The Reluctant King: Book 1: The Book of Shadow

by K'wan

  Pain eventually intervened when it seemed like Shadow had shed whatever shit he was dealing with. Milton was barely conscious; a cluster of knots crowned his head. Pain and Fresh scooped the beaten man up and carried him out of the apartment. They decided to go out the back of the building and dump him on the next block for someone else to find.

  While they were gone, Millie addressed Shadow: “You know, the older you get the more like the rest of them you become.” She stared at the blood on the walls and floors. She was disappointed. How could she not be? Shadow was the sweet one of the family.

  “At least I’m out here carrying myself like a King and not some two-bit junkie whore,” Shadow said, inspecting his fist.

  “Watch your mouth, little prince. You ain’t too big to not still catch these hands.” Millie raised her fists menacingly. She was a fighter, always had been. Growing up, she had even given Ghost a run for his money whenever they got into it. “Anyway, what did Mama send you to talk to me about?”

  “Her birthday. She wanted me to see if you were going to make it to her party.”

  “Shit, her birthday ain’t until April.”

  “What month do you think we’re in?”

  Millie searched her scattered brain, trying to piece together the date. “Damn,” she said, realizing that she had no idea. “I’ll, umm … I’ll find the time to get her something and drop it off.”

  “What she wants more than anything is for you to be there tonight. We’re having a big party in the city. We’re celebrating Mama’s birthday and announcing that Daddy’s running for higher office. A lot of important people are going to be there, including some of Daddy’s street business partners.”

  “I think I remember Lolli telling me something about it the last time we talked,” Millie said.

  “You keep in contact with Lolli?” Lolli had never mentioned this to Shadow.

  “Besides Mommy, Lolli is the only one of you who don’t treat me like Pookie from New Jack City.”

  “Is that how you think the rest of us look at you?”

  “Like you said, I’m moving like a junkie whore instead of a King,” Millie spat. “It’s cool though, I’m comfortable in my skin. How about the rest of you?”

  “Meaning?”

  “Meaning all of you live in the shadow of what the king and queen expect of you. Under that monarchy, your lives will never be your own. Me? I’m out here free, baby brother.” Millie spread her arms for emphasis.

  “How you screaming you’re free when you’re a slave to your addiction?”

  “That’s where you’ve got it wrong, little prince. I’m not a slave to cocaine, it’s a slave to me. I knew from the first time I took a hit that this white bitch don’t love me. For sure she makes me feel groovy, but those are only moments. For as long as I feed that bitch, she’ll eat from my hand. The minute I can put oil in that burner, she’ll leave me. I understand that this is the nature of our relationship so my expectations are never high.”

  “You’ve got a real fucked-up way of looking at things, Millie.”

  “An aftereffect of growing up as one of the King kids.”

  “Growing up a King is the best life anybody could ask for.”

  “Until it isn’t,” Millie said. “Shadow, things are good for you as long as they fall in line with what Mommy and Daddy want. God forbid you have an original thought. That’s when they’ll brand your ass an enemy of the monarchy.”

  “You’re exaggerating.”

  “Am I? By the time you and Lolli were born, Chance and Mom were a little older and finally grew consciences about the way they lived and the things they dragged their kids through. Everyone in Chancellor and Maureen King’s lives was a chess piece, including us. You don’t believe me? Ask Ghost about his first failed engagement.”

  “The only person Ghost has ever been engaged to is Kelly,” Shadow said.

  Millie gave a throaty laugh. “The fact that you’re ignorant to one of the most historical blunders in our family history tells me that you’re walking around with blinders on. You may want to pull them off on your own before someone else snatches them off. You want a history lesson, ask Uncle Chapman about it. He’s a useless piece of shit, but you won’t find a better source of gossip than him. What I’ll tell you about the incident is that once I saw what your father tried to do to his favorite son, I realized that we were all expendable if it suited the needs of the king. That was around the time when I decided that before I allowed myself to be a pawn on someone else’s chessboard, I’d be a queen on my own.”

  “And this is your queendom?” Shadow glanced around the apartment.

  “Touché, little brother. Nah, man. This is a temporary setback. If you’d been through some of the shit I’ve been through trying to be a proper princess, you might’ve turned to drugs to numb your pain too. As King kids, we’re all one push away from either becoming killers or addicts. Which one you gonna be, Shadow?”

  “About the party,” he said, changing the subject.

  Millie rubbed her arm absently, as if she had just caught a chill. “It’s kind of short notice. I ain’t got the proper time to pull myself together.”

  “Mom sent a dress for you. I got it in the trunk of the car. It might be a little baggy, though.” He instantly regretted the comment about her weight; he wasn’t trying to be mean. Her skinniness was simply impossible to ignore. “But I’ll pay for it to get altered, if need be. Maybe even buy you a new one if you don’t like what she sent.” He pulled out his small bankroll to show Millie that he was holding.

  Millie eyed the cash hungrily. Shadow was probably only working with a few hundred dollars at best, but that was more than enough to keep Millie on cloud nine for a good stretch. The addicted side of her brain told Millie to take the money, yet the big sister in her closed Shadow’s hand around it to let him know she was refusing his offer. “Thanks, but I’m good,” she said softly. Her baby brother was one of the few people Millie wouldn’t take from, no matter the circumstances. Although she was strung out, she still held enough control over herself to put boundaries on her inner addict.

  “Millie, this is important,” Shadow said. “All Mom wants is for the King children to show a unified front.”

  “You mean she wants us to smile in front of the press and pretend to be an all-American family instead of the monsters we really are?” Millie said between laughs.

  “Listen, I ain’t about to stand here and beg you. You don’t like my dad? I get that, but this isn’t for him. It’s for Mom. Don’t shit on her just to spite him.”

  Millie folded her arms over her chest and grunted.

  “I told Mom this trip would be a waste of time,” Shadow mumbled, heading for the door, but Millie stopped him.

  “I’ll walk you to the car. You brought the dress all this way, the least I can do is try it on.”

  Shadow’s eyes lit up.

  “Don’t be smirking at me like you did something slick. I’m not making any promises to show up, but I’m not saying that I won’t either. Now, come on so I can see this dress, and it better not be ugly.”

  PART III

  THE LAST SUPPER

  CHAPTER 15

  The early etchings of night fell as Shadow drove home. His trip to Brooklyn had proved more adventurous than he’d expected. After giving Millie the dress, he stayed around and kicked it with her for a while. Just as their time together took on the familiar air of the old days, her monkey started scratching her back again. She didn’t say anything, but Shadow could tell; her movements became slightly jerkier and her nose started to run. He knew that she had what she needed with her and the only reason she wasn’t getting high was out of respect for her little brother. So he made up an excuse to leave so she could get herself together. He still didn’t know if she was planning on attending the party or not, but he was hopeful.

  It was getting late and he still had a lot to do. He dropped Pain off first, in the projects, with the last of the rock that he had pinched fr
om one of the King stash houses. This was their little hustle. Whenever Shadow could, he would tap one of the stashes for a bit of product. It was only shake, the crumbs left over from whenever one of their chefs cooked up a large batch of coke. The chefs usually saved the shake to bless loyal fiends who brought them business, but Shadow had a standing arrangement with some of the dudes who worked the houses. He’d throw them a few dollars to turn a blind eye while he helped himself. Shadow would give the crack to Pain and Fresh to hustle off. Shadow didn’t do it for the money, he did it so his friends wouldn’t starve. When he was older and in position, he intended to bring them into the family. Until that time came, however, he would do what he could to make sure things didn’t get too hard for them.

  Fresh didn’t get out of the car with Pain. He claimed that he was going to slide over and see a chick who stayed on New York Avenue, but it felt more like he was trying to avoid the block. Likely because of what had gone down with Malice. Pain clowned him, but Shadow didn’t.

  On the way over to New York Avenue, Shadow passed a pawnshop. He found a nice necklace to grab as a present for his mom—she’d never have to know where it came from. Not that she would care, so long as her baby boy didn’t show up empty-handed. The child who never disappoints.

  Fresh was unusually quiet during the ride. Shadow tried to engage him in small talk, but it was obvious that something was troubling him. After a bit of probing, Fresh finally confided that he was indeed still concerned about a potential issue with Malice, but his family was also having some financial struggles at home. His mother worked two jobs, and he hustled, but they were still barely making ends meet. Shadow offered to speak to his parents about trying to help Irene get a better job, but Fresh’s pride wouldn’t allow it, nor would his mother’s. Though Shadow’s heart was in the right place when he made the offer, Fresh seemed to take it as a handout. He and his family would find a way, he said, and Shadow didn’t press the issue. Before Fresh got out of the car, Shadow handed over what was left of his bankroll, along with his mother’s gun. Loaning the derringer probably wasn’t the smartest thing he had ever done, but he wanted Fresh to feel safe when he went home that night. It would only be for a day or two until Shadow could figure out something else. His mother didn’t drive the Benz very often, so he was confident he could have the gun back in its hiding spot before she missed it.

  When Shadow pulled up to his house, he found it alive with activity. The driveway was lined with so many vehicles that he had to park his mother’s car on the street. He grabbed his tuxedo and his mother’s gift from the backseat and hurried up the driveway. He nodded to a few of the soldiers standing guard, but didn’t stop to exchange words. His father had called him three times and his mother once, likely wondering where the hell he was. Of course his mother knew, but he’d have to think of how to spin it to his father. Maureen had undoubtedly covered for him, but he had no way of knowing what tall tale she had cooked up. With any luck, he would be able to slip into the house and avoid his father, at least until he got dressed.

  A white Escalade limo idled at the curb outside the house. This was the King family’s flagship vehicle, and his dad only pulled it out for special occasions. Nefertiti leaned against the limo, which probably meant that she would be driving them that night. He wasn’t surprised; she was always reluctant to let Lolli out of her sight. Normally, Shadow considered Nefertiti one of the guys, but now he did a double take. She wore a formfitting, knee-length skirt with a high slit. Her legs were well-oiled and a black blazer tightly hugged her chest, stopping just short of her thin waist. Shadow watched her tug at her fingerless gloves, and for a quick instant a fantasy popped into his head that made him lower his eyes in shame.

  Standing there shooting the breeze with Nefertiti was Ghost’s young protégé, Christian. Shadow knew that Christian was one of Ghost’s favorite street lieutenants, but the fact that he had been invited to such a prestigious event said that his star was rising faster than anyone suspected.

  Shadow fought back a chuckle when he took in the man’s outfit. He wore full black coattails and gloves, and his cummerbund was dotted with silver sequins. The kicker of the outfit were his shoes. They were black and polished to a high shine, but the two-inch heels contained some sort of liquid. Upon closer inspection, Shadow realized that the heels were fashioned after snow globes. Full winter scenes took place in each, little figurines spinning amid falling snow. The dude looked like a cross between an orchestra conductor and a circus ringmaster.

  “You gonna keep standing there gawking or you gonna speak?” Christian called out.

  “Urn … my fault. I was just checking out your outfit,” Shadow managed to say without bursting into laughter.

  “Whenever I step out, my drip has got to be serious, especially when I’m sitting amongst royalty,” Christian said, popping his collar. He did a little turn so that Shadow could take in the whole outfit.

  “You’ll be sitting at the kiddie table with the rest of the junior members,” Nefertiti chimed in, shoving Christian playfully.

  “Listen, all you gotta do is let me in the room and I’ll do the rest,” Christian said. “The prince ain’t never needed no hands up.”

  “Look, it wasn’t easy for Ghost to convince his parents that you’re ready for this step,” Nefertiti said. “Maureen asked me if I cosigned the move and I said I did. That means both our reputations are on the line. I need you to check that diva shit at the door. I need your mouth shut and your ears open.”

  This was an interesting bit of news to Shadow. He knew of Ghost’s connection to Christian, but what would make Nefertiti vouch for him?

  “Well, I’d better get back to my ride,” Christian said. “I don’t want Ghost to see me out here fraternizing and put me back on the bench.” He waved, pivoted on his heels, and walked off.

  “That is one strange fruit,” Shadow remarked. “I don’t know what Ghost sees in him.”

  “No one does. That’s what makes him so dangerous.” Neferriti looked at her watch and then back up at Shadow. “You’re cutting it kind of close. We’re supposed to be pulling out in the next few minutes.”

  “I had some business to take care of in Brooklyn and lost track of time.”

  Nefertiti studied his face. “Punctuality is a sign of good character. A man’s character is all he has to stand on in this world.”

  “I’m not in your world?” Shadow said.

  “Maybe not now.” She cast a glance at the house. Ghost stood in the window watching them. “None of us can be sure what tomorrow holds until we get there.” Nefertiti patted Shadow’s shoulder, but there was something in her words that gave him the chills.

  He shrugged and trotted off toward the house.

  “Shadow,” Nefertiti called after him, “next time have the common decency to wash up before you come back to the pad. You reek of weed.”

  Shadow nodded. Nefertiti was like a damn bloodhound.

  As soon as he crossed the threshold he was met by Ghost, who wore a black tuxedo, similar to the one Shadow carried in his garment bag. Ghost looked tired and lines of worry streaked across his face.

  “You good, big bro?” Shadow asked.

  Ghost gave him a half smile. “I’m a King—we’re good even when we ain’t. But yo, where you been? Dad has been losing his shit looking for you.”

  “I slid into Brooklyn after school. Wanted to check up on the homies right quick.” Shadow was pleased with this lie—it was only partially untrue.

  Ghost looked at his watch. “You were able to go from school to Brooklyn and back in such a short time using public transportation?”

  “I took an Uber back,” Shadow answered, not wanting to betray his mother.

  “Shadow, I’m gonna need you to steer clear of the old neighborhood for a while,” Ghost told him.

  “Why? Going to the hood is the only time I can see my friends and really have fun. You don’t have to worry, Ghost. I know what’s popping in the hood and I always make sure
I’m careful.”

  “You don’t know shit,” Ghost said through clenched teeth. “If I’m asking you to stay away, I’m asking for a reason. Don’t fight me on this, Shadow.”

  “Whatever, man,” Shadow said, rolling his eyes. He wasn’t in the mood for a lecture. He started to walk off, but the next thing he knew there was a vise grip around his neck. Ghost dragged him to a corner, slamming his back against the wall.

  “You listen to me and you listen good, you spoiled little muthafucka,” Ghost raged, spraying saliva across Shadow’s face. “I ain’t Pain, Fresh, or none of them other little niggas that treat you like you’re Michael Corleone. Now, I’ve been letting you have your fun playing gangster in Brooklyn, with you side crack hustle and whatever else you’re into.” Shadow’s eyes widened at the mention of the crack. “What? You think I didn’t know? You ain’t that slick, Shadow. While you’re rolling your eyes and sucking your teeth like a little bitch, I’m trying to tell you something that may save your life.” He gave his little brother a good shake. Seeing the fear in Shadow’s eyes made Ghost soften his stance and release him.

  “The hell is wrong with you?” Shadow said, shoving his brother, trying to rediscover his courage. He had never seen this side of his brother before—on edge and a little afraid.

  “I’m sorry, Shadow,” Ghost said, smoothing Shadow’s clothes. “I didn’t mean to come at you crazy, but I really need you to hear me on this. This shit with Daddy has everything fucked up. There’s a lot going on right now that I really can’t get into, but things are about to get insane, especially in the streets. Your friends Pain and Fresh? They live at ground zero of a war zone every day of their lives, so they know how to navigate it. You, I’m afraid, are going to go there one day and accidentally step on a land mine.”

  “Ghost, contrary to what everybody thinks, I’m not that naïve. I know there’s something going on and it has to do with Dad running for office. Instead of lying to me about it, just keep it on the level.”