Page 43 of Perfect Rhythm

NYX

“Damn, girl. That was one hell of a workout,” Skye said as we walked out of the gym and headed to my car.

“Yeah, it was, and I needed every second of it.”

“Me too.” She leaned against the passenger’s side door, rubbing her growling stomach. “Shit, I need to eat. I’m starving.”

“Same. What you want to eat?”

“Some real food. None of that leafy green shit you like to eat after we leave the gym.”

“Whatever.” I looked down at my phone, noticing I had three missed calls from Shade. “Hold up a sec.” I tossed my gym bag in the backseat and returned his call.

“Hey, beautiful,” he answered. “What’s up?”

“What’s up with you? Everything okay?”

“Hell no. But it will be. I’m about to link up with my brother.”

“Ocean’s back in town?”

“Yeah, just for a few days or so. What’s up with you? You good?”

“I’m fine. Skye and I were just leaving the gym.”

“So that’s why you weren’t answering my calls. I thought you were pissed at me for bailing on lunch earlier.”

I let out a dry laugh. “Please. If anything, Jassi did me a favor. I’ll have to thank her later. But never mind all that. You said you weren’t good. What’s going on?”

“Long story short, I bumped into Enzo at the studio and shit almost went left. Like, funeral arrangements left.”

“Wait, what?”

“Yeah. But I’ll have to fill you in on that shit later. Ocean just walked in, and I’m hungry as hell.”

“Nah, I want to know the full story now. Where y’all at? We’re starving too.”

“Oh yeah? You trying to pull up?”

“Yeah. Just send me the address.”

“Bet.”

I ended the call and checked my texts.

Skye peeked at my phone. “Oh, they’re at The Crispy Catch. Their fried shrimp and catfish is so good.”

“Glad you like it. That’s where we’re going.”

Skye shrugged and hopped in the car. “Works for me.”

I fired up the engine and sped out of the parking lot.

My head was spinning, constantly replaying Shade’s words.

Shit almost went left. Like, funeral arrangements left.

What the hell did that even mean?

A sharp pain bloomed in the center of my chest. Just the idea of Shade dying hurt like hell.

“Nyx, you good?” Skye asked, placing her hand on my shoulder.

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“You sure? You look like you’re about to cry.”

I caught my reflection in the rearview mirror and froze, shocked by the bloodshot eyes that were staring back at me.

Sniffling, I shook away my thoughts and returned my gaze to the road. “I’m fine. Shade just told me some fucked up shit, that’s all.”

“What did he say?”

I took a deep breath, then blew it out slowly. “Apparently, him and Enzo bumped into each other at the studio and things got ugly.”

“Really? How ugly?”

“Ugly enough to imply that everyone in the studio almost died tonight.”

“Shit.” Skye leaned back. “It was that bad?”

“Yeah, it was that bad.”

Skye sighed. “Damn, that’s crazy. I mean, I know him and Enzo don’t fuck with each other, but I never knew it was like that. I wonder why.”

“I don’t know. But they need to figure it out. Shade can’t fucking die on me, especially not over some dumb ass industry beef.”

I squeezed the steering wheel tighter, attempting to tame my emotions.

I could feel Skye’s eyes on me, and I could sense all of the questions she had circling through her mind. But, thankfully, she chose to hold off on asking them.

As soon as I made it to The Crispy Catch, I hopped out of the car and strolled inside.

One sweep of the room, and my eyes landed on Shade. He was as cool as a cucumber, laughing as he sat across from Ocean.

I made a beeline straight for him, pulled him up, and wrapped him in the tightest hug I could manage. “Don’t ever scare me like that again.”

Slowly, his arms draped around me, but they came with no words. He just held me, and for a moment, that was all I needed. I just wanted to feel his heart beating near mine, confirming that he was nowhere near death.

“Baby, you good?” He finally whispered.

I stepped back and smacked my palms into his chest. “What the hell happened?”

“How about you sit and eat first?” he said calmly, pulling out the chair next to him.

Ocean stood too, offering Skye a warm look as he reached for the chair beside him. “Hey. I’m Ocean, Shade’s brother. I don’t think we’ve met yet.”

“No, we haven’t. But I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m Skye. Nice to meet you,” she said while grinning.

“Pleasure’s mine. Have you been here before?”

“Yeah, quite a few times. I love their butterfly shrimp basket.”

“Oh, shit, I do too.”

Glad they were wrapped up in their own little convo, I crossed my arms and turned toward Shade, my voice low and firm. “Tell me what happened.”

“Order your food first,” he replied and motioned for the waitress to come over. “We’re ready to order.”

“Sure thing,” she replied. “What can I get you guys?”

Ready to get some answers, I didn’t bother looking at the menu. I just trusted that Skye was right about their food and ordered the same thing she ordered.

The second the waitress was gone, I was back down Shade’s throat. “I’m not waiting until the food gets here. I need to know now.”

“That’s too bad. You’re not getting a word out of me until you eat something.” He glanced over at Skye. “I saw your boy at the studio earlier. We had a little chat about him chilling out. I think I finally got through to him.”

“Good. Because if he keeps acting a fool, I’m going to put a restraining order on his ass.”

“Damn, it’s like that?” Ocean chimed in.

“Hell yeah! He won’t leave me alone, and he’s ten times worse when he’s high or drunk. He gets way too crazy, and he starts doing dumb shit.”

“Oh, I already know. He almost got his ass beat the last time I saw him at my club.”

“What?” Skye questioned, her eyes wide.

“Yeah, he started clowning and forgot who the fuck I was. I was about to remind his ass, but my brother decided to save his life and take him to the crib.”

Skye and I looked at each other, then turned our attention back to Ocean as he filled us in on what happened.

The story was crazy, but I wasn’t at all surprised.

Irritated, Skye changed the subject, which kept us occupied until the food arrived.

“Enjoy,” the waitress said as she placed our plates on the table.

We all rubbed our hands together eagerly and thanked her as she walked away.

As soon as I stuffed the first piece of shrimp in my mouth, I looked at Shade. “Now, what the hell happened?”

Laughing, he shook his head slowly. “Damn, you’re hell, you know that?”

“Mmhmm.”

Finally, he started talking, and I listened intently as he gave me the full rundown, guns and all.

“Oh my God,” Skye blurted, dipping her shrimp in cocktail sauce. “Y’all really pulled guns out on each other?”

I looked back at Trace, aggravated by his part in it all. “What the hell? I thought your job was to diffuse the situation, not?—”

“Nah, I’m supposed to protect my boy. If anyone fucks with him, they getting fucked up too.”

I dropped my shoulders.

Although I was giving Trace a hard time, he wasn’t wrong. But all I could think about was the way things could’ve gone, and that scared me.

Shade pulled me into his arms and gave me a gentle squeeze. “Chill, Nyx, I’m still here and everything’s cool.”

“Mmhmm, I hear you.” I wasn’t done with my questions. “Now, what’s the real deal between you and Enzo? Why do y’all have beef?”

He let out a heavy sigh, like he didn’t want to say it, but he did anyway.

By the time Shade finished telling that story, I could barely hold it together.

“Damn,” Skye said. “I’ve heard things, but I didn’t know it was like that.”

“Well, well, well...what the fuck do we have here?”

The unexpected voice cut through the room like a blade.

I turned slowly, my stomach sinking when I saw who it was standing near the entrance.

Mecca. Eyes bloodshot. Swagger off. That slow, uneven step.

Yeah...this night was about to spiral fast.