Chapter 16 #2
The scoff Relic let out behind Kennedy made her giggle as she moved aside to wait. Had she not been there, she’d bet Relic would’ve requested every unused dime back, even if the money was circling back to him since it was his food truck. She didn’t miss the fact that neither he nor Judith attempted to acknowledge one another like a normal mother and son who loved one another would. Like she’d seen Judith interact with Shabu and Titan earlier.
Her stare found its way to Relic’s stern face, inspecting his distinct features for signs of it affecting him, but none were present. He was cool as a cucumber because the slightest break in character was a transgression to him.
“Here you go!” Judith called, stealing her attention away from Relic. Kennedy pushed out a sigh when he reached for the food before she could to inspect it.
“What kind are these?”
“I know what you eat, boy!” Judith snapped on him, slamming two waters on the counter, although he hadn’t requested one. “She likes the pork patties, too. I’m sure she got that from you.”
“Larenn, grab the waters and come on.”
Relic walked away without confirming nor denying his mother’s assumption. Kennedy could tell from his tight mouth and abrupt departure that Judith had struck a nerve, and it wasn’t the best time to combat him, although she’d planned to stay as far away from him as possible during the game. A soft spot she hadn’t realized she formed for Relic wouldn’t allow her to ignore the signs of him being triggered. She went to grab the waters but paused when Judith clasped a hand around her wrist.
“Stay right there. Let me talk to you for a second. Esther, take over for me.”
Kennedy immediately glanced behind her for Relic, uncertain whether to wait or ignore her like he’d done. She cursed under her breath after locating him already by the wooden bleachers where his brothers and her girls were sitting. After an internal debate as she tucked her waters beneath an arm, she chose to stay. Curiosity convinced Kennedy to wait because she hoped whatever their conversation entailed would give her insight on Judith’s reasoning for treating Relic the way she had and vice versa. She hoped it gave her a closure she could relay to him, whether he desired it or not.
Something told her that he did.
Uproarious shouting from the game commencing caused her to shift from one foot to the other in impatience as Judith climbed down from the food truck and made her way over. She gave the gorgeous woman with a petite frame and sister locs lifted into a bun a once over, but Judith’s inspection was bold and apparent. The lady didn’t even attempt to hide it. Kennedy went on the defense as Judith strolled up to her like a mother ready to defend her cub if necessary. If it came down to it, Kennedy had no qualms with defending him, too.
“You know, I never got to meet my grandson’s mother.” Judith started with that, drying her hands on her apron with a sigh. “Jahleel just popped out of nowhere, and then his mother was gone before I could stress the issue of getting to know her. I Never met any of Relic’s women to be honest, but I doubt he was ever serious with one. Did he call you larenn?”
“He did.”
Judith tsked. “That’s what I thought. So, how long has he been dating you right under our noses?”
“We aren’t and have never dated.”
“Sweetheart, I know my sons. Believe it or not, I know Relic more than any of them.”
“I highly doubt that,” Kennedy clipped, and Judith cocked her head with laser beams for eyes.
“There it is. That fire I knew you had in you the second you smacked my son’s hand away, and he stood there like a sick puppy instead of reacting. I’m not surprised he’d latch on to a girl like you.”
“Like me. What is that supposed to mean?”
“It means, he wouldn’t end up with a bouzen like Titan’s girlfriend. He’s possessive and likes to own things. Relic wouldn’t end up with a soft, pretty little thing like Savvy either because she’s too tolerating. He’d walk all over someone like her. I can tell that you’ll give him hell, though, and that’s exactly what he needs.”
“I beg to differ. I think Relic has been through enough hell in his life.”
That pulled a chuckle out of Judith as she propped a hand on her hip. “Hmph. From that slick tongue of yours, I guess he’s talked to you about me.”
“Briefly. You’re not a topic of his conversations, Ms. Judith.”
“And I bet, that it’s all bad whenever I am. Relic thinks I’m the worst mother on earth, and I’ve made my mistakes with them, but he’s not perfect either.”
Kennedy released a wry laugh and tossed her head. She could tell their chat was on a one-way street going to nowhere fast.
“Look, I can assure you that Relic doesn’t think he’s perfect. So much so, he tears himself down more than anyone else ever could, and I wonder where he gets it from.”
“Are you blaming me?” Judith jutted a finger to her chest and snorted a breath. “You even sound like him. Anything I’ve said or done to Relic, he’s brought on himself. I tried to love and build a relationship with him, but he wouldn’t let me because he was so attached to his father. He saw me the way Joseph did, so—”
“You shunned him. You placed him in the same category as his father when he was just a child, looking for the love his siblings got. A mother’s love.”
“And what? You think you can fix him and give him the love that he claimed I didn’t?”
“Never. I’m not a coddler for one, and for two, Relic doesn’t need fixing. He’s already put himself back together, no matter how fragmented and disassembled the pieces are. He did it on his own because he had no choice, and I accept him for who he is.”
“Even knowing about his condition?”
That insinuation caused her eyes to squint behind her sunshades. Kennedy was thankful that she’d covered them to not give away the fact that Judith had rattled her a bit with that information. The quirk Judith’s mouth made told Kennedy that she hadn’t concealed her reaction as much as she believed.
“Hmm, you don’t know. The way you talk about him, I assumed that you did. Relic has dissociative disorder.”
Kennedy cringed like cold water had been splashed in her face at his diagnosis. Judith looked pleased with having one up on her, but Kennedy couldn’t formulate a comeback since she was stuck trying to swallow the big ass pill that she’d been dosed.
The mood swings.
The hot and cold.
The affection and rejection.
The signs had been there, but Kennedy mistook them for Relic pushing her away when he was truly struggling to process his emotions.
“Like split personalities?” she verified, but Judith shook her head.
“Oh no baby. One thing for sure, Relic will always be Relic. His disorder hasn’t gotten that bad as far as I know. He only went to a psychiatrist once per a request from school, and he lost it when he got the diagnosis. He hasn’t gone back since.
“I should’ve known something was off with him because he used to flip out so fast. When he wasn’t doing that, it was like nothing around him existed until he wanted to acknowledge it. He was offensive and disrespectful with no remorse for his behavior. He believed it was all justified. They told us that it was his way of escaping reality and suppressing emotions. Relic detached because—”
“He heard Joseph beating your ass since he was a kid. For damn near a decade,” Kennedy finished, making Judith’s eyes round. “He’s tuned you two out since he was young. Fished with his father because it felt like an escape from that house. His disorder is from traumatic events and PTSD that he learned to cope with because neither of you noticed or fucking cared. At the end of the day, his flaws, shortcomings, and inabilities to properly love someone, even his damn self, boils down to you and his father. I won’t even get on the shit that man taught him. Don’t sit here and paint him out as a defective monster to me when you handed him the tools to become it.”
“Kennedy!” That commanding voice barking behind them caused her features to pinch before she spun to face Relic. He snatched off his shades to leer at her. “Getcho ass over here, now.”
She didn’t give his mother the courtesy of a goodbye glance as she stomped over to him, hitching a breath when he clasped a hand on her arm before dragging her aside so that there were no prying ears nearby. Kennedy jerked away as soon as his hold on her slackened.
“I don’t know how much you heard, but she—”
“I know,” he cut her off to say, causing her mouth to clamp shut. “I’ve known Judith all my life. She meddles. She did the same shit with Shabu and Savvy, but you should’ve left when I did or ignored her.”
“But I—”
“Ignore her, Kennedy.” His command came with assertive eye contact that let her know, he wasn’t fucking around. “Let me deal with Judith because that’s not and will never be your place. That’s where I draw the line. You can’t do the shit I do when it comes to her.”
“Are you defending her?”
“I’m telling you to let me deal with her how I see fit because shit has never been cut and dry with us.”
When Kennedy’s mouth dropped, appalled, Relic sighed before twiddling with his watch—removing it from his wrist to flip over and let her examine the inscription. Kennedy read the familiar phrase before she grew more heated than while talking to Judith.
“Blue eyed devil. She put that on a fucking watch, and you never take this shit off, Relic! Why would you torture yourself like this? I don’t get it.”
“ My blue-eyed devil. When she referred to me at the food truck while I was near, I was Relic. What did she call me while you two were speaking in private?”
Kennedy’s heart shattered for him, knowing he was holding on to the smallest slices of hope, even if he refused to admit it.
“She said my son.”
“Even when I was the cursed child, I was her cursed child , Kennedy. We don’t see eye to eye, but Judith has never abandoned me. She didn’t cut ties with me, even when I treated her like shit, while the nigga I worshipped shipped me off after Shabu did what he did. Judith will probably never love me, but she’ll never wash her hands of me either because I’m still her son.”
In that instance, Kennedy saw the rare innocence that Relic had once possessed. That little kid inside of him who was waiting and hoping he was seen—waiting for a love he’d never receive because his mother didn’t know how to give it in the way it was required for him to process it. He didn’t know how to show it either, which was why he kept his distance while taking care of Judith’s every need. They’d never find a common ground. Their torrent past was a dysfunctional upbringing seen from two very unique lenses; they’d never align.
“Okay.” Kennedy conceded, knowing there was nothing she could say or do to sway his opinion otherwise. “I get it.”
Relic nodded, placing on his shades before reclasping on his watch that Kennedy itched to snatch and toss across the field. Her eyes flitted to his neck, narrowing as she tried to catch the gleam of a gold link. She didn’t see it.
“Where’s your necklace?”
His head shot up before he acted like a common nigga for the second time since she’d known him. “Huh?”
“You heard me, so I’m not repeating myself.”
“Hold that thought. My phone is ringing,” he replied with a smirk, fishing it out of his pocket before frowning. He held it out for her to take and directed, “Answer this, and curse her ass out if she’s on some dumb shit.”
Kennedy had never snatched someone’s phone so damn fast in her life.
Logan’s name blaring across the screen immediately sent her mind reeling with thoughts of whether Relic had been with the simp ass girl again in her absence. She’d learned to not inquire about shit she didn’t truly want answers to, so she bit her tongue and picked up the phone.
“Good afternoon. You’ve reached Relic’s line. How may I assist you?” She put on her professional voice as Relic snorted a low laugh.
“Who is this?”
Her head snapped back at Logan questioning her like the bitch had clout. She bit her bottom lip and took a moment to not react like she was pressed or worried about every woman in Relic’s stable that he’d fucked while she was paying him dust.
“Again. This is Relic’s line, and he’s indisposed at the moment. Would you like to leave a message?”
“Whoever this is, tell him that he should really take this call because my man has information that can help him. Tell his ass that!”
“Where is your man, and when and where can they meet?” Kennedy dropped the teasing and jumped straight into business mode. Her eyes homed in on Relic as his posture grew rigid. “Hello?”
“Either put Relic on the line or—”
“Look, you dumb, delusional, ditzy ass bitch! I tried to be nice, but now you’re pissing me off. Do you think we have time for your fucking emotions when there is real business to handle? He’s not in the mood to get his dick sucked, so either put your man on the phone, or tell us where to meet him. As a matter of fact, I’ll send you a location to meet him. If I don’t get a confirmation back within five minutes, I will ruin your life and beat your ass just because it’ll make me feel good. I’m hanging up, and your goofy ass better not call back.”
Kennedy banged in Logan’s ear before sending their location to her through text. When she stuffed his cell in her back pocket, Relic stared for a few seconds but then let her have it and grabbed the waters from beneath her arm.
“Do you want me to order more patties?”
Her eyes bulged. “You ate them all?!”
“While you were too busy gossiping with Judith about my personal business that wasn’t hers to tell, yes. I’ll check her about that shit later, but what all did she say?”
“Nothing that matters to me. Let’s watch the game until Tolli gets here because I know we’ve missed Jah tearing up the field.”
Kennedy rushed off before Relic could interrogate her further. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind that he was aware of the information Judith told her, but she didn’t want to admit it. She didn’t want to give him a reason to assume that she saw him in any light other than the one he’d shone on himself, exposing his beauty and ugliness that had kept her away for a month while she rebalanced after allowing him to knock her off kilter.
Although she sympathized with Relic, nothing had changed after seeing his handsome face. Kennedy had every intention of remaining distant while doing what her contract required, so she could stack her bread while moving on with her life. Relic had chosen himself, and she was doing the same. Anything in between was null and void.
Once they found seats next to his family, Kennedy pulled out her laptop so that she could get some work done while watching the game. Jahleel had put himself on her calendar every Saturday, so she made it her mission to attend if her hair appointment schedule didn’t conflict. She hadn’t run into issues so far.
“What are you doing?” Her eyes flicked to Relic as he sat down. He scanned the mockup flyer on her screen before reading, “Blaise’n Mics Fest. What the hell is that?”
“An event that me and Treasure are working on. We figured instead of the team waiting for show invites, we could create our own. I’m still looking into the numbers, location, and if it’s worth the stress, but I think it’ll be good for them. We can add a few mainstream artists as well to create a bigger buzz. What do you think?”
Relic leaned against her and grabbed her arm, rolling her sleeve to her elbow so that he could glide his fingers across her scars while tracking Jahleel dashing across the field.
“I think that whatever you come up with is fine, Kennedy. It’s your world.”
“Is it, really?”
“Until I say otherwise, absolutely.”
She hummed at that and placed her attention back on her laptop screen. With the way Relic switched up on her at the blink of an eye; her world ownership could get revoked at any given moment.
Kennedy struggled to finish her tasks with him gripping her arm like she’d run off if he let her go. It didn’t help that anytime she glanced up to check out Jahleel’s game, Savvy’s bright hazels were pinned on her with an amused smirk that only they could decipher. Kennedy tried her hardest not to laugh because she couldn’t imagine the shit going through Savvy’s mind after she’d cursed Relic to hell for hours on the phone with her girl after the shooting incident. She also knew Savvy wasn’t judging since her friend had been there and done that.
“Oh, shit, bro! You see phew!” Shabu hopped up, and Relic did the same, almost knocking the laptop off her thighs.
“My phone, Kennedy! Where’s my phone?”
“Oh!”
She shot up, retrieving it from her pocket before freezing at Logan’s name on the screen. Kennedy hadn’t even felt it vibrate. Her stomach coiled and filled with nerves as she peered up to see Relic clapping and cheering as Jahleel scored his first touchdown. When Relic looked over at her with the proudest smile, it waned as he studied her face and glanced down at his phone.
“You gon’ answer it, or should I?”
Kennedy expelled a heavy push of air before picking it up. “Hello?”
“We’re here and parked at the end of the street. He’ll have to walk to us since it’s too many people for my man to get out. Hurry up.”
Logan ended the call before Kennedy could, and she made a mental note to slap that bitch once Relic got the information he needed from Tolliver.
“They’re here, but you have to walk to meet them,” she told him, handing over his phone.
“Alright. Let’s get this over with.”
“Relic, I’m not—”
“Don’t do this to me right now, Larenn. Any other time, I’d let you walk. I’d let you believe you were cutting me off for good when I know it’s not the case since you’ve gotten attached to me like I have you. You got me this arrangement, so let’s finish what we started together. This ain’t the time to fold.”
“Y’all good?” Shabu asked, staring between the two as he reclaimed his seat. He didn’t let on that he’d heard his brother and wanted to intervene before Kennedy broke the little piece of heart the nigga had left. “You need me to run somewhere with you, bro?”
“No, I need Kennedy. I need my partner.”
Need was a word Kennedy couldn’t fathom Relic meaning, but it sounded good falling from his lips. It hugged her heart and stroked her pussy, weakening her defenses as his pleading eyes bore through her shades to coax her into agreeing. One thing she’d learned about Relic was that with every falsity he told came a pinch of truth. He’d just convinced himself that the sweet lies held more weight to women, while she preferred swallowing his harsh honesty. Their stare off didn’t last long before she caved.
“You’re such a fucking con artist, Relic. It should be a crime,” she muttered.
He confirmed her accusation when he and Shabu burst into laughter, but she still packed up her laptop to follow his fucking lead because his infrequent, panty-wetting smile and joyous laughter sealed the deal. Her heart flurried when his thick fingers linked through hers, helping her down from the bleachers before they began trekking toward the sidewalk. It didn’t take long for his hold to lessen until his hand slipped from hers as they crossed the parking lot. Kennedy didn’t mind it because the gesture was a feat in itself for him. If she didn’t know any better, she’d swear he was trying to show her that he liked her.
“I think that’s him in the car near the stop sign,” he told her with those keen eyes sweeping the area before he proceeded.
Kennedy knew he was paranoid since Slim’s death had opened a door to beef he didn’t need. It was the reason Drish, along with a few others, were posted in the field to ensure Jahleel didn’t get caught up in the crossfire. Had Relic not promised to attend his son’s games, Kennedy doubted he would’ve shown his face. He handled his business and then crawled back into his hermit shell of a life she was convinced had been drab as hell until she’d entered it.
His hand rested on her back as they started to cross the street, and she shrieked when he suddenly yanked her backward onto the curb by her jersey. Kennedy bucked her eyes in confusion until a car she hadn’t seen in almost a month sped down the street with those bright flames along the side and engine roaring as it hightailed it before she got a good glimpse inside to confirm her suspicions. Lomar had soft ghosted her after she stood him up the night of the shooting—going from claiming it was cool to rejecting their lunch dates, and then disappearing altogether. Seeing the car she assumed was his took her aback.
Her eyes refused to leave it as it hit a hard turn, escaping her vision while she tried recalling a few numbers from his license plate to validate it was him. The thought to call him crossed her mind, but she doubted he’d answer after feeling slighted by her.
“You good, Kennedy?” Relic stole her attention, and she nodded before crossing the street with her eyes downcast to the road. “You sure? You look like you just saw a ghost or some shit.”
That statement lifted her eyes to his face because she couldn’t decide whether he was being genuine or it held an underlying meaning. She decided it best to ignore him as they neared Tolliver’s car while Logan climbed out the passenger side to meet them.
“Relic.” Her tone was clipped as she strutted up to them, holding out the folder with her almond eyes slit as they drifted to Kennedy and then back to him. “Matching jerseys? This is what she gets while I get your ass to kiss like I haven’t been holding you down?”
“And that’s exactly why I get what I do,” Kennedy retorted, snatching the folder to pop Logan on the head with it. “Wake the hell up! Do your job, get your bread, and move around. Stop begging him to fuck with you because you know he doesn’t give a damn. If you’re going to play the game, then play it to win. Don’t let it play you. Tell Tolliver he’ll have his funds by end of day.”
There was nothing left to converse about, so Kennedy strode off with Relic on her heels. He yanked the folder from her hands and opened it as they crossed the street, skimming the substantial evidence that’d been built against him over the past year.
“So, that’s what you’re doing, big dog Kennedy? Playing the game.” His tone was casual, but his mind had latched on to that small detail the second she’d said it.
“Always. You just can’t see my vision because I’m playing the long game, while you’re too busy trying to rush the process.”
“Clearly, I didn’t rush this shit enough because I’m out of time.”
“What?”
Kennedy’s heart dropped to the soles of her feet as she slowed to a stop as Relic did the same. She yanked his arm toward her so that she could see the paperwork, and her stomach coiled so tight she thought she’d vomit while scanning the lengthy reports of surveillance photos, financial records, arson, murder, and confidential informants whose names were blacked out so that it was unknown. Everything Relic had done was there in black and white. When she tried to turn the page in search of the in-depth details, he tugged away and flipped the folder shut.
“I knew it was coming. I was hoping for the best but preparing for the worst.”
“No. Fuck no! You can’t just accept that, Relic!” she shouted, gripping her head as it throbbed. Her chest constricted and throat clogged, blocking her unsteady breaths that came out rugged. “I mean, we can still fix it, right? There’s a way.”
“If you believe that, then tell me what it is, and I’ll do it.”
Her mouth gaped and closed before her eyes flitted to the field where the game was still going on. Relic had just met his son but was being snatched away just as fast. See couldn’t imagine how Shabu and Titan would flip out once they got the news. All their worlds were a countdown away from being flipped upside down because Relic was the head of the snake—the leader that kept their family afloat and on top. If he was taken off his throne, their empire would crumble.
“Your emotions are showing, Larenn.” Relic cupped her chin and brushed his palm over her cheek to clear away the stray tear that fell. Kennedy hadn’t noticed it. “Are you going to miss me when I’m gone?”
“No, because you’re not going anywhere. I don’t know what fucking magic trick we’re going to pull out our asses, but we’ll fix it.”
“We?”
“Yes, we. I’m the queen, Relic. How do you expect to win without me?”
Just like that, Kennedy allowed him to rope her back into his world. She couldn’t ignore the tethered connection that told her, it was precisely where she belonged.
Relic swiped a hand down his mouth and hid the grin threatening to break free on his face. He didn’t expect anything less of Kennedy because she loved challenges, so she’d always stay insistent that he won.
“I’m getting picked up soon, and there’s no way around it. I’ll need you to play your position. You have to do everything I’ve taught you in my absence, Kennedy, and what’s in this folder stays between us. My family will know when they know.”
“Heard.” Her head bobbed in confirmation before her shoulder slouched as she admitted, “I need a minute to process this shit. I didn’t think I’d care this much.”
“I could say the same, but here we are.” His fingers gravitated to his favorite spot on her neck, grazing over her imperfections like reading braille. He tipped her head and pressed his mouth against hers before whispering, “Let’s detach, Larenn.”