Page 66 of Disrespectfully, Relic

“I didn’t need you to have my back, Kennedy! I run this shit! It isn’t your place to change a goddamn thing.”

“As your partner, it is, especially when you can’t see your board clearly. Two eyes are better than one, right? That’s what you said, and I did what I had to do, so you wouldn’t end up like Koda.”

Relic raised a hand to his chin, tugging at his overgrown hair strands while assessing the determined expression Kennedy wore. He’d blown up, manhandled her, and accused her of being the opposition, yet she stood before him like none of that shit had moved her. Relic scoffed at the blatant reminder that Kennedy loved a challenged, while he despised them yet loved to win. That single difference was the reason she’d spotted the hole in his play, but he’d missed it and hadn’t figured out where he’d gone wrong.

“What’d I miss?” He gritted out the question his pride had prevented him from asking her for weeks. “What made you shift around my board?”

“Come here.”

Relic tensed when Kennedy grabbed his hand, guiding him to the opposite side of the office. His heart swelled like it only did for his brothers when he noticed the glass encased chessboard he’d bought her stationed on a display stand, while her roses were split between two ceramic floor vases and positioned on each side. Relic shifted his eyes to Kennedy after she led him there, released his hand, and pointed at the front line.

“Pawns. I’m sure you had them lined up, but they tend to be useless if they’re not big in numbers. Their focus isn’t as on point. They aren’t as efficient,” she stated, moving her finger to the second line. “The knight and bishop are your best bet and where you fucked up. You made Pierre your knight when he isn’t anymore.”

Relic laughed and folded his arms cross his chest. “Bullshit. Shabu is—”

“Your knight. My brother told me, he had to think without emotions because if he based someone’s position off love, some pieces would end up with more power than they should have. You did that with Shabu.”

“So, you’re telling me, my brother ain’t worth shit?”

Kennedy pushed out an exasperated breath and said, “Look at it like this. If your brother were arrested or died today, what would happen to you?”

Relic stared at the board, calculating the weight of Shabu ending up in a jail cell or six feet deep. He would lose his fucking cool if anything happened to his brother, but outside of that, life wouldn’t halt. His money wouldn’t stop flowing, and he’d adjust to living without one third of his heart because it was what he did best. He adjusted. The same applied for Shabu in the event Relic met his demise.

If Pierre got caught slacking and lost his life, their family and his business would take a huge hit. Relic’s label would lose its money maker. If the nigga got locked up, it’d send up red flags and bring unwanted attention on his company. Both were things that Relic couldn’t afford.

“Fuck!”

“You see it, now?” Kennedy turned to him and explained in an empathetic tone, “Pierre is your capital, your business’s image, and he can handle shit on the backend if Shabu can’t. Their positions are close, but Pierre’s has more reach. You may not have intended to put P in that position, but it happened, so that’s what you work with. He needs to be protected and a last resort. Shabu is your knight, which in my opinion, is a good thing.”

“How the hell is my brother being demoted a good thing, Kennedy?”

She crossed her arms and demanded, “Tell me what happened?”

Anger surged through Relic at that request, but he shook it off and copped a seat on the edge of her desk. He’d save his pent-up aggression for the pussy ass nigga who’d earned it.

“Short story shorter, I was leaving out the club through the back. I had the gang near my car to scope shit out, but Sojourney’s ex and his people were already back there waiting to hit up P.”

“Wait, that’s who took your chain? Does she know? The bitch is still on the label?”

Kennedy shooting off questions while her face balled made Relic crack a smile while his remaining suspicions about her dissipated.

“I told her recently, and she’s still on the label since I doubt she had anything to do with it. We’ll see soon. Either way, they weren’t there for me. Shabu was paranoid, thanks to you, so he went through the front and came around back to check on me.”

She scoffed before saying, “You’re fucking welcome.”

“I’m not thanking you for shit. My brother could’ve died because I wasn’t on my A-game since I didn’t expect him to be there.”

“The same applies for you, which is why I’m glad Shabu is the knight. He listens, and he’s alert. You like Pierre because he’s reckless and does what you say, but Shabu thinks for himself. He’s levelheaded, and he’s—”

“What I made him,” Relic finished, and she smirked.

“Basically, he’s you but less crazy. He’ll risk his life for you and vice versa, which makes it likelier that both of you will come home. Anyone else will choose themselves, but you and Shabu will choose each other. It’s a win, win.”

Relic wiped a hand down his mouth before he stood, accepting her modification with reluctance. He couldn’t argue with logic. It was the second time that Kennedy had made a move for his benefit, but he still couldn’t grasp how to receive it.

His eyes flitted to the chessboard, staring at the queen piece that hadn’t budged throughout her speech. It was fixed and positioned to protect the king, which was what Kennedy had done. She’d studied his board and then adjusted his pieces without alerting anyone to her position. A glaring truth struck Relic; her skills were past what he assumed she held the potential to become.

“Don’t do it again.” His eyes coasted to her as he warned, “I let you slide twice, and I’ve never given a third chance in my life. You run shit past me, and I’ll decide if it’s best. Any other way makes you sneaky, and I can’t trust you.”

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