Page 21

Chapter Nineteen

Shayna

a few days later…

Something was wrong. Sean never went this long without checking in, especially not after some reckless shit like what he did.

It’d been a full day, and I hadn’t heard a damn thing.

No calls. No texts. Nothing. I paced the living room, phone in hand, checking the screen like it that would make something changed.

You good?

Hit me back.

Sean, call me.

Nothing.

My stomach twisted, and for once, it wasn’t guilt. It was fear.

“Mommy, is he here yet?” Liberty asked from the stairs, swinging her feet while clutching her little backpack like she was heading to Disneyland and not just her daddy’s house.

“Not yet, baby,” I said, forcing a smile. “But he’s on the way.”

She nodded and smiled wide, the same smile I used to flash when I thought everything in the world would go my way. “I can’t wait to meet everybody. Do you think my little cousin like fruit snacks?”

I bit my lip, eyes stinging. “I’m sure they do.”

That girl had been buzzing since the DNA test. Kilo hadn’t confirmed it yet, but deep down I knew. And so did Liberty. She talked about him like he was already hers. Her daddy. Her protector. Her world. And now, I was about to hand her over to a man who might’ve just killed my brother.

A knock loud hit the door, causing me to jump out of my thoughts.

Liberty shot up, squealing. “Daddy!” I moved slower. My feet felt like they were made of bricks.

When I opened the door, Kilo stood there in all black and cold, dark eyes. No smile. No softness. Just him and that quiet intensity that had always made people shut up when he walked into a room.

“Wassup,” he said, voice low.

“Hi, Daddy!” Liberty yelled, running past me to hug his waist.

He looked down at her, and just like that, that ice melted a little. His hand slid across her hair, and he nodded. “Hey, baby girl.”

“You ready?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

“She got everything she need?” he asked.

“Yeah.” I handed him her bag. “Snacks, extra clothes, inhaler. It’s all in there.”

He nodded and grabbed it. Liberty bounced on her toes.

“Can I ride in the front?” she asked.

He glanced at me. I shook my head. “Not yet, baby.”

She pouted but grabbed his hand like they’d been doing this for years.

As he turned to leave, I spoke.

“Kilo.”

He looked over his shoulder.

“You seen Sean?”

He paused. Just for a second. But it was enough.

“Why would I?”

“I don’t know… I thought maybe y’all crossed paths.” I forced the words out, heart hammering.

He stared at me for a long beat before walking back up the steps—real slow—until he was close enough for me to feel the tension rolling off him.

“Why would I cross paths wit’ that nigga?”

“I been worried,” I shot back, voice sharp.

He leaned in just a little. “Then maybe you should’ve kept him out my way.”

My chest locked. “What does that mean?”

Kilo’s eyes were flat. “It means just what the fuck I said.”

Liberty’s voice cut through the tension. “Mommy! Can I bring my tablet?”

“Yeah, baby. It’s already in your bag!” I called back.

Kilo’s gaze never left mine. “I suggest you worry about Liberty now, not that bitch ass brother of yours.”

He walked back down, took Liberty’s hand, and they headed to the truck like nothing happened. Like he hadn’t just delivered a death sentence.

I closed the door with shaking hands and slid down to the floor.

He didn’t say it, but he didn’t have to. Sean was gone, and it was all Kilo’s fault.

And now, there was no turning back.