Chapter nine

Drego

"…so you knew?"

"Yeah." Reid answered, a smirk plastered on his lips.

"Who told you? The last names don't match."

"That's because she's adopted." He said seriously.

"She is?"

"No." Reid laughed. "Do you really have zero interest in this woman? Her name is Nichole Gerald Cain. Cain is abbreviated as C. And Cesar told me. Remember when he said she wasn't after your money?… Now you understand why he said it. Her family is loaded too..."

I took in everything Reid explained. For some reason I was getting interested in knowing more about this woman only after she had left.

For three years she was the human equivalent to the artwork on my wall. I only noticed it when it was in my view. Now that she's gone, it's like I see her everywhere.

My mind derailed to the lunch meeting I had with her father. For the first time, I saw a different looking Nichole. I wish I could say that that was what surprised me. Nichole wearing regular clothes was a new sight for me, but thinking that Nichole looked as beautiful and maybe even more beautiful than the perfect office looking Nichole was shocking to me.

For one, I had no business thinking about whether Nichole was beautiful or not. She definitely was, but why was I thinking it? Why did it take the most part of mind that entire evening after lunch? Why couldn't I stop myself from reminiscing about that particular moment she ran in looking distressed and out of her element?

"Dre… Dre… are you even listening to me?"

"Yeah, yeah. She's not after my money."

"Righ—t. Anyway, hope you didn't forget Cesar's new club opening is today. Do you want me to pick you up or would you rather find your way there?"

I squinted. "You want to pick me up?"

"Yes. Why?"

"What about Cassie? Isn't she coming?"

"Yeah, uhm, Cassie and I broke up."

I couldn't hold my laughter.

"Ha, ha, get pleasure off my pain."

"Sorry man. You know what, I'm not sorry. You guys are a joke. Your relationship is a joke." I laughed harder. "You're not even teenagers anymore. My God Reid, when are you going to end this child's play. If it's about the sex, there are a lot of women out there who you can have. Who wants you."

"I take back what I said. You can find your way to the club."

Reid stood up, walking out of my office in a huff.

"I'll see you there buddy." I said after him.

***

Cesar's new club was a hit. We knew it would be. It was Cesar after all. The billionaire playboy who survived assassination from his step mother and younger brother. This was nothing compared to being tied up and almost lit in a fire.

Just like me, he too had a sad history. Reid and I were closest, but Cesar and I connected on that level. We'd both had to deal with people we loved betraying us because of our wealth.

Cesar was more careful now. He was always untrusting of people, no matter their intentions.

Cesar was the youngest of all four of us. And I was the oldest by a few months.

"Hey man, congrats. Another successful club. I don't know how you do it. I really don't." Tammy said in a semi drunk manner.

We all crashed on the chair in the VIP room. My ears felt like they were about to burst from the music. Thankfully, Cesar was ready to come up where it was quiet.

I grabbed a bottle of water from the table standing in the middle of the room.

"It's the reputation, my brother. It precedes me." Cesar boasted, laughing.

He looked happy, and I was happy to see him looking so happy. When I think of the years after the incident that caused him to lose faith in relationships, my blood boiled with rage. But who was I to fight for another when I couldn't even fight for myself…

"You sound like it's a good thing." Reid raised his legs, stretched them and placed them on the table, his hands spread out on the head of the couch.

"It is if you look at it from my perspective."

"Bastard." I said laughing.

Tammy stood up. "I'm sorry boys, but I got some ladies waiting for me to make my move."

"Haven't you slept with every girl in L.A already? Which, must I add is just unbelievable since you don't live here?" Reid questioned.

"At this point, I have zero doubt that you're going in circles. You probably can't recognize them." Cesar laughed.

"That's rich coming from you, Cesar. You frequent L.A more than I do. You're here almost every weekend. What does that say about you?" Tammy smirked.

"I'm a business man. I come here for business." Cesar smiled.

"You can't even say that with a straight face."

We all laughed.

Tammy and Cesar walked to the door, and briefly stopped. I followed Cesar's eyes, he looked at Reid, and then at me. Then he whispered to Tammy and they laughed loudly before finally leaving.

"What's their problem?" Reid asked.

"Beats me."

I grabbed another bottle of water. And for some strange reason, the lunch meeting came to my mind again.

"Why are you smiling?" Reid eyed me.

"I wasn't smiling."

"Yes you were. You were smiling." He raised a brow, and one side of his mouth, "wanna tell me what has been distracting you the entire evening?"

I thought about dismissing the topic, or changing the conversation, but then I realized that doing that would mean that what happened at the meeting was a big deal. And it was not.

"Well… I can't stop thinking about that meeting. The way she rushed in looking like that, and how flustered she was when she saw me. She literally ran out of the restaurant. Like sprinted out the second her father was done with the introductions."

"You can't stop thinking about the meeting or about Nichole?"

I frowned. "C'mon Reid, you really have to stop pushing her on me."

"Why? Because of Avril?"

Though it had been three long years, the mention of Avril's name still did things to me. It made my insides go into a rampage. Suddenly, I was very uncomfortable and sad and depressed. It wasn't a welcomed feeling.

For years I'd tried to move on. To forget my painful past. But it was harder than I thought. Avril was the only woman I'd ever loved, and she betrayed me. I hated and loved her with the same intensity.

"It's been three years, man. Three fucking years. She is gone."

"Can we not talk about her?" I could feel my mood shifting.

"When will you be willing to talk about it? She's dead and she's still affecting you. She hurt you. She's the one who lied to you and caused you pain. She was the mastermind behind everything bad you suffered. When will you stop punishing yourself for pulling the trigger?"

"You know what, I want to dance. We're at a club. We should be dancing." I said standing up and walking out.

"Dre. Dre. Drego." Reid called after me but I ignored him.

Seconds later, I was on the dance floor. I began to move my body. The music, as loud as it was, wasn't doing a very good job drowning out my thoughts.

I forced myself to stop thinking about the past. To ignore the voices in my head. To not listen to the debate that always ended in an impasse.

While I moved my body and struggled to curb the thoughts in my head, I suddenly felt pain by my side. I touched the left side of my stomach and felt something moist. Someone had just bumped into me so I assumed it was a drink. But with every passing second, the pain grew and the quantity of the moisture only increased. I held the left side of my stomach, walking out of the dance floor to corner of the room where there was light. Even that small movement drained me.

It was when I stepped into the corridor, I saw that the moisture was actually blood. I'd been stabbed.

"Drego."

Reid called from behind me. I turned to him, but ended up collapsing.