do try somethin’ slick, I will fight someone to the death, and I do keep that heat on me. I’m not a pacifist by any stretch of the imagination. Please don’t get my typically calm nature, the art, and love supreme ideology I hold dear, twisted.”
“You can trust me, King. I would never do something to hurt you. I told you I see you as a son, and I mean that. I didn’t even want to make this call. I feel like a fuckin’ idiot right now. I should’ve trusted my gut and not done it but at the same time, I was hoping we could negotiate so that all parties could be happy. If I don’t come up with a compromise, Lincoln could threaten to shut the whole thing down.”
King took a deep breath and massaged his forehead, trying to think.
“I’ll talk to you outside the building. My girlfriend is over here. The last thing I want is for her to overhear any more of this shit.”
“I’m coming right over. See you in forty minutes. I hope that—”
King disconnected the call before the bastard could finish his sentence.
Suri looked at him, crossing her arms, her lips twisted and worry etched across her face.
“King, what the hell is going on?”
“As soon as I open up as you encouraged me to, this is the sort of shit that happens.”
“Oh, so this is my fault now?” She frowned, pointing to herself.
“Of course not! I’m tellin’ you, baby, people aren’t shit! Do you see why I believe that now? Lincoln is trying to steal some of my stake in our deal and Ricky’s ass is letting him do it. I’ve got court coming up and could do jail time if things don’t go well. The art show is approaching and I’m not even half way finished with the paintings. I’m exhausted and I’m trying to fix everything in a short amount of time. My mother is depressed and barely eating because Tomas left rehab and once again no one knows where the hell he is. The car is still M.I.A. My stepfather has had it up to here with Tomas and it’s putting a strain on their marriage; so much so, divorce is not out of the question. And then, my father is going ape shit because he promises if I spend one more fuckin’ night in jail on account of my brother, he’s going to make Tomas pay. Everyone who knows Brian knows he means every damn word of that. This can’t go down like this. My life is crazy right now and I hate drama, you know that, and I’m sorry you’re wrapped up in this shit. My life is never this exciting,” He smiled sadly at her. “But right now, things are completely out of control. Regardless, I got this. I will take care of it.”
“You’re not Superman, King. You can’t be everything and everywhere. All you can do is be the best you can be, and try.”
“You’re wrong. You’ve fallen in love with an ambitious man who knows exactly what he’s doing, in part thanks to you. Let me tell you something, Suri. I can do everything I put my damn mind to. I believe in me. I believe in you. I believe in us.” Her expression softened as he grabbed her arms and brought her in for a hug. “And this shit right here is not going to end some kind of fucked up way. You can bet on that. Watch Superman in action. Bet you didn’t know Clark Kent was born and raised in Harlem…”
Suri sat in King’s apartment and cracked the window. A blustery cool breeze flowed in as she absently flipped through the canvases, while trying to eavesdrop. She drew closer to the window, peeling back the curtain as King walked to the shiny black car. Ricky got out, wearing a dark suit. She could see his Rolex sparkling and a half smile crease his face. She heard them speaking, but couldn’t make out much, so she lifted the window a bit higher, and could now hear things much better.
“So, I mean, that’s where we’re at with this. Come on now.”
“Come on nothin’, Ricky.” King waved off the man and took a couple steps back. “I’m done. Cut me a check for the designs. I want nothing else to do with Lincoln from this day forward. I will work at Alpha until you find someone else. That’s it.”
“King, what are you talking about? Why would