I never fucked Charli in our bed. Maybe on the couch, but the bed? Never that!
As far as the house, the upstairs only had smoke damage and a little water damage. But downstairs, everywhere except for the kitchen was ruined. The furniture, carpets, walls—all ruined. I had the contractors working around the clock renovating and remodeling. We should be back in there in about two to three weeks. Actually, as far as the house was concerned, I was simply going through the motions. I already had a Realtor looking at something in Texas or maybe wherever Faheem was going. The safety of my family was first, and California was no longer appearing to be a safe haven.
I loved the early-morning California brisk air, and as I inhaled it deeply, it was at that moment that I made up my mind to make a run to New York. I needed to see Kay. It was time for me to handle Kyron. I’d allowed the nigga to breathe as long as I possibly could, and it was now eating at me to the point where I could hardly think about anything else.
I noticed the same black limo whiz by me for the second time as I decided it was time to head back to the house. I began walking faster, while thinking that I wasn’t even strapped. I looked back, and the stretch was making a U-turn and coming back toward me. Shit! I was out in the open. There was nowhere to get cover except in someone’s driveway behind their car. That’s when it hit me. Charli. And then the ride slowed down, and the rear window went down. That’s when I thought, Here it comes.
“Mr. Trae Macklin?” A male voice with an Asian accent resonated in my ears. I turned toward the voice but didn’t respond.
“Mr. Macklin?” The back door popped open. “I’m Charles Li. Please get in. I need to talk to you. I only need a few minutes of your time.”
Damn. So Charli wasn’t bullshitting after all about her father. I should have known that she wasn’t.
The front door opened, and a medium-built Asian guy got out as I got closer to the limo. He had on a chauffeur’s hat, but I could tell by the cold, piercing look in his eyes that this was definitely a killer. He walked to the back of the limo, opened the door, and motioned for me to get in. It was obvious that I didn’t have a choice in the matter. As soon as I eased in, the door was shut, and there I was, face-to-face with the infamous Mr. Li. He was undoubtedly the staunch man in the photo in Charli’s office; in person, his presence was a little bit smaller yet unmistakably powerful. There was a young lady sitting in the corner. She poured two drinks and passed them both to Mr. Li.
“I won’t keep you long, Mr. Macklin. My daughter, as you know, can be very persuasive and persistent. And you came highly recommended. She said I should bring you on board.” He gave me the drink.
I started to ask at what cost but thought against it. I threw the smooth wine back and decided to cut through the formalities. “I’m out of the game, Mr. Li.”
He smiled, a smile that I read to say, You honestly don’t think that, do you? He then leaned closer to me and said, “Once in, you never get out. That I can assure you. Have you built a stable foundation for your family? And by stable, I mean, do you have at least twenty million put away? Because if you don’t, you have not built a stable foundation. You have a family. A wife and three children, is it? Both of your parents are still alive. And let’s examine your lifestyle and spending habits. In this economy, anything less than that will be gone before you know it.”
He obviously wanted his words to sink in, because he was staring out the window. I thought about what he’d said. How did he know both of my parents were still alive? My stash was nowhere near the figure that he mentioned. And he had a point. In this economy, twenty mil was equivalent to five mil. I knew I couldn’t do shit with five mil. In my current situation, I probably would end up spending most of that in legal fees.
It agitated me a bit to realize that Mr. Li had my undivided