Chapter 70 Chapter 69:
Roy:
Hudson and I are in Golden Retreat waiting for Leto and Xavier to join us. Hudson has already made himself comfortable by ordering a Ritz sidecar that is worth a thousand dollars since it’s on the house. And even though I can literally order any expensive as hell cocktail drink, I decide to go with the complimentary water because I wasn’t raised with spending a thousand dollars for a drink.
“This place is so freaking dope, man. I am so glad we quit the silver vipers.” Hudson says, taking a sip from his drink. He closes his eyes and moans. “Damn, this is good.”
I sigh, we are both in a corner, watching how rich men clad in suits make business deals, we don’t belong here at all. After Alisha’s death, I finally summoned the courage to quit the silver vipers. Hudson was against the idea at first because he didn’t want to get hurt but he agreed and now, we are trying to get on Xavier and Leto’s good side so they can protect us from silver vipers.
You can’t just quit a mafia group and not expect them to come after you.
This whole thing is still strange to me. Alisha is gone, I know it sounds so damn cliché, but she was like the sister I never had. She was always protecting me even though she didn’t want anyone to know about me. I miss her on most nights when I am in my apartment staring at the ceilings, drowning in cans of beer.
“Look, look.” Hudson nudges me in the shoulder, forcing me to look up. “Here they come.”
Xavier and Leto come out from an elevator, casually dressed. They are both the co-boss of The Nexus, the woman whom every single gangster knows and fears is Leto Brookes, her blonde hair with pink highlights is tied into a ponytail, she is wearing an open black shirt with a graphic white tee tucked into black cargos while Xavier is dressed in a black cashmere turtleneck over tailored dark jeans.
“We have to look cool.” Hudson hisses into my ears, making me irritated. We sit down upright in the booth as they approach us. They sit down opposite us.
“Hey.” Xavier says, staring at us. Hudson and I both gulp, clearly intimidated.
“We heard you quit the silver vipers? Why?” Leto asks, tilting her head. Everyone knows that silver vipers and the nexus have been in a long time rivalry for so long, yet the reasons are very unclear.
Hudson and I exchange a look, trying to see who will talk, he gestures at me with his eyes that I should say something and I almost curse under my breath. Damn it, of course, I should have expected him to throw all of this on me.
“We want to start afresh, do something with our lives other than being a gangster and breaking people’s bones, we are just twenty-one and so when we quit, we know that they are going to come for us.” Gangsters can be really ruthless especially when it comes to betrayal. “So we want you guys to help and protect us. We want to join The Nexus.” I have spent days thinking about all of this. If I want to keep Isabella safe, then I have to join forces with my ex-mafia group rival.
“Are you sure?” This time, Xavier asks, frowning. “What happened to not wanting to be a gangster?”
“Honestly, I don’t even know what I want to do with my life,” Hudson says out of the blue; we all look at him in surprise. He pushes the cocktail and sighs. “I have no one except Roy and he plans on starting part time college. As for me, I have no idea what I want to do, but I want to figure it all out. We just want protection from you.” Hudson really sounds vulnerable as he lays down his insecurity and I feel for him, we have known each other since forever and he always tries to act like the big guy, but I know that underneath those layers is a really vulnerable guy.
Xavier and Leto sigh, nodding their heads like they understand what we are going through.
Xavier opens his mouth to speak but Leto cuts him off, they both smirk at each other like it’s their secret little game. If one doesn’t know anything, one would think they were a couple, but it seems like they are anything far from that.
“Let’s have it this way, we won’t let you join our mafia group because you guys still have a lot to live for. Go find your purpose. Hell, maybe even rewrite your own story but don’t include violence in anything you do again. We will keep our promise and protect you both, right Xavier?”
Xavier nods his head. “We will send a warning letter to silver vipers tonight that you are one of us now and that they shouldn’t try hurting either of you. Does that sound okay?”
I finally realize that under the table, Hudson and I are holding hands, squeezing our hands together. This type of kindness is very rare for us. In the underworld, no kindness is shown. You do something and get something.
“Thank you so much.” Hudson replies and I swear his face is tearing up. He grew up in a very hard way so this is very new for him.
“No problem.” Leto flashes her smile and I am sure that countless guys would die for that smile. “We’ll get you guys started on anything that you need, just name it. College funds? Apartment funds? Just name it, hell, if you even want your own car. We will get it for you.”
“We can’t thank you enough.” I say, expressing my gratitude. Xavier’s phone rings and he picks it up, frowning while nodding. He can be so scary sometimes.
When he shoves the phone into his pocket, he turns to Leto. “We need to go, we have some things to attend to.”
Leto looks at us with a saddened expression like she is heartbroken that our conversation is ending. Is this really the scary mafia queen that everyone keeps talking about?
“Sorry to cut it short, guys.” They both stand. “You can get our phone number from Jim over there.” We both direct our gaze to where she is pointing. It’s a heavily built man dressed in a suit, I guess he’s their bodyguard.
“Alright.” Xavier says, smiling a bit. “See you later.” We wave like a bunch of teenagers, watching them leave through the door.
“Damn.” Hudson says when they are out of sight. “They are so freaking cool.”
“Yup, they sure are.” I say, my phone pings with a text and it’s from Isabella, Wanda’s cousin. Last week, I officially asked her to be my girlfriend; she swatted my arm and glared at me, asking me why I didn’t ask her out sooner. Ever since then, we have always been together.
Isabella: Are you close? I am just rounding off my classes and thought we could grab a drink at starbucks! xoxo.
Her text makes me cheekily grins; Hudson notices this and rolls his eyes. I know that he’s happy for me, but sometimes I just have this impression that he gets lonely.
Me: Do you mind if Hudson joins us?
Isabella is aware of my close relationship with Hudson; sometimes she wants to always pressure me to bring him. Her reply comes almost immediately.
Isabella: Of course! You know he is always welcome.
Smiling at my screen, I ask. “Do you want to get out of here, man? Isa wants us to grab Starbucks.”
Hudson furrows his brows. “Can I get a can of beer instead?”
“Absolutely not.” I glare and grin at the same time.
\--
Theo:
I am going to be having dinner with my mother tonight. My biological mother, Marisol Williams, after much pressure and guilt tripping from Daphne, I contacted her. I didn’t want to at first because I was so scared she wouldn’t care but she reached out almost immediately and turns out she has been following everything about me in the news, which included my arrest.
At first, Daphne’s mother wanted us to have one big dinner with my parents, the Duncans, and my mom and Daphne’s mom all together in a room but Daphne said it would scare my mother off.
‘Taking it simple is the best way, this is all new for Theo, mom.’ She had told her mother while I just simply sat there. Daphne and I, over the past few days, have become more than just half-siblings, we tell each other everything that’s happening in our life, we exchange funny memes and that stuff.
Anyways, my mother, Marisol is coming to my house for dinner. I am going to meet her for the first time in my life.
“How does this shirt look on me?” I ask Daphne as she prepares a cup of tea. “Should I put on another one?”
She faces me, clicking her tongue together, “For pete’s sake, Theo. You’ve been asking that for the past one hour, I know this means a lot to you but you have been changing clothes like a maniac and you own like fifty identical shirts like that!” she huffs in annoyance.
“Sorry.” I say, feeling that twist in my stomach again. After everything that has happened, I feel incomplete. Is that a weird feeling? Like I will never be me again, I already enrolled myself in therapy but every day, I just feel like a fuck up.
Daphne is already in front of me, “Hey, look at me.” She says softly, her eyes kind. “Whatever is going through your head, don’t think about it, okay? You are who you are and I am sure that Marisol will love you.”
“She already saw the news.” My voice trembles and it feels like all the oxygen is being squeezed out of me. “She knew all the terrible things I did, what if she hates me? she doesn’t even know me yet but I already disappointed her.”
Daphne looks at me so softly, before pulling me into a tight embrace. I tremble in her hands but she doesn’t let me go. The ringing of the doorbell jolts us both.
“She’s here.” I hate that my voice still sounds weak.
“Go on.” She urges gently. “I’ll set the table.”
I nod, offering her a weak smile. This is it, the moment I have been waiting for ever since the Duncans told me about my biological mother. I swing the door open to meet a woman in her late forties, maybe early fifties? She has the brightest shades of blonde hair, with some streaks of gray hair.
“Theo?” She reaches out, still standing in the doorway. I stand there, shocked, because this woman. She looks a lot like me.
I am still unsure of what to do but then she takes the next step and hugs me, her skinny hands wrapping around me. “I never thought I would see you.” Her voice cracks and I recognize that same vulnerability in my voice whenever I am scared.
I stand there, just letting her hug me. We stay like that for five minutes until Daphne interrupts us by coughing.
“Mrs. Williams.” Daphne says with a bright smile, glaring at me. “Please come in. Let me take your coat.”
“Thank you.” My mother easily slips into the house, removing her coat and handing it over to Daphne. There's a particular kind of softness in the way she speaks. “And you are....?”
“Daphne,” she responds, “I am Theo’s half-sister.”
We both stare at Marisol trying to gauge her reaction but she doesn’t appear surprised, instead she says. “Your mother reached out to me.” I can see Daphne’s brows furrowing. “Thank you for taking care of my son.”
Minutes later, we are gathered around the dining table, drinking peppermint tea while having a chicken salad. Marisol tells me about what she passed through when she got pregnant with me, how she couldn’t afford to raise and had no other choice than to give me up for adoption.
She wanted to reach out, she badly wanted to, everyday she woke up with that gnawing feeling of suddenly dying without seeing her first child and that she’s really grateful that I reached out. She tells me she wants to be part of my life and that I should be part of hers.
“Your other half-siblings will be excited to see you. They still can’t believe their half-brother is Theo Duncan.” She says, sipping from her tea. “I have a teenage girl who is currently in college and a nosy preteen daughter.” She explains. Even her husband wants to meet me, all of this? It’s so scary.
Daphne tells us stories about our father, and to be honest? It feels really strange just sitting there and listening to stories about a man I didn’t even know, I ponder. If he knew me, or even bothered to find me while he was alive, would we have developed a deep bond? Would he love me?
Marisol and Daphne seem to get along pretty well, Marisol is telling her about the arts program she volunteers in and Daphne is listening very attentively, she even nods her head and chips in whenever. I easily slip out of the dining room, going to the kitchen to pour myself another cup of tea.
“She’s very kind, Theo.” Daphne is behind me, grinning so hard.
I do agree on that, “I know that but we just can’t become best-friends overnight.”
“I know, Theo.” Daphne sighs, “This stuff takes time and commitment. She wants to be in your life, you have to show up; this can be a new start for you. You are on the path of recovering your purpose, maybe this is part of your purpose.”
“Thank you very much, Daphne.” I say.
“Now why don’t you get back to your mother?” Daphne outstretches her hand, still smiling.
Maybe she’s right; maybe all of this is part of my purpose.
I place my hand on hers and together we go join my mother in the dining room.