“One, we’re not cowards. I forbid it.” His hand chopped down in front of him. “Cowardice is a stain, and you, my girl, are meant to shine brighter than the sun.”
Calix’s dramatics were starting to make a lot more sense.
He raised another finger.
“And, two… even if the worst happens,we’re here.All of us. Your parents. Your siblings. We’ll put you back together, piece by piece. If you fall, we will catch you. If you shatter, we’ll rebuild you. All of us are willing to take on the world for you, which includes any idiots who could possibly dare to desire something else besides you. I mean, look at you.”
He motioned to me, sweeping his hands like a showman before finishing with a crisp chef’s kiss. “You’re perfection, just like your mother. If they’re blind fools, then it's easy. We’ll kill them.”
He brushed his hands like he was getting rid of dirt. “Then we find you new ones.Betterones. Gorgeous, rich, emotionally stable,andflexible ones. Hell, we’ll even hold auditions.”
His devious smile told me he meanteveryword.
Papu Syris nodded, excited at the thought, and lifted his glass. “Men are a dime a dozen. Butyou,sweetheart? You’re platinum. If they can’t see that, they don’t deserve to breathe the same air as you.”
A watery laugh escaped my throat, emotion bubbling up in my chest like champagne about to spill. “What if I don’t want you to kill them?”
Tata yanked me into his chest, petting the top of my head with exaggerated care. “Don’t worry, honey. We’ll do it while you’re not looking. You don’t need to worry that pretty little head about it. Your grandfathers will take care ofeverything.”
My heart swelled, full and aching. Their love was suffocating in the best way, heavy, warm, unyielding, but they were right. Even if I got burned, even if I crashed and fractured into something unrecognizable, I wouldn’t be left to rot in my ruin. My family wouldn’t let me become a ghost of myself. They’d drag me back from the edge, kicking and screaming, if they had to.
“Thank you,” I whispered into Tata’s chest, my arms tightening around him.
After a long moment, he gently pulled away, clearing his throat as he turned to the side and waved his hand like he couldn’t bear the emotion building behind his eyes.
“Oh, darling,” he said, his voice rough, “we’ve kept you too long. Tonight’syournight. I’m sure you’ve got better things to do than babysit a bunch of old men.”
Papu Syris sniffled dramatically and nodded, blinking back tears while Pops Manic rolled his eyes at them and shot me a wink. Someone had to maintain dignity, I guess.
Grandpa Easton reached out, patting my hand. “Looks like Ternin’s going to need a minute to compose himself, but he’s right. Go enjoy your night, Aniyah. Just know, we love you. Fiercely.”
I stood and wrapped my arms around each of them in turn, hugging them tight and thanking them for being here. For always being here. For reminding me that even when I was lost, I wasn’t alone.
As I pulled back, Papu Syris leaned in close and whispered with a grin, “Don’t take forever to have kids like your mom did.”
Laughing, really laughing this time, I stepped away, lighter than I’d been in weeks.
Then I checked my phone.
Several texts from Nathen were waiting. The first one said he was heading up without me, then two more asked where I was.
And the last? Just a single skull emoji.
Shit.
I’d left him alone… with Ras.
Eyes going wide, I flew toward the elevators, praying Ras hadn’t done something reckless. Nathen was one of my top earners,and he was too pretty and too valuable to be bled out over a misunderstanding.
33
ANIYAH
Why is this damn elevator taking so long?
I’d already texted Nathen twice, and still no response. I didn’tthinkRas would hurt him. Nathen was one of my employees, and Ras knew how I felt about the people who worked for me. But then again, with Ras... you just never really knew. That unpredictability was part of his charm.
The elevator finally dinged as it hit the fourth floor. The doors slid open, and I stepped out just as Natalie came walking down the hall. She was too busy looking over her shoulder to watch where she was going.
