He’d been eviscerated in the press for the past month and a half since his release from the hospital. He was too busy to focus on anything but his recovery to allow those distractions to bother him, but now it was affecting his bottom line. The IPO launch was stalled. Every backer they had fled in the wake of the scandal and the fallout from the shooting. And with Flower out of commission with her stellar negotiating skills, they were at a real disadvantage. They were lucky they’d diversified early enough in tech or they’d have to shut down.
He was his brand, and his brand was trash now. In an industry that prided itself on street cred his was blown to smithereens. A snitch. It couldn’t be borne. Nobody would work for him or collaborate with him. All the artists under his label were in revolt, wanting out of their contracts and he didn’t blame them. The impact on Ghadi’s career was the same and his brother had more to lose because he was still releasing and touring along with his other duties at Creative Chaos. He had a mega tour coming up early next dear with some to the top groups in the world and some were now hinting they didn’t want to be associated with him. Ghadi’s rep stood on its own. He’d never distance himself from FADE and it was having a negative effect on him. True to form and loyal to his core, he didn’t even bring it up to him, he just shouldered it as always.
Only the most loyal of their fellow artists remained true, and only behind scenes. No one but Lyric was sticking their neck out. She had the clout of being the biggest female artist out for the last decade. Her word, her network of supporter’s who self named themselves ‘Lyric’s Notes’ were the only thing keeping his ass from being canceled. She was only one of the few people who knew what really happened, and only after he’d had no choice to tell her after he was shot. He could have gone to his grave with people never knowing what he’d done to make Justice’s murderer play for what he’d done. Armed with that knowledge, Lyric did everything within her vast influence to help him as he recovered.
“You good?”
He refocused on the task at hand and rose back to his start position and dead eyed his friend. “I know you mean well and I appreciate you taking the time to help with my training while it’s off season but I kinda hate your ass right now.”
“Good. That means it’s working.” Marchellis grinned big, the light capturing the blinged out cap he used to cover the chipped tooth he’d gotten from his college basketball days. “Look at you. You put on twenty pounds of muscle. You’ll be giving me some competition with the ladies.”
“Oh, really? Nobody wants a big giant goofball following them around.” FADE looked over to see his sisters come in. Willow was laughing at her own joke and Flower had even mustered a smile. He was glad to see her. He made this space available for both of them to work out as they recovered from their injuries. His heart squeezed at the ordeal his sister, who had always been such a bright light, had gone through. He wished she’d talk about it, but knew she would in her own time.
“Aww, hush little girl.” His thousand kilowatt smile warmed more as he walked over and greeted the women with a bear hug that had them squirming trying to get away from his sweat laden body.
“Ew,” they both cried in unison. Their faces crunched in disgust, which made him laugh as Marchellis hugged them closer.
“And you’re kind of tangy too with your stinky self.” Willow pushed him and he lunged for her which she easily dodged and had him stalking her around the room. They were funny together. Good together like he and Delightful could have been had things been different.
“I know that look.” Flower looked at him with sadness lingering in her eyes as she approached and pulled a towel from a nearby rack so she could begin her own workout.
“What look?” He wiped his head and neck with a towel.
“That look that says you’re pining after that ol’ no good girl.” She shook her head at him like he was pitiful.
“Yeah? Well then, I’ve seen it on your face too. Care to tell us who he is?” He kept his tone gentle, but there was no fooling her. She knew him too well. He’d kill the motherfucker who put that look of desolation on his baby sister. She wasn’t broken, but she was definitely bruised.
“That will be a triple-double nopity, nope, nope. You are dangerous and Ghadi is diabolically slick. So, no. I’ll pass big brother.” She went over to the high-end stationary bike he’d gotten for his knee replacement and began to enter her workout.
“I’m going back to New York,” she told him as she began to peddle. “I don’t know why you’re still here.” She stopped and smacked her head. “Ohh yes, I do.” She rolled her eyes and started to peddle in earnest.
He laughed at her shaking his head. She was well on the mend if she could make fun of him.
“Why? You can telework if that’s what you want.” He asked, though not surprised by her choice.
“It’s time for me to start my own thing. I was with Bridget and Evangelina in Japan and they are doing so much. They have their own company, Bite. They love it.” The way her eyes lit up, he knew he couldn’t do anything but support her.
“Just give me until the IPO launches and then I will help you do whatever you want to do,” he promised.
“Deal.” She blew him a kiss and got serious with her workout. She was getting stronger every day, and he was proud of her. She motivated him in so many ways, always giving one hundred percent with any task. He just wanted to see her smile like she used to.
He turned to see Marchellis watch with rapt attention as Willow showed off one of her ballet moves. There was a lot unsaid going on there, but he wouldn’t interfere. He knew his friend wouldn’t hurt his sister, just as he would’ve never hurt Delightful.
Marchellis looked over and caught him looking at them play and turned away from Willow looking chagrined. “All right.” He clapped his hands, walking back over to where he stood. “Let’s get some treadmill work done.”
FADE groaned but got on the machine under his friend’s watchful gaze.
“Damn,” he groaned, grabbing his leg as the muscles spasmed. He pulled the covers off his legs. He watched the muscles bunch and jump on their own accord under his hands. It was too late to call a masseuse. He pressed the tightest knot with his thumb for ten seconds to try to release the cramp. The doctors had told him the more he pushed himself that this would happen as his body tried to heal itself. It hurt like hell, but he didn’t want to take the muscle relaxers they had prescribed him or the pain killers. He always did his best to keep his body clean. He’d never done drugs, knowing the havoc they’d reeked on his community and on the lives of some of his fellow artists. He never smoked and rarely drank. He defied the perception of what the wild life of a rap star was.
His phone chimed. The same person who’d been texting him from the moment he was released from the hospital. He’d been too physically weak to see her. He’d needed time and space away from her and what had happened to him to see things clearly. He wasn’t weak anymore, his body was nearly healed. His mind? He was torn between wanting retribution and wanting to hold her.
Didi: Are you ready for your apology?
He looked down at those words for an eternity, just as he had every night. Every night it was a struggle. He battled with himself the moment he got out of his sickbed until now. The memory of her tortured him — her taste, her touch, her pussy. He missed the smell of her hair, the mix of tropical and the earthiness of coco butter that always seemed to follow her with each sway and shake of hair. Her smile, when she deigned to gift him with one, he found in his dreams. Every night. His insomnia which he’d struggled with all his life because his mind could never stop making music was back full force. Then when he did dream it was of her. Their pleasure and her betrayal. Last night it was her tears. He found himself waking to his own. The cottage in California had done nothing but make him want her more.
FADE: Are you ready to give it?
He closed his eyes. He wished she said, go to tell. He knew she wouldn’t. That movie meant everything t
o her. It would solidify her career and that of Lovie-Belle. There was nothing she’d not do for her sisters. He loved that about her. He loved a lot of things about her he readily admitted. Would she ever do anything for him?
Didi: Yes
FADE: I’m waiting.
Didi: Ok
He was about to see what his forgiveness meant to her. He tossed the phone down on the bedside table.
“What are you doing here?”
Delightful turned to the sound of Flower’s voice to her left as she entered the building. She looked over to the white marble columns and saw her friend if she could still be called that standing like a tiny sentinel with her arms crossed in front of her.
“Hey, Flower. I heard you were ill the same time FADE got hurt.” Delightful walked over to her.
“You mean when you almost got him murdered? He wasn’t hurt Delightful, he nearly died.” She took a handkerchief out of her pocket and wiped her nose before turning burning eyes back on her. Her movements were shaky, and it was obvious she had being crying hard.
“Are you okay?” Delightful moved toward her, worry racking her. She should call FADE. Flower was unraveling before her eyes. “Hey, hey, Flower…” She stopped when a hard hand was thrown up before she could get any closer.
“I’ll be all right.” She fumbled with the handkerchief again and had somehow managed to get it tangled with her phone. As she tried to unravel it her phone tumbled and clattered landing face up right in front of Delightful’s feet.
Looking down into the face of a gorgeous Asian couple, she picked up the phone and handed back to her teary friend.
“Beautiful couple. Are they friends of yours?” She watched as Flower’s face crumbled before her eyes.
“No. No, they are not my friends.” She watched her press the sleep button and place it in the pocket of her jeans. Before going back to her original query. “Why are you here?”
“Your brother said he’s ready to hear my apology.”
Flower was already shaking her head. “You mean to tell me, you held a grudge for twelve years over some mess he didn’t have anything to do with yet he’s here forgiving your treacherous tail? Jeeze Louise!”
Delightful cringed hearing the cold, hard truth. “He said nothing about forgiving me, only that he’d be willing to allow me to apologize.” The need to defend him spike up in her like a geyser. Not even his family could besmirch him before her eyes. She’d never allow it.
She’d been doing her best to counter the mess she’d caused working with Lyric, the Al Rasheeds and her industry contacts to clear FADE’s name. She’d had to keep it as undercover as possible because Ghadi had initiated a scorched earth policy against her. He’d somehow found out that she’d been to FADE’s hospital room and had let her know in no uncertain terms that she was to stay away from his family or he’d make his presence felt with her family. She knew he meant it. She didn’t blame him. Only she couldn’t let things with FADE end like this. She wanted to see him and try her best to make things right.
“Why did you do it? I was rooting for you,” Flower demanded. “Why would you set out to hurt him after he’s done so much for you and your family?”
“I told my parents, and I was wrong for that period. Would I do it again? Yes. My parents had a right to know. Nothing I will ever do will make up for how I let FADE and you guys down. All I can do is try to make it right and say I’m sorry. FADE agreed to do the movie and we are grateful. It’s totally up to him what happens next.” She watched every emotion flit across Flower’s face from anger and confusion to finally settle on sadness.
“What is it?” She leaned in, keeping her tone soft as not to agitate the already upset woman.
“That’s something you need to discuss with FADE.” She waved her away.
“Is it some type of secret? What else has FADE done for my family? Is that some kind of secret too?” A slow realization crept into her mind as she watched Flower struggle with herself without bursting forth with what she knew.
“My dad’s job?” Delightful just pulled that from the air. But it had been right after her brother died. Then her dad finally got the promotion with the power company that he’d been qualified for and denied for years.
Flower nodded. “The chief called in a favor because FADE asked them to in exchange for his cooperation.”
The news settled on Delightful like a leaden weight, knowing what that meant.
“Miracle’s scholarship to the Autism Academy and everything that followed? Berkeley? Why? He’d made sure that Justice got credit for his songs on the first three albums and everyone he sampled a little from afterwards.”
“Why?” Flower scoffed. “He made a promise to Justice. He’s loyal. Though now you have everyone thinking he isn’t. He was going to make sure you guys were just taken care of no matter what. Aside from trying to make it, his sole purpose in life was taking care of you guys. You didn’t see him after Justice died. You wouldn’t see him and he got it. He ensured that you soared. There’s nothing in your life he’s not smoothed the way for. All that time you shunned him, never took his calls and acted like he didn’t exist. He was having your back like Justice’s would have had mine.” She stepped away again, her eyes sheened with tears as she shook her head. Still not done. “I’m going back to New York tomorrow because staying here is not good for me right now. I need to get back to work. If you hurt my brother again, you won’t just have Ghadi to deal with.”
“He asked me to come. I’m not here to hurt him.” Her words held the conviction of her intentions, but she could tell they didn’t sway Flower.
“Keep telling yourself that if it makes you feel better. Part of you still blames him. There is no way you held that for twelve years and it evaporated overnight.”
“The moment I saw him, something shifted. I always knew deep down I wouldn’t be able to hold on to my anger once I saw him. Maybe that’s why I stayed away from him.” She shrugged and moved towards the elevator.
“Don’t tell him I was down here and you saw me crying. He’d only worry unnecessarily,” Flower called over to her as she pressed the call button for the elevator.
“Don’t tell Ghadi, I was here and you have a deal.” She bit her inner cheek to keep from smiling at her former friend’s fury.
“Whatever.” Flower rolled her eyes in disgust.
Delight stepped in the elevator and shrugged as the doors closed.
Chapter 13
Just Sorry
The elevator opened onto a dim-lit floor. You’d think you were in a New York City high-rise with less obstruction. The wall of windows of the penthouse loft showed all of downtown Birmingham on one side, then all the way to Red Mountain and surrounding areas on the other side. The city was all sparkling lights from up here. She could see every major landmark, she thought as she walked deeper into the building. At a distance the museum shone in white marble and the park with the missing the Confederate obelisk the people demanded be torn down could barely be made out. This was home and always would be, she realized as she’d waited for his call these many weeks. Having spent that time with her cousins, she’d seen what she missed after leaving and never really coming back after college. Her family and culture were here. This was her soft place to fall. The place to forgive and be forgiven.
“I’m back here.” FADE called. She scrunched her face up at the way his voice rasped, then picked up her pace as she followed the sound. He sounded like he was in pain.
“Are you okay?” She came into the bedroom area and saw him in a massive bed sitting up clutching his thigh.
“Muscle spasms,” he grunted. “The doc said they are a sign of healing but they are killing me.”
She didn’t know what sound she made, but he looked at her for the first time. “Why are you in pajamas?”
“This is the writer’s uniform, don’t ya know? I was working late and totally not thinking you were in forgiveness mode tonight.” She kept her tone light as she moved closer.
“Yeah, mom bought a ton different types before she left. My wound had not healed by then, so I never used them. Flower got all kinds of stuff as well. I have a compression boot but I can’t sleep with that damn thing on.” He sounded so miserable to her. Compassion and guilt had her swallowing against the tears that threatened to break free. How could he ever forgive her for the part she played in the pain he was enduring?
Flower’s words snuck in at that moment, compounding the feelings. After everything he’d done for her and her family, this was her thanks, almost crippling him and causing him countless nights of pain.
“Would you like me to make you a mineral bath?” she asked, not knowing if she wanted him to say yes or no. She just wanted him to stop hurting, not cause him more pain.
“Yeah,” he whispered.
She moved away from him and looked around, not seeing an entrance to the bathroom.
Rapper's Delight: The Mogul Series Book One Page 10