Purple, a restaurant and lounge that was owned and operated by Mileena and Yarissa, was the site of Ryder’s birthday party. With Rain as a silent partner and financial backer, the club had opened nine months ago and was just starting to take off. Mileena’s decision for it not to become just another gambling spot for The Family meant that they had to build their clientele the old-fashioned way.
“By providing food, entertainment, and outstanding service in a comfortable and relaxed environment,” was what Mileena told Ryder when she first showed her the place.
It had been a good year for Ryder, so she had more of a reason to celebrate. When Rain got out of jail, she stepped down as acting captain of Carter’s crew, but she didn’t step back, not one step.
“I do expect you to step up and assume more responsibility,” was what Black told her, and that was what she did.
The always ambitious Ryder put together her own crew that specialized in high-value robbery, and big money cons. There was even talk in some circles about her being made a captain, but since none of those circles included Mike Black or Rain Robinson, it was just talk, so Ryder ignored it for the most part. The truth was that Ryder wanted to be a captain, and everybody knew it.
But Ryder wasn’t the only one who had stepped up to meet Black’s expectations. One of those people was Money Marv. The night that Black reorganized The Family, after their war with Rona King, he decided that Marvin was more ready to step-up than either RJ or Judah and moved him over to work for Jackie. Her crew had been all but decimated when Rona targeted her for interfering when she was going after The Four Kings. Marvin going to work for Jackie also signaled the end of The Four Kings.
After his father’s death, Judah was allowed to take over Doc’s gambling spot and his legitimate businesses, but not control of the crew. Jackie moved quickly to takeover Jelly’s and Sweet Nectar because she saw the potential in them, but other than La Chat, she had little interest in anything else. After speaking with Black and Rain about it, one other change was made.
Black reached out to his longtime friend, Sherman Williams, and asked him to step back in. He had retired as captain after Warwick Barrington and Lyric Sky deeply infiltrated his crew, and Bobby almost died because of it.
“But if that’s what you need me to do, Mike, I’m more than happy to do it,” Sherman told Black, and he took over what was left of Doc’s crew, leaving Jackie free to rebuild her crew as she saw fit. Those plans included Marvin.
Long before his parents got married, he had stopped calling himself Money Marv and had changed his last name from Dancer to Simmons. His father, Nick, was a legend in The Family, so Marvin felt like he had a lot to live up to. But despite being family, Marvin always felt like an outsider. He didn’t grow up in The Family like RJ or Judah. By the time he became a part of The Family, Nick had stepped back and was running a legitimate business with his mother, April, so Marvin had to not only learn his new family’s business, he had to prove to everybody, including himself, that he was worthy of carrying the name. It was something that drove him.
Wanda had given The Four Kings to RJ; Black and Bobby gave him The Late Night; Judah inherited Doc’s when his father died. All Nick had to give him was advice. Marvin had earned everything else on his own.
Another soldier who had stepped up was Geno Crocker. He had known Carter since they were kids, and after resisting Carter’s invitations to join The Family for years, he was all-in now. As Ryder moved to setup her own crew, Geno stepped in to fill that void and had become Carter’s most valuable and dependable lieutenant. Now Geno did for Carter what Carter used to do for Howard. He just didn’t hit as hard.
The person who was making their presence known in The Family and surprising a lot of people was Barbara. Once Black and Bobby reluctantly gave her their blessing to learn how to handle a gun and defend herself, Barbara took it a step farther. She and her bodyguard, Tahanee, went to Jelly’s and asked Jackie to teach her about her family’s business. Barbara had been kidnapped, threatened with rape, and had to kill somebody to survive. Barbara was determined not to be an easy target ever again.
At Conversations, Barbara found an environment that she could thrive in. Not only did she have Jackie as a teacher, there was also Sonny Edwards, who sometimes served as Black’s consigliere in the old days; and although he was, as he called himself “a retired old man who just liked to gamble and look at pretty women”, he was a wealth of information for Barbara.
On top of that, Wanda was always in her ear. And although she spent the majority of her time in Nassau, anytime Wanda was in the city, she made sure that she made time to spend with Barbara. She and Mercedes hit it off the first time they met, and she took her shopping every week. Those trips always included lessons on how to get men to do what you want them to do, and think it was their idea.
Barbara was a student and a year later, she had found some opportunities to make money and become an earner for her family, had taken over the dance club, had established herself as a presence in the gambling room, and was looking to take that over too.
Into the midst of this room full of gangsters and killers, sauntered Valencia DeVerão. Her entrance most certainly didn’t go unnoticed; for one, she didn’t seem to belong there, and Valencia was gorgeous; therefore, dressed like she was in a Valentino asymmetric vented leather cape dress, Valentino Garavani Rockstud leather ankle boots and matching shoulder bag, she had the attention of every man in the house.
She wandered around Purple for a while, looking for Shy but hoping to see Black. Valencia made her way to the bar to order a drink. As the bartender arrived to take her order, was when she first saw Shy. She was seated in a booth with Mileena, Yarrisa, Chee-Chee, Mercedes, Carla, and Edwina. Ryder was standing up with a drink in one hand and a gun in the other, telling the story about the shootout she had gotten into with Chao Hassan at the warehouse, where DP ran his human trafficking operations.
“What can I get for you?” Judean, the bartender, asked in a voice so deep that it sent chills rushing over her body.
“Vieux-Carre.”
Judean smiled and leaned forward. “Vieux-Carre? I don’t get many requests for that,” he said of the drink which was made with Rye, Cognac, Sweet Vermouth and a bar spoon each of Angostura and Peychaud’s bitters, served over ice, with a lemon twist. “Unique … like you,” he said, and went to pour her drink.
As she sipped her cocktail, Valencia looked around Purple, still looking to see if she saw Black anywhere, when she made eye contact with Shy. They waved to one another and Shy started to get up. That was when Valencia saw another face that she recognized. It had been years since she’d seen him. In that time, he had gained a little weight, but who hasn’t, and he had grown a beard, and he is wearing it well, but it was definitely him.
“Geno Crocker,” she said softly; and memories of their brief, but intense time together washed over her.
In the closing days of her fashion line, Valencia was strapped for cash. She had drained the dating site dry and both companies were on the verge of bankruptcy. It was during that time that she met Gustavo DeVerão, a wealthy Brazilian businessman who had fallen in love with her at first sight and was doing everything that he could to sweep her off her feet.
It was working.
Gustavo was nice, and he was definitely romantic, he had been showering her with expensive gifts and trips to exotic places. And he was so goddamn sexy. So, Valencia was interested, if not in love. But none of that really mattered at the time because she was trying to save her company, and as free-hearted as Gustavo was with his money, he wasn’t talking about bailing her out.
She had scheduled a number of fashion events trying to get some much-needed capital and perhaps interest a backer. That was when she first saw Geno.
“Valencia,” Shy said when she got to the bar. “Glad you could make it.”
“Hey, Mrs. Black—I mean, Shy. How are you tonight?”
“Great!” Shy said, and Valencia could tell that she’d been drinking. “It’s my girl’s birthday and I am having a ball.” She turned to Judean. “Bring Ms. DeVerão another of whatever she’s drinking, and it is on the house.”
“Yes, Mrs. Black,” he said, and quickly rushed off to fix Valencia another drink.
“I’m not going to stay long. I just wanted to stop in and say hello,” Valencia said, but Shy knew better.
“I know. You came to see Michael.” Shy looked around. “I don’t see him anywhere. But relax and enjoy yourself. I’m sure he’ll come out of hiding sooner or later.” Shy laughed. “But I’m going to get back to my girl to celebrate.”
“You go ahead, enjoy your friend. I’ll be alright,” Valencia said, as Shy walked back to the table.
She took another sip of her drink and looked around for Geno, but he was no longer standing where she’d last seen him.
But he had seen her. When Valencia came through the door at Purple, she got the attention of just about every man in the house, and that included Geno. He didn’t recognize her at first, he simply noticed that a beautiful woman had come in. The longer he stared, admiring her beauty, the more familiar she seemed.
Valencia? he questioned. What would Valencia Porter be doing here? was the question that he asked himself. Couldn’t be her. For a number of reasons, he quickly dismissed that thought; but when she turned and looked in his direction for a brief second, there was no longer any doubt.
In an instant, he was taken back to the night they met. He made a deal to secure and deliver a floating two- carat diamond solitaire pendant necklace to one of the people who was attending Valencia’s fashion event. The connection between them was immediate, strong, and intensely physical. Before the night was through, Valencia was riding him hard and fast, like she was a jockey in the last furlong at the Kentucky Derby.
Their eyes locked; Valencia waved.
Although he had been watching her every move since she walked in, Geno made out like it was the first time he had seen her, and each began making their way toward the other.
“Hello, Valencia.”
“Hello, Geno,” she said, and gave him a polite hug, but her body, remembering their time together, wanted more. “How have you been doing?”
“You mean after you left me dirt broke and fucked up?” Geno chuckled, and looked around the club. “I’ve been doing all right.”
“I see,” she said of Geno, who was dressed in a gray Herringbone Solaro two-piece suit.
“So what brings you here tonight?” Geno asked, looking around Purple. “This doesn’t seem like your kind of spot.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means that small neighborhood bars weren’t your thing,” he said and laughed, thinking that a bunch of gangsters and killers hung out there. “But I guess things can change.”
“Actually, I was invited to the party by Mrs. Black,” Valencia said, pointing in Shy’s direction.
“You and Mrs. Black friends?”
“We have business. What about you, what are you doing here?” she asked her ex-lover, recognizing that he was in a place where gangsters and killers hung out.
“I work for her husband.”
That got her attention. “I see,” Valencia said, as Carter walked up to them. “Carter Garrison, Valencia DeVerão.”
Since Geno had told Carter all about her, he looked her up and down. “Nice to meet you.” He turned back to Geno. “We gotta go. Rain’s waiting,” he said and walked away.
“So that’s Carter Garrison,” Valencia said. She had heard about Carter, not only from Geno, but from Ezequiel Simmonds, a major associate in the Comodoro Cartel when he talked to her about The Family.
“Yeah, that’s him.” Geno stepped closer to Valencia. “I gotta go.”
Valencia glanced over at Carter, who was standing impatiently by the door waiting for Geno. “I see.”
“I’d like to see you again.”
Valencia quickly reached in her purse and gave him a card. “Give me a call when you’re free. We’ll have a drink and talk about old times.”
“You mean after you left me dirt broke and fucked up?” Geno said laughing, and then he walked away.
Valencia stayed at Purple for a while after that. She talked to Shy briefly, but still hadn’t seen Black. So, after one more drink, Valencia left and went home thinking about Geno Crocker.