Page 21

“What do you plan on doing to him?” Parker asks solemnly.

He’s standing beside me with a wide-legged stance, his arms folded over his chest, as he stares blankly at the man before us.

Kenny’s arms are chained above his head to two iron bolts protruding from the wall. The lashes across his ribs and back are starting to heal, and I’ve got half a mind to pour salt or alcohol into them.

“I don’t think he’s learned his lesson yet,” I spit.

Kenny glares at me from swollen, puffy eye sockets.

He doesn’t even look like the same man that he once was.

All he’s been fed the last several days have been slices of bread and cups of room-temperature water.

The lack of nourishment has been just enough to keep him alive, but minimal enough that he’s starting to look gaunt with the rapid weight loss.

Stepping forward, I grip his chin in my hand, and he pulls it away from me.

“Yeah, he still hasn’t learned his lesson. The arrogant fuck is just as dumb as he was before. That tells me that he’ll go back and do the same thing if given half a chance.”

“Then why don’t you just finish him off? It’ll be easier just to put a bullet in his brain and make sure he doesn’t repeat the same mistakes.”

“He doesn’t deserve to get off that easily, Parker. He needs to suffer the same way that he made Riley and all the other women suffer,” I disagree.

“Fuck you,” Kenny manages to utter through his broken jaw, though it doesn’t quite sound that way.

I punch him in his lips and snarl, “You just made up my mind. I think I will let you hang around a little longer to suffer.”

I ignore his whimpering as Parker and I walk to the door of the Hovel.

Once we’re back in the car and Parker’s maneuvering away from the woods, he asks, “When are you gonna tell the team what’s really going on?”

I sigh, pulling my fingers through my long, thick beard. “Don’t think it’s really useful for them to know that, Park.”

“It’ll make the difference in how they accomplish their missions.”

“Not really. They’re paid to do a job, and they do it well. I respect that.”

“Yeah, but if they knew how personal this was and how you feel about her—”

“Then they might end her before I need them to, especially Janel and Jamal.”

He snickers, “Only Malik has any sort of restraint.”

“Yeah. I want her to suffer the way that she made our family suffer. I want her to know that I caused her downfall in the end. I’m a patient man, Parker.”

“Not according to Malik.”

I glance at him. “Malik talks too much.”

“He knows that there’s more to the story, and he knows that I probably know. He’s only trying to protect you.”

“Loose lips sink ships, Parker.”

“I guess you don’t have to worry about this ship sinking then, huh?” he asks, glancing at me as we pull onto the highway.

I sigh.

“I mean, they’ve been around since almost that long, give or take a couple of years. Don’t see the harm in clueing them in,” he continues.

“To do that would mean I’d have to clue them in on all the rest. Nobody needs to know that. Fuck, if it weren’t for you being around the entire time, you wouldn’t even know it.”

Parker glares at me and shakes his head.

“Trust has always been an issue for you, hasn’t it?”

“Seeing as how I haven’t met anyone who could prove how trustworthy they are aside from you and Bayleigh, yeah, that’s an issue for me.”

Shaking his head, he asks, “What more do they need to do to prove they can be trusted?”

“Not in this game, Parker. You trust no man.”

“Why does it sound like even the trust you have for me only goes so far?”

I glance at him and then back out the window.

“That’s fucked up, Z.”

I snort.

“Do the five at least know what’s going down?”

“They don’t know the particulars, but they do know that she’s running for mayor. They know that she’s looking into Denver’s company and his finances.”

“What are they saying about that?”

“They’re getting worried, of course.”

“Why don’t you let us take her out?”

“It’s not that simple, Parker. You know that. Former D.A. One of the most prominent attorneys in this city is now running for mayor. Comes up missing or dead. That’s not a good look in anyone’s books.”

“Come on, man. You run this town.”

“Even my powers only go so far. Not that I can’t make it happen, but I have to cultivate a plan and work it detail by detail to protect everyone associated with it. When her time comes, it won’t be because she was murdered. At least not on the books anyway.”

Parker nods.

“Besides, it’s an election year.”

“All the more reason to get her out of the way as soon as possible. She’s going to stir up a hornet’s nest wherever she can, including the current mayor’s campaign, connections, and finances.

If she looks too close, and I’m sure that she will, she might find a connection to you.

That’s going to be questionable and give him a shaky chance at being reelected. ”

“Nothing leads back to me, Parker.”

“And at the same time, all roads lead back to you.”

I nod and smile. That’s just the way that I like it.

It gives me the power to run this city as I see fit, unbeknownst to its citizens.

Having sisters who hold the offices of D.A.

and city planner, a brother who owns a real estate firm, another who owns a construction firm, and a brother who’s a lead detective all work in my favor.

At any given time, I can call any one of them up to make something happen or cease to exist, and vice versa.

It works because no one knows of our relationship or ties with each other.

If Essence gets into office, not only will she bring a spotlight on that when she notices the connection, but she’ll also do everything in her power to prevent my father from being released and shake up our current power structure.

“Did you make sure that Aris took care of those initial donations that will fund her campaign?”

“Yep. They’re all set, and she’s accepted them. Once an inquiry begins, anyone will be able to see that she’s received funding from the shell company, Duke Holdings, which ties back to Bryson Gregory, one of the biggest drug dealers in the city.”

Aris created the shell company, Duke Holdings, for Bryson. Bryson works for me, and he appears to be the biggest dope dealer around, but that’s because no one knows what I really do.

They’re only aware of my umbrella firm, a private investment company, which is the front for my drug money. Under that firm, I also have a strip club, a casino, and a restaurant.

Years ago, when we lost our mother to the state mental hospital, I had no other option but to continue in the game. I stacked my money because that’s all I knew how to do. Not having any bills to pay or responsibilities, I mapped out a plan and worked the plan until it worked for me.

Staying with one friend after another and sometimes on the streets enabled me to keep my expenses down. I looked out for those friends along the way, showing my appreciation for all, they’d done.

I have a lot of friends in high places now, and I take none of them for granted. However, because of the route that I took in life, I try to stay as far away from them as possible to avoid tainting their businesses and reputations. But they’re always there if I need them, and I’m there for them.

I might have to call in plenty of favors when this is all said and done to eliminate Essence and leave her nothing but a mere, distant, and distasteful memory.