Relaxing in my comfy office chair, I thought about how he was already so thoughtfully trained. As I opened my mouth, a light tut came off my tongue. “I’ll be sure to let you know,” I said. “Now, my schedule. I’m busy. I’m always busy. If this office line rings, you answer it. You tell whoever it is on the other end that I’m busy.”
His obedient head wobble was so precise. I hoped he was taking it all in. “Yes, sir.”
I opened the desk drawer and pulled out an old phone—nothing fancy, it was a bit of a brick. “Here’s a phone that receives redirected calls from this line,” I said, sliding it across my desk to him. “Answer it when it rings. If it’s for me, I’m busy. If it’sfromme, I expect you to be right where I need you, when I need you. Understood?”
“Twenty-four hours,” he said.
“It’s a demanding job,” I told him.
“I’m ready to serve.” He took the phone. “I’m ready to impress you, sir.” He gave me a bow. He was performing for me. Maybe he’d go further than the last guy, or the one before that. But I wanted to know just how far he’d go, how much he’d play if I asked him to. “Is there anything else I need to know, and is there anything you need me to do for you now?”
A waved a hand at him. “Stand outside until I call you in. On your feet. No sitting.”
Isaiah turned to leave on a sharp one-eighty.
“Study myofficialcalendar,” I told him, pushing a slip of paper across to him. He turned again, his face stern as if he was trying to impress me with his lack of emotion. But he had them, big ones, bubbling beneath the surface. How much could I test them before he burst? “This is where I am and where I’ve been. If anyone asks, you were there too. Understood?”
He left the office and I was alone again.
Nobody told me how lonely it was at the top. I couldn’t go out and get my hands dirty anymore. If I died, the entire operation would go into freefall—well, one of my brothers would step in, but that wouldn’t stop nearby families trying their best to come and sweep a nice little parcel of town as their own.
I was really switching things up. My lieutenants were on the ground floor, making this place look operational. They had their guns and they were more than able to keep anyone away who tried to get to me. There had been a time when my father attempted to legitimize this business by filling it with corporations and people—and they’d paid well—but that made it easier access for anyone trying to reach the top floor.
As I tasted the coffee, I watched boats come and go from the harbor. It was nice coffee, and I savored every sip of it. He was something special, I could tell.
***
The next morning it was 9:02 a.m. when Isaiah knocked on the office door with my coffee.
“I said nine a.m.”
He was dressed in the same shirt I’d gifted him yesterday; it was just the perfect amount of tight to show off his slender body. “I’m sorry, I apologize, I—there—I’m—”
I snapped my fingers at the desk. “Don’t make excuses. Acknowledge. Fix it.”
“Yes. It won’t happen again.” He bowed his head at me like I was a royal. “Is there anything else you need from me?”
“Have you studied the calendar?” I asked.
“Yes,” he offered with a big smile. “You’re very busy.”
“Good. I’ll send you the real calendar,” I said, reaching into the second desk drawer. There were many new phones in there, and I handed him one. “Passcode is four six two nine one three, remember it. Anddon’tuse this phone for anything else. It connects to my iCloud.”
He nodded. “Okay. Thank you, sir.”
“Oh, and one more thing. New shirts. The darker the better.”
His lips moved as if to repeat what I’d told him.
There was a reason I favored the darker shades, it’s because they hid a sin of stains, and a whole lot of blood when it came down to it.
***
It was 8:00 a.m., and I was sitting in the back of the Benz outside the apartment building Isaiah lived in. I’d already waited in this spot for five minutes with my driver, Ronnie, a hard guy, one of my associates who was still trying to earn a spot and rank amongst the family. Since my father’s passing, a lot of peoplehad left—mostly his advisors, the type of men who held the same beliefs my father did, knowing I’d have them whacked if they tried any of that homophobic bullshit on me.
It was 8:09 a.m. when Isaiah walked out of the apartment building. His shirt was untucked on one side, with the tucked side coming out of his fly. I watched for a moment, shaking my head.
“Should I tell him, sir?” Ronnie asked.
