“You of all people should know she would.”
“Yeah,” Imani’s happiness gave way to weariness. “Say, I could put in a good word for you to Meena.”
Faraji’s uncommonly light brown eyes beamed a few notches beyond their regular glow. “Why are you such a daredevil all of a sudden, Jer?” He sounded as if he already knew.
Imani shrugged, faking a show of cool. “What’s wrong with living a little?”
“We both know what’s about to happen. I don’t think you’ll escape this one, Jer. Not this time.”
Giving up the facade, she smiled tightly. “I’m beginning to realize that. Anyway,” she forced a suddenly radiant smile to her face. “We aren’t talking about my love life, but yours.”
Faraji presented a tight smile as well. “Mine is in the same sad state as yours.”
“I disagree.”
“Why? And you can’t say it’s because I’m a man.”
Imani shook her head at his use of her earlier argument. “But it is. You can-”
“What? Demand my parents accept my choice of mate or else? It doesn’t work that way, Jer. For any of us.”
“I don’t agree,” Imani pounded her fist lightly to her brother’s shoulder. “They must see how much you and Meena love each other. It’s been that way since we were all little.”
“And she is from a family who serves ours, Jer. She’s been your attendant since you were twelve, before we ever moved back to Mozambique. Just like I’ve been promised to the third daughter of the Mutola household since I was twelve.”
Imani laughed. “The third daughter? You still haven’t learned the girl’s name, brother?”
“What? You think Mamae might change her mind about all this if I tell her that?” Faraji didn’t sound convinced, but he did sound highly amused.
Imani’s laughter continued to flow. “I just can’t understand it,” she said finally, “Mamae and Papa are so in love.”
“They were also arranged, baby sister. If love happened for them, surely it would for us.”
Though she’d tried to avoid it, Imani couldn’t resist giving into pouting. “It’s not right that we are both so miserable and at the same time.”
“Come here,” Faraji stood and pulled his sister into a tight embrace.
When Imani pulled back, her dark doe eyes sparkled with playful devilry. “There’s only one thing for all this sorrow, you know?”
Faraji seemed to cringe. “Dare I ask?”
Imani peered around her brother’s tall, slim frame and pointed. “Me. Driving that.” She said.
“And when we’re discovered?”
She linked an arm around Faraji’s waist. “Look at the brighter side. They can’t kill us. They need someone to walk down these arranged aisles.”
Faraji’s robust laughter echoed high in the space. He kept his sister close and together, they speed walked toward the hotel entrance.
~~~
Roman hadn’t moved from his spot next to the limo. He watched the girl he once thought may’ve been something he’d imagined. He had gone back to the museum three times that week hoping to see her. Finally, he’d accepted her appearance as some beautiful vision he’d needed to help him get through his day. Now...now, there she was. Just his luck she was on some other guy’s arm.
It wouldn’t have been possible to catch up to her or to at least get close enough to keep looking at her. He doubted his legs would’ve been the best support given the weight of the many emotions at war inside him. Yes, there were many emotions but only one outweighed the rest.
He wasn’t surprised to feel his hand clenched into a fist, same as it had the first time he saw her in that gallery being helped to her feet by some other guy. Today, deja vu was proving to be a merciless tormentor.
What right did he have to feel anything negative about her getting off the back of some fool’s bike. A fool she was clearly very close to. He had just played deluxe buffet to four women in a brothel and had the nerve to be pissed over some guy holding her hand? Holding her?
She had a totally different look then from the princess type regalia she’d been wearing when he first saw her. Decked in jeans, a black T-shirt and lightweight jacket, he thought she was still the most singular thing he had ever seen. His fist clenched a little more tightly when he heard her laughter again. She and her...friend were sprinting for the entrance.
He didn’t even know her name for fuck’s sake! That reality sent another killer ache through his brain. Aspirin first and then he’d bring an end to his curiosity.
***
The day that followed was as grueling as promised. Roman was encouraged to find he had more fuel to work with than expected. No one else bothered with sleep. It would be too hard to gear up for the visits to Tesano Textiles Chicago hub.
The Chicago factory was a vast structure of brick and tarnished steel. Everyone wore hardhats and a type of earmuff that eased the unforgiving noise churning from the multitude of pipes and machinery adorning the factory’s multi-layered rooftops and interior. Tori and Mica, who oversaw the factory, had tapped a number of crew chiefs to take charge of the tours.
Following a general survey of the main factory floor, offices and various assembly wings, the group split for more specified viewings. Humphrey, Vale and Gabriel went to tour the executive wings while Stone went with Mica to view the loading areas. Aaron, Roman and Pitch toured the personnel department and then followed up with a thorough walk-through of the security checkpoints and guards’ office headquarters.
“Isn’t everyone required to wear uniforms?” Roman asked his uncle.
“It’s important for some of our people to keep a low profile.” Tori said, his manner smug.
“That mean they’re undercover?” Pitch asked.
“It’s exactly that, kid,” Tori confirmed.
