Chapter 15 Sincere Bellamy
SINCERE BELLAMY
Kai was already at the bar when I walked into the upscale lounge downtown. A bartender in a fitted black vest stood in front of Kai, pouring a drink that cost way more than it should.
Now that Christmas and New Year’s were over, it was time to get back to business.
The holidays had been different this year.
I had spent Christmas and New Year’s with Rhythm.
With Mothers of the Block right around the corner, Rhythm had been focused on creating the strongest pieces she’d ever produced.
But somehow, I still managed to pull her away from the canvas long enough to celebrate the holidays with me.
Things had been going so smooth with us that I had been reluctantly waiting for the other shoe to drop.
But it never did. If anything, she got doper the more I learned her.
She was only becoming more beautiful, more real, and more intense as time went on.
But I had been forced to crawl from under her and get back to business. Jamir had done his homework. Kai was being funded by The Crown, a Dominican crew known for moving messy. They were also known for washing money through construction and real estate when they could get a foot in the door.
“Kai,” I greeted as I approached him.
“Sincere,” he replied.
I took the seat beside him and the bartender silently signaled if I needed anything. I shook my head. I hadn’t planned on staying long. Mothers of the Block was finally happening tonight, and I wanted to get to Voss early to make sure everything was exactly how it needed to be for Rhythm.
“I hear you’ve been busy.”
Kai smirked. “I’ve been busy doing my job, just like everyone else.”
I angled my brow dramatically. “Your job? Or someone else’s?”
He reacted with a superb poker face.
I leaned back slightly. “It’s interesting how much attention you’re giving this project.”
“I’m just trying to protect the community, Brotha.”
I let him sip his drink before I said it. “All this ‘for the people’ talk is a front. You’re not fighting for the community. You’re dancing for whoever’s filling your pockets.”
Kai didn’t look at me, focusing on his glass. “Excuse me?”
“The Crown,” I said calmly. “They’re backing you.”
That got his attention. He set his glass down slowly, measuring me. “You’re reaching.”
I grinned cockily. “I don’t reach. They want something, and they’re telling you to stall the project until we give it to them.”
Kai’s response was uncomfortable silence that looked a little scared too.
He exhaled through his nose. “Let’s not pretend your people are clean either.” Then he held my gaze.
We both knew what that meant.
Finally, he dropped the act. “Fine. Yes, the Crown is involved. But don’t act self-righteous. You and I both know neither of us are moving independently. So I trust you won’t expose me. That wouldn’t end well for either of us.”
“What do they want?”
“Thirty percent ownership.” I laughed so loud that I got the attention of other businessmen around me who were talking money and deals.
“When the building sells units, they get paid.”
I laughed harder.
“When rent comes in, they get paid. When the value goes up, they get paid.”
“And if we don’t?” I asked, still cracking up.
Kai didn’t find my laughter humorous at all.
In fact, it was pissing him the fuck off.
“If you don’t play ball, we’ll slow everything down.
We’ll drag the permits out. We’ll make the city come back and inspect every little thing.
And we’ll start whispering to the feds about where your money came from.
You know how fast gossip turns into a real investigation. ”
I stayed silent to make him think he had put a little fear in me, but inside, I was calculating my next move.
I stood slowly, buttoning my jacket. “I’ll talk to my partners.”
He nodded once.
As I turned to leave, he added casually, “And for the record, I wasn’t the one who leaked that the Cartiers were behind the project.”
I paused.
“There’s still a leak,” he continued. “Someone else wants you exposed. It’s not me.”
That part mattered more than that goofy ass thirty percent The Crown would never fucking get.
But I just nodded and walked to the elevator without looking back.
After the meeting with Kai, I went straight to Cartier headquarters to update Saint, Legend, and Icon.
“Kai confirmed it. He’s backed by the Crown.”
Saint stopped pacing near the window in the office. “I’m killing that pussy ass nigga.”
“They want thirty percent,” I continued. “And if we don’t give it to them, Kai will stall zoning, trigger audits, and start whispering to the feds.”
Legend’s jaw flexed. “He really said that?”
I nodded once. “In plain English.”
Saint barked out a laugh that wasn’t funny.
“Thirty percent? Of what we built? I’ll put thirty percent of them in the ground then.
Bet.” Saint’s nostrils flared as he started to pace quickly while punching the palm of his hand.
“They think they can extort us? In our city? I’ll kill every one of them motherfuckas and bury them right on that land.
They wanna be part of the project? I’ll make sure they never leave it.
We can build on top of their dead bodies since they want to be a part of it so fucking bad. ”
“Saint,” I said calmly.
“No, don’t ‘Saint’ me,” he shot back. “You already know I don’t take threats lightly.”
Legend leaned back in his chair, watching Saint spiral.
“I’ll make it so expensive to breathe in this city they beg to leave.”
I stepped forward slightly. “Listen to me.”
Saint pointed at me. “This is why we should’ve handled this a long time ago. We should’ve killed them. These motherfuckas think we pussy now.”
“You wanted us to start a city-wide war over some protests?” I probed.
He stepped closer to me, eyes wild. “It ain’t about protests. It’s about respect.”
I corrected, “It’s about leverage.”
Saint’s chest was rising and falling hard now. “Leverage? They’re trying to tax us.”
“They’re trying to bait us. They want us to overreact so they can ruin us.”
That made him pause.
“Bodies won’t fix this type of war. We gotta think with our heads,” I told him. “If we turn this into a bloodbath, we’re validating everything they want said about us.”
Saint looked at his brothers, who only shrugged and nodded in agreement with me.
Saint clenched his fists. “So what? We just sit here?”
“No,” I answered. “We gather proof that Kai is corrupt and show where his money is really coming from. We make him toxic, so nobody wants to stand next to him politically. Then we quietly cut off the Crown’s income.
We interrupt the ways they make money and force them to spend more than they’re bringing in until they can’t sustain the pressure. ”
Legend nodded slowly. “That’s cleaner and a lot smarter.”
Saint ran both hands down his face, still breathing hard. “Or we could just walk away from this shit.”
Icon’s voice cut through the room. “We don’t walk away.”
Saint looked at him. “We got money. We don’t need this shit.”
“This is about legacy and our kids’ futures,” Legend explained. “And we don’t get bullied off something we built.”
Saint’s jaw flexed. He wasn’t convinced. He was just containing himself.
I stepped closer, getting his attention. “You want to win? Or you want to feel good for five minutes?”
He stared at me, and I didn’t blink.
Finally, he exhaled sharply and stepped back. “Okay, damn! Fuck! But when it’s time to get active, don’t hold me back.”
I gave him a slight nod. “When it’s time, I won’t.”