16. Kingsley #2
I stood and saw Kane heading my way. I shook my head, halting his steps and headed outside.
The taste of blood was in my mouth because of how hard I was biting my lip, and my face was twitching in anger.
This shit was way too much. Before I could get in my truck, my dad, Uncle Storm, and Uncle Jasper had caught up with me.
Dad pulled me back, and Uncle Storm closed my door.
“Nephew, where you going?” Uncle Jasper asked.
“Hunting,” I replied in an even tone.
I was going hunting alright. Both my hunting rifles were in the truck, along with another gun for protection. That muthafucka was about to meet hell’s flames. I didn’t care how long it took me to find him. I wouldn’t stop until I did. If I had to spend the rest of my life in prison, then so be it.
My dad was talking, but I didn’t hear shit he was saying. I could only see his mouth moving. I’d never been so angry in all my life. It was like all I could see was myself lighting that muthafucka up with bullets. It wasn’t until Uncle Storm grabbed my shirt and jacked me up against my truck.
“Nigga, snap out of it before this shit get you killed! We can’t go through that shit again, losing any of y’all! You hear me? Crew should still be here! We almost lost PJ! Seven got shot! Kane got shot! We cannot do this fucked up shit again!”
His eyes were glossy like he would cry any minute. Uncle Storm never cried publicly. My dad was the fairest complexioned Henderson, Uncle Marcus a close second, and his face was red as a damn fire engine. Uncle Jasper slid his hand down his face.
“Those niggas were trying to come out here after you . . . all of them, even Jacob, Christian, KJ, Rylan, Jakari, Decaurey, Brix, and Lennox. All they would have done was pumped you up and went along with you. Maybe not Lennox, but you get my point. We have to be smart about this, man. Eyes are already on us. They would know without a shadow of a doubt that it was a Henderson that killed that agent.”
My dad walked over to me as Uncle Storm finally released me and hugged me. “Don’t worry, King. He gon’ get his. You hear me? You concentrate on getting Treasure back to you and back on the right track mentally.”
I nodded, but I didn’t know how I would do that. I stepped away from them and went back inside to see the Hendersons were all locked and loaded, standing in the foyer, watching us. Kane came to me and put his arm around me.
“Whatever you need, bro, we got’chu.”
Seven, Ace, and Royal stood in front of me, waiting for the word go, I assumed.
“I’m cool, man.”
They hugged me, and we all went back inside, where Mr. Berotte and Mrs. Taylor were seated, talking to the guys of Watchful Eyes. They were huddled up, and Seneca was showing them something. Vegas and Jungle were here as well, adding their input. When they saw us reenter, they all stood.
Surprisingly, no one said a word. While they knew we were rowdy, they typically cracked jokes about it, but not this time.
I believed they knew just how much this bullshit bothered me.
I had cooled off from the level of anger I had reached, but I was still angry.
The hurt was making its way back in as well.
Once we sat, the meeting continued. Uncle Marcus and Uncle WJ gave updates about the arena, the school, our very own police force, and land we were acquiring in China.
My phone vibrated, and I saw a message from Mythic.
I looked up at him, and he was staring right at me.
I opened the thread to see what he had to say.
Treasure is coming around. She’s talking and explaining what happened. It’s like she’s having to relive all that bullshit, and I hate that for her. I’m heading out there after the meeting to see if it’s okay for you to visit.
I looked up at him and nodded. That was good news, I supposed, but I wouldn’t get my hopes up.
Treasure was just that traumatized. Just like it was hard for me, I knew it had to be hard for Mythic to not go on a damn scavenger hunt, looking for his ass.
That agent’s presence could have destroyed my future with my only love.
After Uncle WJ wrapped everything up, and Aunt Jen prayed, I headed for the exit. They were cooking, and the food would be ready soon, but I needed to breathe. Kambel was standing out there. When she saw me, she smiled.
“What’s up?” I asked her.
“Hey. Can I go inside now?”
“Yeah. The meeting is over.”
She nodded and headed inside. Ace came out behind me, getting my attention. “Aye, Uncle WJ wanna holla at’chu.”
I frowned slightly, then took a deep breath and headed back inside towards the front where they were. When he saw me, he gave me a slight smile. I shook his hand when I got close.
“So, I hear you’ve been managing the rice and grass farms, checking irrigation systems and fixing stuff that needs to be fixed.”
I shrugged and gave a somewhat timid grin. “After I leave the truck stop, going over the books and finances, I typically don’t have anything else to do. So I check behind the manager to make sure he didn’t miss anything. I just love being outside. So if I can help, I do it.”
He nodded and smiled, then pulled an envelope from his pocket.
He handed it to me, and I frowned a bit.
“This is for you, nephew. I heard that you’ve been doing that for a couple of years now.
We appreciate you looking out for the family business the way you do without even telling anybody.
I never questioned your love and loyalty, but now, there’s no one more loyal.
You deserve this plus some. I’m not gonna tell you it’s now your job to hold, because then, you may not want to do it if you know you have to. ”
He laughed, and I did too. “Thanks, Uncle WJ. I appreciate this.”
“You haven’t even looked at it. It could be a gift certificate to Golden Corral.”
“It doesn’t matter. Whatever is in here is more than what I had. I didn’t ask for it. I’m going to do what I do without compensation because I love to do it.”
He smiled, and his chest seemed somewhat puffed out.
“Kenny and Keisha raised you well, man, but your heart is pure. That’s something that can’t really be taught.
It’s just in your makeup . . . your DNA.
Don’t give up on Treasure. She’ll be back.
Ali, Chad, Mythic, and Rhodes are on their way out there now, to talk to her.
When she realizes what she took for danger was actually protection, she’s gonna reach out. ”
“Thanks, Unc. I appreciate that.”
He clapped my shoulder, then walked off. I made my way to Ace and pushed him, causing him to stumble. He frowned and asked, “What the fuck?”
I waved the envelope, and he smiled. Deciding to open it, I saw it was a cashier’s check for two years’ worth of work. Five hundred fifty grand for a yearly salary of 225 thousand. “I’m gonna split this with you,” I said to him.
“No, you ain’t, nigga. My dad is a billionaire. That means I am too. Keep that money. You earned that.”
“Because Uncle Marcus is a billionaire, we all are. Not just yo’ ass.”
He laughed. “Hell yeah,” he said and slapped my hand.
I went to the back table where my boys were.
The minute I sat, Royal said, “Nigga, I thought you was about to have all our asses locked up. You don’t usually fly off the handle, so we knew just how serious you were.
We were gonna have your back until Uncle Kenny, Uncle Storm, and Dad halted all of us. ”
“Yeah. Uncle Storm told me. That nigga had to jack me up for me to even hear what they were saying. It was like I was gone. I appreciate y’all for having my back like that though. Y’all have too much to lose. I mean, except Ace. He ain’t got nobody.”
He shoved me as we all laughed. One thing was for certain, if I didn’t have anyone else, I would always have my family. I glanced at my dad, and he nodded at me. He was handling things, like he always did.