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Since reconnecting with the brothers, he felt reluctant to go off again. Marquette’s restaurant held a certain charm that kept him going in to work, even if it was for a menial task like waiting tables.
    They walked into the kitchen, and Duke grabbed a cold beer from the fridge and dropped into a chair. He twisted off the top and chugged half the bottle. “So is there a possible blow up between Shada and Talicia?”
    Creed warmed a bottle in a pot of water on the stove. “Talicia got her insurance money, and she’s thinking about opening the club again.”
    “Stefan’s not going to let her do it alone.”
    “Exactly, and I’m not going to sit by and let my baby brother put his life in danger. From what Shada’s said, any peace she and Talicia have gained will be out the window if that club opens. She thinks Talicia is being selfish.”
    Duke rubbed his jaw, thinking about it. He didn’t like the idea of Stefan going back to that side of town either, but he had lived in rougher areas himself over the years. His experience and Stefan’s were two different things. In a way, Stefan was an innocent. He had his bodyguard Jerome, but Jerome was one person. Against a gun, he might not be ready for what came his way. Yet, Duke already knew Stefan would give in to anything Talicia wanted.
    “Maybe I can help,” Duke said.
    “No! This is what I meant by you sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong. Stay out of it.”
    Duke grinned. “Is that an order, chief?”
    “Shut up.”
    Duke left the house chuckling and thinking hard about how he could block Talicia from reopening her club, or at least redirecting her interests. Then his mind moved on to Takiyah. Should he stop bothering her?
    As he passed through the security gate and left Creed’s property, he brought up an image of the woman in his mind. Sexy, beautiful, with a mouth so sweet, it was like tasting honey, she tantalized him. “Wait, what am I thinking?”
    He shook his head to clear it. The influence of his cousins marrying black women must have warped his desires. He tried to recall the blond and failed. None of her details came to mind except for the slender figure and the hair. Maybe if he slept with her, it would erase thoughts of Takiyah. Hell, if he slept with any other woman it might.
    Forgetting the stroll he intended, he returned to the house to grab his car and drove to Café du Monde. Once inside, he scanned the people at the tables. His prey wasn’t among them, so he ordered a coffee and found a spot where he could watch the comings and goings of the patrons.
    Duke had already done some reconnaissance previously, so he pretty much knew Talicia’s habits outside of the restaurant. By that, he had learned some of Adele’s as well. Most days, Adele wandered into the café to grab a beignet and a coffee and to sit with a book for an hour or so. He wouldn’t have put her down for the reading type, but he supposed everyone had multiple sides to them.
    He didn’t have to wait more than twenty minutes before she showed up, and he pretended to be absorbed in the creamy drink between his hands. The last few times he stopped by the café, he had kept himself out of sight, so neither she nor Takiyah had ever met him there. Duke was aware when she received her order and had spotted him. From the corner of his eye, he saw her hesitation and then heard the click of her heels as she approached the table.
    “Mind if I join you?”
    He glanced up and affected a startled expression. “Amy.”
    She scowled. “Adele.”
    “I knew you couldn’t stay away long.” He gestured for her to sit down. “Changed your mind about waiters?”
    She flashed a bright white smile at him. “Did you win the lottery?”
    “Afraid not.”
    She sighed. “Where are all the rich men?”
    “Don’t you know?”
    She pouted and leaned forward. “Do you know where Takiyah works?”
    Her question surprised him. “She hasn’t told you? I thought you two worked at a call