"I'll tell you the first thing about Vince.." Aunty Jessica leaned forward, her elbows placed on her thighs and her eyes pinned on me.
"Mind games are his forte. He plays the human mind like a fiddle. I don't mean minor playing around, he will mess with you until you reveal your own weak point and even then, he will make life miserable for you, you will beg for death."
I sighed and leaned back with my legs crossed and a drink dangling from one hand.
"We underestimated him during James and Aline's fight with him. That was the year he formed an alliance with the Russian Mafia. His alliance with Dimitri gave him connections and power. Janelle going after him means war, with the Russians, with Cuba," Aisha said.
"Simple. It's time to create alliances, reconnect with allies your parents created. The war is already on you, us. Let's exploit that bastard's weakness."
Joe Kane earned nods from everyone.
His wife, Ruby, pinned me with a searching gaze. I remember when I first met her. She looked at me as if she wanted to discover something, as if she knew something I didn't know.
"Whoever hides to fight is afraid of his opponent. I say strip him naked of those connections, see how hopeless he becomes," she mused, her eyes on me.
I looked away and gulped my drink in one go. My eyes snapped up to Arthur, he was already looking at me. I sighed.
"Make friends with the Russians it is," I sighed again.
"The annual mafia peace party is in three weeks, I will have to call in some favors," I mused.
"Good. Let's give him no choice but to come out of hiding," Ruby nodded, along with the others.
Aunty Jessica looked at me, her eyes were soft, loving. I felt the corner of my lips twitch, a warm feeling settling in my chest.
She's still here.
She smiled at me—it didn't reach her eyes—and looked away quickly, working her jaw, I narrowed my eyes at that.
She stood up and excused herself, I watched her, wondering what else she could be hiding.
We spent the rest of the evening discussing, planning and throwing jokes here and there and by the time I was walking to my parked car with Isaac behind me, I was beyond tired.
He opened the door for me and helped me climb in, setting my bag down beside my feet.
"Jane," Arthur's voice cut through the quiet night.
I sighed and massaged my temples.
Isaac stepped aside, giving us space.
Arthur stood before me, tall and more handsome than I remember. Beards fit him well.
His eyes searched mine, soft and concerned.
I looked down at his extended hand, seeing the file he held out.
"Want me to sign my company off too?" I snipped.
Hurt flashed across his eyes. Good.
"Go through it. Have your lawyers go through it too…" he sighed and scratched his head.
"I guess I don't need to hold unto them anymore."
I took the file, opened it and peered into it.
"The house," I mumbled.
"Everything I took. They are still intact," he said.
My eyes stung with unshed tears as my mind went back to that day.
"You know…" my voice broke.
He inched closer, his hands coming up to hold me? Touch me? I don't care. He should stay away. I held my hand up and he dropped his own.
"You could have told me," I said.
"I panicked, baby…."
"Don't call me that. You don't get to, not after you made me lose every damn thing," I snipped.
I turned to him, not caring how the tears I fought back dropped.
"You don't get to play hero. You had one thousand and one ways to save me. You just chose the one that fucked me up. You chose what you wanted."
"I never wanted to hurt you. You– there's no day I don't regret it. Please let me…"
"There's nothing to rebuild. Nothing to amend. Nothing to forgive. There's nothing. You made sure of that," I wiped my eyes angrily.
I sent the file flying back at him, "you can keep them. Get out." I snipped.
Isaac came around then, his curious eyes pinned on me.
He sighed and gently pulled a stunned Arthur aside before closing my door.
I dissolved into tears, the messy meltdown that had mucus running down my nose and tears mixing with it.
There's no fixing it.
~
My stomach turned as I retched, releasing the contents of my stomach. I groaned and hunched down, my body shaking as I sat on the floor.
No money, no nothing.
A man came into my view. He looked rough, like a thug. I curled into myself.
"I have nothing for you to steal," I mumbled.
Fear coursed through me as he took his jacket off but before i could react, he draped it over my body. I looked up at him, brown, kind eyes.
"I'm Isaac."
I nodded as he helped me up and clutched me to his side, keeping me as warm as he could.
"I'm Jane."
He nodded.
Silence.
"Do you have anyone to come get you?" He asked after a while of standing in the street with no cars stopping.
"She's two hours away." I shivered.
"Okay," he bent down to pick my handbag.
"Umm…. Do you have a tampon maybe?" He hesitated.
I looked back at him, his eyes shifting from the ground to my backside so I pulled my dress and saw it, the big blood stain I was sporting.
"No," I whispered frantically and lifted the dress, the blood had trickled down my legs.
"No?" He asked, confused.
His eyes widened...
~
"Boss?" Isaac's voice pulled me back.
"Wake me up when we get home," I sighed and placed my head on his shoulder.
Sleep claimed me as the low hum of the car and Isaac's familiar warmth soothed me.