything big, expensive, over the top—just like her mother.

In fact, it had been Gillian who suggested (if not insisted) that the family put more of their money and manpower behind Frankie. Frankie was one of Nobles’s soldiers and had made a name for himself and all that. But he had not been a major player in the game as far as Baron was concerned. Nobles loved Frankie like a son, and Baron was aware of that. At one time he had resented their relationship, wondering if Nobles’s love for Frankie signaled that Baron wasn’t enough of a son to satisfy him. Not that he had anything against Frankie; quite the contrary. Baron admired Frankie’s hustle and his drive. And he had come to love him like a brother over time. He just hadn’t been sure in the early days that Frankie was worthy of the faith that Gillian and their father had in him. But Gillian had convinced Baron to give Frankie his full support. It was a decision he had never regretted. Frankie had proven to be trustworthy and consistent, and he continued to be a surrogate member of the Nobles family. Baron had watched Gillian’s friendship with Frankie blossom from then on, so it came as no surprise to him now that Frankie offered his endorsement of her.

“Yeah,” he said, sipping his Corona again. “She got you wrapped around her finger for real.”

Frankie grinned. “Yeah, aiight. Call it what you want, but
you know I’m right. She has what it takes to be more hands-on. Plus you need the break, so in my opinion it’s win/win.”

Baron knew it was true. He needed to take a break, if only to get some much-needed rest. His cousin was having a bachelor party in Las Vegas that night and Baron had no intention of going. Anyone who knew him well would have been surprised to find the notorious party animal opting for a spot on the sofa instead of a wild night in Vegas.

Frankie’s grin faded as he thought about Gillian. “What’s up with your sister and that suit-and-tie lame?” he asked.

Baron took his eyes off the TV for a moment and glanced at Frankie. He didn’t know whether or not Gillian had told Frankie about her recent reconciliation with Sadiq. Baron shrugged. “Gillian don’t know what she wants. One minute she’s saying she hates his guts, and the next she’s going with him to a Broadway play. Whenever dude fucks up, he stops by Harry Winston or whatever and it’s all good. You feel me? Gillian and her moms are a lot alike in that respect.”

Frankie nodded. He knew that Gillian was a sucker for designer labels and costly things. What he admired about her was her ability to get those things for herself. True, she expected them from her man as well. But, unlike Camille or Mayra, she was capable of having those luxurious things with or without a man.

“I just want to make sure she’s not getting played,” Frankie said, looking truly concerned. “If she’s happy, she’s happy. If not, I wanna do something about it.”

Baron nodded, wondering when Frankie and Gillian would stop bullshitting about their true feelings for one another. Clearly, there was more between them than the friendship they hid behind. “Pops likes this dude she’s seeing.
He told her that she would be smart to hold on to this one. And you know how much of a daddy’s girl Gillian is. She’s probably staying with this guy out of some twisted need to please my father.”

Frankie nodded. Nobles had mentioned that he admired Gillian’s latest boyfriend. He was a successful Wall Street type who had all kinds of degrees. Still, Frankie couldn’t help worrying that Gillian was being blinded by this man with money and credentials. There had to be more to the guy than it seemed.

“So, you wanna get your ass whipped at Madden or what?” Baron picked up the Xbox control and looked challengingly at Frankie.

Frankie smirked and stopped thinking about Gillian for the time being. “Quit talking shit and let’s go.” Frankie grabbed the other control and got ready for war.

“Camille, can you pick Shane up from the babysitter for me today? Baron asked me to go out with him after work.” Misa was ecstatic about the invitation. It would be the first time that Baron was taking her somewhere public. In the weeks since they started their sexual relationship, all they’d ever done was spend lusty nights in his beautiful home. Baron was more aggressive than she had expected. He choked her during sex, slapped her, and even spit on her. Misa didn’t really like all that, but she willingly allowed it, eager for a permanent position in the life Baron was living. It was a small price to pay, in her opinion, for the opulence of the Nobles family circle.

Camille sighed and shook her head. “You can’t keep asking me to do this for you, Misa.” Camille loved her younger sister with all her heart. But she was sick of picking her nephew up, dropping him off, and of being asked to babysit weekend after weekend. Camille was happy that her sister was moving on with her life after a heartbreaking divorce from her cheating husband. But lately she was seeing more of her nephew than ever before, and having less time to herself.
Meanwhile, Misa was having a grand old time. “I have a life of my own, you know?”

Misa rolled her eyes. Please! Camille had no life. All she had were fabulous things, a beautiful home, and the status of being Frankie B’s wife. She had no job to report to each day, no class she had to pass, no worries. Misa felt that her sister had no interests other than redecorating her home or buying something expensive, and no better way to spend her evening than caring for her nephew, as far as Misa was concerned. She didn’t feel like hearing this shit right now. She knew that Camille would give in to her. No matter how much she complained, Camille never said no. That was why Misa called on her so often. “Come on, sis. You know I got you. Name your price.”

“For what, Misa? You can’t pay it. You already owe me five thousand dollars.” Camille was sick of feeling used.

“I know that,” Misa said, with an attitude. She had to resist the urge to suck her teeth. “And I’m gonna pay you your money, Camille. Don’t make me feel worse than I already do. I hate having to ask you for help. But you know that Louis ain’t helping me much with Shane. He hardly ever picks him up or even calls to talk to him. The little bit of child support I get—”

“I know, Misa.” Camille sighed again. She felt guilty for lecturing her sister. She didn’t want to throw anything in Misa’s face; she was well aware that her sister’s ex did nothing to help out with little Shane. And Camille was glad that at twenty-four years old, Misa was getting a chance to enjoy her youth. “I’ll pick him up for you. Have fun.”

“Thank you!” Camille could hear the smile on her sister’s face. “I really appreciate it. I’ll pick him up in the morning on my way to work.”