Claiming Carter (22 page)

The oldest man in the room seemed to have just educated all of the younger family members. They all sat there staring at nothing, and the quiet in the room felt like a net wrapping around them all, holding them in place. Kelvin knew that what his father’s consigliere was saying was probably right. It was his job to be right. Which meant that things still weren’t safe for him, and that meant that things weren’t safe for Lilliana.

“Alright, so, assuming this is true, what am I supposed to do?” Kelvin asked, but he felt like he already knew the answer, and he didn’t like it.

“You have to leave that girl alone,” Michael answered. “If this is the other family, then you know what they’re trying to do and why they’re trying to do it. So, you have to lay low. If you really care about this girl, you need to do what’s best for her and leave her alone. The other family won’t take it easy on her just because she isn’t a Carter. Get out now—while it’s still early—and do what you had been doing before. Stop riding that fucking bike around too, because no one has a motorcycle that looks like yours. When they see that bike, they know it’s you. So, park that shit, and call James. Tell him I said to get his ass back over here.”

Kelvin didn’t respond.

“Hey, you know this is what you have to do,” Michael continued. “Let this girl go before she gets hurt, Junior. Because if she does get hurt, it will have been your fault. You don’t want that shit on your conscience. You have enough on your mind already, and so does your father. Just let her go. You understand?”

Kelvin nodded his head as he rose from his seat and headed towards the fancy mahogany doors. As he reached for the golden handle, Michael spoke again.

“Hey, and this doesn’t leave this room. You hear me? This doesn’t get back to your father, because you know what he’ll do if he finds out.”

“Holy shit, this is a nice place!” Lexy exclaimed as we walked into the living room of Kelvin’s lavish penthouse. I knew that she would have been really pissed at me if I didn’t call and tell her about my car, so I’d had her meet us in the parking lot of the Red Chip Casino. Kelvin didn’t seem to like the idea much, but he knew I was upset and in need of my best friend, so he relented. As Lexy and I walked to the room, Kelvin had said that he needed to check on something in the hotel while we went to the room without him. The moment the elevator doors opened, Lexy seemed to have forgotten what I’d called her over for in the first place.

“Lexy! I think we should focus on the fact that my car was just vandalized,” I roared.

“I know, you’re right. I’m sorry. Okay, so what did the police say?”

“The same BS they said about my house. They didn’t steal anything and it’s just vandalism. They’re going to investigate. It’s the same crap all over again, for the second day in a row, except this time it took them an hour to get to the school, and another four hours to look into the car and question the couple of other people who were at and around the school. Nobody else saw anything, but, I’ve got a gut feeling about this one, Lex. Something feels weird about it.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that I think I know who did this to my car. The only problem is that it doesn’t make sense,” I said as we sat down on the couch.

“Wait, wait. Who do you think it is?”

“Well, when it comes to the house, I don’t know. But, when it comes to the car, I think it may have been Tim.”

“Why the hell would Tim do that? I thought he was trying to get back together with you.”

“Well, he is, but he also has been acting crazy as hell lately. And, there is something else.”

Lexy stared at me inquisitively. “What?”

“Tim was at the school before Kelvin showed up. We’d had a small argument about this whole mob thing, and I told him to get out, and he left just before Kelvin got there. Well, I guess he decided to come back, but when he came back, Kelvin and I were kind of in the middle of having sex on my desk.”

Lexy’s eyes bulged in her head as she leaned over and screamed in my face. “Oh my god! You had sex in your class on your desk!”

“So, what? At least the kids weren’t there.”

“Yeah, I know, but holy shit! That is so fucking hot.”

“Well, I’m sure Tim didn’t think it was so hot,” I interrupted. “When I looked up, I saw him watching us from the door. Then, he stormed off. So, he was probably pissed that he saw me having sex with Kelvin, and he might have fucked up my car because of it.”

“He was watching you? What a fucking little creeper. Gross!”

“Yeah, I know it’s gross. But, what if he did it, Lex? Shouldn’t I tell the cops?”

“Well, you have to have proof first. You can’t just speculate, but at least have the cops look into it. It could at least be a good starting point.”

Just then, I heard the
ding
of the elevator doors as Kelvin finally made his way into the room. He was still stunning in his navy blue suit, and Lexy watched his every step as he strode into the living room and took a seat on the couch next to ours.

“Is everything okay,” I asked. Kelvin had an obvious perturbed expression on his face.

“Yeah, it’s all good. How are you?” he replied solemnly.

“I’m okay. Lexy and I were just talking about whether or not Tim could have done this to my car, and whether or not I should tell the police about him.”

“That might be a good idea,” Kelvin responded. “Although, it would be better if you had proof.”

“That’s the same thing I said. They would never hold him without proof, but they might at least question him,” Lexy said. “But, if it’s not him, what then?”

“I have no idea. I mean, it all just doesn’t make sense,” I said. “And I find it hard to believe that I have that much bad luck that my car would be destroyed a day after my house is broken into.”

Kelvin leaned back on the couch and placed one leg over the other, revealing his elegant navy blue shoes. “I’ve been doing some thinking about that, actually. I think you’re right. There isn’t a chance in hell that this is a coincidence. Whoever did this to your car knew you were at the school. So, either someone is following you, or they were there with you.”

“Tim,” Lexy chimed in. “It’s the only thing that makes sense, as far as the car in concerned. You’ve got to tell the cops, Lil. Unless, of course, Mr. Mafia over here wants to take care of it himself.”

“Lexy!” I snapped, but the damage had already been done. The expression on Kelvin’s face was one of confusion, and he stared blankly at Lexy as she sat next to me with one hand covering her mouth, as if trying to keep herself from saying anything else. We both stared back at Kelvin, wondering what his response would be.

“What?” Kelvin said. “Mr. Mafia? I don’t get it.”

“It’s nothing,” I said quickly. “Nobody knows what the hell Lexy is talking about most of the time. Isn’t that right, Lex?”

“Right. That’s right,” Lexy backtracked. “I was trying to make a play at how you always wear suits, or something like that. It went over your head, I think. Don’t worry about it. Don’t worry about me. I’m dumb.”

Kelvin didn’t look amused. After a brief moment of silence, he got up and walked into the kitchen and pulled out a small glass from the cabinet, then took it into the next room where the bar was located. When he came back, he sat down and placed the glass on a coaster on the end table next to him. The glass was obviously full of some sort of dark liquor. After he sat down, the silence that ensued formed a palpable tension in the room. Kelvin seemed to be in an uncharacteristically bad mood from the moment he walked in. The stress of having to deal with my problems was seemingly starting to get to him.

“Okay, so, now that I see that you are okay,” Lexy said, breaking the silence, “and I see Kelvin seems to have it all under control, I think I’m going to take off. I’ve got a movie night with the husband and kid that I need to get started on. Call me later, okay, Lily?”

Lexy got up and started walking towards the elevator. I followed closely behind her. “Have a safe ride home, Lex. I’ll call you soon.”

As the doors opened, Lexy looked back at me and mouthed the words
I’m sorry
as she stepped inside. I shook my head as a way of telling her not to worry about it. Her comment about the mafia seemed to be the nail in the coffin for a night that was already full of stress. She still held a regretful expression on her face as the doors slid closed.

I slowly made my way back into the living room where Kelvin was sitting, taking small sips of a drink with a very potent smell. As I sat next to him, he put his arm around my shoulders and I laid my head on his muscular chest.

“I’m sorry if she offended you with that mafia thing. She was just kidding,” I said. I took a deep breath and inhaled a lungful of Kelvin’s exotic cologne.

“Oh, yeah, I know she was kidding. I’m not really concerned about that. I’m much more worried about you and all this craziness that’s happening around you. I feel like it’s my fault.”

“What? Why would you think that?”

“I don’t know. It’s just that all this shit didn’t start happening until you started seeing me. I just don’t want to be the cause of any problems for you.”

I lifted my head off of his chest and looked Kelvin straight in the eye. “You’re not causing problems for me. If anything, you are the one thing that has helped me. I’m so glad that I met you. You are helping me, Kelvin. Not hurting me.”

The tension in Kelvin’s face seemed to melt away as he flashed a small smile. “Good. That’s good to know. I’m glad I met you, because you are helping me too. More than you know.”

About an hour later, after watching a rerun episode of
Sons of Anarchy
, the stress of the long day had taken its toll on me and I was feeling sleepy. Between the cops taking all day to investigate at the school, and Lexy spilling the beans about our mob suspicions to Kelvin, a feeling of exhaustion had overcome me, and Kelvin and I trotted towards the bedroom hand in hand.

Once inside, I changed into my nightgown and sat on the edge of the bed, watching Kelvin strip off his fancy suit and reveal his tone and muscular body. The Sistine Chapel tattoo running from his chest down his left arm was full of intricate detail, and the Chicago skyline on his back was a carbon copy of the real thing. As he turned from me to hang up his jacket, I finally was able to make out the script that was written on the lower right side of his back. It was a quote from the bible.
Judge not, and ye shall not be judged
;
condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned; forgive and ye shall be forgiven.
Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your
bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again
. It was beautifully written and it looked beautiful on him. I figured the script had a deeper meaning to Kelvin, but I also figured it was a topic better suited for another time.

As we lay down together, Kelvin inched his way closer to me and wrapped his arm around my waist from behind me as I lay on my side. He placed his face behind my head and I could feel his warm breath as he exhaled.

It felt so good to be in his arms. The strength of his muscles made me feel protected and I nuzzled into him deeper as he held me tighter. The Chicago night sky peered through the humungous open window and I stared out into the stars as they shined brightly in on us. Everything about the moment was beautiful. It was unlike anything I had ever seen before.

“There’s something I think you should know, Lilliana,” Kelvin whispered into my ear, forcing my heart rate into a rapid climb. “I know that things are messed up right now, and I know it’s been tough on you. I know this guy, Tim, has been all in your face and I know you’re concerned about me and what I do for a living. I have a lot going on in my life and I know it may seem a little mysterious to you. Maybe it is mysterious. But one thing I can promise you, one thing that I can guarantee you is that I am here for you. With everything that we said to each other earlier today at the school—before all the drama with the car—and all the things that I have going on internally, the one thing that I am certain about is you. I’m all in for you. One hundred percent. And I promise I will do everything in my power to keep you safe. When all this shit comes to a head and we find out who’s behind the car and the break-in, I promise I will have your back. Whatever you need, I got you. Regardless of what anybody says or what anybody thinks, I’m here for you. We’re in this together.”

“I’m so glad to hear you say that,” I replied with a smile as I took Kelvin’s hand in my own, and began to fall asleep in his comforting arms.