Page 8 of Memphis

The ladies at the table gushed all over each other while Ray Nation’s glare was nailed to me. I was sure he recognized my voice, but what was his issue? Considering the amount of moneyhe made while working for me, he should’ve been elated to see me. Unless Memphis told him…

“Me and Denita are glad to have her back!” Mr. King said.

“I know I am. Frankie is too much for one woman. I need help,” the wife, Denita, declared.

Well, damn. The old man had it like that?

“I’m happy to be home! I was sad to hear about Pauline, though. That was just…crazy,” Candy, the returned wife, chimed in.

“Sho’ was. Now, Metizodeck—” the old man began.

I decided to save him by saying, “You can just call me Bo.”

“Yeah, I’ll do that. What kind of name is Muhsleezoset anyway? Where your folks from?” her father asked.

“Uh, it’s Biblical. I’m named after the grandson of King Saul,” I informed him.

“The Bible. Now, that’s some irony for you,” Memphis mumbled.

“And I’m from Chicago. Still got folks there,” I offered, ignoring Memphis because I had something for her ass later on.

“You don’t say? I played a lot of shows in Chi,” Frankie King replied, obviously having not heard his daughter’s little remark.

“Oh, I know. My mom is a big fan of yours.”

“Well, I hope to make her acquaintance one day. So…how did you two meet? You got to be something special because Memphis ain’t brought a boyfriend around the family since high school.”

“She hasn’t?” I damn near squeaked.

“Hell naw, but I can usually tell when she got a man. She has a glow about her. Ain’t seen it in a while, though. So, y’all must be just starting out.”

“Actually—” I began, but Memphis cut me off.

She groaned, “Daddy, please! I’m almost fifty years old and Mephibosheth is older than me! We’re both too grown forthis level of interrogation. Besides, isn’t this supposed to be a celebration? Candy’s home and I’m happy about that. Now, Umber…what you put in this spaghetti? It tastes different, really good, though.”

“Oh!” her youngest sister piped. “Deer meat.”

“Uh, come again?” Memphis said.

“Deer meat.Venison. I killed a doe out by my house, skinned and dressed it myself and everything!”

There was a chorus of reactive groans from my table mates, and I just shrugged because the shit was good as hell.

I was fumingas I followed the piece of shit to his house. It didn’t help that my entire damn family kept calling me back-to-back the entire drive. Of course, I didn’t answer anyone. Not yet, anyway. I had to come up with a believable lie first because I damn sure wasn’t telling them the truth. Hell, Icouldn’ttell them the truth, not even Lilith, who knew too much as it was. Ray obviously recognized Bo and knew the Cliff Notes versionof our history and present arrangement, but he didn’t know the true extent of the agreement I made with Bo in exchange for Lilith’s life. He didn’t know the gory details. He didn’t know about the parts of the agreement I’d been successfully dodging for two years. Now, Bo was calling my bluff, and I most definitely wasn’t ready to answer.

I trailed him to a modest neighborhood with virtually identical mid-sized homes, neat lawns, fenced in backyards, and HOA fees. Yes, the head of The Agency, an elite murder-for-hire firm, lived in suburbia, drove a damn Equinox, and usually wore a uniform of blue jeans and t-shirts. His immediate neighbors and The Village at large had no idea a billionaire was in their midst. If anyone asked, he told them he worked from home for a tech company—a shell company he happened to own.

I followed him into his driveway and then the garage, parking my car beside his. I kept my eyes on the spotless garage wall before me but could see him exit his vehicle and make his way to mine in my periphery.

When he tapped on my window, I rolled my eyes before lowering it.

“So, we calling in markers now? That’s how you treat your ‘love’?” I spat.

“Get out the car, King,” he said, pressing a button on a fob.

As the garage door began to close, I felt like I was going to suffocate. I was really trapped on this man’s property. This all felt too real. So, I said, “I don’t want to be here.”

Placing his hand on top of my car, he countered with, “And Idowant you to be here.”

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