Page 177 of Shâhzâdeh

“I zhink we can all agree wiz zhat.” My friends murmured their agreement because we’d all gone off over the women we loved.

Kamran waved off the death of his minion like he was being told he had to sub out roast beef for turkey on a sandwich. “So you’ve killed him. It is no matter. Zhere are hundreds of Rezas around for what I need.”

Sampson didn’t bother cocking his fist back. Somehow he had enough torque without it to rock Kamran in his shit so hard he immediately slumped to the ground. My cousin was crumpled up in a ball like the epitome of his clothes being folded with him still in them. Sampson stood over him as though he thought Kamran might move. I believed a part of him wanted Kamran to that way he could stomp him the same way he’d done Reza. But Kamran saved himself for death for a little while longer by being unconscious. With a grunt, Sampson turned and walked back toward me with a scowl on his face.

I lost my battle with the smile that formed, looking at how deeply unsatisfied he looked to be put on pause. “You good?”

“Nah, but when he wakes up and me and Nate beat his ass to death the same way we did his boy I will be. I got a mind to go pull his body up from that hole so his body can go with theirs. Anyway, I’m chillin’ in the back while you handle this other shit.”

He pat me on the shoulder and strolled to where his brother was at the back of the room with his arms folded. Nate’s shoulder looked like it’d healed up fine from the sling I’d seen it in back in the spring. I couldn’t believe it had only been a few months since I’d met them and they were more than willing to help me with this situation.

“You would let someone assault your family? To dishonor zhe family name?” I turned slowly to where my uncle was standing next to my grandfather and the rest of his sons.

“You’ve done more zhan zhat haven’t you, Ibriham? From esleeping wiz your brozer’s intended, cheating on your wife and raising sons who are fairly worzless, zhe only taint on our family’s name is you. And of course zhem.”

My father’s words brought a smile to my face as he nodded to Ibrihams’ sons and I watched Xavier and Deuce waiting to assist my father however he needed them. There were few men as the head of theConsortiumfamilies in their generation. The men had been married in, but weren’t afraid to be by their wife’s sides no matter what. To protect the head with their own lives if need be. My mother was twice as protected because my uncle Michael was always at the ready to step in and fulfill his role. Even while he played pro-ball. Today, he stood next to Midas to our right patiently watching the demise of people who’d come after his sister all because of who loved her.

This room appeared large before the number of people we’d brought with us, or those who simply wanted to put in work, filled it up. I was thankful that the ranch was rotating out the use of this space, which would give me time to have it renovated for the Chisholm-Loves. It was the least I could do as a thank you for their hospitality. Dr. Briggs hadn’t allowed me to gift her a pallet of gold for the offense my family gave her. Instead, we were now partnering on a few endeavors that would be funded through the money that they were no longer around to receive.

I didn’t mind the chill in the air from the refrigeration that kept these rooms cool for their normal purpose. It was a welcome reprieve from the hellacious Texas summer temperature. My people were from the Middle East and from the Deep South, but this Texas heat seemed to be something entirely different.

My hands were behind my back as I walked toward my paternal relatives. I stopped in front of my grandfather without a bit of remorse on my face.

Kamran stirred from the ground bringing my focus back to him.

“I warned you, did I not? I warned you what would be zhe price for continuing in zhe manner you were. Your trips to Dubai zhat you zhought you snuck under zhe radar. Zhe payoffs zhat abruptly stopped but the women who would still go missing. I watched, I listened, I spied zhroughout the palace to ensure I could save as many people as I could from your predilections. Found zhem and listened to zhem so we knew who we were dealing wiz. Gazering information so that if the time came I had a clear conscious. And zhen you did zhe unzinkable. You attempted to bring your dishonorable acts to my country. Zhe parents of zhose girls were too honored to have you have zhem. Sacrificial lambs to zhe slaughter of the Mahdavi appetite zhat some people feel can do no wrong. So zhe zhrill was gone because there was no challenge. zhere was nozing illicit about it. But here, you could get what you wanted along with zhe feeling you craved. Zhe sordidness of it all. And now what are you left wiz? What do you have? What should become of you? Your fazer is a worthless heir. Your grandfazer, a useless monarch. And you, a boy, pretending zhat zhe number of women he consumes will somehow prove to zhe world zhat he is a man.”

“You always zhought you bere better zhan us because of your money. Because of theBlackszhat helped you get where you are.” Kamran spat that same stupid shit that he’d heard his father say and I heard Sampson needing to be restrained behind me.

“No. I’m better than you zhen and now not because of money. But because I have morals. A mozer who loves me. One zhat you all do everyzing you can to disparage vhen you should all be begging for a chance to wash her feet for how she allowed zhis family to prosper. It is the Cannons and zhe Warrens who hold the power, not zhe Mahdavis. You all are figureheads, playboys masquerading as men. And what do you want from me? Do you vant my sympathy? Congratulations for your inability to survive zhis long wizout actually having to grow up? You’ll not have it. You’ll have zhe same disdain I give to all men who behave how you do. So what is to be done with a king and princes with no purpose? I have pondered this for many nights. Trying to figure out a way to quench zhe zhirst for vengeance zhat burns hotter in my stomach zhan anything I’ve felt before. Zhe way you attempted to mar zhis family’s name here in Texas to zhe way you’ve behaved since. zhen I decided zhat it’s not enough to stop with you. All of you must go.”

“So zhat’s vhat you vant! You vant zhe crown!” Ibriham acted as though his outburst would garner some type of sympathy from anyone in the room.

“Wrong. Zhere is nozing about being a king zhat titillates me. Titles are for men who hold no power or value outside of zhem. Nozing about living in a gilded cage is enough to tempt me to murder my family. Nozing would make me happy about living over zhere. My business is more zhan adequate to sustain me. And zhat populace wouldn’t welcome me or my bride wiz open arms because to zhem we are foreign. So by virtue of needing stability, zhe Mahdavi name must live on.”

“So vhat puppet have you decided to put in as your decoy?” My grandfather’s gruff voice was finally heard and his choice of words annoyed me.

“Not my decoy, but a leader zhat is more suited for zhe changing times of zhe world zhan you or anyone else in zhe family. Zhey will do what is good for the people, not simply make moves I am telling zhem to make. Again, zhere is nozing about being a monarch I desire. But zhere is one man who was born for zhe role.” Their eyes all went to my father and I couldn’t help but smirk at how wrong they all were.

When the door opened and Afshin walked through I could see Ibriham’s eyes narrow as the others looked on in surprise.

“Him? You zhink zhey vill allow him to keep zhe zhrone? A kept pet’s offspring zhat our fazer had a weakness for since he couldn’t send him back to Sudan after his mozer died. You zhink zhey’re going to allow some half-breed son of a whore to be king?” His voice escalated as he pulled against his chains like Afshin was the person he had beef with.

Ibriham was throwing shots at Afshin who was unbothered because he’d heard them his whole life. Truthfully, my grandfather had been distraught when Afshin’s mother died. My father said it was the last time he’d seen any genuine emotion for the man. So my uncle may like to pretend that Afshin’s mother didn’t matter, but it was only because he wanted to convince himself that he was the most important son.

Afshin smiled slowly blinking once before he stood taller as he faced Ibriham. Ibriham was used to intimidating his younger brother with threats, but even then Afshin never entertained him. Afshin went about his business ignoring Ibriham’s words. That was viewed as weakness and a mark against his character.

“Well, maybe there’s a common thread. Maybe the blood of our Black and African mothers has diluted whatever madness has been ruining the rest of the Mahdavis. My brozer has already decided zhat he does not vant the zhrone. Your fazer and zhe rest of you are going to die and end zhis reign of waste and selfishness zhat has plagued our country for years. Change is necessary and I might not be zhe perfect man for zhe job, but I plan to be better at it because I’ve learned from all of your mistakes.”

My father put a comforting hand on Afshin’s shoulder giving him even more confidence.

“Afshin is a man viz a conscious. He doesn’t wish to harm ozers because he understands vhaz it feels like to be harmed. Whenever zhere is work to be done to ensure a project zhat benefits zhe people you so desperately want to rule one day is needed, he is zhe first to volunteer to help. His empazy is a strengz not a weakness.”

I’m not sure if Ibriham truly believed he would’ve never been able to be anything but a degenerate because he was a royal. Most of the crown princes around the world were protected like national treasures while the spares were ignored. It worked out far better for the spares most times.

“You zhink he won’t turn around and turn into us? Power makes us zhis way. Boredom. Not having a zhrill so you create one. Vhat do you zhink he is going to do vhen he is adored by many?”

Ibriham was shaking his head as though we were disillusioned about the type of person Afshin was. He had never spent more than a few minutes with the man unless it came to him needing to be around him for official state functions. You couldn’t allow the public to see dysfunction in the Mahdavi Dynasty.

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