Precious Legacy (The Notorious Legacy #1)

Chapter 42

FORTY-TWO

T he cold air seeps into my skin, chilling my bones despite the collar of my coat covering my neck. I’ve forgotten how frigid New York gets in the winter. California has plenty of perks, but the one thing I miss most is the heat. There’s nothing quite like feeling the sun blazing down on your face while the sea breeze slides over your skin. I’d go back in a heartbeat if I could, but this place is my home. Alanis is my home.

“What do you think it is?” I ask, my breath evaporating into the air as I stare at the empty shipping container.

Thanks to our mole, we were given the heads-up that the Russians were bringing in more than just liquor. Not that we were expecting anything less given the fact we loosened their leash, but now we have a new problem spreading through the city.

Unfortunately, the tip was too late, again. The shipment is gone, along with the Russians, and all that’s left is the residue of what we can only assume is drugs.

Our men are situated around the docks, running perimeter checks while we search the container. Thanks to Haldon, I now have my own men to run point and send around the city for me. I no longer have to enforce, because Haldon provided me with enough manpower to oversee everything, meaning I can focus on getting the underground fights up and running.

Haldon crouches down to run his finger through the pink powder dusted over the bottom of the container in front of us. “I’ve never seen anything like this,” he comments.

“So it’s not coke?” Varo asks.

“I’m not sure,” Haldon shrugs. “Could be coke, fentanyl, MDMA. I’ll have to get it tested, but either way, it’s not good.”

Haldon deals with the majority of drug distribution within the city. His father handed it over to mine back when his parents got together, but since our move to the West Coast, Haldon took it back—much to his mom’s disapproval. He knows so much about what goes on in the city that he’s the only person I trust when it comes to this line of business.

“Not good?” I frown.

Standing, Haldon ambles towards me, sliding his rubber gloves off his hands. “Drugs alone are bad, Ro. Unknown drugs are…something else.” He whispers the last part to himself, and if I wasn’t worried before, I am now.

He knows about every drug peddled through this city, because they come from him. He’s had competition in the past, so this isn’t new to him. He’s used to it, but that's only when he knows who or what he’s competing against. He’s right; unknown drugs are dangerous for everyone.

“Do you think Milo knows anything about this?” I ask, turning my attention to Varo. Since the situation between him and Milo has become more complicated, I doubt he’s even spoken to him at all. But we need as much information as we can get right now and Milo is probably our best shot.

Varo’s brows furrow, his features darkening. “He might,” he shrugs, which is no real help to the situation. With a sigh, he rubs a thumb over his brow. “I can ask.”

“Thanks, bro,” I say, patting him on the shoulder. I appreciate him willing to put—whatever it is—aside for us. He’s not exactly an open book when it comes to his personal life, despite us being close, but I know that contacting Milo for assistance is not only risky, but a problem Varo doesn’t want to touch.

“Whatever,” he murmurs to himself. I can tell there’s more on his mind than Milo. We’re all on edge after his sister’s attack last week. Varo has made it his mission to keep tabs on her, even though she’s currently staying at their parents’ place. He’s checking up on her daily, making sure she updates him on her whereabouts. I thought I was protective when it came to Lani, but Varo is on a whole other level. I chalk it up to the current situation with Milo. He hasn’t spoken much about it, which means he’s doing everything he can to distract himself from the elephant in the room.

“So what’re we going to do?” Haldon asks as we walk together to our respective cars. The wind whips past us as we pace through the docks, leaving an ominous atmosphere we all need to push through.

“We know the Russians are the ones bringing it in, we just need to figure out who they’re handing off to.” I rub my palms together to stave off the cold. “I’ll see what our mole knows, but this needs to be shut down before anyone gets hurt.”

“What about Milo?” Varo asks, taking me by surprise.

“Do you know why he’s working for the Russians?” Haldon questions, quirking a brow.

We know he’s undercover, so it stands to reason that he’s probably trying to take them down. But if we get too involved, we run the risk of becoming the next names on Milo’s list.

“Not specifically,” Varo sighs. “To be honest, I’m not sure he’d even tell me.”

“See what you can find out and we’ll go from there.”

Our footsteps fill the profound silence, breaking apart our thoughts. We have so much we need to do to get back on track. The Russians are still a threat, Milo is still a threat, and even with Prescott out of the picture, Alanis is still a target. She’s going forward with the NYPD, which we all respect. It’ll not only benefit her, but us too, and in order for that to happen, we need to keep her safe.

As we reach our cars, Haldon grabs my arm, halting my steps. “Everything is set in place,” he states, holding out a set of keys and a card.

I smile as I take them out of his hands and fist-bump him. “Thanks, bro.”

“So you’re really doing it?” Varo asks as he comes to stand beside me.

“If you’re still good with it,” I reply.

Varo shrugs, turning his attention back to Haldon and nudging his head. “What's security like?”

“Private,” Haldon answers automatically. Clearly, it’s not his first rodeo. His own apartment is like Fort Knox, complete with guards holding AK-47s that circle like vultures. It’s a little overboard for my taste, but you can’t fault his scrupulous caution.

When Varo gave me his blessing, he made me promise to pull out all the stops when it comes to his sister. There was no hesitation when I agreed because Lani means just as much to me as she does to her twin. It goes without saying that keeping her safe is all in our best interests.

“It has a separate garage and elevator for you. Key card entry and thumb print recognition for you both, and you already have men stationed there. They’ll be on rotation, but you’ll both be safe,” Haldon says, rattling off the features to us. “Nobody is getting in or out without your say so.”

I glance at Varo, who seems more than satisfied with the security measures in place. I can’t blame him for being protective over his sister. After what happened last week, we’re all feeling like we could have done more to prevent it. Though Lani is as strong and stubborn as ever, I can tell she’s still shaken up about her attack, and who can blame her? Having someone who you should have been able to trust break into your apartment and try to kill you is bound to leave some scars. Add that to what happened five years ago and trauma is her new best friend.

“You’re sure you’re good with this?” I ask Varo. It’s not like we’re getting married, but his blessing means a lot to me. Varo is still my best friend, and even though my relationship with his sister has never been an issue before, I don’t want this change to affect our friendship.

“It’s your death wish,” he laughs. “You can still crash at mine if you’ve changed your mind.”

“Is this your way of saying you’re going to miss me?” I tease, relieved by how easy he’s making this for me.

He curls his fist and punches me in the shoulder, shaking his head. “I’m just saying, you’ll have your work cut out with Lani. She’s not the easiest to live with.”

“You forget, I’ve practically been living with her for the last month.”

“And how’s that going?” he chuckles.

Pulling out a cigarette, I light it up and take a long drag. “I’ve got no complaints,” I smirk. It kills him when I even insinuate divulging details—not that I’m going to—and it’s just entertaining to get under his skin when I know how much his sister means to him.

He slips into his Mercedes before flipping me off and speeding away, leaving Haldon and I laughing at his expense. It’s almost too easy to wind Varo up, but that’s the great thing about our dynamic.

“So, when are you going to ask her?”

Spinning the keys around my finger, I chuckle at Haldon. He has no clue about the kind of relationship Alanis and I have. We might have all grown up together, but there are things about her that not even her brother knows. “You don’t ask Lani for shit, bro.”

He shakes his head in silence, turning and heading towards the Audi. “Let me know how that goes.”

“ W here are we?” Alanis groans impatiently as we pull up to the private gate. It’s a large metal frame, deliberately placed on the other side of the building we’re heading into.

I swipe the key card through the reader and watch the gates peel back with a soft rattle. Like Haldon said, this entrance is for us, the additional security meaning it’s completely vacant when I drive through the underground garage. The main entrance is for the rest of the residents in the building, keeping us separate.

“Ro?”

The car rumbles to a halt as I park close to the elevator doors. “It’s a surprise,” I smirk.

Lani grumbles with irritation, folding her arms across her chest in her typical brand of defiance. “You know I hate surprises!”

“Yeah, but you’ll like this one. I promise.” Leaning over the center console, I thread my fingers in her hair, pulling her to my lips. As soon as we connect, she hums against my mouth, a sound I could listen to all night. Her tongue slides against mine as her hand cruises up the back of my neck.

She tilts her head, deepening the kiss, and I can’t get enough of the way she tastes and how she melts against me. It’s a kiss that’s enough to get me hard, but I have to stop myself before things get out of hand… because that’s inevitable when it comes to her. Breaking apart, I tap her nose with mine and smile. “Come on, let’s go.”

I push out of the car and wait for Lani to join me before heading towards the elevator. Pressing my thumb onto the scanner, we wait for the doors to slide open with a gentle ding. Exactly like Haldon promised, everything is set up for us. Everything.

“Fancy,” Lani mocks, shoving me by my back into the elevator in an act of challenge. “Now tell me where we’re going.”

I keep silent as I swipe the card again. There’s only two buttons inside; up and down—proof that Haldon really did have Lani’s safety at the forefront of his mind. Nobody can get to our level without the card or thumbprint, and you need both. It also has cameras, which I assume the men stationed here will have complete access to.

Since the attack, Lani has dove straight back into her training. I know she’s still worried about the backlash, but I pride myself on not making the same mistakes twice. Prescott is gone, and there’s no evidence he was ever at her apartment in the first place. Thanks to Gracie, all the surveillance footage in the area has been wiped clean. She even hacked into Prescott’s emails to send out an emergency vacation request. Nobody will ask questions until they realize he hasn’t returned, and by then it’ll be too late. His body is nothing but pig food now and only The Five know about it.

The elevator slides upwards seamlessly, and in no time, the doors are pinging open again, exposing a large hallway. The lights automatically brighten as we step out. I have to say I’m impressed with what Haldon found. It’s undoubtedly expensive, but money is no object when it comes to my girl. My requests weren’t overreaching, but he’s definitely exceeded my expectations.

The decor is simple and clean, adorning freshly painted white walls. The floors are so pristine you could probably eat a three course meal on them, and modern light fixtures are set inside the ceiling. The hallway splits off in three directions—ahead of us is the kitchen, to the right is the living room, and behind us are the bedrooms.

My feet traverse towards the kitchen first, where all the appliances have already been installed and a tablet sits in the middle of a huge marble kitchen counter. A note is attached to it, which I immediately recognise as Haldon’s writing.

Everything is voice activated.

I smile to myself because that’s typical of him. While I like the simplistic features, I know that with heavy security must come with heavy technology.

Lani has disappeared into another room, her boots padding somewhere in the near vicinity. It gives me time to scope the place out fully since this is my first time setting foot in here. Haldon and his father are practically experts when it comes to real estate, so I knew I could trust them to find me an apartment to suit my needs and they haven’t let me down.

I circle the kitchen island, running my palm along the countertop where a deep slope exposes a modern and sleek sink. Stopping in front of the refrigerator, I pull the door open to find fully stocked shelves… of alcohol . I roll my eyes because again, that’s typical of Haldon. But I’m not one to complain, so I pull two bottles out and pop the lids open.

“Bachelor life suits you,” Lani remarks from behind me. She’s got a mischievous look in her eyes when I turn around, one that always excites me. She saunters towards me, dropping her leather jacket on the counter before swiping one of the bottles from my hands and taking a swig.

I wrap my arm around her waist, tugging her against my body. She’s wearing a white cropped tee that exposes her midriff. I brush my fingertips over her bare skin, making her shiver. I love the way she reacts to me, the way she fits against me like we’re two halves destined for one another. Leaning down, I run my lips along her neck until I reach her ear. “This is for us , Presh,” I whisper.

“Us?” she shrieks, pulling away from me with her brows raised so high I think she’ll lose them.

“All for us.”

“But—”

“Presh,” I challenge, reminding her how close she is to me with a simple squeeze of my arm. “We both know you can’t go back there.”

Her apartment is clean, but it’s not safe and she knows it. If Prescott knew who she was, there’s no telling who else will figure it out. Keeping a low profile hasn’t done much for her, so I’m going to make sure she’s as protected as possible. I’ll have men keeping an eye on her when I can’t, and while she’s here, she won’t have to worry about another break in. I swore I’d protect her, and if I have to fight her on this, I won’t hesitate. I’ve fucked up a lot in my life—mostly with her—but she’s the only thing I’m sure about. The only person I want to come home to. This is our place; our fortress.

“I don’t know, Ro. This is…” her gaze floats around the room. She looks uncomfortable and unsure, like the expanse of this room alone intimidates her. Eventually, her anxious gaze returns to mine. “It’s a lot.”

“It’s safe,” I remind her.

“It’s big.”

“It’s perfect.” Even though I haven’t seen the rest of this place yet , I can already see a future here. I know this is where we need to be and I need Alanis to understand that.

“Do I get my own bedroom?” she chirps.

I laugh to myself as I place our beers on the counter. Picking her up by the backs of her thighs, I rest her beside our bottles and step between her legs. “Is that a yes?”

She loops her arms around my neck, sharing the widest smile I never expected to see on her face. With everything that’s happened, it’s about time we had something to look forward to, and this might just be it.

Alanis leaves me hanging for way longer than is comfortable, seemingly pretending to think about her next answer. After an excruciating minute of waiting, she finally speaks. “I think we should test the rooms out before making a decision.”