Chapter 5: SHAMEEK - A Street King's Widow

The staff meeting had gone better than I expected. I was starting to see what Rah saw in Kyenna. When it was time to step the fuck up, she knew how to. Niggas walked in wondering if The Royal Flush was going to survive without Rah. They walked out that bitch knowing exactly who was sitting on the throne now. Kyenna ain’t miss a beat in the meeting. I stayed in the back while she gave them the run down on how shit was going to be ran. The managers here knew Kyenna well because she was the voice behind this movement. She was Rah’s confidant. His advisor when it came to this business shit. Grif walked over with a grin on his face.

“She knows what she’s talkin’ ‘bout.”

“She does this shit. This bitch been runnin’ as long as it has ‘cause of her brains. Shit ‘bouta go all the way up foreal.”

Once the meeting was over, every manager filed out ready to get the doors opened. Kyenna thanked all of them for being attentive and sent them back to work. She wasn’t pretending to be Rah. Her ass was leading her way. This is exactly what my brother would’ve wanted.

“Whew.” She flopped down in the chair and slipped her shoes off.

“Damn, not the Queen feet hurting.” I laughed to lighten the room.

“I forgot how much I hated them damn shoes.”

“You have another meetin’ with the partners in another hour. I think all they want to know is the tentative openin’ date,” I told her.

“What you thinking? I believe we can get it open and everybody back on their game by this weekend.”

“I can see that.”

“It’s going to take me a minute to get used to sitting in this chair,” she said, rubbing the arms of the chair.

I understood where she was coming from. My brother made enemies, planned deals and built an empire in that chair. Now that bitch belonged to her.

“You hungry?” I asked.

She looked at her watch.

“I wasn’t even thinking about food.”

“Shit, I kno’. That’s why I’m here to get you used to workin’.”

“I really don’t have time.”

“You need to make time to eat. I’ll send Grif at you something,” I said, hitting a button on her office phone. “Grif.”

“Yeah, Mr. King.”

“Bring Mrs. King some lunch. Maybe something like grilled fish and a salad.”

Kyenna immediately frowned.

“I can order my own food.”

“I kno’ what you can do, Sis. Right now, focus on the next meetin’ and let someone help you. I won’t be here forever. I got my own shit to run.”

“I don’t need a babysitter.”

“Man, I’m doin’ what the fuck my brother would’ve wanted from me. Had it been me instead of him, I would want him to do the same for Nikki.”

“My bad. I just don’t know who to trust at this point. None of y’all are giving me updates on if you found anything out.”

I swallowed hard because she had no idea how hard we were out here trying to find out who took Rah from us. I thought it was a good idea to keep the shit from her to keep her safe. That’s why I beefed up security more. I didn’t know if they were coming for her next or one of us. Hell, Jaharee couldn’t even go to her nigga house by herself anymore. I was on any nigga head about anyone carrying the King last name.

“Sis, it’s safer for you. It’s not that we don’t want you to know. My Pops and I kno’ how women can get when it comes to emotions. Can you trust me?” I asked, placing my hand on my heart.

“I can trust you. But if it’s something important, can you promise me you’ll let me know?” She stared into my eyes.

“It depends. If I feel like it will put you in danger, fuck no.”

“I want y’all to stop babying me. My husband was dead when I arrived. Only feet away from our gate. I can’t get any more traumatized than that.”

I threw my hands up. “Aight. If I find anything out, I’ll let you kno’.”

The meeting with the partners went great. I watched all of them niggas eyes as Kyenna talked. Some I saw lust and some I saw respect. What I was looking for was envy. So far, none of them showed it. They gave her feedback on how they should move forward. They collaborated and figured the shit out. After today, I doubted that Kyenna would even need me. She had this shit under control. If she didn’t, I’m sure her dad would get the shit straight. My brother left it to her, and I didn’t want to interfere with any of her decisions she made.

Later that evening, I finally pulled up to Nikki’s driveway. The porch light was already on because she knew I was coming. As soon as I stepped inside, I could smell the smothered pork chops.

“Damn,” I said. “I’m starvin’.”

Nikki looked over her shoulder. “You said that three hours ago. It took a lot to get this food to stay warm.”

“My bad.”

She fixed my plate without another word. Nikki would cuss me out and take care of me in the same breath.

“Thank you,” I said, kissing her cheek.

Nikki and I had been kicking it for a few years now. My mama asked why I had not made things official with her. I wasn’t big on titles when it came to women. I had love for her, but the answering to a woman was draining for me. Nikki worked at a bakery that she shared with her family. She was a beast in the kitchen.

“How did it go?”

“Shit, Kyenna killed it. She got everythin’ under control.”

“I told you she would.”

“I’m just glad to see my brother’s dream stayin’ alive.”

“Will you be spending a lot of time over there?”

I shrugged, “Probably.”

“Until she gets settled?”

“Yeah.”

Nikki looked down at her glass.

“Okay.”

Her okay carried something with it. I knew it wasn’t because she didn’t trust me. I haven’t given her a reason not to. Nikki wasn’t the jealous type. She knew if I wanted another bitch, I’d leave before I started playin’ in her face. That’s why I was confused about why the fuck she was questioning me about my brother’s wife. I would never cross the line with Kyenna. She was like a sister to me.

“You good?” I asked.

“I just miss you.”

“What you mean?”

“You’ve been gone every day. You come over exhausted and we don’t talk as much as we used to. I know your family needs you more than me right now. I just miss my man.”

Her feelings were valid, but she also knew what she was getting into when it came to me and my family. This was one of the reasons I didn’t want to be tied down to a woman. It came with too many emotions. I wanted her to understand that I had just lost my brother and I was trying to keep his dream alive and that included me helping his wife keep that shit going. At least until she told me she had it.

“I understand your feelin’s. You need to understand mine as well. I’m not gonna always be able to be with you. Even if I wasn’t helpin’ Kyenna, I would still be out and about runnin’ my shit. This is not somethin’ new, Nikki.”

“You were doing better though, Shameek.”

“Aight, aight. I’ll try to do better again, but have some grace too, Nikki.”

“Okay, I will.”

I grabbed her hand and pulled her to me until she was sitting on my lap.

“Look, what we got is good. You kno’ I’ll never play I yo’ face. Pops raised us to be men. Besides, I’m not tryin’ to be like Rah wit’ all these damn kids runnin’ ‘round.”

“I trust you, Shameek. I just miss you being here.”

“I’ll do better,” I told her, kissing her softly. “Matter of fact, come stay with me tonight.”

“I got to work tomorrow,” she whined. “Your place is an hour away from my job.”

I hated that she worked, but Nikki said it kept her from being bored all day. She knew she had access to anything she wanted, but she still decided to go and work with her family. I got it because technically I was doing the same shit.

“I’m tryin’, Nikki. But it’s cool. We’ll try another night,” I told her as I let her up and focused back on my food.

It was like she wanted one thing from me and when I tried, it was a barrier stopping her. She rarely ever wanted to come to my place because she said it was too far. Yet, she wanted to be my woman. The shit was confusing, but I wouldn’t trade her for anyone else because I could trust her with all my secrets.