No Greater Loyalty (3 page)

Racing to her dresser, she quickly selected an oversized pair of gold hoop earrings and a gold cuff bracelet then frowned in the mirror at her still damp hair.

"Now what am I going to do with this?" she muttered to herself, running her fingers through the soft strands. At that moment, the shower shut off.

"Shit!" she hissed. Picking up a brush, she hurried and brushed her hair before expertly twisting it in the back and securing it with a pearl colored clip. The overall look was effortlessly chic.

Seconds later, the bathroom door opened and Dom walked out with a towel around his waist. He had yet to look up to see that she was fully dressed. "Baby, I was thinking, once I leave Angel's, why don't I come home and pick you up. You and I can go and get some lunch before we get the kids. That way..." He stopped mid-sentence when he saw Keisha standing in the middle of the room. Clearly puzzled, his eyes ran over the outfit she had on. "You goin' somewhere?"

Clearing her throat, Keisha lifted her chin. "Yes. With you."

Dom squinted, wondering what he was missing. "With me...where?"

Keisha swallowed. "To Angel's."

Understanding flooded his face before he scowled and shook his head. "No, you're not."

Keisha had already been prepared for that response. Carefully inflecting just the right amount of pleading in her voice, she implored him to reconsider. "Why not? Dom, please, I can visit with Nikki while you and Angel have your meeting."

Dom's eyes captured hers, searching her innocent expression for any sign that she might be hiding something.

Keisha held her breath, refusing to look away. Once he finally broke the visual connection, she caught the sigh of relief that almost escaped just in time. There wasn't much she could hide from Dominick, and she could only hope that he didn’t see through the flimsy excuse she'd thought to give him.

Sitting down on the bed, he put his socks on and reached for his shoes. His attention remained fixed on the simple task, the tiny muscle in his jaw jumping in response to his agitation. When he glanced up at Keisha, the warning tingling inside his head intensified. Keisha was looking at him with wide eyes and taking nibbling bites of her bottom lip, which were both dead giveaways when she was trying to get her way. Usually, he found it cute and adorable. That wasn't the case this morning.

"So your sudden decision to go with me has nothing to do with wanting to find out what Angel and I will be discussing?" Dom’s brow lifted, his gaze spearing into her with the accuracy of an arrow hitting its target. "Right?"

Keisha shifted in her high-heeled designer shoes. Easing her hands behind her back, she crossed her fingers. Of course that's why she wanted to go.

"Right. And, um..."

Dom's head tilted slightly to the side. "And...what?" he prompted.

"I don't know what to expect with all of this, Dominick. I was thinking that maybe if I had a chance to talk to Nikki, she could give me some insight into how she deals with living like...that." Keisha gestured towards the window, indicating the SUV parked outside. Her eyes welled with tears she didn't have to fake, and when she blinked, her lashes clumped together in thick, silky, spikes. She was so scared for him, for their family.

"Alright, stop." Dom went to her and wiped away a tear that had dropped and was now rolling down her face. "You know I can't stand to see you cry."

"I'm sorry," Keisha sniffed. She slipped her arms around his waist and laid her head on his chest.

"Don't apologize, baby." Dom's hand ran soothing circles over her back as he fought the guilt he felt. He hated more than anything that he had put her in this situation. Nikki had known what she was getting into with Angel from the very beginning. That wasn't true for Keisha. The last thing he ever wanted to do was expose her to that life. Now, because of him, she was being thrown into it at a lightning fast speed. Of course she was overwhelmed.

"It's okay. You're right, it'll be good to talk to Nikki, see how she handles this lifestyle, the bodyguards, the fear..."

With her head still resting on his chest, Keisha did her best to ignore her own twinge of guilt. She knew Dom wanted to shield her from all of the ugliness as much as possible, but the only way she'd be aware of what they were up against was if she sat in on that meeting and heard everything first hand. The not knowing was hell because her imagination was conjuring up all sorts of crazy scenarios that she'd seen in the movies. It was driving her absolutely insane. Keisha planned on getting answers to the questions she sought and she would have them one way or the other.

She moved back to peer into his eyes. "I love you."

A smile eased the severity of Dom's expression. "I love you too. Come on. We'd better go."

Keisha nodded and picked up her purse. As they walked out of the bedroom hand in hand, she said a little prayer. She asked God for forgiveness and mercy because she would need every bit of both when Dominick figured out the real reason behind her decision to go with him to Angel's house.

CHAPTER 3

"It's beautiful here," Keisha commented as she and Dom drove past the security gates and entered the ultra-exclusive community where Angel and Nikki lived.

The area offered privacy and protection comparable to a fortress. It had every amenity its filthy rich homeowners could ask for and more. Celebrities, politicians, and CEOs were among the neighborhood's elite.  In addition to an extravagant country club, the community boasted a riding arena, professional golf course, as well as gorgeous parks and gardens. No two properties were even remotely the same; Angel and Nikki's home was the largest by far.

Hearing the admiration in Keisha's voice, Dom momentarily took his eyes off the road and glanced at her. "You say that every time we come to visit Angel and Nikki. You sure you don't want to buy in this area?"

Keisha's response was quick and passionate. "Oh, no! We wouldn't last a month, too many rules and regulations." She shook her head to emphasize her point. "No, thank you."

Dominick chuckled as he turned down the street that would take them to Angel's mansion. Angel had been one of the first to build his home here and had purchased several lots that surrounded his in order to give him complete and utter privacy.

Stopping at the guard shack outside of Angel
’s home, Dom nodded a greeting to the security guard who made sure he had a clear, visual of Dom before opening the gate and waving them in. On either side of the long, winding driveway was a perfectly manicured yard that had been professionally landscaped. Behind the humongous modern mansion that Angel built was a manmade lake. Majestic rolling mountains provided a picture perfect backdrop for the entire property.

Although Dominick's money was nowhere near as long as his brother's, he could well afford to live in an area like this if he chose to. His architectural business was booming, but the bulk of his wealth came from shares in
Davidson World Corporation,
a billion dollar company where he and Angel were majority stockholders.

Pulling to a stop in the circular driveway, Dominick got out of the car and came around to open Keisha's door. Once she stepped out her attention was immediately captured by the armed men who patrolled Angel's property. Normally, she didn't give them a second thought because it was just how Angel lived, but today, she was fully aware of exactly what they represented. The epiphany only served to make Keisha more determined than ever to find out everything she could about the danger her husband would be walking into.

"Ready, baby?" Dominick asked when she continued to stand there.

Nodding, Keisha slipped her hand into Dom's and walked to the front door. After ringing the doorbell, they didn't have to wait long before Angel's butler swung the intricately carved wooden door open. Stepping back, he bowed from the waist and gestured for Dom and Keisha to come inside.

"Mr. Spain. Mrs. Spain," he uttered respectfully in a dignified English accent. "Mr. LaCroix is expecting you. This way, please."

"Thank you, Jonathan." With his hand on the middle of Keisha's back, Dominick followed the man inside. 

The foyer of the home was huge, and to their left was a sprawling spiral staircase. At the very top was a long catwalk leading to different wings, which veered to the left and to the right. The third floor of the humongous structure was strictly Angel's domain.

Keisha's heels clicked sharply on the polished marble floors as they followed Jonathan. They were headed to the dining room where he'd informed them brunch awaited. She admired the paintings they passed along the way like she always did whenever she came here. As a photographer, her artistic eye appreciated the beauty and elegance of each piece. She had to admit that she'd been surprised to learn that Angel was a fan of the arts. He had an extensive art collection in his possession that was showcased on the walls throughout his home, while other pieces were loaned out to various museums and art galleries.

Once they finally made it to the dining room, the first person Keisha saw was Angel, who sat at the head of the table. She didn't miss the slight lift of his brow when he noticed she was with Dom, but the warm smile that very few were the recipients of stayed on his lips as he stood up and came around to give her a hug.

Her brother-in-law was a handsome man, no doubt about it. Tall with a lean, muscular build, he was blessed with dark, sooty lashes that surrounded a set of beautiful green eyes. He and Dom shared the same sensual lips and square jawline. Though the two men had different fathers, the fact that they were related was unmistakable.

The first time Keisha met Angel had not been under the most ideal circumstances. That day almost seemed surreal, but she remembered him sitting behind a desk smoking a cigar and staring at her with an intensity that had caused a shiver of fear to run down her spine. Not many people scared Keisha, but she freely admitted that Angel had intimidated the hell out of her without even saying a word. However, once he became satisfied that she did indeed love Dominick as much as he loved her, and treated Dom's daughter, Samantha, as if she were her own, he embraced her as part of his family.

"Hello, Keisha, how are you? I didn't know you were coming." His eyes held a directness that she was used to by now, but Keisha's spine stiffened just the same.

"I'm fine. Deciding to come was a last minute thing, I hope that's okay. I told Dom I would love to visit with Nikki. Catch up." Her eyes shifted to her sister-in-law, who had rounded the table and was reaching for her with outstretched arms.

Some of the tension she felt eased as she and Nikki hugged each other. Although Keisha was not as close to Nikki as she was to Aleesha and Jerra, they were still great friends. Nikki fit in perfectly with them, had from the very beginning. She was intelligent, strong willed, and had a no nonsense personality, which were all important traits needed to handle the alpha males they'd chosen to share their lives with.

Nikki held Keisha's hands in hers and gave her a genuine smile. "I'm so glad you decided to come with Dom. It’s been entirely too long since we’ve had a chance to catch up."

The smile included Dom as well. She lifted her cheek when he leaned down to give her a kiss, then peered closely at Keisha as if seeing beyond the brave façade her friend was putting on. "How are you?" she asked softly

Keisha's lips trembled, but she bit down and tried to compose herself. "I'm...hanging in there, I guess."

"Oh, sweetie." Nikki squeezed Keisha's hands, her expression empathetic and understanding.

She'd been where Keisha was now, so she could relate all too well. The life she'd chosen to live with Angel wasn't an easy one, and they'd had their ups and downs, had even separated for a while. In the end, she'd been faced with either living with him and accepting him for the person he was, or losing him altogether. She'd chosen to stay. Nikki could no more live without her husband than she could precious air, but that didn’t mean it was always easy.

"I know things seem a little overwhelming right now, but it'll be okay," Nikki told her softly while the men talked amongst themselves.

Keisha took a deep breath and tried to blink away the tears that seemed to come from out of nowhere. "Yeah? You promise?"

Nikki's nod was emphatic. "I promise. I'm going to be right here to make sure of it."

"What's going to be okay and what is it that you’re promising Keisha, sis?"

Everyone turned and watched as Nikki's sister, Raven Randolph, walked into the room with eyes full of suspicion and curiosity she made no effort to hide.

CHAPTER 4

"Hello, Keisha. Dom. Good to see you." Raven greeted them with a friendly smile before bringing her attention back to Nikki. "So what did I miss?"

Dominick’s eyes went to Angel. They both had known Nikki and Raven since they were kids.  Although he and Raven were the same age, he'd met Nikki when he'd skipped a couple of grades in school. Studying his brother's face now, Dominick didn't miss the way Angel's lips tightened in annoyance, and he knew why. Not only was Raven the assistant district attorney for the city of New York, she was also an unmitigated pain in Angel's ass, a role she took great pleasure in claiming.

It was no secret that the two of them didn't get along. When Nikki first married Angel, he and Raven declared an uneasy truce for Nikki's sake, but it didn't last long. Angel had never trusted Raven,
especially
after she tried to turn Nikki against him during a rough patch in their marriage.

Several months ago when he was out of town on business, Raven had helped his wife devise a plan to leave him. Then, using damaging information she'd stumble across while visiting them, she had tried to blackmail Angel in order to stop him from fighting Nikki for custody of their son.

Standing in the dining room now, his expression hinted at none of what he was feeling. Angel watched Raven the way a scientist might study a specimen in a lab. Since he and Nikki had worked out their differences, his wife and her sister had been at odds.

Last week, out of the blue Raven called Nikki asking if it would be okay to come visit. She apologized and went on to give Nikki what Angel considered a cock and bull story about missing Nikki and her nephew. Angel didn
’t buy it for a moment, but he knew how much Nikki missed Raven.

However, no matter how much Nikki tried to convince him otherwise, Angel was sure that Raven had an ulterior motive. Raven had caused nothing but problems for him. If she'd been anyone else other than his wife's sister, he would've had her eliminated without a second thought. He would never hurt Nikki like that, but because he had kept his distance, Raven now wallowed in a false sense of security.

As he sat down, Angel silently scoffed at the very idea of such a thing. There wasn't a person on this earth he was afraid of. Hell, he had to watch his back every time he stepped out of his house, and Raven thought
she
intimidated
him
? Thinking such as that only reinforced what Angel had said all along: Raven Randolph had no idea who she was fucking with.

His thoughts fell to Hawk. For Nikki's sake, Raven would be left unharmed, at least physically, but by the time the dust settled, she would be mentally, emotionally, and professionally crippled. After he was finished with her, Raven would be too busy picking up the pieces of her own life to worry about sticking her nose in his.

After gesturing for Keisha and Dom to sit down, Nikki addressed her sister. "Good morning to you too, Raven, and it's none of your business. The conversation was between Keisha and myself."

"Fine, keep your secrets," Raven shrugged, shooting a cheeky grin at Nikki. Sitting in the chair to her sister's right, she sang out a breezy apology to everyone. "Sorry I
’m late. I hope I didn't keep you all waiting."

"Good morning, Raven," Keisha smiled. "And no, Dom and I just got here."

"Great. Well, I'm starving," she grinned. "Let's eat."

Angel leaned back in his chair. After taking a sip of his coffee, he fixed Raven with a gaze that barely disguised his dislike. "We're waiting on a couple of more guests. They should be here momentarily."

Nikki looked at him in surprise. She wasn’t aware of anyone else joining them. "Oh? Who?"

Still staring at Raven, Angel waited until the maid refilled his cup with more coffee before answering Nikki. "Just some...associates."

Nikki's eyes went from Angel to Raven, who was now on the alert. She, like Nikki, sensed there was more to his answer than he was saying.

Before Nikki could question him further, Jonathan walked in, followed by two men. Nikki's gaze sharpened. She immediately shot a suspicious look towards Angel. This was the reason why he'd been so vague. Angel never looked away from Raven. Nikki now knew it was because he wanted to witness her reaction to Lucas and Hawkins Pattel's arrival.

"Sorry we're late," Lucas said, a half-smile resting on his face. "There was an accident on the interstate that had traffic hella backed up."

Mouth agape, Raven twisted around in her chair to stare at them. However, Lucas wasn
’t the Pattel who held her attention. His brother, Hawk, had that honor.

Sauntering in behind Lucas, Hawk greeted Nikki then nodded to Keisha as Nikki introduced everyone. He waited until after he'd shaken hands with Angel and Dominick to affix his sharp gaze on his prey: Raven Randolph.

Raven was momentarily frozen. With an almost super human effort, she closed her mouth and lowered her eyes in order to regroup behind the safety of her long lashes. She was at a disadvantage and didn't like the feeling one bit.

Her first thought was what in the hell was Hawkins Pattel doing there? Raven shot Angel a furious side-glare. Her temper soared to a boiling point at the look of satisfaction on his face. Her manicured nails dug into the soft palm of her hand when he mockingly saluted her with his coffee cup. The smug son of a bitch.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't my city's beautiful ADA." The amusement in Hawk’s voice reclaimed her attention. "Hello, Raven."

Hearing Hawk's arrogant proclamation caused her spine to straighten. Sitting forward, Raven pushed her shoulders back and lifted her chin as she scowled at his choice of words. "
Your
city?"

Hawk chose the chair directly opposite hers. Raven knew the choice was intentional. Now, she would have to look at him across the table throughout the entire meal.

"You heard me," he answered. "Thought you knew. New York has always been my family's city." Hawk sat back with a cocky grin meant to deliberately goad Raven into reacting. He didn't have long to wait. 

"In what lifetime? You're delusional, you know that? Just because the Pattels have managed to avoid prosecution all these years doesn't mean you 'run' New York. Your time is coming. Believe me, you'll get yours."

Hawk's eyes grew hot as they dipped low, visually caressing the outline of her breasts beneath the casual, white top she wore. "Oh, I most definitely intend to," he all but purred. He reminded Raven of a big cat roaming through a jungle with absolutely no fear of his surroundings because he knew he was king. "I always get what's mine. Always." His innuendo was not lost on anyone at the table.

Raven gasped. For a good five seconds, his eyes held hers hostage before she summoned the strength to look away.
What was wrong with her?

Raven's gaze went around the table, noticing everyone's attention was on them. Taking a deep, slow breath, she picked up her cup of coffee, or at least tried to. Her hand trembled so badly, the hot liquid sloshed over the sides, staining the snow-white tablecloth. Swallowing, she set the cup back on the saucer.

As if drawn to him like Adam to Eve's forbidden apple in that damn garden, Raven’s eyes lifted to meet Hawk's again. Just as quickly she cursed herself for doing so. When she saw the amused expression on his face, it was all she could do to stop from scrambling over the table and slapping the ever-loving hell out of him.

Unbeknownst to Raven, Nikki's thoughtful eyes lingered on her sister. The last time Raven had come face to face with Hawk, she
’d had more or less the same reaction. Once again, she seemed totally flustered and uncharacteristically befuddled. Hawk Pattel got under her sister's skin like no one else she'd ever seen, and that was a feat unto itself. It was rare for anyone to shake Raven up to the point where she became nervous like this...and let it show.

Seeing Raven turn pleading eyes her way, Nikki smoothly stepped in and came to her rescue. She gave the maid a subtle nod, letting her know that she could begin to serve the food, and then changed the subject.

"So, Keisha, I spoke with Jerra this morning. It seems she and Darrell are still in one piece after having all of the kids for one night." Her and Angel's son, A.J., had also spent the night at the Monroe's house.

Keisha laughed. "I know, right? I called her before we came over. Everything went smoothly, of course, but she did tell me she overheard all of them in Lil D's room coming up with a plan to stay another night."

Dominick burst out laughing while Angel just shook his head. "And the bad part about it is that it's hard to pick out the ring leader. They all have such dominant little personalities already. Even Samantha."

Keisha lifted a brow and sliced Dominick a knowing glance. "
Especially
, Samantha, but look who their fathers are."

"True," Dom shrugged. "They get it honest, that's for sure."

The tension in the air slowly dissipated enough to allow light conversation to flow at the table. Everyone seemed to be enjoying the food except for Raven. After nibbling on a piece of fruit and pushing the rest around on her plate, she abruptly dropped her fork and pushed her chair back.

"I, um, I'm still tired from the flight last night. If you'll excuse me, I think I
’m going to lie down for a little while."

Hawk wiped his mouth with the cloth napkin, studying her in a lazy fashion that set Raven's teeth on edge. "Hope it's not the company. You're not leaving on my account, are you?"

He winked, letting her know he was aware of the fact that that was exactly why she was leaving.

Ignoring him, Raven directed her next comment to Keisha. "Maybe I'll see you before you go since I'm sure the men have a lot to talk about." Her tone was deliberately sarcastic, and the look she slid towards Angel was full of mistrust.

"Still haven't learned how to mind your own business, have you Rae?" Angel spared her a quick glance before continuing to eat his food. "But you will."

The air in the room suddenly turned thick. Raven, as well as everyone else, heard the warning in his voice. The tension that Nikki had worked so hard to dissolve crept back in like a silent thief in the night.

"Are you threatening me?" Raven asked him.

"Raven..." Nikki called her name in a soft voice, but Raven's eyes didn't stray from Angel.

"Answer my question, Angel." Raven wasn’t going to leave it alone until she got an answer.

Angel had been chewing his food, but became deathly still when he heard the challenge in her voice. He slowly raised green eyes that resembled frozen icicles and stared at her. "You need to leave the room. Now."

Raven snorted as she stood up. "Oh, please. Save it. I'm not afraid of you, Angel."

"No?" Standing as well, he threw his napkin on the table and took unhurried steps towards her until he was only a few inches away. "I'm going to give you a word of advice. It's up to you whether or not you take it. You say you
’re not afraid of me? Well you need to be. In fact, you need to be
very
afraid of me."

"Will you both please stop?" Nikki stood and glared at them.

Raven and Angel were locked in a visual warfare, but after a few moments, Raven looked away. She knew better than most how dangerous her brother-in-law was. Although she was out of her jurisdiction, her office made a point of being familiar with as many crime syndicates as they could, especially the leaders. Angelo LaCroix was right at the top of the list. Raven was aware of the things he'd done, what he was capable of. Was she really supposed to just sit back and let her sister stay with a monster like this? She didn't think so.

Raven had made it her personal mission to bring him to justice, no matter what she had to do. She didn't care if it took a year, two years, or twenty years. Nikki might hate her for it, but if it meant freeing her and A.J. from Angel's poisonous clutches, then so be it. As long as he was in their lives, her sister and nephew would forever be in danger.

Deciding to back off for now, Raven turned to leave, but just as she did, Hawk's eyes snagged hers for a brief second. She couldn’t help but notice the mischievous gleam in his. Raven was sure a lot of women found him adorable, but adorable was not a description she would ever use to describe Hawk Pattel. Yet, she couldn’t deny the fact that he was a truly handsome devil...but a devil, no less.

He was also ruthless, and she could never lose sight of that. The mere fact that he and his brother were even here was proof that she was doing the right thing when it came to protecting Nikki and A.J. Anything Angelo LaCroix and the Pattels were involved in was guaranteed to be dangerous and illegal.

Raven looked at her sister, striving to make her expression as contrite as possible. "I'm sorry, Nikki. I guess I'm exhausted from the heavy load I've been carrying at work. I didn't mean to start an argument. Forgive me?"

Nikki's smile was strained, but she nodded and gave Raven a hug. She knew this wasn't completely Raven's fault, and the quick glare she sent Angel over her sister's shoulder told him as much.

"Of course, sweetie. Get some rest. You're going to need it when we pick up your nephew later on today," she added, trying once again to lighten the mood.