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“Hmm.” I nodded, but didn’t believe him.
We stood in a tense silence for a moment longer. Finally, he stepped back and gestured for me to walk past. Turning sideways, I scooted past him, never taking my eyes off his face. And he never took his off me. With one last look behind me, I hurried away.
“Good night,belle,” he called.
Ignoring him, I stuck trembling hands in my shirt pocket, extracting my phone. I needed calming reassurance. I dialed quickly, then sighed when I heard my sister’s voice.
“Em,” I said breathlessly. “I need to speak to Prime.”
I heard my sister blow out a deep breath before her sheets ruffled and a gruff voice came over the line.
“What’s wrong?”
My brother-in-law wasn’t a man of many words. He was a straight with no-chaser type.
“I’m out walking, and I had a strange encounter with a man.” My words were nonsensical, and the tremble in my tone revealed my lingering fear.
“Did the man touch you?”
“No,”
“Threaten you?”
“No!”
“Then why you sound like someone tried to snatch your soul and stand it outside your body?” Prime’s tone was severe, but not toward me. I knew I needed to explain before the beast inside him reared its ugly head.
“It’s nothing like that. The man’s look just triggered me. Made me think of…the situation you saved me from. I just wanted to call to make sure that it’s…safe, you know?”
Prime exhaled sharply. “You are very safe. I’ve researched that area and everyone in a five-mile radius. Did you walk along the normal path?”
“Yes! The one we planned out.”
“Very good, I’ll have Ajani hack the cameras and run some facial recognition software to see if tonight was a coincidence or something to fear. I will let you know one way or the other. Emory says she loves you and hurry up and get in the house because you’re interrupting her cuddle time.”
That caused a round of giggles to escape my throat.
“Tell her I love her too and I just made it back to my house. Thank you for taking my call.”
“Anytime, sis. Your safety is a top priority.”
Once I made it into the house, I dropped my phone in the dish by the door. I finally breathed a relieved sigh, glad to be safely inside my four walls. The past always had a way of affecting your present. I was happy to have the family I did because the reassurance of my brother-in-law helped me put things back into perspective. Now, I needed that bath and my pillow directly after that. Rest was calling my name.
(Two nightslater)
I leaned against one wall of the darkened home office, watching the pussy ass mothahfucka in the sleek, black and green gaming chair cry like the little bitch he was. It was a nice chair. Too bad the blood would ruin it. My older brother, Cairo, leaned down into his face.
“All of it,” he growled through clenched teeth, cold eyes piercing Gerard’s teary ones.
“That is all, man! I swear to God. That’s all I ever?—"
Aggravated and impatient, I stepped forward, grabbed a handful of his locs, and bashed his face into the desk. Gerard squealed as Targen chuckled from the shadows. He was always talking about how fast my temper could snap. It wasn’t that I didn’t have patience. I did—until I didn’t.
“You gon’ continue to lie to us when we know the truth?” I asked Gerard calmly.
See? Patience.
He cupped his bleeding nose and lips, shaking his head as he looked over his shoulder to Ghazi for mercy. Ghazi was my younger brother. Easygoing. Quick to laugh. A lot of heart. None of that made him a fool. And when you betrayed him like Gerard had, all of that disappeared. He didn’t like his kindness being taken for weakness.