Page 49

“Maagic’s here.” That was all he had to say.

I jumped up on wobbly legs and went to my dresser to grab a pair of black leggings and a fitted black hoodie so that I was matching him.

It didn’t take me long to get dressed, quickly wash my face, and brush my teeth before meeting Cruz back in the bedroom.

He was sitting on the foot of the bed, waiting for me, and when I came out, he stood up, towering over my small frame.

“You sure about this?” he asked again, being so considerate that I had to reach for a kiss.

“Positive.”

Since I hadn’t done anything remotely close to this, I wasn’t sure what to expect.

I’d read urban fiction and knew what type of stuff happened once they killed people, but I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to be around a dead person or to be the reason why they were dead.

Technically, nurses are around dead people all the time though. It could be like practice.

That thought had me a little less stressed as Cruz drove us out to a wooded area just outside the city. It looked real Jeepers Creepers-ish, especially when he turned down a private-looking dirt road. I frowned as we stopped in front of a bright red barn, and looked questioningly.

“Trust me,” was all the encouragement I needed to take Cruz’s hand when he came around and opened my door.

I took in my surroundings, fully aware that we were on a farm, but it was eerily silent for a place that had animals all over.

The light from the barn shined on us as we approached the open doorway, and once we stepped inside, I was surprised to see Avery and Maasai standing in front of three hanging bodies.

Their faces were all covered, but I knew one of them muthafuckas was Raya.

“Hey biiiitch! Isn’t this exciting?” Avery whispered with a wide grin when I stopped next to her.

“Just as crazy as her nigga,” Cruz scoffed, walking past us to stop in front of our guest. They snatched the hoods off to reveal Raya and…

Cruz’s parents, and my eyes bucked. I was far from prepared for this!

Yes, I hated them for what they had done and how I’d been treated, but death was kind of crazy.

I mean, despite them not liking me, they were still related to my baby and the man I loved.

The excitement I’d been feeling just a minute ago had went all the way down from a ten to a two, and I was low-key looking at Cruz’s ass a little different.

I watched in horror as Maasai and Cruz used the buckets that were on the ground and doused them with what was inside, sending them all into a fit of gasps and coughs, but they remained still like their bodies were bound.

“Babe, I can see that look in your eyes, but I need you to know this shit for a reason.” Cruz was already trying to explain, and I realized I’d started moving backward.

“These muthafuckas sent Raya to Avery’s house for you.

They wanted to kill our fuckin’ baby too!

” he spat, looking down at them in disgust. Silent tears slipped down their faces, but the only part of them that was moving were their eyes.

I looked back and forth between them and Cruz as it hit me that he was telling the truth.

Honestly, my feelings were a little hurt, but I wasn’t going to let them see that. Clenching my jaw, I glanced at him.

“Why aren’t they talking or moving?”

“Oh.” Maasai grinned and pushed Cruz’s father, making his body swing. “We drugged them. The type of shit surgeons use.”

“Makes it easier,” Cruz added with a shrug.

“Aw hell naw! Y’all soft ass niggas brought them with y’all!” Aw’sum appeared in the doorway with his signature scowl, looking like he was ready to whoop Maasai and Cruz’s asses.

“They both said they wanted to come, and it ain’t like they ain’t owed their get back,” Maasai said, unbothered, making Aw’sum sigh.

“I guess, nigga. Let’s get this shit over with. Fuckin’ around cleaning up behind you niggas got me fuckin’ up my own shit.”

“Now this my baby’s first time, so be nice and give her a round of applause.

” Cruz’s crazy ass put his hand out like he was introducing me, and Maasai and Aw’sum clapped.

When I reached him, he placed a heavy ass gun in my hand with a silencer on it.

“You want Raya or one of them?” Damn! The disrespect was loud!

Him talking about his parents like they were strangers on the street was a testament to how bad they’d fucked up with him, just like him having them hanging upside down in a damn barn.

“Aye, it’s my wife’s first time too, nigga, clap her up!” Maasai did the same thing for Avery that Cruz had done for me, and just like before, they all clapped while Avery walked over smiling and waving.

“Man, if y’all niggas don’t stop playing around. We gotta get them to the pigs before the sun come up,” Aw’sum huffed, like he wasn’t just a part of the circus his cousin and friend were conducting.

“Shut up, man, they good.” Massai helped Avery hold her gun, and Cruz held his hands around mine as they started counting down in our ears.

I made sure to stare Raya right in her eyes, enjoying the fear there as we reached one, and I shot her right in the middle of her face.

I moved the gun in a sweeping motion, pulling the trigger repeatedly and shooting all three of them, enjoying the way their bodies jerked every time they got hit.

I was still trying to squeeze even once my clip was empty, until Cruz gently pulled it away and hugged me.

He was whispering that it was okay, and at first, I didn’t know why until I felt the wetness on my face. Damn, it was finally over.