The Game Never Ends. Zaire Crown

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СКАЧАТЬ very long time, and the truth is, the Sebastian Caine you believe in never really existed. Even when I was at my worst, I still didn’t do half the shit that got put on my name. Now you talkin’ bout going to war with not just La Guapa, but the other cartel bosses who’s backing her like it’s no problem? You’ve been living with me for three years; do you think I’ve been hiding an army of mercenaries in the basement? There ain’t no button in my office that makes the walls spin to reveal grenades and rocket launchers. Our tennis court ain’t got no supersonic jet hiding underneath it.

      “I’m a family man; I own a business; I pay my taxes. I’m an ordinary dude, Tuesday. And I’m sorry if it fucks up the fantasy for you, but that’s all I’ve ever been.”

      She sat there quietly for a moment, absorbing all that he said. Since she was young, that name Sebastian Caine had been infamous, while the man himself had remained a mystery. Rumors had put his hands into everything from casinos to nuclear weapons.

      Even after years of being his woman, she had never been able to separate the man from the myth. Tuesday only realized then how much those stories had distorted her image of Marcus. This was a guy who had succeeded by being elusive and smart but there was nothing supernatural about him.

      Her eyes grew misty again. “Tell me you’ve got somethin’ up your sleeve. Tell me you’re not just about to go in there and hand them yo’ head.”

      He answered the question with his silence. He avoided her eyes, stared through the windshield as if some televised version of his future played out in the distance.

      A sob exploded from her. “I can’t believe this! I can’t believe there ain’t no other way. How are you so cool with this? What about me and Dani and Tanisha?”

      “I already took care of that. You and the girls are gonna be super-straight. The financial stuff is pretty complicated but for the most part, the house, the cars, the company—everything will be in your—”

      Marcus couldn’t believe it when Tuesday stole on him. She punched him in the face and shoulder, causing the Rolls Royce to swerve out of its lane. He corrected the wheel and caught her arm before she could hit him again.

      “Girl, what the fuck wrong wit’ you?”

      “What the fuck wrong with YOU?!” she hissed with heavy breaths. “You think I’m worried ’bout the money? You dumb sonofabitch, I’m worried ‘bout what I’m gone tell these girls when they start askin’ what happened to they Daddy.”

      Marcus had known what she meant from the beginning. This was just part of the conversation he was hoping to avoid.

      He said: “These last three years been the happiest of my life, and you and the girls are the reason for that. Don’t think for a second that I’m cool with this. I’ve just had more time to deal with it.”

      Marcus didn’t drive slow, just at a speed that showed he wasn’t in a rush. Tuesday felt a sickening pain in her stomach when they reached their street and the house came into view. Like Marcus had said, another burgundy SUV was already parked across the street from their home.

      When he pulled onto the grounds, the people trailing them remained outside the front gate. Marcus pulled up their driveway and stopped beneath the lighted portico at the entrance. He and Tuesday sat there for a moment; neither of them wanted to leave the car.

      “You don’t live the life I lived and not expect that shit to catch up to you. There was never gone be a happy ending for me, Tuesday. I always knew I wasn’t riding off into the sunset.

      “I did a lot of wrong—that company is the one thing I ever did that’s wholly about doing good. Sure, it turns a profit, but it’s one of the few large corporations that’s for the right thing. I can’t let that be corrupted, bae. I just can’t.”

      Tuesday shook her head. “I understand how important it is to your legacy that you repair some of the damage you did as Sebastian Caine, but what about your legacy as Marcus King, the father? To your daughters your legacy will be a man who just disappeared out of their lives.”

      “Tanisha’s still young, in time she’ll forget me. It’ll be a lot harder coming up with something to tell Dani. Of all the slimeball shit I ever done, leaving you behind to have that conversation is right at the top.”

      Tuesday glanced down at the Chevy Tahoes waiting at the front gate. Tears blurred her vision. She turned away from them but wasn’t able to look at him either. “Maybe they’ll give you a few minutes just to run in and say goodbye.”

      Marcus cut the engine and dropped the keys into her lap. “I already did. I’ve been sayin’ goodbye to ’em every day for months.”

      When he got out of the car, Tuesday followed right behind him. She grabbed his arm as he started down the driveway.

      “No. No. I don’t believe this. It’s not happening like this. Maybe I don’t know the truth about Sebastian Caine, but I know you. I know you, Marcus.

      “You got a plan. You got some angle you working. You not ’bout to just surrender. That’s not you. You got a plan,” Tuesday almost seemed manic.

      Marcus grabbed her and kissed her lips. He whispered in her ear. “It’s up to you to finish what I started. Protect my shit. You will be tested.”

      Tuesday watched him walk down their drive where two men jumped out of the lead Tahoe to greet him. Marcus held out his arms, submitted himself to a quick pat-down. Then he climbed into the back seat like he was leaving with friends.

      Tuesday just stood in front of her house as the three burgundy SUVs rolled off into the night. She had every expectation of seeing her husband again.

      Chapter Eleven

      The next day Tuesday sent Danielle to school and left Tanisha with a sitter. When Danielle asked, Tuesday told her that Daddy had gone on a business trip and would return soon. Tuesday didn’t feel like this was a lie.

      It may have been delusion or just the faith she had in her husband. While understanding he was not superhuman, she knew Marcus to be too much of a tactician to simply walk into his own execution. He would find a way to overcome this the same way he overcame the dope game, overcame his indictment, and overcame the odds by transitioning into a legitimate entrepreneur.

      Over the next few days, Tuesday went about the business of running Abel and being a mother. The combination taxed her patience and nerves but provided enough activity to fill her days. On the home front, Danielle was still trippin’, and it was much worse without Marcus to act as a buffer. At work, she was bombarded with mountains of paperwork, long meetings, and problems that felt like calculus. Luckily, she had Brandon to help steer the ship when the wheel became too much for her to handle.

      The days were difficult, but those calm and quiet nights were by far the worst. Lying in their extreme ultra-king, all Tuesday could do was think of Marcus. Being alone on that massive tenby-twelve-foot bed amplified his absence so much that she opted to sleep in one of the smaller guest bedrooms.

      Tuesday did receive a call from Marcus on the second day. He explained that the family had pulled the plug on Rene shortly after the two had made their peace. He said that out of respect, the meeting was being pushed back until the funeral was done.

      From what Marcus had explained, La Guapa couldn’t harm him as СКАЧАТЬ