Pawns & Kings

by D D Bridges

  “It’s not a matter of if I’m going to come through or not,” he said. “When I handle that cop and the evidence, I want no less than forty percent of the company or you will be the next thing that I handle.”

  My face twisted into a wicked smile as I laughed at him. He actually sounded like he was serious.

  “Without me you get nothing, motherfucker.” He was trying hard not to show it, but I could see that I was breaking his resolve. “I’ll give you fifteen percent if you come through.”

  “I’ll take twenty-five percent and an executive position on the board of directors. Take it or leave it,” he challenged.

  “Look, we can discuss the minor details later. You just handle your end of the deal.”

  I checked the time and it was going on eleven o’clock. I had to get to the airport to catch my late night flight so that I could get to Miami. I checked my GPS tracking device and could see that my second target had also just arrived in Miami as well. Darius probably thought that he had everything figured out, but I know that he had no idea that Francisco’s plane had just landed in Miami a few moments ago. It seemed that Mr. Baptìste and I were chasing the same target while also chasing one another. I wanted them both dead and there was no way around that. If I let Darius live then I would never get what was supposed to be mine. And as long as Francisco was walking around free, my life would always be in danger, especially once he discovered that I was the one that pulled the trigger on his son. It was inevitable that two kingdoms were about to collide, but as long as Darius wore the crown, then our kingdom would always be divided.

  Chapter XVI- Darius

  I walked up the steps to the palace-like mansion with my nerves slightly on edge. The Florida sun wasn’t being modest as it beamed down on me audaciously. A strong wind blew against me and caught the hem of my white, cotton button-down which was resting against my denim jeans. I lifted my head, looking through my shades at the top of the house. Bulb-like pillars, each having its own balcony, stood magnificently at the very top of the house and casted shadows onto the staircase and brick driveway. That place was nothing short of amazing and it was nothing less than the type of place that I would expect my father’s family to be living in.

  I listened to the familiar jingle that resounded on the other side of the mahogany doors after I rang the doorbell. The insulated glass in the doors made it impossible to get a clear view into the house, but I could see people moving around inside. Finally a woman came to the door dressed in a typical maid’s outfit. She met me with a welcoming smile and then stepped aside, inviting me in.

  “Good afternoon, Mr. King. Welcome to the Estate,” she said waving her hand to the rest of the immaculate place.

  I removed my shades as I briefly scanned the inside of the foyer.

  “Thank you,” I said as I clipped the shades to my shirt. “But please, just call me Darius.”

  “Very well, Mr. Darius,” she said. “The Madam of the house will be down in a minute.”

  “Here I am, Vanna,” a voice called out to us from a location that was unbeknownst to me. I looked around a bit and that was when I saw her. My father’s wife was a stunning woman, even prettier than the pictures that I'd seen. She was standing near what appeared to be the kitchen giving instructions to two of her male staff members who were both holding food trays. She shooed them away and then began to make her way over to me.

  “That’ll be all, Vanna. Thank you.” Her voice held a certain level of authority but was still soft and angelic. She wore a tan, silk blouse, brown dress pants and a pair of low heels. Vanna nodded and smiled politely before excusing herself.

  “Oh, Darius. It is so nice to finally meet you,” Marcia said genuinely as she approached me with outstretched arms. Before I even had time to respond she pulled me in for a warm hug, catching me slightly off guard. She held me as if I were her long, lost son before releasing me and holding me at arm’s length.

  “It’s nice to meet you too,” I said. Before going there I really didn’t know what to expect, but I hadn’t expected her to be like this toward me. She stared at me for a few moments longer before speaking again.

  “I apologize for staring, but you are definitely your father’s son,” she told me. “You look so much like Daniel that it’s almost scary. All the more, it’s a pleasure to have you here.”

  She took me by the hand and began to walk me through the house.

  “Are you hungry? The staff is setting lunch out on the veranda for us.”

  “Sure. Lunch sounds great,” I said. Truth be told, now that the nerves were gone I actually was pretty hungry.

  Marcia led the way through the kitchen and nook area before taking me through the sliding glass doors that led out to the veranda. The house seemed to be swamped with her in-house staff as people were appearing in and out of the kitchen from just about every direction.

  Once out on the veranda there was a large circular table with place-settings for two. The Butler was standing by with a plate in each of his gloved hands. He set the empty plates down on the table before pulling out Marcia’s chair.

  “Madam,” he said, bowing politely.

  “Thanks, Geoffrey,” she replied as she sat. Geoffrey then moved to the other side of the table and pulled out the chair that was for me.

  “Please sit, Darius,” Marcia told me and I did as she said.

  “Thanks, bruh,” I said as I nodded at Geoffrey. He gave me a nod as well and I could tell that he was hiding his hood swag under that butler’s uniform. It was all good though. The man was just doing what he had to in order to eat just like we all were.

  Marcia and I both took our cloth napkins off of the table and laid them in our laps. While we did this, Geoffrey filled our water glasses and then filled our second glasses with sweet tea.

  “Thank you, Geoffrey,” Marcia said just before he excused himself. Focusing her attention on me, she said, “Go ahead and help yourself. And if you have a taste for anything that you don’t see here, then I’ll have the kitchen staff whip up whatever you want in no time.”

  I looked at the moderate spread that was laid out on the table between us. Between the fruit and vegetable platters, the deli-style sandwiches, chicken wings, and a few other things that I hadn’t eaten before, I was sure that it was more than enough food to satisfy me.

  “I think this will be all that I need,” I said as I began to fill my plate to capacity.

  We sat and ate while having light conversation about the weather and other trivial things in order to pass the time. Overall the conversation was pleasant and unimposing, which was perfect since this was our first time meeting one another. Though I was eager to get to the bottom of things, it was nice to be able to get to know this woman in a comfortable environment.

  After we ate, Marcia insisted that she give me a tour of the Estate. It seemed that she was a very busy woman. Aside from the members of her staff, she had three personal assistants who were trying to pull her left and right while they handled business matters for her. Every time one of them would interrupt us, she gave them minimal instructions before sending them away. I noticed that everyone who worked for her not only respected her, but it seemed that they genuinely liked her as well. That in itself spoke volumes about her character.

  She told me about many of the business ventures that she had going on and I had to say that I was impressed. For a woman who was given a half a billion dollars after her husband’s death, I would have expected that she would simply live in luxury and never work another day in her life. But that wasn’t the case with Marcia. She started a non-profit organization for at-risk teens in Miami along with a K-12 private school that was named in honor of my father. I was pleasantly surprised to find this out. The more I learned about my father’s legacy, the more proud I was to be a part of it.

  After showing me all of the other parts of the extravagant property, we ended up out near the lake where she had a barn that was housing four horses.

  “Do you ride?” s
he asked. Hanging on the wall by the door that we entered through were an array of helmets and gloves. On the floor below them were a few pair of boots.

  “Nah,” I said as I watched Marcia put on a helmet, gloves, and a pair of boots. “I’ve never even seen a horse up close,” I confessed.

  “You’re kidding,” she said, looking at me in awe as I silently shook my head. “Wait here.” She walked off to one of the stalls and came out a few moments later leading a brown horse that had white hair.

  “Horses are very strong, yet gentle creatures,” she began to tell me. She and the horse stopped just short of me and I watched as she petted it on the head and nose.

  I was a little hesitant at first, but I stepped forward and began to gently pet the horse as well. It was pretty cool to see the horse subtly respond to my touch.

  Marcia smiled at me and said, “See. She likes you already.” She turned to a few of the workers that were in the back of the barn moving hay. “Adam, can you get Bruno ready and bring him out please,” she said to one of the guys.

  While he prepared the horse Marcia helped me get a helmet, gloves and a saddle to ride on.

  “You’ll love riding Bruno,” she told me. “He was the horse that it took us the longest to break, but now he rides beautifully. As a matter of fact, he’s Daniella’s favorite horse.”

  Daniella was her second oldest child behind D.J. and also my half-sister. During the tour of the house Marcia had shown me numerous pictures of all of my siblings which seemed to be everywhere throughout the house. Besides D.J. and Daniella there were the twins, Dante` and Dalliah, who were both sophomore’s at Harvard. Then there was the baby of the family, Dajah. She was a senior in high school and was in the middle of trying to choose between the numerous colleges that had offered her scholarships. All of their pictures told a story that I hadn’t had the opportunity to be a part of. Nonetheless, I was looking forward to meeting them.

  Once he was strapped and saddled, I mounted Bruno who was an all black horse. After getting only a few pointers from Adam, Marcia and I were off and riding. Even though I had never ridden a horse, I didn’t panic when Bruno began to gallop speedily as he tried to keep up with Marcia and her horse. I just relaxed as much as I could and bounced along with the horse. I tried to hold my posture the way I had seen people do on the movies and it seemed to be working.

  We rode beyond the lake and then down through a wooded area that had a trail that was designed to lead us back to the house. Every now and then Marcia would glance back to make sure that I was okay. Horseback riding was definitely out of my comfort zone, but I had more fun than I’d had in a long time. By the time we made it back to the barn I was a little winded and my thighs were kind of sore, but I was glad that I tried something new.

  We put the horses away and headed back toward the main house.

  “That was fun, right?” she asked delightfully. It was obvious that she loved horses.

  “Yeah, it actually was,” I said matter-of-factly. “When I get back to Atlanta, I think I’ll take my girlfriend horseback riding just to show her how fun it is.”

  “Yeah, that would be a great date,” she advised. “What’s your girlfriend’s name?”

  “Natalie,” I replied, my tone changing involuntarily. That seemed to always happen whenever I talked about her. “I’m starting to regret not bringing her on this trip. I didn’t expect to miss her this much. I mean, it’s only been one day.”

  Marcia began to giggle. “Well Darius, you sound like a man in love. Do you think she’s the one?”

  I became silent as we continued to walk toward the house. Marcia had brought up something that I hadn’t even had the time to think about with all of the craziness that was going on. But it was in that very moment that I realized exactly where my heart was.

  “Yeah, she is the one,” I said confidently, causing Marcia to smile even brighter.

  “Well, I can’t wait to meet her someday. And hopefully you’ll be inviting me to the wedding in the near future.”

  We came into the house through the kitchen and the place seemed deserted in comparison to how it was when I first arrived. It seemed that all of the staff had disappeared until they would be needed again. Just before we entered the hallway that extended from the kitchen to the foyer where the large staircase was, I heard laughter coming from that area of the house. We were walking down the hallway when I spotted two replicas of Marcia about to head upstairs. One of them was dressed in a school uniform and the other was more glammed-up in her designer jeans, low-cut blouse, and g-string heels.

  “Daniella and Dajah, come here for a second,” Marcia called out to them. They both stopped in their tracks and came right over to their mother.

  “Hi mom,” they both greeted her before they each shared a kiss on the cheek with her.

  “I have someone that I want you to meet,” she said as she turned toward me. She grabbed my hand and pulled me toward them. As soon as Daniella and Dajah looked at me, I already knew what they were thinking. They both looked slightly terrified until they noticed how comfortable their mother was with me.

  “Mom, who is this?” Daniella spoke up first as she folded her arms. Her tone was angry but it didn’t compare to those fiery, hazel eyes of hers. If looks could kill, then I would have definitely dropped dead right then.

  “Yeah. He looks just like dad,” Dajah said. Her tone was a lot more gentle and innocent. She seemed to be unable to stop looking back and forth between Marcia and I with questioning eyes that were begging to be answered.

  “This is Darius,” Marcia said simply, but it was obvious that her response did nothing to quell their suspicions.

  Finally, Dajah found the courage to ask, “Are you our brother?” The hope in her voice caused me to release a smile.

  “Yes, I am,” I told her as I took a step toward them. Dajah’s child-like face brightened even more when a small smile came to her lips.

  “Oh my god. I can’t believe it’s really you,” she said as she inched toward me. “Is it okay if I hug you?”

  “Sure, baby girl,” I said emotionally as I opened my arms to her. It was as if she couldn’t wait to embrace me. She squeezed me so tightly that I could feel her heartbeat thumping against my chest. I wrapped my arms around her gently and allowed myself to soak that moment in. Since I had grown up an only child, being able hug someone who actually had the same blood as me meant a lot to me.

  Once she released me, she seemed to be giddy as she kept one arm around me while turning to her sister.

  “Come on, sis. Our long lost brother is actually here,” Dajah told Daniella excitedly.

  Daniella still looked a little scared and confused, so I extended my hand to her hoping to make her feel more comfortable.

  “No,” she said, taking a step back from me. I let my hand drop at my side as all of our smiles faded due to her reaction.

  “Daniella, Darius is your brother,” Marcia said as she took a step toward her daughter.

  “No, mom. And I don’t even know why he’s here,” she spat bitterly. “As far as I’m concerned, I only have two brothers and their names are D.J. and Dante`.”

  “Sweetie, I know that this is hard to accept,” Marcia said. “But he came all the way here just so that he could meet us. You have no reason to treat him this way. It isn’t his fault that things are the way that they are.”

  “Just save it, mom,” Daniella said, raising her voice slightly. “I can’t believe that you let him come here. How could you betray us like that?” Daniella’s heels clinked loudly across the marble floor as she walked away before she began to march up the stairs.

  Marcia was obviously shocked and hurt but she quickly regained her composure.

  “Darius, I’m so sorry for the way that she is behaving,” she said, eying me sympathetically.

  “It’s okay. I have thick skin,” I told her. I could understand Daniella’s bitterness, anger, and confusion because those were all the things that I felt when D.J. poppe
d up in my life. But unlike D.J., I was here to help reconcile, not push us further apart. “Is she going to be okay?” I asked.

  “I’m sure she will. I’m going to go check on her,” Marcia said. “Dajah, will you entertain Darius while I deal with this situation.”

  “Sure mom,” she replied. Marcia rushed upstairs to tend to her oldest daughter while I was left standing there with the youngest one. As soon as her mother was gone Dajah was back to her chipper self.

  “Come on,” she said, grabbing my hand and leading me to another part of the house. “Don’t worry about Daniella. She’s always overreacting to things.”

  “Yeah, well she has a right to feel however she wants to feel,” I said in a light tone. Dajah took me into a room that I assumed was a den. It had a huge flat screen TV and enough sofas and chairs to seat about twenty people. Dajah flopped down in the middle of the sectional sofa and I sat beside her. She was still smiling broadly and almost seemed to be at a lost for words as she stared at me.

  “So, it looks like you just came from school,” I said, eying her uniform.

  “Yeah, I go to King’s Academy,” she said proudly while showing me the embroidered emblem on her navy blue jacket. “I’m sure mom already told you all about the school. I’m the Senior class president and I’m going to be the Valedictorian this year as well.”

  “Aren’t you accomplished,” I said, impressed. “That’s good, baby girl.”

  She smiled shyly at my term of endearment. “D.J. always calls me baby girl, too. And that’s what my dad used to call me before he died.”

  A solemnness fell over us since this was the first mention of the real reason that we were in this awkward situation. If it hadn’t been for my father dying when he did, there’s no telling if I would have ever even known about my other siblings.

  “You know, I think I saw you that day at the burial,” Dajah said, breaking me from my reverie. “We were in the limo waiting to leave and I just so happened to be sitting by the window,” she continued to tell me. “I saw you standing there with your hands in your pockets and you looked so uncomfortable, almost like you felt like shouldn’t have been there. Then just as Walter was walking up to you, we were driving away.”