“JD called me this morning too. Krishna told him that you were out. He’s angry, Amell. He deserves a conversation. You spoke to everyone before you went to prison but him. I never judge how you handle business. This whole mess is messy.” He sighed, shaking his head. “She deserved better than you.” She always deserved better than me.
Swallowing the harsh truth, I squeezed my hands into fist. Wasn’t no one around to receive the brunt of my stress relief. I had to endure this mess for face value. I fucked up.
“Can I use your phone?”
A smirk covered his face. “Here you go. I already dialed JD’s number.”
The line rang three times before JD picked up. “I changed my major to law because of you. What you did, how you did it, and then to get the case overturned. I know you, Amell. This was all a part of your plan, but it’s only because of her, right?”
Shame and embarrassment were only half of the emotions I felt listening to him. I stopped checking in with my brothers when it came to him. His protection would always be there but my hovering, I stopped it. Figured his life was better without me.
The moment Clover came to visit me I was shown a mirror of my mistakes and how I’m just a regular man. How my plan, though it made sense to me, showed my imperfections. Depression slipped in and I realized that I was where I needed to be.
“Your uncle isn’t no longer a threat to you or anyone else.” I rubbed my thumb over that painful sting in my chest.
“I never, not once, asked you to do anything for me.”
“You never had to. I promised your mother…”
“Who is dead.” He yelled, interrupting me. “Is this…do you think this is how she wanted your life to be? Or my Uncle Odom?” Hearing Odom’s name made my eyes sting. “Why cause so much pain over some sick fuck that was going to eventually get what he asked for? I told you because I needed you to be there for me as I healed from the trauma not to cause more pain by doing dumb shit.”
Any other time I’d cuss his ass out and it was on the tip of my tongue to do so, but what would that solve? How would that fix anything other than make him hate me more?
“I’m over you doing things for me that I never asked for. What I hate most is what you did to your brothers. The pain you caused Krishna. Y'all had an invocable love that I always wanted minus the crazy. But even then I wanted those parts too because it made it that more real. Look, I always knew where she was but telling you or anyone else never crossed my mind because I wanted her to get away. Get away from the bullshit that came with loving you. Tell Krishna I’ll be home soon. Take care, Amell.” I handed Chief back his phone and sat stunned.
JD had grown into a man. A man that had no problem telling me my wrongs. While I applauded that he listened to my life lessons on not letting another man place fear in your heart other than God, I also became angry and sad at the damage I had done.
“We’re here.” The driver announced.
After driving around for what felt like hours after we landed and we parked along a busy street with shops and boutiques. “Stay put. There goes David.”
Chief rolled down his window when David approached. “Good morning, gentlemen.” The scowl he shot my way wasn’t unnoticed. “Here are the keys to your rooms. You’ll be staying at the Waldorf Astoria which is about a mile or two from here. All expenses have been paid for so feel free to eat and do whatever until nine this evening. That’s when you both need to be at this location.” He handed him a piece of paper. “Any questions?”
“No. Thank you, David.” Chief and David shook hands before he walked off. “Ricardo, please take us to the Waldorf. I’m ready to eat and take a nap.” He spoke to the driver, but my eyes were on David who walked back across the street and stood by an black SUV.
“Wait.” I barked at the driver, making him come to halt.
“Amell, don’t make this worse on yourself.”
I ignored Chief and moved closer to the window. I’d know those burgundy curls blowing through the windy city anywhere. She wore my favorite color. A yellow maxi dress that blew making her look so regal and stunning. Her skin, cinnamon covered in sheen. Her lips covered in red lipstick. Matching yellow heels on her slender feet.
A walking piece of art.
Chief started mumbling something in his native tongue once a man emerged from the SUV. I knew from the jagged scar along his left jaw to be none other than Miguel Martinez.
He spoke to her, she giggled. I saw red. “King, I missed you.” She greeted before damn near jumping in his arms.
She called that man king.
She called him the name only suited for me.
I sat back in my seat with a smile. “Ricardo, you can drive off now.” I glanced down at the black boots on my feet.
“Are you okay?” Chief asked with much apprehension.
I nodded, my smile only growing by the second. “I am. Very good actually. She’s expecting me.”
Krishna
Amell saw me.
After two and a half long years he finally got to see me as a free woman. He got to see me smile. Got to see me dressed up. Got to see me greet another name with his kingdom name. He got to see me with Miguel. He got to see everything that I wanted him to see.
Mentally, I lost my shit when my father was murdered. Everything started unpeeling like an onion. Each layer became more and more unable to bear. In the beginning I got it. I understood Amell’s thirst to seek vengeance. I expected nothing less, but what I hadn’t expected was his need to vanish and continue to vanish.
Amell played me like a damn fool. Like his name was Geppetto and I was a puppet. Then to make matters worse he included those I thought cared and loved me in on his little scam. His brothers, I got it. Their loyalty would forever be with him first and they were just as much in the dark as I was. But Pacino and Noelani, oh that shit hurt especially knowing that Noelani knew everything and not one time did she utter a word.
I started to think about everything. Pacino never owed me loyalty. He was Amell’s friend first. But Noelani, her betrayal hurt me to my core. Amell made sure that we were introduced so he’d always have eyes on me. He used me. Took advantage of me.
I mourned four losses. Four times I had to endure crying and weeping until my soul begged me to not love another. My father had been taken away from me before I was ready for him to go. I lost my lover and everything under that umbrella. I lost my mother, who I refused to grieve for until all of this was finished.
Point blank period I wanted them all to pay and they were in the midst of feeling my rage.
The lawyers, sweet ole Mahogany and her team, were in the middle of being sued by other families for helping aid Judge Stanley in his racial hoard of prosecuting innocent men. The jury, the sweet twelve, well all of their skeletons had been plastered all over the internet, making them headline news since the case had been reopened. Each of the twelve had some sick fetish that involved children, sex trafficking, or drug abuse.
Pacino and Capone Luciano, the sweet hood royalty couple, a little birdie planted a bug in the IRS and FBI’s ear about money laundering. Whether they found anything or not wasn’t the point. It was the fact that since the law was involved too close to Pacino’s liking, that meant for all his businesses, illegal and legal, no money was coming in.