“Did you tell anyone else about the meeting?” Kannon asked.
“Just Cease,” Cyrus replied.
When he said that, Kannon reached over and snatched my phone out of my hand. I thought he would hang it up. Instead, he put it to his ear.
“Be careful making accusations, man. I really don’t like bullets flying up around my head either. We didn’t even know yo’ ass was coming.”
“So what you saying?”
“I’m saying get the fuck off my lady’s line and stay dangerous,” Kannon spat before hanging up.
“Kannon, I think he’s telling the truth.”
“You looking for every reason to give that nigga a pass, Carrie.”
“He sounds genuinely afraid,” I explained.
“He should be. If a nigga hit at me and missed, he has every right to be afraid.”
“Baby, just think about it. He didn’t have to tell us he was there.”
“Let your mom know you’re on the way, Carteay.”
“I wanted to surprise her.”
“OK, but I can’t stay there with you. I need to get back out here and handle this.”
“Kannon, you promised.” I pouted.
“I gotta end this shit, Carteay. That’s what I promised you.”
“Make it back to me, Kannon. I’ll never forgive you if you don’t.”
Kannon kept his eyes on the road, but I could see his knuckles tightening on the steering wheel. “Carteay, if you want to leave me for doing what I gotta do, I’m ready to live with that. My son is not being born under these people’s rein.”
“I don’t want to leave you, and I damn sure don’t want to have to lose you,” I told him.
“He tried to kill you and your unborn child, Carrie. Even if you weren’t mine, I would defend you. Since you belong to me, I have to go to the extreme about you.”
Tears pricked my eyes because I knew there was no talking to him.Why should I try anyway?Ceasar and Cyrus had madetheir own beds, and it wasn’t up to me to try to save them from their fate.
“OK,” I whispered.
“I’m going to have Blaine to pull up so he can keep an eye on y’all while I handle everything.”
“I don’t need a watch dog, Kannon. No one even knows where my mom lives. That’s the only thing I’ve been able to keep a hold on in all this.”
“I understand that, or I wouldn’t be taking you there.”
“So what are you having him to come to keep an eye on me for? You making sure I don’t go anywhere?”
He sighed. “Not the way you think, Carrie.”
“What do you mean, not the way I think? What am I supposed to think? I’m notyourprisoner either, Kannon.”
“Baby love, I need you to listen to me closely. I’m not trying to be a warden. I’m trying to make sure that nothing strange goes down while I’m in progress of making this shit right. I suggest that you lay low until I make it back to you. I’m not trying to run your life. I’m trying to save it. Just do this for me.”
“Fine. I’ll lay low if you promise to spend the night.”
