After their poker game, Lincoln's actions grew more erratic. He was constantly shouting at Justin, lording anything over his head, and treating him like a child. He told him what to eat, drink and wear.
Justin wondered how long it would be before Lincoln started telling him when, where, and how to use the bathroom.
His patience wore thin. He wasn't sure how much longer he could endure his grandfather's constant critiques.
He lasted all of three days. When Lincoln told him he was breathing too loudly, Justin lost it.
"How, then, should I breathe, Grandpa Dearest? Please, tell me how to breathe," Justin shouted as he shot up from his chair.
Lincoln scoffed as he sunk deeper into his recliner. "You breathe in through the nose, out through the mouth! Leave it to Flora and Gideon to raise a mouth breather."
Justin crossed his arms. "It's not my fault. I have a deviated septum."
With a groan, Lincoln threw his head back. "Of course, it isn't your fault. You kids always have an excuse. You know, there were no deviated septums when I was your age. You just breathed the way you were taught to breathe."
Justin furrowed his brow at his grandfather's logic. "Scientists and doctors have been researching deviated septums since the 1920s." He shook his head. "So does that mean you were in your twenties in 1910?"
The old man squinted at Justin. "Let me guess, you read that on your smartphone."
Irritated, Justin threw his hands in the air. "What's been your problem lately, man?"
Lincoln blew out a deep breath. "My problem, man, is that you're going to take my place one day."
Justin snorted. "Yeah, we all know that."
Growing tired of Justin's attitude, the grandfather stood up. "Well, if you're going to take my place, I have to whip you into shape. You're in no way ready."
Justin felt his blood pressure rising. "What do you mean I'm not ready?"
Carefully considering how he would answer the question, Lincoln tilted his head from side to side. "You're not a good enough businessman."
The comment offended Justin. "What? I've run several successful businesses in Baltimore. Hell, our restaurant just opened two new locations. Did you already forget about that?"
Lincoln dismissively shook his head at his grandson. "It isn't good enough. Not when Alex practically has a monopoly over the city."
Todrick Dangles had been sitting in the corner of the room, listening to the two bicker the entire time. He thought maybe inserting himself into the conversation would score a few brownie points from his boss. "Yeah, Justin, I mean, Alex has a restaurant and a fast-food chain."
Finally! Lincoln felt justified. He turned and pointed at Dangles. "Exactly! Thank you." He shifted his attention back to his grandson. "Having a bit of success isn't enough. You need to dominate Baltimore, form alliances, and appeal to the people."
Todrick interrupted, acting as if he were Lincoln's little parrot. "Yeah, that was Riley's problem. He didn't appeal to anyone."
Justin cracked his knuckles. "I appeal to a lot of people, especially the ladies."
Lincoln rolled his eyes. "The ladies aren't enough."
Dangles nodded as if he were a bobblehead. "True, Baltimore is a men's world."
Justin shot Dangles a dirty look. Dangles shriveled under Justin's glare.
Lincoln continued his spiel. "I know one thing for sure, you'll never reach your full potential until you get rid of Alex's little friends."
On again, Dangles piped up with yet another flunky remark. "That's a great plan, sir. I thought so from the get-go."
That sent Justin over the edge. He stormed toward Dangles and pointed his finger directly at the tiny man's face. "If you keep running your mouth, I'll feed you to one of my tigers."
Dangles shuddered. "You have… multiple tigers?"
The grin of a madman spread across Justin's face. "I make Joe Exotic look domesticated."
Luckily for Dangles, Lincoln broke up the fight. "Alright, Justin. Let him go. Dangles means well."
Justin slowly backed away from Dangles. "Fine." He turned toward his grandfather. "I just don't understand where all of this pressure is coming from. I'm already an intimidating force in Baltimore. I have a lot of power. Why is everything so different now?"
Lincoln's demeanor changed. His face softened, but his eyes drooped. "Because, Justin, I'm trusting you to take my place."
Justin had rarely seen his grandfather like this. The old man was sad, defeated even.
Justin wasn't sure how to react, but he leaned in. "Why are you talking like this? It's nonsense, Pops."
Lincoln bowed his head. He wouldn't look Justin in the eyes. "Something is wrong, but I can't tell you what. But, you have to trust me, and you have to listen to me. You need to be ready at any moment. My empire can't fall, not again. After what your brother did, I need to make sure you will avenge me, Justin." He grabbed his grandson by the shoulders. "Promise me that you'll avenge me."
Justin stood still, squinting at his grandfather. Eventually, he slowly nodded his head. When he did, Lincoln wrapped him up in his arms. "Oh, thank you. My perfect boy."
Not wanting to allow the embrace to go on for more than a few seconds, Justin pulled away. He clapped his hands together. "Alright, I'm going to use the bathroom."
As he walked out of the room, Lincoln and Dangles continued to scheme about destroying Alex. With a sigh, Justin pulled his phone out of his pocket. He had twenty-six missed calls from Flora. He groaned. Oh, Mom. you are relentless. Might as well call her back, he thought. She won't stop bugging me until I do.
Flora picked up the second Justin finished dialing the number. "Oh! My sweet baby boy! Where are you? How are you?"
Justin's feet dragged as he walked down the hall. "I'm fine. I'm with Grandpa Lincoln."
Justin didn't need to be there to picture his mother. He knew Flora was trembling as she spoke to him. He heard the ever-present nervous energy in her voice.
"Oh, honey! You have no idea what happened here," she said. "Poor Alex was attacked. He had to run into town because someone stole Debbie Clifton. Could you imagine? She's such a sweet girl. Anyway, Alex went into the city and left us behind. Then, this odd, skinny man with an eyepatch tried to attack Yvonne Wheeler. I fainted when I saw him."
Justin pretended like he had no idea what his mother was talking about. "No way. I can't believe it. Did you figure out who attacked Alex?"
Flora cleared her throat. "Oh, you know Alex. He always has his crazy theories, but he doesn't know for sure."
Justin smirked. "Oh, how unfortunate."
Even if Alex had told Flora the truth, Justin knew his mother wouldn't believe that he was capable of doing such evil things. The joke was on her.
"Oh, sweet pea, you can't even imagine," Flora exclaimed. "Now, your father and I are staying in a hotel. It's very nice. I guess Alex didn't want us invading his space as he rekindled his relationship with Debbie."
Justin grimaced at that. "They're back together."
In his mind, he saw Flora shrugging.
"Eh, technically not, but you know how they are," she said. "They'll be back together before the week is up."
Justin leaned against the wall. He stared blankly down the hallway. "Alright, well…"
As Justin was about to end the conversation, he stopped himself. He remembered how strangely his grandfather was acting. He figured maybe his mother knew something he didn't. "Hey, Mom, has Grandpa said anything to you lately?"
Flora stuttered. "Uh, um, what do you mean by saying anything? I mean, uh, yeah, he's said a lot of things."
Finding his mother's response suspicious, the hairs on Justin's neck stood on end. "He's been acting weird lately, and I just wanted to know if anything was wrong."
A muffled thud came from the other end of the line.
"Sorry! I dropped the phone," Flora said, her voice laced with anxiety. "I'm sure everything is fine! You're probably just overreacting. And you know, you probably shouldn't be asking questions. Everything is perfect just the way it is! It's all fine! Just don't go poking around where no one wants to be poked! Maybe you need a sound bath to calm your nerves. Have you done a sound bath in a while?"
The muscles in Justin's face tensed. "No, Mother. I haven't done a sound bath in a while, but I suppose I'll put that on my to-do list."
Flora hummed. "Oh, yes! You'll have to. Alright, sweetie, I have to go. Don't be a stranger! Please call me! I love you!"
Before Justin responded, his mother hung up the phone.
Justin didn't know what, but something was off. His mother was usually a bundle of nerves, but her behavior in this phone call was over the top, even for her. Something was wrong.
In the other room, Lincoln coughed. Justin glanced over his shoulder, and he saw his grandfather rasping into his handkerchief.
Without using the bathroom, Justin paced back into the room, deciding not to leave his grandfather and the one-eyed weasel alone for too long.
Lincoln glanced up as Justin walked into the room. He tucked his handkerchief away, into his pocket. "That took a while."
Justin crossed his arms across his chest. "Mom called."
Upon the mention of Flora, Lincoln's eyes lit up. "She did? Why?"
Justin sighed. "You know how she is. She just wanted to make sure everything was fine."
Lincoln hobbled toward Justin. "What did you tell her?"
Justin pursed his lips. "Of course, I told her everything she was fine. I don't think Alex told her that we were the ones who captured Debbie."
Lincoln grinned from ear to ear. "Excellent. Even if he did tell her, I doubt Flora would have believed him. She's too sweet and kind-hearted, too eager to see the good in people."
Justin chuckled. "My mother? Sweet? Are we talking about the same woman?"
Lincoln narrowed his eyes. "Yes, I am talking about Flora Ambrose, one of the most sensational women to ever walk this Earth."
Justin raised an eyebrow at his grandfather. "Pops, I was kidding. It was just a joke."
Lincoln's cheeks reddened. "Well, I'm not kidding. You want to inherit my estate when I'm gone? You have to respect your mother. I refuse to leave this earth watching you treat her terribly."
Justin threw his arms up. "Where is all of this coming from? And why do you have a sudden soft spot for Mom?"
Lincoln waved a dismissive hand in his grandson's face. "I just want you to be the best man you can be."
Justin eyed his grandfather, looking him up and down. I can't put my finger on it, but something is off, he thought.
Whatever was going on, Justin vowed to get to the bottom of it.