“Don’t know. Ask Reggie.”
I knew talking to Dwayne was going to get me nowhere. So, I tried something different and reverted back to my old ways of handling him. “Go tell Marko and Paolo we’re ready to leave.”
“Sure thing,” Dwayne said, quickly moving.
“I see you both have picked up where you left off?”
“I wouldn’t say that,” I said, getting to my feet and facing the one cousin I missed dearly. “He hasn’t hit me yet.”
Reggie grinned. “There is plenty of time before we land in Chicago.”
Grabbing my cousin, I hugged him.
I wasn’t shocked when Reggie returned the hug. My cousin was always eager for affection, even from a young age. Reggie was what the Family called a love bug. Reggie was all smiles, hugs, and love from the moment he was born. Everywhere he went, he made friends. There wasn’t a single person he met that didn’t have something nice to say about him. Reggie was well-liked and loved by many. Then one day, he was gone. It still rankled me to no end about his abrupt departure. It was something I hoped to put to rest while he was back home, but even I knew now was not the time to discuss it.
I was just happy he was back.
Releasing him, I cupped his face and smiled. “You look good. You need a shave and a haircut, but you look good.”
“I look handsome,” Reggie winked. “I think the beard gives me a more manly look.”
Laughing, I just shook my head and returned to my seat. “Well, you are not going home looking like a vagabond. You will scare everyone.”
“Oh, come on, Gio,” Reggie sighed. “I worked hard on this beard.”
“It will grow back.”
“Tell that to Massacre. His took forever to come in.”
“Massacre?”
“Sorry, it’s what the club calls him. Dwayne. His road name is Massacre.”
“Fitting name, and what is your road name?” I asked, but I already knew, but he didn’t know that. I was willing to play along while the situation suited because I needed more information.
Reggie sighed, looking out the window. “Player. I’m called Player.”
“And why that name?”
“Just because.”
“Still breaking hearts, I see.”
“No,” Reggie curtly said, snapping his eyes towards me.
Now I was getting somewhere. Something happened with a woman. It wasn’t like Reggie to clam up about his conquests. He was a handsome young man. The ladies loved him. He couldn’t walk into a room without women fawning over him. Before, he loved all the attention, now not so much. What changed?
“So, there’s no special someone?”
“No.”
“What about the woman you have with you. She is not yours?”
“No.”
“But you care what happens to her?”
“She’s mine to protect.”