Jodie shook her head. “No, but she isn’t out of the woods. The treatment is doing its job, but her body is so weak. It could go bad at any moment.”
“Oh, thank God.”
Jodie squeezed my arm. “But having you here really raises her spirits.”
“Then here is where I’ll stay.”
For the first time since I got the call from Vi, air made its way through my lungs. The knot of dread that settled in my stomach began to loosen.
“Hey, Uncle D?” Grant called from the living room.
“Yeah?”
“Someone just pulled into the driveway. Some fancy-looking car.”
And just like that, I was on high alert again.
I wouldn’t let anyone hurt my family.
I stood quickly, walking out the front door. I expected to find Thomas stepping out of the car. Instead, it was someone I’d never met.
“Can I help you?” I called. As he stepped closer, I noticed the business suit. He had neat brown hair and walked with a confidence most people didn’t dream of having. He screamed money. I couldn’t imagine how much a suit like that one would cost or even what he paid for his haircut.
“Yeah, I’m looking for Damien Walker.”
I raised an eyebrow and crossed my arms as he stepped onto the porch in front of me.
So, he’s here for me?
“You’re looking at him.”
The man smirked and looked me up and down.
Bro was legit checking me out.
“I expected you’d be more.”
“More?” I waited for him to finish.
“Yeah, more.”
“What does that mean?”
“I don’t know. I just figured you’d be different than what you are.”
After making arrangements and the last-minute travel, I’d barely slept in over 24 hours. I had no patience for bull shit. “What the hell do you want?”
“Jumping straight to the point, I see. Fine. I want you to stay away from Cadence.”
“What?” Confusion was the only thing keeping me from laughing out loud. First of all, no stranger told me what to do, ever. But the pieces were starting to fall into place.
“I said, stay away from her.”
“Oh yeah? And why should I, Elijah? Assuming that’s who you are, since you pretend to care so much about Cay.”
As her nickname left my lips, a sneer appeared on his face and replaced his smug expression. “So, you know who I am. She talks about me.”
“Talked. Past tense, since you two aren’t together anymore.”
