“Don’t worry about it. It’s best if I handle it myself.”
For a brief moment, Raul’s mouth tightened into an angry line and his eyes glowed bright.
“Okay. I’d better go let my team know I’m out of commission for a while. Excuse me.”
Ji-Su went inside. He went to a spot in the foyer he’d noticed during his earlier roaming—a small bench tucked into a softly lit alcove. Plopping down on the seat, he took out his phone and pulled up his team’s group chat.
Hey, guys. I’m sorry but I’m not going to be able to practice for a couple of weeks.Seconds after he hit send, the chat lit up with responses.
Iesha: Why not?
Lawrence: What happened?
I’m fine, really,he typed. But Cedric didn’t like the fact that I left him even though he was paid a ridiculous amount of money to break my contract. So, he bashed all my gaming equipment.
Iesha: That fucker!
Lawrence: Can you sue?
I’m not going to sue. I’ll just move on and start over. But it’ll take me a little time to get everything together.
Iesha: Do you need us to send you money?
No, I’ve got it. I’ve got some money in the bank and I’ll receive payments from my new blood patron soon. I’ll keep you all posted on when to expect me back.
Once the group chat ended, he received an individual message from Iesha.
Are you really alright? I don’t like you taking another blood pet job. How do we know this vamp isn’t as crappy as the one you left?
I had him vetted.
Cedric was vetted by that service too.
I know. But this time it feels different. I always got a spiteful vibe off of Cedric. I don’t feel the same with Mr. Raul. He’s...
Ji-Su paused, trying to think of the best way to describe the vampire that he instinctively liked and trusted.
He’s decent and kind.
Fine. But if he starts showing his ass I want you out of there. Contract be damned.
Ji-Su laughed a little. He sent her a thumbs up emoji then exited from the text app. Gathering the afghan tighter around his shoulders he started making a mental tally of everything he would need to replace. Gaming systems, both PlayStation and Xbox. His Switch. Games, headsets, web cam, monitors, keyboards, and controllers. And his computer. The cost of the computer alone was enough to make him want to call Cedric up and curse him out. He resisted the impulse, knowing it was best not to have any more contact with him.
Since Cedric had destroyed everything that was boxed up, it was safe to assume that the two big items—his desk and gaming chair were destroyed too and probably already thrownin a dumpster somewhere. Not to mention all his clothes were ruined. At least he had the few things Raul had bought him at Target. Ji-Su groaned in angry frustration.
There was nothing he could do about it now. Everything needed to be replaced and fast. He didn’t want to be offline from his streaming channel for too long or he’d start losing followers. That would be a major setback right when he was starting to blow up in popularity.
He tapped the phone’s screen to wake it up and opened his banking app. But he abruptly changed his mind and closed it before logging in to his account. Right now, he was too upset to calmly look at money and budget and start shopping. The thought of buying everything all at once was overwhelming and he needed time to process what Cedric had done. He’d give himself a little time and mental space to breathe and move past Cedric’s cruelty. Then he’d figure everything out.
RAUL WAITED A FEW MOMENTSafter Ji-Su went back into the house before he went inside himself. He strode back into his office where Burke was waiting.
“Find Cedric,” he ordered.
“Ji-Su said yes on the retaliation?” Burke asked as he took out his cell phone.
“I didn’t ask him.”
Burke looked up from his phone. “What changed your mind?”