Page 4

Krys never made it to Meisha’s boyfriend’s house. After her call with Zahir, she needed a moment, a breather to cool off before facing anyone else. The west side wasn’t her usual stomping grounds, but it felt safe enough. And really, she didn’t have much of a choice, her bladder was on borrowed time.

She pulled into the gas station, parked her Mercedes, and stepped out into the warm, damp night air, still heavy from the rainfall of the day. She barely paid attention to her surroundings, missing the slow crawl of two police cars rolling down the block, their lights flashing low.

Inside, she made a beeline for the restroom. After handling business, she moved toward the coolers, twirling a lock of her hair as she debated on what to drink. Flavored water or something carbonated? Maybe a juice?

“You got it, right?”

The voice, deep, smooth, just a little too familiar came from just behind her.

Krys’ body stiffened, her hand still on the cooler handle. The audacity of some men.

Before she could spin around and check him, he reached right past her, grabbed a bottle of lemonade, and leaned in just slightly.

“I mean, I paid last time, so it’s only fair.”

That’s when she saw him. Guard thrown off. Tall. Latte-skinned. Muscular with a quiet, effortless swagger. The type of fine that should’ve come with a warning label.

But what really caught her attention was his eyes. There was confidence in them, but underneath, desperation. A silent plea: Go with it. Please.

Krys barely had time to process what was happening before two police officers stepped inside, their eyes scanning the gas station.

She put it together quick. This wasn’t a pick-up line; this was a lifeline. And for reasons she couldn’t even explain, she took it.

She sighed, grabbing a drink of her own and rolling her eyes up at him like they had this argument all the time. “You always say that. But who paid for the movies last weekend? And dinner?”

His lips twitched, like he wasn’t expecting her to be this smooth with it. “Oh, so we keeping tabs now? That’s crazy.”

Krys arched a brow, turning toward him fully, playing into it like this was just them. “What’s crazy is me always covering your ass.”

His smirk widened, but his shoulders relaxed.

The cops took their time browsing, but they weren’t paying them any attention. Good.

He shrugged, tucking his lemonade under his arm. “Ain’t that what love is? Being there for each other?”

Krys scoffed, grabbing a pack of gum. “Boy, you lucky you cute.”

They walked to the counter together, his body close enough to feel familiar, to look natural. She set her items down, scanning his face from the corner of her eye. Sharp features, full lips, deep brown eyes that carried a weight she couldn’t place.

Once the cashier rang them up, he pulled out a few crumpled bills and slid them forward. Krys wasn’t sure why, but she let him pay.

“Thanks, babe,” she said smoothly, grabbing the bag.

One of the officers turned slightly toward them.

Krys took the risk. She reached up and adjusted his collar like she had every right to. “I keep telling you to stop crumpling up your money like that,” she scolded playfully. “You got your whole life in your pockets.”

The officers barely gave them a second glance as they waited on the transaction to complete and get their change.

“Come on, ma,” he murmured, low enough that only she could hear. “Let’s roll.”

Just as they were about to turn, one of the officers glanced their way. Then did a double take.

“Miss Davis?”

Krys paused, then plastered on a smile as she turned toward the cop, an older, slightly pudgy Officer Calloway, a familiar face.

She should’ve figured someone would recognize her. Her father had had contracts with half the city, and her name carried its own weight.

“Officer Calloway,” she greeted, tossing her hair over her shoulder. “How’s the wife?”

The cop grinned, nodding. “She’s good, she’s good. How’s your dad…I haven’t seen ol’ Ed down at the bar in a while.”

Krys chuckled, shifting the bag in her hand. “Daddy’s doing well, but you know Lauren got him on a tight leash, but he still sneaks a beer or two in. I’ll let him know you asked about him.”

Officer Calloway chuckled almost forgetting why he was there in the first place. His eyes flickered to Kenyatta, scanning him longer than necessary.

“This your…?”

Kenyatta kept his face unreadable, but Krys could feel his energy shift. This was the moment.

Krys smiled, taking Kenyatta’s hand into hers like she had every right to. “Yup, date night with bae.”

The officer’s brows lifted slightly, but he didn’t push. “That so?”

Krys sighed dramatically, shaking her head. “Mmhmm. Bae insists we go out at least once a week.”

Kenyatta’s smirk reappeared, just slightly.

Officer Calloway chuckled, shaking his head. “Well, enjoy y’all night. Try not to spoil her too much. I bet she’s a handful as it is.”

More relaxed, Kenyatta responded, “You got that right.”

Once the pleasantries were over, they stepped outside, walking toward her Mercedes like they belonged to each other. Like this was routine.

“You wanna tell me what that was about?” she asked, voice even.

Kenyatta pulled the car door open for her. “You really wanna know?”

She slid inside, tilting her head up at him. “I wouldn’t have helped if I didn’t.”

For a moment, he just looked at her. Like he was studying her reaction, deciding how much to say. Then, finally, he exhaled. “A bad situation I wasn’t tryna be in.”

Krys arched a brow, clicking her seatbelt into place. “That much I figured.”

Krys continued to study him, contemplating her next move. His gaze shifting between what was unfolding inside the gas station and to the street, his hands flexing at his sides, his jaw tight.

She didn’t know him. Didn’t know if he was actually dangerous or just in the wrong place at the wrong time. But something told her he was grateful for whatever chance she just gave him.

“Get in,” she said, unlocking the doors.

He turned, brows raising slightly. “Yeah?”

She sighed. “Yeah.”

He hesitated for half a second before making his way around the front of the car and slipping into the passenger seat.

As Krys pulled out of the lot, merging onto the main road, she wondered what the hell she had just gotten herself into.

Also why, despite the warning bells in her head, she didn’t regret it.

**********

Krys tapped the wheel, exhaling as she turned onto a random street. She wasn’t headed anywhere in particular; not yet. Because what the hell was she supposed to do with him?

She glanced at the stranger, her “boyfriend” for the last five minutes, slouched in her passenger seat like he belonged there. He was relaxed, almost too relaxed for someone who had just finessed his way out of a bad situation.

“You always hitch rides with women you don’t know?” Krys asked, her tone dry as she switched lanes.

Kenyatta smiled, stretching out his legs. “Only the ones with nice cars.”

Krys sucked her teeth, shaking her head. “You bold as hell.”

“Nah,” he drawled, side-eyeing her. “I’m resourceful.”

She huffed out a laugh, but he could hear the curiosity beneath it. She was trying to figure him out.

For a while, neither of them spoke. Krys drove, aimless, her eyes flicking to the rearview mirror every now and then, making sure they weren’t being followed.

Eventually, she sighed. “So…what’s your deal? You a fugitive or some shit?”

Kenyatta let out a low chuckle, his head tilting toward the window. “Damn, you just gon’ profile me like that?”

She arched a brow. “You got two cops prowling around a gas station, looking for you—or at least for the car you hopped out of. So, excuse me if I assume you got some shit going on.”

Kenyatta nodded like she had a point. “I ain’t no fugitive. Just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Krys glanced at him. “You sure about that?”

He hesitated. Not really, but he wasn’t about to lay all that at her feet.

Kenyatta stretched, exhaling. “Look, you already did me a favor, but I ain’t tryna get you wrapped up in nothing.”

She scoffed. “Oh, you think I’m worried about you?”

He looked at her then, really looked at her, smirking at the edge in her voice. There was something different about her. Different from the women he was used to.

“Where we going?” Krys asked after a while, realizing she was just driving.

Kenyatta sat up, rubbing his palms together before he glanced out the window. “You can drop me off at my boy Tez’s crib.”

Krys frowned. “Tez? What, he got a real name or you just giving me the street name of some nigga I don’t know?”

Kenyatta chuckled. “You nosy, huh?”

“Nope. I just like knowing when I’m about to get set up.”

“Nah,” he dismissed. “I ain’t on that type of shit.”

She lifted a shoulder. “I don’t really know that, now do I. But I tell you one thing, I won’t hesitate to put a bullet between your eyes and this Tez person.”

“Dang killa,” Kenyatta chuckled. “You good. Tez solid.”

She rolled her eyes but didn’t push it.

Another stretch of silence filled the car, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. Krys found herself stealing another glance at him, still trying to figure him out.

He felt it.

“You keep looking at me like you tryna solve a puzzle,” Kenyatta said lazily.

Krys smirked, gripping the wheel tighter. “Are you…a puzzle?”

He exhaled through his nose. “Something like that.”

She didn’t press. Not yet. But something told her this was going to be the beginning of a situation she hadn’t asked for. And for whatever reason, that thought didn’t bother her nearly as much as it should have.