by K'wan
“You dirty bastard,” Chance hissed.
“Look at it like this,” Orlando went on, “at least I respected you enough to tell you to your face that I ain’t fucking with you, rather than you having to hear it through a third party, like you did to me. That makes us even for your son breaking my baby girl’s heart. Charge it to the game …”
Orlando continued his gloating, but Chance stopped listening. He was too busy arguing against the voice in his head screaming, I told you so! Even Ghost had warned him not to trust Zaza, yet Chance couldn’t see beyond his own political aspirations. He had made promises and called in favors to make this thing happen between he and Orlando, only to find out that his so-called partner had been dealing from the bottom of the deck the whole time. Chance wanted to keep up his noble façade, not regress back to what he really was deep down. Even ignoring Orlando’s presence in the room, there were people here who had the power to change lives. People who believed in the man Chance had built himself to be and had forgotten about the man he once was. Appearances were everything in these circles, and the moneymen absolutely shied away from violence. But you know what? Chance said to himself. Fuck all that.
“Well played, Orlando,” he said out loud. “To commemorate your victory, how about we have one last round … on you?”
Before Orlando’s brain could figure out whether the king was joking or not, Chance was on his feet. He grabbed the bottle the waiter had left at the table and broke it across Orlando’s head. He would’ve stabbed him in the throat with the jagged glass had Ghost not hooked him under the arm and stayed his strike.
“Have you lost your mind?” Ghost whispered in his father’s ear. “Remember where we are!”
Seeing the scuffle between their respective leaders, soldiers for both the Kings and the Zazas rose to their feet and a line was drawn in the imaginary sand between them. Lolli, Nefertiti, and Little Stevie formed a protective barrier between Chance and anyone who wasn’t a King. Even Millie had managed to sober up enough to realize there was a threat present. Her glassy eyes swept across the Zaza soldiers. She held a steak knife in her tight fish, which she had snatched from one of the dinner plates. Both sides wanted smoke, but neither wanted to light the fire. The tension was immediately so thick that everyone in the room could feel it pushing against them. The guests feared that the prestigious birthday dinner, which they had paid so handsomely to attend, was about to become a ghetto massacre.
When the doors to the hall swung open, the night took yet another unexpected turn.
CHAPTER 23
Shadow shoved open the doors of the banquet hall with so much force that one of them cracked when it bounced off the rubber stopper. He was a ball of rage and needed to get away from the venue.
He wanted to leave as soon as he could. He had ridden with the family in the limo and he knew that there was no way Nefertiti would leave the royal family to drop him off at home. He thought about calling an Uber or Lyft and then remembered that he didn’t have his phone; he’d never gotten it back from Josette after their little game. He was about to storm back inside and demand his property when he heard his mother’s voice.
“Sean, are you okay?” Maureen had followed him after watching him storm out of the hall.
“I wish everybody would stop asking me that,” Shadow spat, pacing back and forth.
Maureen grabbed him by the arm. “I’m your mother. You can talk to me about anything. What’s wrong?”
Shadow looked at her. “Did you know? Were you in on this plan to sell me to the Zazas?” Maureen shifted her eyes to the ground. “I should’ve known,” he said, ripping his arm free from her grasp and pacing once again. “Nothing happens in this family without the blessing of the queen. How could you guys even think doing that to Ghost was okay, let alone trying to do it again with me? Didn’t you learn the first time that bartering one of your kids would blow up in your fucking faces?”
Maureen seized Shadow by his shoulders, forcing him to stop moving. She delivered two quick slaps across his face. “First of all, watch your mouth. I am your mother, not one of your bitches. Second, before you pass judgment, you need to know the whole story. Sit.” She directed him to the rim of a tree potted in a stone cube. She waited until he sat before continuing. “Years ago, we hit a rough patch. Crews were uniting in an attempt to overthrow your father, and it led to war—a war that we very nearly lost. We were backed into a corner and in order to survive, alliances had to be forged. This is where the Zazas came in. Orlando had the muscle and the guns to help turn the tide, but in order to commit to making our problems his problems, something stronger than a handshake was required to seal the deal.”
“So you pawned off Ghost.”
“Ghost was never a pawn. He was a willing participant, at least in the beginning. He was already banging Orlando’s daughter behind our backs, so he was halfway there anyhow. I can’t say that he was totally thrilled about the prospect of marrying a girl he didn’t know that well, but if it ensured the survival of our family, then Ghost was willing to do it. He understood the importance of making sacrifices, not like some of my more self-centered children.”
Shadow didn’t respond.
“The marriage between Carmen Zaza and Ghost was supposed to bind our two families in name and blood, making us stronger than ever. When the time came, Ghost would ascend to the throne and hold command over the Zaza army. My boy would’ve been the strongest king that Five Points had ever seen.”
“Then what happened?” Shadow asked, his anger subsiding.
“Ghost fell in love,” Maureen sighed. “While most of us were occupied with planning the wedding, Ghost made plans of his own with Kelly. I tried to get that fool boy to forget about her, to look at the bigger picture. Carmen Zaza brought a pedigree and influence. What did Kelly bring to the table besides a GED and a wet pussy? She was hardly good enough for my C.J., but the heart wanted what the heart wanted. I knew Kelly would be trouble from the first time I laid eyes on her, but I had no idea the level of destruction she’d bring to my boy’s head.”
“I guess the Zazas didn’t take it well, him having another chick on the side?”
“To the contrary. I don’t think anyone would’ve cared if Ghost kept the girl as a mistress, like I suggested he do. Most married men have sidepieces. Even your dad had a few in the beginning of our marriage. Kelly wouldn’t hear it though. She wanted all of Ghost or none of him. It was her ultimatum that made my son jump out the window headfirst and burn down everything we had been trying to build. It happened at the engagement party, which we never even told you about. I’d been having a bad feeling that entire day and it didn’t help that Ghost showed up an hour late. He stood up in front of all those people and announced that he couldn’t go through with the marriage because his heart belonged to someone else. Carmen Zaza had never been one of my favorite people, but that night I felt truly bad for her. She was so embarrassed that she cried until she had an asthma attack. The only reason Orlando didn’t try and kill Ghost is because he didn’t want a war with the monarchy. Still, things changed between him and your dad after that.”
“And so you guys trying to hook me up with Josette Zaza was your way of restoring the peace between the two families?” Shadow still didn’t like the move, but he understood it a little better.
“In a sense. But plugging you in with the Zaza family was supposed to work more to your benefit than anyone else’s.”
“How so?”
“I love all my children, but I’m afraid of what your father handing the monarchy over to Ghost will do.”
“You think Ghost wouldn’t make a good king?”
“Only time will tell. I know he’ll do his best, but Ghost is not a leader of men like your father, or even you.”
“Me?”
“Sean, I see such greatness in you. You are smart, kind, and honest. When you finally stop being so lazy and recognize your full potential, you’ll go on to do amazing things. But that will never happen s
o long as you live in the shadow of your brother and this monarchy. Becoming the head of the Zaza family would not only establish you as a king in your own right, but it would protect us in the unlikely event that things go south with Ghost on the throne. Two kings in the family gives us better odds at survival.”
All Shadow could do was stare at his mother in awe. He knew that she could be a cagey old bird, but until then he had no idea exactly how calculating she was. Leave it to Maureen King to have a plan within a plan. He was about to apologize to her for his behavior and promise that he would at least consider her proposition, but their conversation was broken up by the screeching of car tires.
Two unmarked vehicles rolled up the driveway of the banquet hall, followed by several blue-and-white cars. A dozen cops filed out and bull-rushed their way inside the banquet hall.
“What’s going on?” Shadow gasped.
“What the fuck is this?” Little Stevie asked, looking at the sea of cops flooding the space.
“Trouble,” Lolli replied. She stashed her gun in an ice bucket on the table and backed away from it.
Chippie rushed across the room and blocked the path of the cops. “I’m sorry, but this is a private party. Invitation only.”
“Consider this our invitation,” said a sloppily dressed white detective, who slid an arrest warrant into Chippie’s hand before brushing past her and heading for the royal family’s table.
As Ghost watched the detectives move in his direction, his stomach churned. One of them twirled a pair of handcuffs around his finger, smirking like a child. Ghost’s eyes darted around, trying to locate the nearest exit. It was no use; the police had the whole place locked down. He was trapped. His thoughts turned to the conversation he’d had with Monster about the cops having a witness to the Freddy hit. He had been both careless and stupid for doing the hit himself instead of using one of his soldiers. He’d suspected that one day karma would catch up with him, but not so soon and not like this. He hadn’t even had his chance in the big chair yet.
Ghost gazed at his stone-faced and stoic father, who appeared to have no idea what was happening. Even if he did, he was the king and had to maintain an appearance of control at all times, especially amid chaos.
Lolli was now sweating through her dress like a hooker in church. The Zazas watched in what looked like amused anticipation. It pained Ghost to know that they would be happy watching him walk out of the hall in handcuffs, a just payback for what he’d done to their daughter. But if they were expecting a show, they wouldn’t get one. Ghost was a G and he would take this on the chin like he did everything else. With his chest out and his chin high, he stepped in front of the detective and extended his wrist. All for the family, he assured himself while awaiting the cold bite of the iron bracelets. To his surprise, the detective hardly gave him a second look, moving straight past him.
“Chancellor King?” the sloppy-looking detective said, sizing up the king of Five Points.
“Fuck y’all pigs doing here, busting up my wife’s party?” Chance capped. “Didn’t you get your donation this month?”
“You’re a funny guy,” the detective said, “but let’s see how funny you find this warrant for your arrest.” He twirled the handcuffs once more for good measure.
“For what?” Chance asked with a small grin. The closest he had come to personally breaking the law in the last ten years was the ass whipping he had just put on Orlando Zaza, and it wasn’t likely that the man had called it in.
“Racketeering, murder, and conspiracy to commit murder,” the detective recited before shoving Chance against the table and folding one of his arms behind his back.
“This is some bullshit! Who am I supposed to have killed?” The racketeering charge he was sure he could get his lawyer to make go away—maybe even the conspiracy—but the murder allegation concerned him. He couldn’t even remember the last time he had taken a life.
“The name Alderman James Porter ring a bell?” the detective asked.
“Get the fuck out of here! Me and James are friends. Why would I kill him?” There were a number of people who wouldn’t have minded seeing the alderman dead, but Chance wasn’t one of them.
“This is a mistake!” Lolli yelled, slipping in front of the detective.
“Ma’am, I’m going to need you to step back!” the detective barked, extending his arm to keep distance between them.
“Don’t worry, honey,” Chance said, “we’re going to get this all sorted out.”
“But you don’t understand.” Tears welled in Lolli’s eyes. “It wasn’t my father who killed Alderman Porter!”
It took a second for it to click in Chance’s head what Lolli was insinuating. She couldn’t have—could she? “Ghost, get your sister out of here! Now!” he commanded.
Ghost was reluctant to leave his father, but the urgency in his voice couldn’t be ignored. He grabbed Lolli by the arm and started pulling her toward the exit.
“No … I can’t let Daddy go down for this! I can’t!” Lolli yelled, but Ghost was too strong.
Maureen and Shadow reentered the hall just as the police were escorting Chance from the table. Maureen’s heart leaped from her chest and she brought her hands to her face. Before she went outside, everything had been fine—what had happened? How could it all have gone to shit so quickly?
“Chance!” she called out to her husband.
“Don’t worry, baby,” Chance responded over his shoulder. “This ain’t about nothing. Have Chippie get the lawyer on the line.”
Shadow watched as the police loaded the king into a squad car and slammed the door behind him. Ghost stood off to the side trying to console Lolli, who was going to pieces. Shadow felt a presence behind him, followed by a hand placed on his shoulder—Uncle Chapman.
“Heavy is the head that wears the crown,” Chapman whispered.
Shadow looked at his uncle. It was like he had stepped out of his body and was now watching himself from the sidelines. He drew back and slugged his uncle in the mouth with everything he had. Blood burst from Chapman’s lip and splashed on Shadow’s white shirt. He was about to sock him again, when a pair of strong hands grabbed him from behind and pulled him back inside the banquet hall.
“Boy, have you lost your damn mind? You can’t be swinging on people all crazy in front of the police!” Little Stevie scolded. “Fuck the police and fuck that bitch-ass uncle of mine. He’s lucky I didn’t kill him!”
“Yeah, you kill him and you’ll be in a cell next to your daddy instead of where you belong, which is out here with us trying to figure out what’s going down.”
“My dad didn’t kill anybody,” Shadow declared.
“Whether he did or didn’t isn’t the issue right now,” Stevie told him. “Who put the finger on him is. I need you to pull yourself together so you can help Ghost get the women straight while I do some digging and see if I can find out what’s happening. Do you think you can do that?”
Shadow nodded.
“Good. Go keep your head up and your mouth closed. I’ll reach out to you and Ghost when I know something,” Stevie said before disappearing into the night.
Shadow parked himself on a chair outside the dining room of the banquet hall. The guests filed out, everyone murmuring about what had just happened to Chance and what it would mean. Some of them stopped and tried to offer Shadow words of kindness, but he couldn’t hear anything but his heart thudding in his ears. Someone sought to destroy his family. When he found out who that was, he would make them answer for it.
Shadow finally stood and was about to join his family at the limo so they could head home. There was nothing else to be done at the banquet hall. Yet as he stalked off, something on the floor caught his eye. It was the envelope Juliette Zaza had given his mother earlier that night. A little something on your special day to show how much love and respect we have for the Kings, she had said. Out of curiosity more than anything else, Shadow opened the envelope. Inside it was a single dollar bill.
Two weeks had passed since Chance’s arrest and things had only gone further downhill. The judge denied him bail, stating that his finances and political connections made him a flight risk. His lawyer appealed the ruling, but the situation appeared grim.
The media relished dragging Chancellor King’s name through the mud and a great many of his so-called friends distanced themselves from him. Men who he had been doing legitimate business with for years now wouldn’t touch him with a ten-foot pole. Being associated with someone facing such serious charges was bad for business. Even the council of lords within the monarchy kept their distance. They claimed that Chance was hot and they didn’t want to bring any unnecessary heat to the monarchy.
Lolli had come clean to Ghost about why she’d broken down when Chance was arrested. Unbeknownst to everyone except Nefertiti, she had met with Alderman Porter about supporting her father, but he had rudely dismissed her. This hadn’t sat right with Lolli, so she went back for another visit. This time, the conversation was held over the business end of her gun. They had exchanged words and she had thrown him a good beating, but Lolli insisted that he was still alive when she’d left him. The fight was the source of the blood on her clothes that Shadow caught her trying to hide. The alderman’s maid had identified Lolli’s vehicle from when she was there earlier, a vehicle registered in the name of Chancellor King. This explained how the police caught the trail. Lolli was many things, but a liar wasn’t one of them. If she said she didn’t kill Porter then she didn’t, but that raised the question as to who did and what they stood to gain by placing the blame on Chance. The rabbit hole would go even deeper when Ghost finally went to visit his father in the lockup.
The conversation between the father and son was short and to the point. They still had no clue who had put the murder charge on Chance, yet the conspiracy to commit murder could’ve only come from one person. Chance had told Ghost about the agreement he struck with Paul Schulman. The thing that Chance had asked of Paul in exchange for making the Ira problem go away was to take a life. Not just any life, but the life of Dickey Salvatore. Chance understood that there would be some pushback, and that it would be challenging to figure out who was next in line to lead the Salvatore family. But if Dickey wasn’t around to pressure the monarchy into turning against Chance for his career decision, the transition would be smoother. Chance waited until after he visited with Rocco before pushing the button on the hit. He could tell from the lack of respect shown to him by Dickey that, eventually, one of them would probably have to die. The only two people who knew about Chance’s contingency plan were himself and Paul. That had to be where the conspiracy came from. For his betrayal, Chance planned to have Paul and several of his goons wiped off the map. And there was only one person he could trust with this delicate task.
