Chapter 14
Mary Jane
A glutton betrothed his daughter to another glutton.
Asked what he was giving her as a dowry,
he replied: "A house with windows facing the bakery."
–Philogelos (The Laughter Lover)
We arrived at Spectrum Restaurant. A grin spread across my face. I could barely hold in my excitement. This was another one of those places that I’d never stepped inside of. Not until Noah. He was showing me new places. Areas I never had access to, until he stood by my side.
Spectrum was an undersea restaurant. When tourism increased for Vaso Beach, more businesses decided to build around the shore. Not much available remaining land, one millionaire owner got creative and built his restaurant within the ocean. The first year it opened, everyone talked about it. News crews filmed the inside. I’d seen so many shows on it that I’d felt like I’d been there.
When we climbed out of the limo, a breeze rushed by and chilled my flesh. Crusher moved to us and remained by our side.
Noah rubbed my shoulder and held me. “Do you want my jacket?”
“No, I’m fine.”
Sure. I’m fine, but maybe, confused. Or a bit frazzled and going through a mind blow.
Instead of walking forward, Crusher, Noah, and I stayed by the limo. Both men gazed at the place with annoyance.
“What’s going on?” I leaned away from him.
“Fuji looks worried.” Noah drew me back to him. “That’s never a good sign. Let’s wait for a minute and let Fuji do his thing.”
“Okay.” I took in my environment.
The sky had darkened as the moon came out. No stars sparkled. No birds flew. Storm clouds hovered and the surroundings seemed less romantic than I’d seen on television. Even the water mirrored that darkness. The ocean was grim. Slow murky waves spilled out looking more like oil than the sea. None of the restaurant was visible from the parking lot. There wasn’t even a sign that said Spectrum, and no other business was in sight.
A huge railing flanked an enormous elevator where a man in a suit stood next to a podium. It must’ve been the place’s host. Fuji was next to him. I had no idea how he’d beaten us to the place, but there he was, wearing a worried expression on his face.
What’s wrong?
In seconds, the elevator doors opened and Mo stepped out. Fuji went to him and they had a heated conversation. One that probably didn’t end well, because Fuji hurried our way with Mo and with every step, he cursed.
Fuji’s face grew scarier than I’d ever seen it. Gone was the fun lovable, big guy that seemed more like a teddy bear to me than a gangster. Now I saw what others had witnessed, that expression—furrowed brow and murderous eyes—it scared me more than Crusher’s monstrous glare.
“I sent Mo inside to check the place out,” Fuji said. “He says that three tables are full and he recognizes everyone.”
“Who?” Noah asked.
“Domingo’s brother, Hugo, is in there with his guy. Then, Choppa with those crazy fucking twins.”
“The Bordello brothers?” Noah asked.
“Yeah.”
Noah’s jaw twitched. “Who else?”
Fuji muttered, “Butterfly is in there, too. She’s sitting at the table that you reserved for MJ.”
She? I thought Fuji said that they didn’t have women working with them.
“Who is she with?” Noah hissed.
Fuji sneered. “The guy you gave her.”
Noah gave her a guy? Who’s Butterfly?
Noah let go of me and sighed. “The streets are definitely keeping me busy today.”
Fuji stirred. “I say we leave or at least not take MJ inside. Maybe you can go in by yourself.”
Noah glared at the restaurant. “I’m definitely going inside.”
I raised my hand. “Mary Jane is right here and Noah isn’t going in there without me.”
“It’s not that simple, baby.” Noah raked his fingers through his hair.
“Who’s Butterfly?” I turned his way.
“Not important.” A smile cracked on his face. “An old business associate. Nothing more.”
“You’ve never slept with her?”
His confident smile faltered. “Well. . .that’s not a fair question. But, I can tell you that she hasn’t been in my bed since I was a teenager.”
My stomach knotted. “So you’ve known her forever?”
“Mary Jane, trust me. Butterfly is not the problem. It’s bigger than that.”
I left it alone for that moment. This man dealt with killers. There was no need to act like the jealous chick now, not when things were already on the edge.
Fuji looked nervous, but he spoke anyway, “I think we should leave.”
“Call some more people here. And have 305 do a scope of the whole area.” Noah gestured for them to leave. When they did, Noah stayed silent as he studied the sky. “Mary Jane, how much do you want to know about my life?”
I placed my hands on my hips. “Everything. Especially all information pertaining to Butterfly.”
“Some things you won’t be able to deal with. It might make you afraid to sleep next to me at night.”
A shiver ran through me. “Then. . .maybe don’t tell me everything.”
“I like that idea. In fact, I want to have Fuji take you home so—”
“No.”
He raised one eyebrow. “Did you just interrupt me?”
“Yes, I think I did. If you’re not going home with me, we’ll be going in there together.”
“No.”
“Then come home with me.”
“I can’t.”
“Why not?” I asked.
“There’s layers to this life.”
“Explain it to me.” I braced myself for the reality of his world. “What’s going on?”
He pointed to the water. “Right now, there are three people in that restaurant that shouldn’t be there. It’s not a surprise that they want to talk to me. I’ve been waiting for them to come calling. The problem is, no one was supposed to know that I would be at Spectrum, tonight. The fact that they are all in there says that they’re probably working together and maybe even have some of my people on board with whatever stupid plan they’re thinking about trying. Then you have Domingo’s brother, Hugo, who is pissed. He’s not going to deal with his brother’s death now, though. What’s probably on his mind is business. I’m sure he’s here to discuss who will be running the North.”
I took that all in and stared at the water too. “So, Hugo probably thinks he’s a good candidate for the North?”
“Candidate? I like that. Yes, Hugo’s definitely going to be campaigning tonight.” A grin broke on Noah’s face. “As I said before, you’re a fast learner.”
“Do you think Hugo is good for the job?”
Noah shrugged. “I don’t want any of Domingo’s family running the North. No matter how much they’ll pretend everything is okay, they’ll always resent the fact that I killed Domingo.”
“People are funny that way.”
“Indeed.”
“So, you’ll have to tell Hugo to go fuck himself?”
“Yes.”
“And what about the other one?” I tried to remember the name. “It was Cheddar, right?”
“Choppa.”
I shook my head. “This might be a bad time to ask this, but is there anybody in the crew named Bob or Edward, maybe a Larry? Everyone has crazy names.”
“I don’t think a Bob or Edward would last in my world for longer than an hour.”
“Makes sense.” I saw both Fuji and Crusher on their phones as they stood next to the elevators. Meanwhile, Mo continued to stare at Noah and me with a concentrated look as if he could read lips or something. Truthfully, the boy was starting to creep me out.
Noah brought my attention back to him. “Choppa wants the South. He was Rasheed’s boy, but true to the game which makes him a great. . .candidate. The only problem is—”
“He came here uninvited, making him cocky and arrogant. No matter what industry he works in, cocky is not good.”
Noah stared at me for a few silent seconds. He had the nerve to appear aroused as he licked his lips and said, “Yes. I couldn’t have said it better myself. And Choppa has brought his top men with him. The Bordello boys.”
Fear gripped my heart. “You think he’s going to try to have them kill you?”
Noah chuckled. “He would need more than them. Besides the fact that none of these people could see me without their guns. Hand-to-hand, I dominate anyone.”
“It looks like you’re cocky and arrogant, too.”
“You don’t get to where I am by being cocky. Trust me, Mary Jane. I am what I say I am.”
Note to self: Don’t fuck with Noah.
He carried on as if he hadn’t admitted to being the baddest motherfucker in the city. “They’re in Spectrum because no one is stupid enough to shoot a gun in an underwater restaurant. It’s a safe place. But still, bringing the Bordello boys shows how much of a punk Choppa is. He brought a nuclear weapon to a picnic. He’s too scared to see me by himself.”
“Which is bad for him as a candidate.”
“Yes. You can’t run the South if you’re always scared for your life. You have to be ready to die.”
Yikes. I hope that position has amazing benefits.
“Then, there’s Butterfly.” His hard expression softened. “I’m not sure why she’s there.”
“Fuji said that you don’t let women work for you.”
“Fuji talks too much.” Noah glanced at the man and I didn’t like the rage that skittered over his face.
I tapped his shoulder. “Focus on Butterfly, please.”
“I don’t know why she’s here.”
“You used to date her?”
“I don’t date.”
“So?”
“We had something long ago and now we don’t. She was my fuck toy.”
“Fuck toy? Are you kidding me?”
“I don’t know the proper term. She wasn’t my girlfriend.”
I bit my lip. “Look. I know that all of the other things you said were by far more important. But, I happen to think that you are the baddest motherfucker alive. Sometimes you scare me. What’s kind of. . .got me worried is this Butterfly person.”
“I scare you only sometimes?”
“Only sometimes.”
“Butterfly is not a problem.”
“Then let’s go down there.”
“Fuck.” He rubbed his face with both hands and I could’ve sworn that they shook a little. “Me going down there is not the problem, Mary Jane. I’ve done things like this before. It’s you that I don’t want going down there. If needed, I can get in and out without a problem, but you. . .I have to keep you safe.”
“So you’re saying that I’m helpless?”
“Have you ever shot a gun?”
“Not one that didn’t shoot water or gin.”
“Gin?”
“It was at a stupid frat party. Tell me what I need to do.”
Fuji and Crusher got off their phones and stood in front of the elevator looking like they were standing watch as royal guards. That must’ve been a signal to Noah that we could go down safely, or at least that the cavalry would be showing up shortly.
“I’ll be fine.” My nerves flared on edge. “What’s up with Butterfly?”
“I have no idea.” He held out his arm to me. “She deals with something else.”
“What?”
Squinting, he let out a long breath.
“Wow. This is interesting. I’m not used to seeing you being at a loss for words.”
“I’m a man of few words,” he said.
“Bullshit. All you do is talk in long monologues. What does Butterfly deal with?”
“She deals with sex. Any business that gets their money from Din City’s sex industry answers to her.”
“So what would she want from you?”
He adjusted his tie as if it was too tight, but he didn’t lead us forward. “I don’t know. Butterfly is too fucking erratic. Who knows what she wants? She shouldn’t be a problem. She’s only in that position because of me.”
“How?”
He gave me a strained look. This was another new thing that I wasn’t used to seeing from him. “Mary Jane, you do realize that you’re learning a lot more than you should about me. This puts you in a very iron tight situation.”
“That doesn’t sound flexible or yielding in anyway.”
“It’s not. Someone who knows this much about me doesn’t get to leave.”
“But I’m just—”
“No, you asked. Now, be ready to deal with your position.”
“My position?”
He ignored that question and continued with his story. “Back in the day, I killed some guys that ran Din City. Rasheed and Domingo helped, but the biggest part was played by Butterfly. She got close to one of the bosses. Got in his bed and in his head, as you women tend to do naturally. After she fucked the guy and he fell asleep, she let us in. That was the first boss I killed. Later that night, I killed the other two.”
I trembled, but did my best to keep a not-scared-out-of-my-mind expression on my face. “O-kay. I got it. You killed. . .three people.”
Okay. Calm down. This was long ago. Relax. Don’t run. Oh, my god, did he just say he killed some big bosses? Okay. Calm down. Breathe. Okay. It’s just three people. And maybe four with Domingo. Okay. Woosah like motherfucker. He’s only killed like four. Maybe we add two more. Okay. Woosah.
“Are you still with me, Mary Jane?”
I mumbled out, “Yes.”
“These bosses we killed distributed guns, drugs, and women. When they died, I gained control.”
“Wait. Why didn’t all of you gain control, if all of you did it?”
“That’s been the damned problem between Domingo and Rasheed since we did it. Except, they were too pussy to go after me, so they went after each other.”
“What about Butterfly?”
“Well, the only problem was, I wanted no part of the sex game. Guns, I understood. Drugs, I knew how to sell and would never touch it. But pussy? I don’t think it’s natural for men to buy pussy. I gave the female side of things to Butterfly. She doesn’t answer to me and I don’t touch her money. It’s her business. I just give her people, from time to time, whenever she has problems with security.”
“So she’s Madam Butterfly, like the opera?”
“Yes, you’re probably the only one who got that. The guys just think she has a thing for butterflies.”
“So then, if you gave her a business, why would she be upset with you tonight?”
“I’m not sure.”
I wasn’t convinced at all. “Bullshit.”
He fixed his collar again like something was wrong with it. “The guys have always said that she was in love with me, but that was years ago.”
I shook my head. “You broke her heart?”
“I don’t think so.”
“What kind of answer is that?”
“Look. I’ve never cared about a woman. . .like you. I probably could’ve been nicer.”
“So you’ve broken her heart and she probably hasn’t gotten over it?” I frowned. “A woman with a broken heart? If anything, she’s the most dangerous person down there.”
“You’re so funny.” He laughed.
“I’m serious.”
Laughing some more, he led us forward, but he didn’t have the calm expression from before. Rapidly, he shifted his face to cold and hard. It almost made me want to get away from him. I had to keep repeating in my head that he wasn’t mad at me, that we were on the same side.
God, I hope no one pushes him tonight. I don’t want to see him go too far.
But deep down inside, I knew he would do whatever he believed was necessary and that a large part of his decision-making tonight would deal with keeping me safe. I would have to be on my best behavior. Stay calm and silent. Try not be too much of a distraction.
We got to the elevator doors.
He barked out orders. “Crusher, you come inside with us. Fuji, you stay out here. Mo get in the back of my limo. No one knows who you are or that you’re now my eyes. I like it that way.”
Mo nodded. “They didn’t see me when I peeked in.”
“Good.”
The boy rushed off.
Fuji frowned, but kept his eyes on the ground.
Noah’s voice came out low. “You got something to say, Fuji?”
“No, boss.”
“I know you’re worried about us down there, but I’ve got MJ.” Noah gestured to the parking lot. “I’m more concerned about getting out of the restaurant. I’m depending on you, until the rest come. How far are they?”
“Ten minutes at the most.”
“Okay.”
As we got inside of the elevator, Noah turned to me and kissed my cheek. “Welcome to my world, Mary Jane.”
The elevator doors closed in, swallowing us up like an unseen monster. We rode in silence. No doubt, Noah plotted, while I worried about the decisions that I’d made in the last few days. How had everything changed so much for me? What did this guy mean to me? What would we be? Was I crazy to even go this far with him? Or was I doing exactly what I was meant to do, walk into danger with my arm linked to his?