“Fuck,” Indie whispered.
“I’ll be in touch. This isn’t something we can discuss over the phone,” Zya answered. Her tone was flat. In all his years of doing business with her, he had never been in a position to be on her bad side. He didn’t fear Zya, but he knew she was connected to some of the most powerful people in the world. He couldn’t afford to burn his name with Zya. No one would ever feel comfortable doing business with him going forward. He had to rectify this situation. His cell phone vibrated, and he looked down to see that he had four e-mails waiting on his corporate account. Undoubtedly, they were all about the matter at hand. Those trucks were unaccounted for. They weren’t even supposed to be on the road, so the fact that two drivers had been killed meant Indie had questions to answer. He had signed off on the shipments. They had gone out on fake purchase orders that he had generated. The paper trail led to nowhere, and he had no idea how he would explain that. He knew that he couldn’t walk into his office without his attorney at his side. He didn’t want to incriminate himself by answering anything the wrong way. This was fraud at the corporate level. The board was looking for an excuse to get rid of him, and they would have no qualms about throwing him under the bus.
YaYa entered the living room, and he turned off the television, then tossed the remote on the side table. She was worried enough. They hadn’t spoken in days. Neither knew how to begin the conversation that needed to follow their meeting with Parker, so they opted for silence. Indie was grateful for that silence in this moment because it gave him an excuse to hide what was going on from her.
Things had been bad between them before and they had rebounded from it, but storms came in threes. Parker had been the first; the Vartex robbery had been the second; he feared what would be next. His problems were multiplying daily, and his soul was unsettled.
“Daddy, can I come with you?” Skylar asked as she ran down the stairs. Indie scooped her into his arms.
“Daddy has to handle some business,” Indie said. “But keep your mama company, put a smile on her face for me, okay?”
“Okay,” Skylar replied. YaYa moved into the kitchen, the sway of her hips full of attitude as she prepared breakfast. Indie put Skylar down and walked up behind YaYa to plant a kiss on the back of her neck.
“We’ll talk later. I love you,” he said.
He knew she wouldn’t say it back right away. She was upset with him, and her stubbornness wouldn’t allow her to open up to him so easily. Not this time. Not where matters of another woman were concerned. He got all the way to the door before she replied, “I love you too.”
She didn’t know it, but it was exactly what he needed. Her love was like armor that covered him as he went into the world. A man required that from his queen. A black man would likely die without it. It was the reason so many brothers perished too early, because they never received that affirmation from a queen. It was the black woman that strengthened the black man. Indie knew this. It was the main reason why he was treading lightly with both YaYa and Parker. He didn’t want to destroy either of them, because once scorned, he knew that they would lose the ability to uplift not just him but black men in general. He didn’t want to be the one to turn them cold.
Indie was a man with the weight of the world on his shoulders. As he walked into Vartex, the climate of the building was overwrought. Everyone he passed was on edge and seemed to stare at him curiously as he made his way to the top floor. He was walking into the fire. He knew it. He could feel the temperature rising with every step he took.
“Good morning, Mr. Perkins. The board has assembled. They’re waiting for you in conference room B,” Emma said as she stood nervously.
“Thank you, Emma. Get my attorney on the line and tell him I said to drop everything and come downtown right away,” Indie responded. He cleared his throat and adjusted his tie before heading into the room.
He halted midstep when he saw the federal agents standing around the rectangular table.
“Indie Perkins?” one of the men asked.
“Yes, what is this about?” Indie shot back.
“We have some questions we would like to ask you. Regarding the purchase orders of the shipments that were hijacked last night,” the federal agent said.
“As long as you gentlemen don’t mind if my attorney joins us,” Indie replied.
“That isn’t necessary. This is just a preliminary interview,” the agent replied.
“I insist,” Indie answered, unyielding. He took his normal seat at the table and unbuttoned his Gucci suit jacket. He sat back in the chair. “Is Agent Norris still with the FBI?” Indie asked.
The agent nodded. “He is.”
“I’ll only sit down with him to speak,” Indie replied.
“That isn’t how this works,” the agent responded.
“That is the only way this works,” Indie insisted.
Indie waited patiently until his attorney finally walked into the room. Einstein was a bull of a lawyer who represented the crème de le crème of the underworld. The government hated to see him coming, and Indie breathed a sigh of relief.
“Good to see you, Einstein,” Indie said as he stood and shook the Jewish man’s hand.
“Likewise, Indie, likewise,” Einstein said as he clapped his hands together and looked around the room. “It looks like I’m late to the party.”
“Your presence isn’t needed. We just have a few questions for Mr. Perkins,” the head agent said.
Einstein looked around. “What is this, a stoning? Why such a public forum? Grandstanding isn’t nice, gentlemen,” Einstein said as he shook a finger to chastise them. He was an eccentric character, but his record for beating cases was impeccable. “Can we clear the room?”
“I think the members of the board are entitled to hear Mr. Perkins’s response,” Alec Jefferson said, perking up. Indie knew the man had a hard-on for him. He didn’t like the fact that Indie held a majority share. The only way to get rid of Indie was if the feds brought charges against him.
“Actually you are not entitled to anything regarding my client. Please, let’s clear the room,” Einstein insisted. Agent Norris walked in as the other board members were hustled out.
As soon as they were alone, Indie spoke. “What am I looking at?”
“You signed off on the purchase orders for the stolen shipments. When we investigated the companies, we found out they were shells,” Agent Norris stated. “Dummy companies. So the product that was ordered was headed straight for street distribution. It isn’t a smoking gun, but it’s enough to hit you with fraud.”
“Which will never hold up in court,” Einstein added. “You’re a corporate man. You’re not a street thug. As long as they have no way to tie you to the distribution of illegal narcotics, you will be fine. I take it you’ve dotted your i’s and crossed your t’s to cover up any dealings that could harm you?”
“Absolutely,” Indie assured him.
“Okay, well, let’s let them take you down to the federal building. Get the questions out of the way and we should be walking out of there when they’re done,” Einstein said.
Norris stood. “I’ll try to keep you one step ahead of this the entire way.”
* * *
Indie sat handcuffed to the metal table, his patience wearing thin as he waited for someone to question him.
“What is this?” Indie asked his attorney. “I’ve been in here for hours. I’m paying you too much to end up chained like an animal.”
“They’re stalling. This procedure is designed to unnerve you,” Einstein said as he sat with his legs crossed. “It’s the oldest one in the book. I can keep you free; I can’t stop them from acting like assholes.”
Indie blew out an exasperated breath. Hours passed before a man in an ill-fitting suit walked into the room.
“Can we get the cuffs removed?” Einstein asked. “Mr. Perkins came down here willingly, and you’re treating him like a common criminal.”
“I’m Agent Thompson,�
�� the man said. He reached over and removed the cuffs from Indie’s wrists. “My apologies for the delay. My team and I have been doing our research on Mr. Perkins. One of the board members at Vartex expressed great concern over Indie’s involvement with the company and specifically pointed to his being involved with the robberies of these trucks.”
“Let me guess, Alec Jefferson,” Indie said. “Alec is less than happy about having someone from my background on the board. Black isn’t his favorite color.”
“Well, we were prompted to take a look into your past dealings, and it concerns us that you have no expertise in this industry. At least no legal expertise. We did find that you had been arrested for possession of a controlled substance.” The agent was poking the bear, looking for a reaction.
Indie sat smugly but didn’t speak. He looked over at Einstein, who replied, “Those records were sealed by juvenile courts. Those were offenses that occurred when Mr. Perkins was a minor. Surely you have more cause than this. Since then Mr. Perkins has had a clean record.”
“Almost too clean,” Agent Thompson concluded. “As if he has purposefully stayed off our radar. So tell me, Mr. Perkins, how does a man with no high-level education and no previous employment experience land a seat on the board of the largest pharmaceutical company in the world?”
“Tread lightly, Agent Thompson,” Indie warned.
“Or what?” Agent Thompson said, pushing him.
Einstein leaned over to Indie. “Don’t let him bait you,” he whispered. But Indie didn’t like being questioned, and his anger intensified by the second as Agent Thompson continued.
“I think you’re a drug dealer, Indie Perkins. A kingpin, in fact, and I can only imagine the type of connections you have. The types of strings that would need to be pulled in order for you to be in your position…” Agent Thompson whistled as he shook his head. “I’m thinking big, perhaps the Diamond family out of Miami.” When he got no reaction out of Indie, he kept fishing. “No? Bigger?” Agent Thompson laughed. “Yeah, you’re a big fish, and I’m going to catch you. You’re on my hook now.”
“Are we done here?” Indie asked, disinterested. He stood.
“For now,” the agent responded. “I’ll be seeing you.”
* * *
Indie found himself at Parker’s door, standing with his hand raised as he debated whether he should knock or turn around and go home to his wife. He hadn’t spoken to Parker in days. Even his calls to King had gone unreturned. Indie was unsettled. The feds had unnerved him, and at that very moment he felt like he needed to right his wrongs. He had to tell both YaYa and Parker what was going on. They would need to know how to move if the worst occurred. He knew YaYa would know what to do; she had access to all the accounts, and she knew the combination to his safe. It was Parker who would be clueless. Even though she was fully capable of taking care of King without him, he didn’t ever want her to bear that burden again. They needed to settle their differences, and he needed to enlighten her about his current predicament. He knocked, and when she pulled open the door, he admired her regal features. Her hair was pulled into a large puff full of curls, and her face was void of makeup, but traces of sorrow filled her eyes. He knew that he was responsible for her sadness. He had ambushed her with YaYa and all her wifely glory.
“Can we talk?” he asked.
“I don’t know, can we? Your wife isn’t here to speak for you this time?” Parker asked.
“We handled that wrong, Parker. I came here to apologize to you, among other things. I really need to talk. Can you berate me inside?” he asked. He smiled, and she shook her head as she stepped aside to allow him entry.
“Where is King?” Indie asked.
“He’s asleep,” Parker replied. “Do you want some tea or something?”
“Nah, I’m good.”
“Have a seat,” Parker offered reluctantly as she cut her eyes at him.
Her guard was up. Indie had offended her. “I apologize for the other day,” he said sincerely.
“You know, I expect that from YaYa. I never thought I’d get it from you. You just sat there,” Parker said. “Then you came at me like I’m just some random woman who trapped you. That’s what I am? Somebody you have to manage … and control?”
“It’s not like that,” Indie replied.
“Then what is it like? What was that all about?”
“It’s about keeping my word and trying to do the right thing, P. I hurt YaYa when you showed back up in my life. I don’t want to do that again,” Indie said honestly.
“Then don’t,” Parker said.
“It’s hard not to fall back into a comfort zone with you. You’re the first girl I ever loved, P. When it’s just me and you, here, like this,” he said as he pointed between the two of them, “it’s easy to forget what I have at home waiting for me.”
Parker sighed. “You shouldn’t have married her, Indie,” she said. “And I’m not saying that out of malice. I’m saying it because I know you. We have so much between us that’s just there, just waiting for us to figure out. You married her because I pissed you off. I hurt you when I told you that I slept with your brother. So you did the one thing that you knew would hurt me too. That’s not reason enough for you to stay there. I don’t know what might have happened between us. Maybe you would have gone back to YaYa anyway, but at least we would have had closure. At least I wouldn’t lie in my bed at night wrecking my mind with what if’s,” Parker said.
“My marriage hurt you and I’m sorry, but it’s not for you to understand,” Indie whispered. “I love you dearly, Parker. I do. I can’t deny that fact, but YaYa makes insanity seem perfectly logical. I’m probably crazy for choosing her over you. On paper you’re it. Any other nigga probably would have picked you, but with her it’s not supposed to make sense. It doesn’t have to. I love you, Parker, but with her, I’m in love so deeply that I forgive every bad thing she’s ever done to me and every fucked-up thing that she has yet to do. I look past her faults just to keep her in my life.”
“You make her sound perfect; she’s not. She’s not better for you than me,” Parker said with tears in her eyes.
“You’re right. You’re so much better for me, Parker. You’re reserved and educated and less drama. You have your head on straight, and you’re so beautiful, ma. You’re the type of beautiful that makes me think of my mama, and her mama, and her mama, all the way back to before they brought us here on boats. You’re regal, and I see it. I appreciate it, and I’m so grateful that a queen is raising my son, but I’m not fit for you. You’re the type of woman that men like me are lucky to find. YaYa is your exact opposite. She’s imperfect, but she’s a masterpiece. She’s art, P. She made me feel again after I promised myself I would never trust another woman.”
“I hate her,” Parker said as she shook her head. The way Indie was describing YaYa filled Parker with resentment. Knots of envy twisted in her gut. “For fixing what I broke. There was a time when you used to love me in that way.”
“I’ve never loved anyone like that,” Indie said honestly. He wasn’t trying to shut her down, but it was purely fact. Disaya Morgan was his one. From the very first time he laid eyes on her all those years ago. Her slick talk, pretty face, and intelligent wit had won him over. Her seduction of him was effortless, and he had loved her before she even realized it. Her attention, her affection, it had thawed his cold heart. They had been through more downs than ups, it felt like, but when they were up … they were unreachable. Their love reached heights that were undiscoverable by most. “I did love you, though. Don’t discount that, because you hold value in my life, but I respect you enough to let you know the truth.”
“So you came here to break my heart? Where does this leave me? Where does this leave King? We just want you, Indie,” Parker said.
“You are my friend, Parker. We’ve known each other for a long time, and I value everything that you have been to me. Your presence in my life right now is confusing and it’s hard, but I want
you here. I love my son. You’re his mother, and I thank you for the job you’ve done with him. I am forever grateful to you for that. I will always love you simply because you pushed my legacy into this world. I don’t want to lose my friend because I found love. I need you in my life, respectfully, and I would really like it if you could try to get to know YaYa as well. She’s uncomfortable when it comes to you and King. I just want things to be smooth so that I can be here for my child.”
Parker nodded. She had loved this man for a long time, and standing here listening to him pour his heart out to her about another woman had taken a toll on her. Parker didn’t want to lose Indie completely; she had to take what he was willing to give her. A friendship was better than nothing. She couldn’t fight for a man who so clearly worshiped someone else. YaYa had beaten her without trying, but Parker knew she had no one but herself to blame. She had left Indie years ago, and the winds of life had pushed him directly into YaYa’s arms.
She was so emotional that all she could do was cry him out of her system. She planted her face in the palms of her hands and allowed herself to grieve the loss of him. Indie stood and walked toward her, wrapping his arms around her. Parker hugged him back, tightly gripping him because she knew they would never be this intimate again. Parker composed herself and then wiped her tears away in embarrassment.
“Why are you telling me this? To hurt me? This is what you came here for? To tell me how much you love your wife?” she asked.
“Nah, I came to talk about something else, but it can wait,” he said. He didn’t want to burden her with much more. Not tonight.
An awkward silence fell between them. Parker didn’t know what to say. She wished she could make him see how much she loved him, but it was useless. If he couldn’t see it for himself it was because he didn’t want to. He was too blinded by YaYa and her promises of loyalty. YaYa was a girl from the fast life. She was the polar opposite of Parker. Parker wanted to love him purely. She didn’t want to ride or die for him. She wanted to cook and clean. She wanted to take care of him, raise his children, and respect his authority. She wanted to follow Indie wherever he decided to take her, only YaYa was in her way. YaYa was offering him a remedial love, and somehow Indie was falling for it. Parker didn’t want to beg Indie to choose her. Her pride wouldn’t allow her to. She didn’t understand what he saw in YaYa, but it was clear as day that he loved her. Parker had never felt so defeated.
The Prada Plan 5 Page 8
