Page 76 of Steel

I looked at the keypad. He hadn’t given me a code to get in.

“I’m gonna call him,” I said, picking up my phone. “I don’t have a code?—”

“It’s my birthday,” Nayelli said.

She put down her window and leaned forward, putting in the digits. The light flashed green, and the gate opened. Dinah and I looked back at her.

“What?” she asked, smiling. “Daddy said everybody has a code, and that one is mine whenever I want to come over.”

Dinah smirked. “Daddy’s gonna make sure his baby can get to him.”

Nayelli smiled with pride. “Yep.”

I sighed as I drove through the gate. The road was wide enough for two cars, and I could see cameras planted on every other lamp post as we drove in. Nayelli’s phone started ringing with a FaceTime call.

“Hey, Auntie Jaeda!”

“Hey, baby! I see y’all are coming up the road.”

“Yep. We just got here.”

“You’re watching the cameras?” I asked.

“I get a notification every time someone comes through the gate. It’s annoying but necessary for safety.”

“Auntie Jaeda loves computers,” Nayelli told me. “She’s a genius.”

Jaeda laughed. “Well thank you, baby. I’ll see you at the house, okay?”

“Okay. Tell Uncle Quaid I said hi.”

“I will.”

They hung up the phone, and I smiled. Nayelli had taken to them too. She spoke to her aunt as much as she spoke to her father.

We neared a clearing in the trees. As we drove through, my mouth dropped. When I heard compound, I was expectinganything but what I was looking at. This was a whole community all its own. Rows of beautiful homes lined the road. Nothing but expensive cars sat in the driveways. They had a big ass park for the kids to play in. There was a community pool and basketball courts that looked brand-new. From a distance I saw what looked like a huge stable.

“Wow!” Nayelli whispered.

“Wow is right!” Dinah exclaimed. “What kind of money do these people make, and where can I apply for a job? This is some shit straight out of a movie.”

“Tell me about it,” I mumbled.

The GPS directed me to make a left.

There sat Kerrion’s house. It was a beautiful two-story brick home with a two-car garage and a driveway big enough to hold four cars. His black-on-black pickup sat next to a black-on-black Bentley, and a tricked-out black golf cart. I pulled into the driveway behind the car and shut it off. The front door opened, and Kerrion stepped out dressed in gray sweats, a shirt that hugged his muscles, and slides with long socks.

He carried his son like he was holding a damn football, and that baby looked so content. My mouth watered as he made his way down the steps and over to the car. He went straight to the back and opened Nayelli’s door.

“Hey, princess,” he said, pulling her out the car.

“Hey! Hey, KJ.”

“Say hey, Fat Man.”

KJ babbled for a minute before the softest “Hey” left his lips, causing Nayelli to squeal.

“He said it!”