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Her words felt like an omen to me, but no one else in the house was fazed. She walked out of the front door and slammed it behind her. Seconds after the door was locked, Mama Bee turned to me. “Now, where is my baby? What you cooking up in there?” Just like that, everything was back to normal.

Lo took Mama Bee upstairs to Lucas’s room to see him.

I went back into the kitchen to finish dinner.

Joey and Ethan went back into the den. Just as dinner was finishing, Simone, Sully, and their son SJ showed up.

Thank God I didn’t know how to cook small, so there was more than enough for everyone.

We sat around, ate, laughed, and enjoyed each other’s company like there wasn’t a price on my head.

It was a few days after Alexi had dropped by.

I thought that she would come back because the girl acted like consequences didn’t apply to her, but she didn’t.

Mama Bee’s drop kick probably had something to do with it.

Oh, and the nasty bitch didn’t even have the courtesy to pick up her tooth and take it with her.

Lo cleaned it up before we all sat down for dinner.

“Reya?”

Lo’s voice tore me away from the book that had me in a chokehold. No one, and I meant no one, could ever make me hate Jahquel J. She was my cousin, and if you said otherwise, it would be a problem.

I glanced up from my tablet from my seat on the back deck. Joey and Lucas were in the yard throwing around the football. It was determined that Lucas would play football amongst the men.

“Yes?”

“I want to chop it up with you real quick,” he said before he sat next to me on the lounge couch.

I shifted my body to face him, then placed my legs in criss cross applesauce. I didn’t say anything because he wanted to talk.

“So, Ma told me that you wanted to go back to school.”

I moved around nervously in my seat. Mama Bee was out here telling my business.

“Um, yeah. I was saving up to take at least one class online during the upcoming semester. I’ll probably wait until next year now. It’s going to take a minute for me to get back on my feet after this ordeal. I’m gonna have to see if the Section 8 folks will give me another place.”

He held a blank stare for a moment. “Nah, go ahead and register for the classes you want to take. You can take more than one, though, full-time or part-time. Whatever you want to do, I got you.”

I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came out. I closed it with the hope that my words would be found and fill my mouth with them. When I opened my mouth again, there was nothing. After what felt like forever, I finally found words.

“You’re going to pay for me to go back to school? Why?”

He chuckled. “Why not, Reya? I know you’re tired of sitting in the house not doing much of shit but reading.”

When my face tightened, he threw his hands up with palms faced to me.

“Okay, my bad. Reading is something. Look, being honest, the nigga that we’re looking for with a price on your head is a slippery bitch. We think he’s slipped to another state, but he’s gonna be back.”

“Maybe he’s done with it all. If he left for another state, why would he come back? That doesn’t make sense.”

I would never claim to understand street shit, but I had common sense. I felt like it was more about ego than anything.

“It may not make sense, but I know he’s coming back.

The price is still on your head. Not to put you in my street business, but I want you to understand the severity of why I still have you with me.

” He paused then took a breath. “He tried to hit three of my traps, which resorted in him losing six of his team. As a result, we hit all of their traps and knocked out most of his team. That bitch is coming back.”

I was stuck without words. I felt like I was in the middle of some cartel storyline.

“Um, I guess I’ll stay here a little longer. Shit, at this point, I might as well be added to the deed. Feels like I may never leave.” My lids spread apart to their maximum capacity. “That was a joke!”

“I didn’t say shit.” The dimples that I loved to see were peeking out. “While you’re here, I want you to feel like you’re getting something accomplished. I don’t want you to feel like you’re just sitting around. I want you and Jedi to be happy while y’all here, you know?”

Without thinking, I lifted my body and threw my arms around his neck.

“Thank you so much! You don’t know how much this means to me. I’ll be able to get a real job that can really take care of me and my baby.”

It was like I didn’t realize that my arms were around him until I felt him put his arms around me. I snapped out of it and pulled my body back from him abruptly. As abruptly as I could since his strong arms hesitated to let me out of his hold.

“I’m so sorry.”

“The fuck you apologizing for, Reya? Stop being so fuckin’ timid.” He stood to his feet, looked down at me, then said, “Be an adult, lil baby. I promise you’ll be happy you did.”

He smoothly walked off as if he didn’t just tell me that he wanted to eat my pussy. I meant that was what I heard in my mind. My active listening might have been broken at the moment, but that’s what I heard. He wanted to blow my back out. Wait!