Page 4 of The Cancer I Chose (BLP Signs of Love #4)

Her chest rose and fell at a steady pace while the softest snore escaped from between her juicy lips.

I didn’t know this woman from a can of paint, yet I couldn’t take my eyes off her for even a second.

The instant I heard her screaming, it was like my body went into autopilot.

I had no clue what she was mixed up in, but when I heard her rambling coupled with the genuine fear in her eyes, I knew I had to do something.

For now, that something was sitting and watching her sleep peacefully.

Shawty was five-foot-seven with a full figure.

I’m talking rolls, curves, breasts, and plenty of pockets of fat to hold on to with thick ass thighs.

I liked that shit though. Her skin was a toasty brown color with honey-gold undertones that I was sure glowed in the sun.

Her face was round with the plumpest cheeks.

Her hair was in thick curls I could hook my fingers into easily.

She hadn’t stirred since being here, but she had almond-shaped, deep brown eyes that were very expressive.

I also noticed a tiny birthmark near her right cheekbone that I swore was in the shape of a half note when I was lying her on my bed.

Remembering the look in her eyes sent chills down my spine.

I hadn’t seen hopelessness and fear like that in a long time.

One day, someone saw that same look in my eyes and saved my life.

I couldn’t imagine where I would be if they’d looked at me and turned away.

Even though this was a stranger, I knew I couldn’t do that to her.

I remained frozen in place, even after she began to wake up. Like magic, her eyes fluttered open and landed on me. She hopped up and scurried into the corner of the room. The only thing to follow her were my eyes.

“Who are you? Where am I?”

“You’re safe,” I spoke calmly and slowly. “You needed time to sleep the drugs off.”

Her eyes darted all over as if they would give her the answers to her questions. She pulled at her matted, thick tresses. “Dr-drugs? I don’t do drugs.”

I tapped my fingers on the arm of the desk chair I sat in. “You did two nights ago.”

She shook her hand. “No... I was at the lounge and then Ry...” She abruptly stopped talking and dropped her head into her hands. “He did this,” she whispered.

I wasn’t sure what to say, so I asked the one question I wanted an answer to more than anything else. “What’s your name?”

She slowly dropped her hands and looked up at me.

Her gaze seized me up. Her eyes couldn’t hide a damn thing.

She would do terribly in poker because I knew she was debating whether or not she could trust me.

I remained quiet, having no desire to convince her.

I was confident that my aura would speak for me, and she’d feel what my presence offered—safety.

“Nuri Symone.”

“Nuri Symone...” I mumbled her name to myself. It fit her perfectly. “Inspired by Nina Simone?”

She giggled, the cutest sound, pulling at the fringe on her shorts. “Yeah… My mother was a huge fan, and the name Symone runs in my family.”

I noticed she spoke in the past tense but decided not to speak on it. “Well, Nuri Symone, now that you’re feeling better, is there somewhere I can drop you off?”

I watched her crumble before my eyes. The tears returned, and her head went back into her hands. Her shoulders shuddered as she cried.

“Nowhere is safe,” she mumbled between her sobs.

The harder she cried, the more I struggled to remain seated across the room.

This girl was making me feel things I never had before, and I couldn’t figure out why.

All I knew was that seeing her broken had me ready to hunt her enemies down and end them.

She was too pretty for the cloud of sadness raining on her hunched shoulders.

I leaned up in my seat and placed my elbows on my knees, still watching her, still trying to resist the urge to make all her problems go away. “You gotta help me understand, baby girl.”

She swiped her snotty nose without shame.

“All I know is I was at the club with my friends one minute, then I started feeling weird, so I was headed to the bathroom. I think I passed out before I could make it. When I woke up, I was in the back of a stranger’s truck, and he told me we were going to be married.

” Her voice croaked as she tried to make sense of the things she’d just shared with me.

“I just know my brother has something to do with it. He wants to take everything from me.”

The thought of someone forcing her to do anything had my fists tightening. I hated men who took advantage of women. I didn’t need to hear any more to know that I was going to help her. She was obviously defenseless against these men who wanted to use that as a weakness.

“What does your brother want to take from you?” I finally asked her.

Her lips popped open before she dropped her eyes to the floor and fell silent.

“If you want my help, then I need to know what’s going on.

When I found you, you were terrified, screaming bloody murder, and there were niggas chasing you.

The last thing I would hate to do is let you go just to end up right where you don’t want to be.

I want to help you, but I can’t d-do that if you don’t ta-talk. ”

My lips snapped shut as I began to stutter. For the first time, I looked away from Nuri Symone.

“What’s your name?” Her soft, velvety voice cut through the silence.

I finally found the courage to turn back to her, only to be met by the kindest eyes I’d ever seen. As I said before, those eyes couldn’t hide shit.

“Sekai.”

She began to twiddle her fingers, studying me for a minute longer. “Okay, Sekai, I’m going to tell you everything, and I pray it’s the right choice.”

After releasing a deep sigh, she was ready to let it all rip.

“To make a long story short, my brother ran through his inheritance, and now he wants to sell the family estate. When I wouldn’t sign the papers, he attacked me, but I got away.

He’s been constantly sending me threats since then.

” Her voice lowered when she spoke the next part.

Even though she’d lived it, she sounded unsure, like she couldn’t believe the words coming out of her mouth.

“I’m guessing he had me drugged at the lounge and was going to marry me off to the man he owes money to. ”

I flopped back in my seat, processing everything she’d said.

The desk chair I sat in swung from side to side.

It was fucked up that her brother was trying to make her pay for his mistakes.

If I ever got my hands on him, I was going to break his fucking neck for putting his hands on her.

No matter how low he got, that should never have been an option.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Her face was ashen, and her hands were trembling.

I wasn’t sure what look I was giving her, so I looked away.

Murder was on my mind, but the rage I felt wasn’t for her.

My heart actually went out to her. A lot of innocent women found themselves in horrible situations because of the men they were attached to.

I would hate it if Nuri Symone became another victim of that life, and I couldn’t tell you why.

“Who is the man your brother arranged for you to marry?” It took everything in me to remain stoic and still.

Thankfully, it was a strength of mine as an Earth sign.

If I showed her my anger, she wouldn’t want my help anymore.

Even without fully understanding why, all I wanted at this moment was to make sure she was safe.

She ruffled her hair, then walked back over to my bed and flopped down.

“I’m not sure, but he was a grandpa. My granny always said old men give you worms. Eww... I don’t want worms.” I didn’t mean to, but I chuckled at her disgust. “I feel like I heard his driver say his name. It was something with a Z.”

It was sad that just the letter alone could sour my mood. “Zyro.”

I didn’t ask because deep down I already knew it was him.

Everything she’d just shared added up. Her brother owed an insane debt and was scrambling to pay it and was willing to go to extreme lengths to get his debt settled.

That nigga Zero was the type of entitled pussy to think he could have whatever he wanted.

“You know him?” she asked as she perked up.

I could see the curiosity spinning in her brown eyes. Her desperation for answers had her scooting to the edge of the bed.

“Something like that. Just know I will protect you with my life, Nuri Symone. Them niggas gonna have to go through me and every Reaper in the fucking city if he thinks he’s going to lay a finger on that pretty little head of yours.”

She then blushed, and it felt like my entire heart imploded into a cloud of sunshine. And I knew... I knew I would do anything for Nuri Symone off the strength that she made me feel things that I never thought possible. She trusted me for some reason, and I wouldn’t take that for granted.

“I know you don’t talk much, but you’re extra quiet today. What’s on your mind, Son?” my father, Ingram, asked as he walked into the living room with the leather bag that held his shaving tools. There was a towel tossed over his shoulder as he strolled in like the cool ass nigga he was.

We looked nothing alike, but I was him in every way. Blood couldn’t make us any closer.