Total pages in book: 118
Estimated words: 109178 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 546(@200wpm)___ 437(@250wpm)___ 364(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109178 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 546(@200wpm)___ 437(@250wpm)___ 364(@300wpm)
“Set straight? Like some doll that fell on its side. Toys. Little GI Joe men. That’s all we are to you. Green army soldiers made of cheap plastic. A bunch of damn toys!”
“Nonsense. Nothin’ I do is for play—”
“You want to use family, and not regular ol’ people because family is a commodity to you. You want blood because we’re easier to control, manipulate and extort. You accuse me of standin’ on some mountain, but you can’t even stand on an anthill on your own. This mountain of mine? This thing called life? At least I climbed it by myself! You’re a tyrant and a coward! You couldn’t do a fraction of what I’ve succeeded at, and the best achievements in life have little to do with money, Grandpa. Greedy men like you sit back and count your cash while sitting in the middle of your bedroom, alone, not noticing the stench of burnin’ flesh. You never realize a flame is spreading until it’s too late, because you’re so engrossed in your greed and power trips. You totally miss the fact that your ass is on fire!”
“Get it all out, boy!” Grandpa cackled. “All of this make-believe stuff you’ve concocted in your head! No, I want family because family are the best men for the job!”
“Bullshit. It’s gives you an advantage that can’t be compared. You know our full history, from five generations back, maybe even more. You know what we’ve achieved, and where we’ve failed. You know many of our secrets, the things we’ve done. Like you knowin’ about me driving out to Kage’s house. Case in point, I am sure you know now that I found the little tracker you had one of your fuckheads put on my truck. It’s been removed. Proof that you are watchin’ us every chance you get. In some cases, you were even at the hospital while we were bein’ born. You know our ticks, pet peeves, temptations, advantages, gifts, and limitations.
“With a new person you meet, or some stranger that you get to know, you still would have missed a lot of that important information. Only could take their word for some things, because not every detail about a person can be charted or verified unless you were right there, when it happened. With your children, grandchildren, brothers, and cousins, you were there, in some capacity, every step of the way. Getting the play by play. Watchin’ them like some Boogeyman. The more you know about someone, the more power and leverage you have over them. You want to be king of the mountain. That’s why you’re pissed that I’m tryna climb it. This just in! Breaking news… Guess what, old man? I don’t have to climb the mountain, or be king of the mountain. I am the mountain…”
Grandpa’s hand slipped from his shoulder, and he gripped the top of his cane with both palms. Picking it up a wee bit from the ground, he slammed the tip with might down onto the concrete floor.
“Lennox, your fucking mama is dead. You probably blame me for that, even though it was her own health that took her out of here. Your father is not to your liking. You probably blame me for that, too. Nothin’ I can do about that. Perception is a skewed lens. You blame me for you and your sister’s falling out. Ain’t my fault that I spoil her. Take care of her. She’s a good lady, and deserves my love. Now, I told you very clearly what the situation is, as well as the consequences. This was a courtesy visit. The last opportunity you have to do the right thing.” He pointed his finger in Lennox’s face. “I will tell your mother’s entire family about her whore ways.
“I’ll tell them about what a foul-mouthed tramp she was, and about the disrespect she showed me as the patriarch of this family. I will then let a few important folks know that you ain’t kill just one man, you killed several, and I have the proof. You’re a fucking killing machine. And you liked it!” He sneered. “Your father begged me, cryin’ his eyes out for them to not take his boy away. You’d gotten yourself in some shit you couldn’t get out of. The boy wasn’t no kin to you, and that’s why he told on you faster than a Cheetah on roller skates. I agreed to help my grandson out of a jam, even though you and I were on the outs.
“You yelled at me for your mother’s American memorial service, here in Texas, that the family had after her body was shipped to Lebanon so that her friends in the states could say goodbye. I was her father-in-law, for God’s sake, regardless of how she and I didn’t see eye-to-eye. You made a big ass scene. Told me to get out. Four of my men had to drag you away.”