Imani laughed, extending her hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”
Pitch took Imani’s hand carefully. Still appearing dazed, he sat next to her on the settee making the fit quite tight with both his and Roman’s sizable frames jockeying for space. Roman accepted that he would have to be the odd man out and stood.
“It’s nice to meet you too, Princess.”
Again, Imani laughed. “Please call me Imani.”
“Imani,” Pitch smiled as if mesmerized. “What does that mean?”
“Faith,” she said.
“It’s beautiful.”
“So is yours.” Imani tilted her head. “Why did Roman call you Pitch?”
“Bad attempt at a nickname,” he shrugged.
“Why bad? I have a cousin named Pitch.”
“No shit-I-I mean, really?”
Imani laughed. “Really. He is quite the celebrity in our family. Competed twice in the Olympics for wrestling before he retired to coach.”
“Is that right?”
“That’s right. Don’t hate your name-any of them, okay?” She smiled when he squeezed her hand.
“So now that that’s settled,” Roman cut in. “Did you need somethin, P? P?”
“What?” Annoyed, Pitch rolled his eyes.
“Unbelievable,” Roman spread his hands expectantly.
Pitch looked as though he were being thoroughly inconvenienced. “Stone’s rounding up everybody for a meeting. Don’t ask what it’s about. He’s been acting weird the last couple of days.”
“Well did he say anything-?”
Pitch was already waving off his brother’s question. “Nothin’, but Vale let slip he was starting to act closed off after some call he got from back home.”
Silently, Roman wondered if Stone’s news was as shocking as the file he’d received a few days ago. He had yet to share that discovery with anyone-not even Pitch.
“We’re meeting up in his and Hump’s suite- half an hour,” smiling anew, Pitch turned to Imani and took her hand again. “Nice meeting you, Imani. I hope to see you again.”
“I’d like that,” her expression was softly adoring when he kissed the back of her hand and then stood.
With a punch to Roman’s arm, Pitch moved on down the crowded hall.
“You have a wonderful brother.”
Roman’s smile was playfully grim. “He likes to think so.” Inhaling deeply, he offered Imani his hand. “I’ll take you back to your dad.”
Imani blinked. Making fists, she refused to take his hand. “What about our talk?”
“I said what I had to say.”
“And you heard what I said,” she countered.
Roman’s grim countenance was less playful then. “You don’t know what you’re saying. I”m dangerous, Imani. I’m dangerous for you,” he offered his hand once more. That time, she accepted.
Imani was joining her father and brothers for lunch that afternoon. Eka was first to notice his sister when she arrived in the dining room. When he noticed who she was with, he got to his feet so fast the table actually quaked.
“What the hell, Imani?” He raged in a ragged whisper that sent his brothers looking around for the cause of his upset.
Hilar Kamande continued to study his menu.
“I hope you have a good reason for this?” Eka seethed.
Weariness infused Imani’s manner and tone. “Actually, I don’t.”
Her delivery succeeded in pulling the Chief’s interest from his menu. He watched as Roman Tesano held a chair for her.
“Thank you, Sir. For giving me the chance to speak with her,” Roman said.
“I hope it was time well spent,” Kamande noted.
“It was,” Roman said.
Imani barely smiled.
