Free No Greater Loyalty by S. K. Hardy Page B

meeting?"
    "Miami."
    Angel glanced down at his watch. "Get the jet ready. We'll leave in an hour."
    Oscar nodded in approval as Carlo turned and left the room to make preparations for their flight.
     
     
     
    When Nikki, Keisha, and Raven arrived at Jerra and Darrell's home, Keisha hugged Samantha tight then scooped her son up and rained kisses over his sweet little face for as long as he allowed her to before pulling away in protest. The kids had just been preparing to watch an animated movie that Jerra had put on for them and Christian wanted to go with them. Like the great sister she was, Samantha took her little brother's hand and matched her steps to the small ones his tiny fat legs made as they followed the rest of the children. The women laughed because he was beyond cute, walking around looking like a miniature Dominick.
    Raven had gone with A.J. after he begged her to watch the movie with them. Nikki had stared after them with a hint of sadness, and while Keisha filled Jerra in on the scene that had just taken place between she and Dominick, Nikki let her thoughts drift to the state of her relationship with her sister. Their estrangement had affected more than just the two of them. Her son had missed his aunt almost as much as Raven had missed him.
    It wasn't supposed to have turned out this way. Ever since Nikki and Raven were little girls, they'd talked about being in each other's weddings and having kids around the same time so that they could grow up together. But of course, that ’s not the way things happened, and Nikki was fast losing hope that they would ever work through their differences and regain the closeness they’d lost.
    Everyone else in her family accepted her marriage to Angel except Raven. A couple of years ago, Angel had purchased a gorgeous mini mansion for their parents in a gated community in the Florida Keys. Her father played golf every day while her mother lived the life of a lady of leisure, chairing several charity committees and regularly attending teas with her newfound friends.
    Nikki sighed, feeling herself being pulled deeper into a depressed mood she didn’t want to sink into. When she heard Jerra raise her voice after Keisha finished her account of the earlier events, she turned her attention to them, grateful for the distraction.
    Jerra had paused mid-reach in the act of opening the refrigerator and was now leveling an open mouthed stare at Keisha. "Tell me you didn't do that!"
    Fidgeting on the stool at the granite-topped island in the middle of Jerra’s kitchen, Keisha dropped her chin to her chest, dejection pushing at her lowered shoulders. She covered her face with her hands then spread her fingers to peek out at her best friend.
    "Could you please just chill with the lecture? Why can't you and Leesh be more like Nikki?" Keisha sat up straight in the chair, her face brightening as she pointed at her sister-in-law.
    Nikki giggled under her breath as she reached for a grape from the cheese plate Jerra had placed in front of them. "Heffa, you are not going to use me as a shield to get out of trouble with Jerra and Aleesha. Don't even try it."
    "Well, it's true." Determined to hold on to the only angle of self-defense she'd stumbled upon, Keisha sent Nikki a quieting glare before she turned back to Jerra. She swallowed hard when she saw the stance Jerra had taken, arms folded, hip jutted out while she tapped her foot and waited on the load of crap Keisha was getting ready to fling her way.
    "Yeah, I screwed up, okay? I admit it. But did Nikki come down on me and make me feel worse about what I did? No. She didn't. She offered her support and gently pointed out the mistake I'd made."
    Nikki's eyes stayed on Jerra, amusement lighting up her face as she waited on Jerra's come back.
    "So let me get this straight, Keisha. Less than twenty-four hours ago, Dominick finds out he has a son that he never even had the slightest inkling existed. A drug lord in Mexico, who is the child's