King Maker: The Knights of Breton Court, Volume 1 by Maurice Broaddus Page A

bitch?" Baylon asked.
      "Dogs make me nervous is all," Parker said.
      "Look here, Sideshow Bob." Baylon focused on Parker's Mohawk, so ragged it looked like a small village of crows nested in it. He snapped once and then pointed to the ground next to him. The dog came and laid down where he aimed his fingers. "You just have to know how to handle bitches."
      "What's her name?"
      "What the fuck I'm going to name a bitch for?" Baylon demanded. "Now, someone mind telling me what the fuck is going on?"
      "I'm a-tell it to you straight." Junie tapped his fist into his open palm. The loudest one in the room, by Baylon's reckoning, was usually the weakest one. Junie was too quick to step to a man and jump into foolishness, which usually led to a bigger mess and a greater headache. He was out of his depth and long overdue to be demoted. "Me and Parker went down to represent, just like the man said to."
      Parker nodded. Young and inexperienced, but he had potential. He was smart, anyone could see it in his eyes. If he put that mind of his in some books, he could be an engineer or a scientist of some sort. Not into a lot of the flashy bling nonsense, not overly ambitious, he took the long view on situations. Rarely speaking unless he had something to say, he also had a streak of crazy to him. It danced in his eyes, ready to step up, when needed, as needed.
      "So you went down to the school to scope out what's what…"
      "And it was just like you thought. Night's boys be out there grinding. Green his self out there overseeing."
      "Green? No shit?" No charge ever stuck on Night because Green took them when the police thought they had a case to make. Green's was the same old story: soldiers fell on their swords and the king survived. After his bit, and because he stood tall, Night promoted him to his number two man. Promote wasn't the right word. If the rumors were true, Baylon didn't understand Green at all. Green could step out on his own any time, but he preferred to defer to someone else when he could. It was like he was beyond ambition and was in the game strictly for the love.
      "True, true. Now, we's about to step to them when your boy comes up the street," Junie continued.
      "Who?"
      "King."
      At the mention of the name, Baylon's face tightened. A more perceptive eye might have noticed the slight hitch to his breath as if suddenly troubled by an old, dull pain he thought he'd learned to live with. "Go on."
      "I'm not saying King stepped into it, but he got caught up in some back and forth."
      "Even though you were there to deal with Night's boys." Baylon knew Junie thought all of his fast talking would save him. He wanted to tell Junie to save the bullshit, but he opted to indulge the little performance.
      "I done said Green was there."
      "So you…?" Baylon's voice trailed.
      "Sent a message to them through King."
      "And this… message… how do you think it was received?"
      "I would have to say… mixed," Junie said.
      "A mixed message?" Baylon lowered his head and rubbed his eyes as if that would stop the migraine that threatened to crush his skull in a vise. Speaking of skulls, he wanted to crack Junie's open if only to see what passed for brains in him.
      "I'm just saying, it wasn't as clear as I would have liked."
      "Are you trying to be cute with me, motherfucker, or just trying to piss me off?" Baylon got up and paced. Junie opened his mouth, but Baylon's curt gaze shut him up. "So what I'm thinking is that since our message may have gotten muddled in the delivery, we need to send a stronger message."
      "Parker and I are already on it."
      "You two sit still. I'm gonna need to think on this for a minute, see what's what with Dred, and get back with you."
      "Maybe if I was to explain it to Dred…"
      "You don't get to speak to the man." Baylon knew his control on the men was constantly being tested. Despite their failings, they had the nerve to