CHAPTER 8: GUILT IS FOR INSECURE PEOPLE

An hour later at Kinnetik…

BRIAN:

I have to admit that Justin is a fucking genius! Not only that, which is a given since he chose me, but the fact that Connor and Brett understand the logic of Justin’s proposal to expand in a relatively short amount of time, is what lets me know that Kinnetik JTD just went global. After the particulars of the deal with Kell-Jam were hammered out, we all agreed that once word gets out, the folks in L.A. will be clamoring to have Kinnetik represent them, just for the opportunity to work with Justin and his staff. And since Justin is all about evening the odds between boss and worker as much as possible, the people coming to us will either come around to his way of thinking or we don’t sign them. The funny thing is that if they don’t, they will find themselves losing employees faster than a hemophiliac loses blood. Only instead of the red stuff, they’ll be hemorrhaging green.

At this rate, we’re going to have a bunch of employees making money hand over fist while busting their balls to make sure both companies succeed. Which with the formula Justin and I implemented to boost company morale and retain the best and brightest in this business by allowing them to buy into Kinnetik so they feel as if they own a piece of it. It’s something that is going to keep us in business for many years to come without the high turnover rate so many other companies have because they just didn’t value their employees enough to give them something they can call their own. It was and still is a unique concept, and pure fucking genius!

“Brian, that was Frank on the phone. I hate to tell you this, but Captain Asshole is back and demanding to see you right now. He says it’s urgent,” Cynthia tells me as she rolls her eyes.

Justin looks over at me, folding his lips into his mouth. I can tell he wants to say something, but for whatever reason, he’s leaving the decision of how to deal with Michael solely up to me. First Lindsay’s drama, now Michael’s; when the hell do I get a break?! The fact is that I don’t, unless I take one. And I think it’s time I do that right now. “Two things, Justin… is the paperwork ready, and Ted, is Ben on his way here? I think he should be here if I decide to see Michael.”

Ted shook his head. “I don’t know if he’s coming here. I know that he was supposed to meet Jen at the former home of Red Cape Comics. Apparently, he’s looking to downsize now that he’s dropped the deadweight- his words, not mine.”

“Call him then, and tell him to get over here asap. I would like to hear his take on things before entering the Michael-induced haze of half-truths once again. Or better yet, does he have video conferencing on his phone?”

“I don’t know, but I’ll call and ask.”

“Do that, and tell him to fax any pertinent documents to me immediately. Chances are that although Jenn is the new owner, Michael wasn’t smart and the original documents aren’t filed properly. So my guess is that they are still within the store somewhere.”

“Exactly what are you looking for, Brian?”” Justin asks me.

“A couple of things, actually. First, there is the store’s original ownership. Then there is the account ledger which should have been updated regularly when Ben paid the rent, and last but not least, I want to see Michael’s contract with the publisher. I’m almost willing to bet that it reads significantly differently from the one he gave you.”

“Hey guys,” Ben’s voice comes over the computer. “I take it my EX-husband has made it to you by now.”

“He’s waiting downstairs in the lobby with Frank for company at the moment,” I answer. “I don’t want him up here until I get your opinion on something.”

“No problem. I’m here at the building with Jenn and Melanie, so ask away,” Ben offers.

“You’re at Red Cape… wow! Jenn, you move fast!”

“Indeed I do, Brian. The store was located on prime real estate, as we both know. But the fact that it was a simple comic book store made it more valuable as a parking lot, than its intended purpose.”

“Good to know that Kinnetik will no longer be bleeding money, trying to save a useless venture. I can’t tell you how many times Ted and I told Michael to expand beyond what he had been doing. The most lucrative thing to move in that store wasn’t those old, musty comics; it was the Rage franchise. Which leads me to this call… Ben, do you think Michael would accept a bid for the franchise now that he has nothing?”

“You would know better than I would Brian, but I can tell you that he’s still determined that Justin draw the comic. He and Lindsay were arguing earlier about it, and I recorded the conversation.” He fumbles with his phone, before the voices of Michael and Lindsay’s planning session comes over the computer speakers. They really are toxic! But Ben is just as sneaky, only in a good way, since he also recorded the ousting of Michael from his life, and Lindsay’s response to it.

“So this conversation is when you decided that a week was too long?”

“Yes, and no. I’d actually started thinking it was too long after I hung up with Deb last night. So I decided that I would adhere to that, until she called me this morning to give me the update. It turns out that, as suspected, Michael was meeting with Ethan Gold this morning at the Diner when she had arrived. Lindsay had come in sometime later, but not before Deb, in all her glory, read Ethan the riot act in front of Michael before turning her venom towards him. Of course, Lindsay tried to play innocent, but it didn’t fly with Deb, either. So, long story short, they came home fuming after visiting you at the office earlier, and decided to plan their next mode of attack. While they were, I packed Michael’s things and left them at the curb for the trash pickup. So I’m sure he’s there, thinking you are going to put him and Lindsay up in the loft with you and Justin. After all, you wouldn’t want to see your two best friends homeless.”

“Well, I always knew he was a damned fool,” Justin stated. “Mel, I want to offer to buy Michael out of the franchise, but I’m no longer sure about the figure I want to offer. Considering what is still owed to Kinnetik, even after the clause of forfeiture was invoked and the subsequent sale to Mom, what do you and Ted think would be a fair offer at this point?”

I look over at Connor and Brandon, who are still following the conversation closely, even though our business is concluded. I can’t help but wonder why that is, but then I remember that they were just as invested in Rage as Justin was as the artist. From both a business standpoint, and the fact that they both consider him a friend of sorts, it makes sense.

“What was the original figure for the offer again, Justin?” Connor asks.

“I was being generous in having the papers drawn up for fifteen grand. The franchise itself is worth over a million dollars, but I let Michael slide with some creative accounting in the past, before I knew that he was actually cheating us as Kinnetik prior to joining our business ventures together. Now that it’s out in the open, I want to recoup that money, but give him enough to get a room at the no-tell motel down at the other end of Liberty until he can find himself a new job and permanent lodgings. The loft is definitely NOT an option.”

“Hmm… I have an idea about the loft building, but I don’t know if you both would go for it or not,” Brett says. “You said that you both own the entire building?”

“Yeah, Brian had bought it some time ago in anticipation of my return. Why?”

“Are all the units furnished?” Connor asks, apparently catching onto Brett’s way of thinking.

“Not all of them, with the exception of the one I’ve owned for almost twelve years. It was my first place when I’d landed a job at Ryder Agency…”

“And a place that continues to hold sentimental value for us,” Justin interjected. I smiled remembering the first time we fucked, and all the other important moments of our lives that made he and I who we’ve become as the Taylor-Kinneys.

“Well, I know that a few of us are already tired of the rigors of staying in a hotel, versus the comforts of home. How would it work for you if those who are came to you for a short-term lease option with an option to extend it later? Based on the conversation we had earlier in regards to the potential expansion of your business for ours, I can’t see that this is necessarily a bad proposition to make,” Brett asks, as Justin smiles brightly.

“Plus, then we won’t exactly be lying when we tell Michael that there are no vacancies in the building. Besides, you know that where Michael ends up, Lindsay is sure to follow. The fact that the building is secure will be an added benefit to the people living there. We can hire security guards to mind the front desk since the lobby is already equipped for it. Neither Michael, Lindsay nor their heretofore unknown allies will be able to gain entry beyond the lobby. We’ll just have to select the tenants carefully.”

“But Mom, can we do that without incurring any discrimination lawsuits?” I ask, because I see the wisdom of what they are suggesting but I don’t want any potential backlash.

“Technically, that would be a tightrope you’d all be walking. However, because of the nature of the potential occupants, and the fact that they all are basically here for a televised competition and therefore would be considered a form of celebrity in their own rights, I doubt they would have problems with the stipulations you’d put on your property. It’s not like you are doing anything different than what you would do at Kinnetik with unwanted visitors. It’s business, plain and simple. The potential occupants have the right to accept the terms of the agreement or look for a semi-permanent residence elsewhere.”

“When put in terms like that, it makes sense all the way around. Plus, Justin and I will make money off the deal as will you as our broker, Mom. Connor and Brett, any ideas on who should benefit from the arrangement?”

Connor answers for them both, “I would say start with all of the judges. The last thing any of us need are disgruntled contestants staking out our hotel rooms because their offerings were mediocre. Unlike Justin, most tend to get bitchy instead of taking the constructive criticism and applying it where it’s needed most. I’ve always respected that attitude in him.”

Justin mock bowed, causing us all to laugh. “So Mel, can you and Ted redo the offer in the amount of ten grand, with the stipulation that he is now unauthorized to sell any merchandise or make appearances as co-Creator of the Rage franchise? In fact, I’d like a cease and desist order drawn up immediately to that effect, before the offer is even mentioned.”

“You’ll have it within the hour, Baby, along with Miranda and I there as your agent and attorney. Michael may have selective hearing in most things, but he now knows what happens when he disregards an attorney. Brian and Ted acted swiftly in seizing control of Red Cape Comics, and there wasn’t anything he could do about it or argue against since he had fair warning that the debt he owed was being called due posthaste. He decided that his brand of friendship automatically canceled out his instant amnesia that the money was loaned to him, NOT a gift. And might I say that I am proud of you! All of those long talks we’ve had years ago about your rights under the contract are certainly paying off in spades now.”

“I learned from two of the best: you and Brian. When it comes to seeing to my benefit, you two excel and I just listened well. Knocking five grand off the offer still won’t recoup all the money, but I refuse to give Michael an additional way to whine our ears off. At least this way, he’ll have to prioritize, if he’s smart. But then again, who am I kidding? When has Michael ever been smart. He’ll probably blow his new windfall on toys since he’s lost the most valuable pieces in collection which he kept in the store to show off.”

“I think Lindsay will put an immediate stop to that way of thinking, after all she’ll probably be staying with him since she’s mostly in the same boat,” Mel says. “Once we blocked her access to Gus’ accounts, and I wouldn’t give her any money past what she earned when she was working at the museum, she learned just how little she put away for a rainy day. It didn’t help that I found out Michael sent her money for the trip to New York that I had refused to pay for.”

“What trip? And when was it?” Justin asks.

“It was a few months ago, actually. And it was when her fuckbuddy, Sam Auerbach, had a show.”

“That puts it right around the time that she’d called Michael to tell him that you both had fallen behind in the rent,” Ben grits out. “I gave him the money to send to Canada!”

“Partially, Ben,” Justin interjects. “Michael called bitching to me about drawing the Rage panels faster, because he needed the money since he had to let his storage unit go…”

“What storage unit?!”

“Oh, you didn’t know about that?”

“No. I just knew that there was an influx of bullshit making its way into the basement as I sat grading papers for my class the next day. Do you know what was in it?”

Justin hesitates for the first time during the conversation and suddenly, I feel the bottom of my stomach take a dive. “Justin, do you know what was in that storage locker?”

He sighs, and I can feel the weight the action costs him. But I’m not sure if it’s solely on my behalf, or Ben’s. “Blown up pictures of you and him; a faux setup of how the loft was decorated pre-Stockwell, and… a chest full of things from your childhood, Brian. Somehow, he’d been adding to his collection even since that time. I caught him in his office one day, mooning over the pictures he’d taken of it, and confronted him about it. The problem wasn’t that he had them, but that he somehow got the person running the front desk to add my name to the record. It was before I’d left with Ethan. Michael said that if I said anything, he would make sure I took the fall and seem like the stalker I am. At the time, we weren’t on as sure of footing as we are right now, and then later when we’d gotten back together, I’d just forgotten about it.”

“What else is it that you aren’t telling me?” I ask, quietly.

“What makes you think there’s anything else?” I just stand there looking at him, waiting. He shifts from foot-to-foot, until finally he can’t stand it anymore. It’s funny, but we both have perfected the art of digging for the truth without uttering a single question. He breaks, “Oh alright! There was stuff in there from when the loft was burgled years ago and later, the stuff you sold after Stockwell. I didn’t know how he’d gotten it, so I didn’t outright accuse him of anything. For all I knew, it could have been stuff that was auctioned off and we both know that you are Michael’s most valuable collectable!”

“That’s true, Brian,” both Mel and Ben say, stopping the tirade at Justin I felt bubbling up inside. “And the same goes for Lindsay,” Mel interjects.

“Only, it’s a little different with her,” Jennifer says. “It’s more about you being a precious commodity to her. It's much different than being a collectable which has to be barted for and bought. To Lindsay's warped way of thinking, she's owned you from the onset therefore has always considered you her asset. If people wanted to get to you, they had to go through her. Michael thinks about in the same way, only it's where tricks are concerned so they don't really matter in the scheme of your career. But to Lindsay, your continued and upward success is credit to her supposed societal influence. The fact that you are able to rub elbows and shake hands with A-listers is because of her taking you under her wing before you came to work for Ryder. So if she was able to control you, and your reactions, especially where my son- and your wildcard- is concerned, she would feel as if she’s won the jackpot. It’s how she was able to manipulate you into giving her what she wanted so well over the years. It’s almost the way a stage mother sees her child. It’s exactly how she’s trying to manage Justin’s life and career, but it isn’t working out for her the way it had with you until you started pushing back.”

“In her mind, she made you, Brian,” Mel tells me. “She’s alluded to it more times than I could count over the years.”

I absorb all their words, and realize that they are right. It’s funny that her motives always seemed so pure, and about my well-being. Passive-aggressive guilt was the tool she used to get me to encourage Justin go to New York, even as she was taking my son to the Great White North. In my mind, being with me was holding Justin back, especially after his stint in L.A. At the time, I couldn’t see that he wouldn’t have wanted it without me by his side. As for Lindsay’s sudden defection, I thought it was because I was taking her friendship for granted, like I’d thought it would always be there when in fact, I’d spent most of my life believing the opposite. Add that to the helplessness I felt due to Babylon’s bombing, and it was a recipe the witch cooked up to get me to do what she wanted without question.

But now, I know that Lindsay has been leading me to something bigger… and this isn’t just about Justin’s career. No, it’s about recreating the scene of so many households where there’s a wife, a husband, and the mistress. This is about Lindsay having her picket-fenced dreams, and exerting control over me and Justin the way so many wives within her set do. Yes, they know about their husbands affairs, but they also use the mistress to keep the husband in line. Instead of simply divorcing their husbands and walking away, they play a power game in which they maintain the manner of living they’re used to, but still able to pull the strings behind the scenes. For Lindsay, it’s all about greed and power within the art world, and triumph over the women in her family. To her thinking, if she controls the new darling of the art world, and the money backing him, then she’ll be considered a queen within her small-minded existence. Cultivating Gus to get her all the money she wanted from me was just the added bonus.

Justin interrupts my thoughts. “So we’re agreed to have Michael wait there indefinitely?”

“We are,” I concur. “But Mom, Mel, and Ben, do me a favor. Use the side entrance which leads directly to my office when you arrive. The element of surprise is always best with Michael, and if he sees either of you, he’ll cause a major scene just to get the attention he feels he deserves. Also Ben, you might want to tell Deb about the latest development.”

“I thought I might give Michael a chance to come clean on his own,” he says, but I shake my head.

“No. Although Deb says she’s tired of Michael’s crap, she’s still his mother. She needs to know everything, especially about Justin’s offer to buy Michael out of Rage, before he has a chance to talk to her. If not, he’ll just turn on the tears and she’ll be as vulnerable to him as always. She has to let him go and reap the consequences of his actions.”

“And what about Lindsay?” Mom asks.

“Let her keep doing what she’s doing,” I say. “She has to be seen as the fraud and conniving bitch she is; having her machinations exposed to the world is the most effective way to do that. No one, not even her pet, Satan Craswell, will want to associate with her after that, no matter that they are cut from the same cloth. It’s all about how they are perceived, and no one will want to show at his new gallery if he keeps up his association with her after this. As for Justin, he will keep doing exactly what he’s doing, which is setting the world on fire while ensuring his place among the great artistes. Sunshine, you have to ignore her… or if that’s impossible, you can’t let her see that she’s getting to you. Image is the name of the game now, and it’s everything when the camera is rolling. Remember just as she’s going to be on the world’s stage, so are you! It wouldn’t due to give people a surefire way to piss you off. Those who know you and have worked with you over the years know the caliber of professional you are. Don’t let Lindsay’s inherent jealousy and stupidity ruin that.”

“I won’t, Brian. And as we’ve all been saying, the element of surprise works best. She’ll definitely be surprised when I remain unbothered by her antics. Besides, we all know that the best revenge is to ignore Lindsay. In her mind she should be seen as the victim, and be viewed as the Madonna in her own melodrama. It will make her blood boil that she can’t get me to react the way she wants me to, while negating all of her hard work to be seen as the innocent.”

“In that case, I think we should pair her with Stacey Peete,” Connor says, with a Joker-esque grin on his face and rubbing his hands. “They will drive each other crazy!”

“True! Two egomanics vying for attention is a recipe for hilarity, ” Melanie laughs. “You all should have seen Lindsay earlier when she pulled out her little girl lost routine before channeling her inner-Linda Blair... yep, I’ll call Miranda.”

“Well, one problem down for now, and one major pain in the ass to go,” I say.

Justin grins, evilly. “And I’m especially looking forward to handling

that one!”