“Yes. I will call him now.”
“Okay, now that we have Player calmed down, let’s get this meeting over, so we can all go home.”
Luciano helped me to my feet and quietly led me to one of the rooms. Closing the door behind him, I sat on the bed, resting my head in my hands as I quietly cried.
I wasn’t like most men. I wasn’t ashamed to show my feelings. My mom always said she could tell just by looking at me what I was feeling. She told me there was no shame in loving and hurting. It was how I was created. She told me that some men were made to hide what they felt, but men like me, we were destined to show the world our feelings. That was an honorable trait.
“You know I’ve always known about you and Catarina. I saw how you looked at her. You would smile every time she was around. I never said anything because it wasn’t my place. But I want you to know Reggie, that I knew, and I prayed that one day, you would get the love you deserved.”
“She’s going to hate me, Luc. I just left. I didn’t even bother looking for her. What does that say about me?”
There wasn’t a day that had gone by since we were separated that I didn’t think of her. She was my true north. The bright star at night I would look up at and talk to. She was always there with me. Through everything, I knew I could always find her there, looking down on me, shining brightly.
“It says you were young and scared. She will understand. She loves you, Reggie. I know she does. No one can feel what you feel and not have it reciprocated. Trust me on this.”
“Everyone is keeping something from me. What is it?”
“I don’t know. All I know is that Catarina is at your compound. She is safe and being cared for by a man called Healer.”
“Great,” I sighed, then grinned as I wiped my face with my hands. “I hope his bedside manner is better with her than he is with us.”
Luc chuckled, “The good doctor isn’t sympathetic?”
“Hell no. The man is abrupt and crass. He has no bedside manner at all.”
“Well, if my memory is correct, Catarina can make even the meanest man smile. She just has a way about her.”
“Yes, she does.”
“What about Angelo. When he finds out.”
“You let the family take care of him.”
I couldn’t. I knew all hell was going to break loose when her brother found out that she was, in fact, with me once again and protected by the Golden Skulls.
A fact that I was eternally grateful for.
Nothing, and I mean no one would ever harm her again as long as I lived.
“Reggie?”
“Hmm?”
“Why did you never tell Dwayne about her?”
“Because she was mine. We had kept everything a secret for so long, it felt wrong to tell anyone. When her brother found out and threatened me, I got scared. Then Dwayne found me, and everything happened so fast. Before I knew it, we were on a bus to California. I wanted to many times. To have someone to talk to, but I couldn’t. It felt as if I was betraying her in some way.”
“I get that.”
“How long do you think this meeting will last?”
“I don’t know. All Gio said was that Reaper wanted to talk to Layla. About what I don’t know, but I know that Gio isn’t himself. He’s angry about something. He isn’t talking to us either. Whatever is happening is between your President and Gio.”
“That doesn’t sound good.”
“No, it does not.”
Seven