“Y’all are hell.” My phone vibrated in my pocket, letting me know someone was calling. I usually had my phone on silent while I worked out, but I must have forgotten. When I noticed the Facetime from Peace, my brows dipped. It was only six in the morning, and the office didn’t open until nine. My mind went to Promise, and I wondered if something had happened to my little princess. I got the surprise of my life when I saw her little face on the camera.
“Doe,” Promise whispered.
She appeared to be in a car, but they weren’t moving. My first thought was that Peace might have gotten into an accident.
“Where are you, pretty?”
“Umm, momma’s job. I go wit you? I scared.” My stomach dropped as I moved to a quieter area in the gym so I could hear her better.
“Where’s momma at? Is she okay?”
The camera moved a few times, and I thought she had dropped it, but then I saw a sleeping Peace, with the driver’s seat leaned back.
“Her sleep.”
I smiled so she wouldn’t have a reason to be afraid. There were so many questions running through my mind, and the only person who could answer them was Peace.
“I’m on my way to come get you, Promise. Don’t hang up, okay.”
“Otay.”
I held the phone in my hands, but I muted the call as I headed back over to the fellas. They were still working out and cracking jokes on one another.
“Aye, I gotta head out early.”
“What’s wrong? Is something wrong with one of the girls?” Loyal asked, referring to my sisters.
“You remember the little girl who was at my house when you and Justice came over?”
Loyal’s eyes widened in understanding. We still hadn’t had a chance to talk to Messiah about it, but we planned to do it tonight.
“Yeah, I remember her. Did something happen?” I turned my phone so he could see her. Promise must have been playing a game on the phone because she was concentrated on something.
“She called you? Where’s her momma? Is she good?” he pressed. I could tell he was worried because she might be related to them.
“I’m about to go find out. I’ll get up with y’all tonight.” I dapped hands with them before I raced out of the gym. I had no idea what I was walking into, but my priority was baby girl.
I probably should have gotten a ticket for how fast I was going, but I didn’t care. Peace didn’t seem like the type to do drugs, but I learned not to put anything past people.
My phone sat in my phone holder as I peeked to make sure baby girl was still on the phone. All I saw in the camera was her forehead and bushy eyebrows. It normally took twenty-five minutes to get from the gym to the office, but I made it in fourteen.
I hopped out of the car, barely checking to make sure my car was turned off. The moment I got to the car, I knocked on the window. When Promise saw me, she screamed, which caused her momma to stir. I tried my hardest to be understanding because she was a single mother, but this shit was dangerous.
“Aye, open the door!”
Her eyes bulged once she saw me, and I watched her scramble to pull her seat up. I stepped back to give her space to open the door. Promise crawled into her lap, and the moment she opened the door, baby girl leaped into my arms.
“Doe! You came!” Promised squealed with excitement with her little arms wrapped around my neck. I wanted to go off on Peace when I realized they were both in the same clothes from yesterday, but I bit my tongue. I needed her to explain what was going on before I went off.
“Hey,” she whispered.
“Hey? Is that all you have to say?” Judgement dripped from my tongue, and I couldn’t hide it.
“How did you know I was here?”
The question pissed me off even more because she was worried about the wrong things.
“Baby girl called me while I was at the gym. Do you want to explain to me why you were sleeping in the parking lot? What’s going on?” I pressed. Her eyes darted towards the ground as I waited for an answer.
