Chapter 18 Rowan
“Mr. Reid, we have an issue.”
Hector was the first to greet me once I stepped onto the construction site. I frowned as I looked around because no one seemed as if they were enthused to be here today.
“May I speak with you for a moment?” he said, continuing to follow me from my car to my office trailer.
Sighing heavily, I invited him inside as I unlocked the door. I was fighting a major headache, and I wasn’t in the mood for any bullshit this early in the morning. My life had gone to shit, which was where I assumed the headache was stemming from, and I was grasping to pick up the pieces.
“I have a lot of work ahead of me, so let’s make this quick.” I sighed as I eased into my desk chair, dropping my work bag on my desk. “What seems to be the issue?”
“The issue is that no one received their direct deposits yesterday, and we would like to know why?” he asked sternly as he stood in front of my desk. “The fellas are threatening to go home until they’re paid.”
With my heart beating rapidly in my chest, I took a deep breath.
I knew some shit like this was going to happen, but I thought I had time to make it right.
I’d always tried to keep my personal problems away from my corporate business, but this time, it was inevitable.
I’d begun to pinch from my business account to support my habits, along with paying debts that put me in worse situations than I’d imagined.
I hated that my crew would pay for it, but with no money to pay them, I was fucked.
“I’m not sure what the issues are, but I will call the bank as soon as they open,” I responded coolly, trying my best to keep all the panic I felt out of my voice. “Is there anything else I need to be aware of? Do you all have everything you need to start the day?”
Eyeing me, he nodded before his shoulders dropped.
Hector was a good man, but I knew he was losing patience.
“I’m not sure what’s going on, Boss, but please get it together if we want to meet deadlines.
The crew is ready to quit and find work elsewhere, and to be honest, so am I.
Between vendor issues and failed payments, this work environment is no longer a place of certainty.
We have families to feed and bills to pay, just like you, Mr. Reid.
We have decided that until we are paid for our hours worked, we will be going home.
As soon as you have the issues resolved, give me a call, and I will let the guys know so we can come back. ”
Nothing else was said as he turned to leave the office. I wanted to be angry at him and tell him he had me fucked up, but I was wrong in this situation. On his way out, he came face-to-face with an angry TJ. Nothing was said between the two men as one left and the other walked in.
“I see you’ve been pissing off the crew already.” He smirked, hands in his pockets as he rocked in place. “How are you doing, brother-in-law?”
“Is that what we are? From what my father tells me, Blossom has called it quits because of that little situation with Lisa.” I grinned as the smirk fell right off his face.
“There’s no way you thought that you could get away with hitting that girl, TJ.
Not only from your department, but my sister as well.
” I simpered as he frowned deeply. “Unlike you, I don’t like to kick a man while he’s down.
Have a seat and tell me what I can do for you. ”
Eyeing me momentarily, he removed his hands from his pockets and took the offered seat. I knew he was pissed about his suspension, as well as my sister leaving him, but I really didn’t care. If I didn’t get the money to pay Dame soon, Blossom wouldn’t be a worry of his anymore anyway.
“Have you spoken to Blossom lately? I’ve gone by her house, but she won’t answer the door or my calls. She’s not even at work.” He dropped his head down into his hands. “I know she’s not going to let one mistake take away everything we’ve built.”
“What?” I scoffed as I stood from my desk and walked toward my office window.
The sound of cars and gravel caught my attention, and my heart fell to my stomach once I realized that my crew was really leaving.
“Look, fuck Blossom. You’re better off without the bitch anyway.
I have real problems that need to be solved, and a broad that won’t let you fuck isn’t one. ”
Going back to my desk, I logged into my personal and business accounts, hoping that a miracle had occurred. As I stared at the screen, the same negative numbers from yesterday flashed in red. There was no way I was going to be able to pay the guys today— hell, not tomorrow either.
“Man, why in the hell do you hate that girl so much?” He lifted his head and placed his elbows on his knees, leaning forward in his seat. “Your sister loves you and cares about you, even though you don’t deserve it, and you always give her your ass to kiss. What the fuck is up?”
“Fuck her!” I hissed, jerking my head from facing the screen to face him. “From the moment she entered this world, she’s been a pain in my ass. She is the reason my mother is dead! She is the reason my life has gone to shit!”
“Bro, you need a therapist.” He shook his head in disbelief. “Your mother died when you were nine from suicide. She had mental health issues that she couldn’t deal with. How is that Blossom’s fault?”
“If Carlton had stayed with my mother and raised me, Blossom wouldn’t have been born!
” I jumped from my seat and shouted. “She and her whore of a mother took everything from me! I will never love her! Carlton thinks she’s so perfect and treats that bitch like she’s gold.
Her day is coming, and I hope I’m around to see her life go to shit just like mine. ”
Thinking of my sister caused something in me to snap.
Swiping everything from my desk, I felt myself engulfed in rage as I tore up everything in sight.
The more damage I did, the more I realized it wasn’t just Blossom.
It was the debt I was in that could cause me to lose my life that had me spiraling.
It was the fact that I’d turned my business and life into one big clusterfuck.
Lastly, it was the fact that I hadn’t had a hit in days.
Chris still wasn’t answering his phone, and that was pissing me off and scaring me at the same time.
I didn’t want to face the truth about my missing friend.
“Man, let me get up out of here because you have lost your damn mind.” TJ stood from his seat, shaking his head. “I thought I was going to come here, vent about my bitch, and see if you wanted to head back to Willow Springs. I might have another in, and—”
Knock! Knock!
Chest heaving, I stilled at hearing the taps on my door.
Dragging my eyes to TJ, he sighed heavily as he walked over and opened the door.
I prayed it wasn’t Dame since my week was up, and I was relieved to see it was just the delivery man.
Looking from the mess around my office to me to TJ, he shrugged as he held a box in his hands.
“Delivery for Rowan Reid,” he stated from the doorway and eyed me. “That’s you?”
“Y-Yeah.” I nodded, wiping sweat from my brow. “Who’s this from?”
“No return label,” is all he said before stepping inside and handing it over. “Have a good day.”
Not waiting for me to ask anything else, he left as quickly as he came. Glancing back over to TJ, he was now propped against the wall, arms folded, with a sour look on his face.
“Listen, man, I need help…” I began to speak as I placed the medium-sized box on my desk. “I’m in a bad spot financially, and if I don’t pay some people, they’re going to kill me… and take Blossom.”
“Nigga, what?” he yelled before rushing back over to my desk. “What the fuck you mean by take Blossom? What the fuck have you done, Row?”
“I just told you. I need money. I don’t have the drugs Chris and I split from the hit anymore, but if we could get more, I could find someone to flip it for the cash.
” I began to ramble as I fumbled with the box.
Using the box cutter, I ripped through the tape, and a foul odor hit me immediately. “I’ll do right this time. I’ll—Ahhhh!”
Swatting the box away from me, I watched in horror as Chris’s decapitated head rolled out of the box and around my office floor, aimlessly. His face was bruised badly with his eyes and tongue missing, but I knew for sure it was him.
“What the fuck?!” TJ screeched as he jumped back so Chris’s head wouldn’t touch him. “That’s a fuckin’ head!” He went still before his eyes stretched wide. “They know! They fuckin’ know!”
“Who knows what?” I shook in fear, unable to take my eyes off my friend’s head. This explained why he hadn’t returned my calls and messages. “Who could have done this?”
“Those fuckin’ McKnights!” My eyes rolled to TJ as he paced the floor in thought, continuing to spazz. “They fuckin’ found out about Chris, which means they know about you. Fuck! They might know about me, too, goddammit!”
He stopped in his tracks, snapping his head at me.
I watched him grip his collar as he frantically looked from me to Chris’s head.
Beginning to pace and ramble again, I tuned him out as I realized my shit had just gotten messier.
I was broke, owed Dame a huge amount of money, owed my workers their salaries, didn’t have any business funding, had contracts I needed to fulfill to not ruin my company’s reputation, and now I had some niggas gunning for me because I followed up TJ’s stupid ass to rob their trap house in Willow Springs.
Looking back up to TJ, I couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped my lips. Just a few minutes ago, I was him, and now he was me.
“We have to kill them! We have to get them before they get us,” he stated with finality.