I know I’m pushing pretty hard with that reference. But I need him to know that I am a discerning man. I know my opponents, even before they realize. Fucking respect me.
Lombardi chuckles as he makes his way out of my office. After closing my door, I pay a few pensive moments to our exchange. I have to recount his offerings of information to contemplate how I will respond to them. I’m at the end of my reign in the drug world. I’ll be damned if I get hung on charges at this stage of the game. Fuck that. I have a real future now. I have Rayna. She’s my now and my forever. I get chills just acknowledging this. No matter what obstacles lay ahead, I swear they’ll be overcome because I am just that determined to make this woman as happy as she deserves to be. She’s given me reasons to look beyond money and power. She’s the reason I’m looking forward to living with no guards. No limits. Just Rayna.
I’ve made it my mission to be a constant in her world. She needs that. Consistency. She’s spoken about that and security. She’s told me those two phenomena have come up in her counseling sessions. And secretly, I’ve jumped to the challenge. She’s going to be my wife soon, I have work to do and with great enthusiastic pleasure.
With great trepidation, I pick up the phone to initiate the next demonstration of my attempts at restoring her world.
Chapter 3
Rayna
It’s Friday night, a week after Azmir’s proposal. I’m still reeling at the idea of being someone’s fiancée. ‘Azmir proposed. Azmir loves me.’ resounds repetitively in my mind from the moment I see the gorgeous ring on my left hand. Doubt, which is always accompanied by fear, appears in succession. I fight, each time, the dark clouds of pessimism. I can do this. And almost without fail, Michelle’s comforting voice echoes through my head—my heart, “You alone are worthy.”
It’s been a battle, but I’m determined to win and to learn to love this man and trust him freely. Azmir deserves that. He’s been my rock in such a short period of time. He deserves my determination. In the moments I don’t want to fight for myself, I will fight for Azmir. Always.
It’s been a long day already. I’ve spent the entire morning and afternoon with Yazmine at a flower show in Pasadena. Even though I have big brother, also known as John, shadowing, I thought it would be nice to take her out there to get an idea of the type of garden she’s preparing to grow in the backyard. I don’t have a whole lot of space back there, but it would certainly be nice to see beautiful flowerbeds in the yard. She needs something to keep her occupied and collectively, we thought this would be nice. Sharon told me about the flower show a while back and I figured today was a great opportunity to experience it with Azmir’s mother. I even bought her a few things to help get her started. She was so anxious to begin when I left her to it.
I then rushed to the marina to shower and change for this evening. Azmir is sponsoring a skate-a-thon for the youth in the Watts. He’s chartered buses and paid for drivers to escort those without transportation to the skating rink. He invited me down, though he knew we wouldn’t be able to travel together. He has a meeting, but insisted that I take Chanell and have Ray drive us in the Range Rover. Because of the element of people, Azmir insisted that I coordinate my arrival with Petey so that I’d have security. I don’t understand why muscle is necessary, but don’t challenge him. He knows these people better than I do. Also, from my experience with them down at the club in Compton, I think it’s best not to argue.
Chanell and I walk through the rear entrance where Petey’s at the center of command. He assigns another guard to me. Sheesh! Seriously? I’m so happy to be out with Chanell that I don’t resist anything. Besides, I know these are Azmir’s orders. Chanell and I hit the small wet bar and order a couple of drinks. She, of course, knows everyone in the building and hit all of them with, “Yo, ‘dis Divine fiancée!” I don’t know if my buddy is that happy for me or if she scores points by being tight with Divine’s woman. I take it all in stride because of my affinity for Chanell.
After twenty minutes or so of people watching—or should I say, having people watch me as if I were Michelle Obama—I nudge Chanell, “Let’s hit the rink.”
Chanell’s eyes light up like a Christmas tree. “You wanna hit the rink, Ray?”
I wrinkle my face. “Why wouldn’t I? Let’s go, girl,” I issue with a hint of attitude.
She informs her girls that are standing next to her. I pat John on the shoulder, telling him we’re going to rent skates. Before I know it, we’re on the floor gliding. I haven’t skated in about ten years or so and I’m a bit rusty. Chanell is far worse off. She’s trying to hold onto others for support. She knows full well that her amazon frame can bring the both of us down as she tries using me to stay afloat.