The Lion (26 page)

  “What happened?” she questioned.

  Rion sat up against the pillows watching her closely. She turned back to Rion after she ended the call.

  “What's wrong baby?” Rion asked.

Tauri lifted confused eyes to his. “John Beckham is dead. He had a heart attack tonight.”

Rion lifted a brow. “Really.”

  “Yes, Brandon just told me. They found him a few hours ago,” she told him quietly.

Rion moved from the bed and came to take her into his arms. “It's okay baby.”

She wrapped her arms around him. “This is crazy.”

  “It was well known that he had a heart condition,” Rion reminded her.

  “Maybe because it was so hard and cold,” Tauri commented harshly.

He held her close stroking her back. “Don't get upset baby. It's simply karma.”

  “Maybe this can be over now,” she whispered against his chest. “The other defendants were ready to roll on John so I don't think they'll be a problem. Beckham was really the ring leader, the others were simply following him.”

Rion kissed the top of her head. “We can move on now baby,” he assured her.

She looked up at him. “You think so? What about the team?”

  “I'm still waiting to hear from the league, so we'll take that as it goes. What's most important is that you're safe and we can start raising our family,” he told her while picking her up and carrying her over to the bed. Rion laid her down then stretched out next to her placing a hand on her stomach.

  “You, our baby and our future are all I'm concerned about.”

She smiled at him. “You don't know if we have a baby yet.”

He began to unbutton her blouse. “I'm about to work on that right now.”

  Tauri waited while he undressed her. The stress of the trial and the threats on Orion's life could now be behind them. She felt a weight lifted from her as he caressed her body. Tauri held him close and ran her hands over his supple dark brown skin. The skin that she loved caused others to hate, but now he was safe and she prayed that he would be given his dream of owning a team. Orion believed that if you desired something and you focused on it, it would become a reality. She believed he would own a team and now her entire focus was to make that happen for this man who had walked into her office and became her entire world.

*********

  Henry Patterson sat down to watch the evening news. He listened as the newscaster reported the untimely death of John Beckham, the area County Executive who had been indicted on a number of charges, including a hate crime against Rion Shaw. Millie joined Henry on the sofa and together they watched intently. The story continued, relaying that John was found in an apartment he owned in the city. It appeared he'd died of a massive heart attack and no foul play was suspected. When the report was over Henry turned to her.

  “You see that Millie?” he asked.

She turned to him. “I saw it Henry.”

Henry smiled. “Hot damn! Orion Shaw!”

Millie smiled too looking at her husband. “Now that's fine, just fine.”

********* 

  Days later, the city was still in an uproar hearing about the death of John Beckham. Tauri faced the media from the podium outside the Courthouse and announced that plea deals had been reached with the remaining defendants on the case. She stepped back and looked out at Rion and her grandparents among the crowd of reporters and citizens.

  Brandon stepped to the podium next, announcing sweeping changes that were going to occur in the Prosecutor's office and then Chief Green announced the same for the police department. Cleaning up the city started with them and they were committed to doing whatever was necessary to provide justice to the citizens.

  Tauri stepped down from the podium where Rion and her grandparents were waiting for her. He kissed her and lifted her into the air spinning her around.

  “Orion! What are you doing?” she said laughing.

He looked up into her face. “They called. I got the team baby!”

Tauri screamed and threw her arms around his neck. “Oh my god baby!”

  She kissed him soundly until he placed her back on her feet while Henry and Millie Patterson watched the pair in excitement.

  “We have to be in New York next month for the official announcement,” Rion told her.

  “Nothing can keep me from being by your side,” Tauri vowed.

  He looked into those hazel eyes that he loved. “Thank you Tauri for standing by me...through everything.”

She touched his handsome face. “Thank you for finding me.”

  They heard a commotion then turned in the direction from where it had come from. Tauri saw a man charging towards them yelling racial slurs, along with something about John Beckham. Her eyes widened as he reached into his coat and she froze momentarily.

  Before she could react, she heard several shots and saw the man fall to the floor with a pistol in his hand. Tauri turned and saw both Orion and her Granddaddy with guns in their hands. Both men had unloaded rounds striking the perpetrator. More guns were quickly drawn all over the room as the police moved in on the man lying in a growing pool of blood on the floor.

  Rion turned to Tauri looking into her startled eyes. Pulling her swiftly into his arms, he asked frantically. “Tauri, are you okay?”

Tauri looked up into his eyes before everything faded to black.

One month later...

  The woman watched as Rion Shaw stood tall and handsome on her television screen. He looked a lot different than he did over a month ago in the market. Today he was dressed in a designer ensemble with an expensive watch reflecting the camera's light. They were broadcasting history as he signed the paperwork to become the first black owner of a professional baseball franchise. She smiled as she thought about the man who had changed her life.

  She had been John Beckham's mistress for years. It had begun when she was working on his campaign. At the time, she hadn't known the level of his evilness or his hatred for her people. By the time it had become apparent, she'd been pregnant with his child. Not wanting his circle to know about his affinity for chocolate or his illegitimate baby, he'd taken her child and hidden it from her, saying that as long as she did as he requested the child would be safe.

  She hadn't known where to turn because he was a rich and a very powerful man. He'd threatened to kill both her and the child if she ever mentioned a word, so she'd settled in to being his captive. Rion Shaw had discovered not only who she was, but also about the baby she'd not seen in years. He'd asked for her help without realizing he was the one really helping her. He was giving her back her life, and for that she would be eternally grateful to the man who had been harassed and threatened for no reason.

  As she watched the screen, she could see the joy on his face as he turned to his wife, Prosecutor Tauri Patterson-Shaw. Her hazel eyes glowed as she smiled up at her husband with pride. The woman noticed that all of the Negus surrounded Rion along with people she assumed were his parents and grandparents.

  She thought back to the night she was given her life back. John Beckham had come to the apartment ranting and raving about how he'd never let Rion Shaw own a team which was followed by a litany of racial epithets. It always amazed her that he felt so free to hurl his slurs in her presence, knowing her own skin color. He felt safe that his threats kept her line, so he freely divulged all the hate in his heart on a regular basis.

  That evening she had made him some dinner and he'd had a few drinks before he'd undressed and stretched out on the bed. Later, after he'd passed out, she retrieved the bag Rion Shaw had given her. She took out the little device and followed his instructions attaching it on John's fat, naked chest. Within seconds, his body began to jump uncontrollably and she watched from the end of the bed praying for his demise.

  When the convulsing ended, she'd waited for ten minutes then packed up all of her things. She'd gingerly grabbed the device and thrown it into her bag before leaving the apartment and getting into the waiting car. The handsome driver who was taking her to the airport welcomed her.

  “How did it go my Sistar?” he asked.

  Nervously she answered. “I think he's dead.” She handed him the device she'd used. “I hope so.”

  “If not, he will be.” He took the item from her. “Are you okay?”

She sighed. “I think I will be now.”

  He handed her a large envelope and when she looked inside she was astounded by the amount cash.

She turned to him. “I didn't ask for this.”

He smiled. “You didn't have to.”

  She'd taken the money and gotten on the private plane without looking back. Turning her attention back to the screen, she smiled at Rion Shaw again. She hoped he'd always be as happy as she was now.

  “Hi Mommy!” The little girl ran into the room from where she had been playing. Her olive skin was in direct contrast to her mother's ebony complexion and her light eyes stared into onyx ones.

  The woman embraced the little girl in her arms, holding her close to her heart. Yes, Rion Shaw deserved every good thing he received in this life.

*********

  “Uncle Rion, Aunt Tauri can we go see the lions now?” Kyros asked excitedly.

Rion smiled. “Yeah little man, let's go there now.”

  Rion turned to his wife and she smiled at him. “He's so freaking adorable. I hope our son is just like him,” she told him.

  “Um...our son will know how to play baseball,” he said taking her hand.

  Rion and Tauri had brought Kyros to the Detroit Zoo for an outing. After returning from New York, the pair had taken some time to honeymoon in St. Kitts. Jordan Black had told him about a very nice spot that he and his wife Sage, had visited not too long ago.

  When they had returned to the States, it had been confirmed that Tauri was indeed pregnant with their first child. Pam and George Shaw along with Henry and Millie Patterson had been ecstatic with the news of a new addition to their families. Pam, who had held serious reservations about the length of the relationship between her son and the city Prosecutor, had come around full circle with the announcing of her first grandchild. She was now anxiously awaiting the new baby god.

    After Tauri had passed out at the press conference in Detroit, Rion had whisked her off her feet and carried her away with her grandparents following. The reality of the situation had finally hit her after watching her husband and grandfather fatally wound a man in order to protect them from the hatred bred out of ignorance.

  Although there had not been any more incidents since it had become official that Rion owned the team, Tauri knew that most likely her son would someday face the same ignorance his father had endured, the same ignorance that her grandfather had endured, and the same ignorance that had taken the lives of many melanated people. She vowed that she would do her part, in tandem with her husband, to eliminate as much of that ignorance as possible for her sons, Kyros and all the other young warriors to come.

  “Of course our son will be able to play baseball, both his parents can play,” she responded to Rion.

Rion looked at her. “You can play baseball?”

  Tauri gave him a look. “Yes, my grandparents taught me. You know how much my Granddaddy knows about baseball. Plus, when my Granny was a teenager she met Toni Stone once, then she started playing baseball herself. That's how she met Granddaddy.”

  “Are you serious?” he asked. “Toni Stone, the first woman to play Negro League Baseball? Your Granny actually met her?”

Tauri nodded. “Yes, and Granny was almost as good as she was, according to Granddaddy.”

  Rion smiled. “I bet she was.” He gave her a look. “I told you if I was like seventy...I'd holla at Millie Patterson. She could get it.”

  “Don't take me there Orion...” she warned and he laughed while hugging her to his side.

  “My heart belongs to Tauri Patterson-Shaw.” He placed a hand on her tiny belly. “She has all my love.”

  He kissed her quickly before they caught up to Kyros who was watching the lions inside the habitat that had been built for them. Kyros turned to them smiling.

  “Look at the big one Uncle Rion. He's a lion just like you!” Kyros exclaimed and Tauri smiled.

  Rion looked out at the alpha male relaxing high on the manmade cliffs. He made eye contact with the animal before lifting his face to the sun. The lion stood proudly to his feet, displaying his beauty and power as the crowd watched in fascination. Majestically lifting his own head to the bright sky, he opened his mouth and released a thunderous roar that rumbled throughout the entire city announcing that...

The Lion was home.

Ase'

Hotep Fam,

Thank you for reading The Lion. I hope you have enjoyed the first book in The Black Land Series. Look for more stories from the Negus, including Lance, Brandon, Khalil and Corvus.

I hope you enjoyed Rion and Tauri and the crew as well as cameos from The Black Diamonds. If you haven't read their books, you can get them on Amazon.com.

Be sure to sign up on my website at dcamille.com for updates and information on upcoming projects. Also, feel free to visit me on FB, Twitter, and Instagram.

Coming up next...

Her Shield

The Uncut Series – Book 1

Spring 2016