I looked down at the t-shirt I had thrown on, completely forgetting that it was one of his. He had cute graphic shirts and hoodies, and they were always music-related. Today I was wearing a Kendrick Lamar shirt.
“You be sneaking into my room when I’m not here?” He raised an eyebrow as if he were suspicious of me.
I smiled. “Mm-hm, I roll around on your bed too.”
Kai cackled, shoulder bumping me. “You’re sick.”
I snickered.
“Bring your ass on.”
I was damn near running to keep up with him. My steps slowed when we stepped outside, and I saw Bones loading Dracos into the trunk. Kai nonchalantly bumped his fist. “Good luck, B. Make sure you hold down the fort.”
“On my mama, nobody’s coming in or out this bitch.” He noticed me standing there. “Is she going?”
Kai turned to look at me nervously, shuffling my weight from foot to foot. “Yeah, with her scary ass.” He opened the passengerdoor for me. Before I could get in, he placed a hand on my stomach to stop me. “You’re safe, Nuri. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
I nodded and gulped. “Okay.”
Kai tapped me on the ass as I climbed into his car. Of course, I giggled like a schoolgirl while I waited for him to join me. He hopped in and was speeding down the driveway seconds later. I always knew his car was fast, but I was used to Kai cruising. Today, he was gunning it to Prosper Ave. The entire time he drove, he didn’t even listen to music. That’s how focused he was. I could see the veins in his arms pulsing with anger. He was gripping the steering wheel so tight I knew his fingers would be dented when we made it.
He accepted a phone call from Jah telling him that we were ten minutes out. I tried to steady my breathing because I had no clue what I was walking into. I just knew I didn’t want Kai to go alone. In whatever way I could offer support to him or his aunt, I would do it.
He pulled his black bandana from his middle console. He looked possessed as he took his hands off the wheel to tie it around his neck. His tires screeched as we arrived five minutes earlier than Kai had predicted. He barely had the car in park before he was hopping out. He walked around to the passenger side to let me out. He kept a hand on the small of my back as he ushered me inside his aunt’s restaurant. Because they were sitting out there harassing people, she’d closed for the day. It was costing her money she couldn’t spare to lose, according to Kai. He was ready to settle things by the look in his eyes.
“Stay here,” he ordered before placing a kiss on my cheek.
I grabbed his hand and squeezed it. I was almost afraid to let him out of my sight. “Be safe.”
Kai nodded, made an ‘R’ with his fingers, drew a cross over his heart, and winked. I watched him stride out of the restaurantconfidently. My heart was beating a mile a minute, but he didn’t seem worried. From the window, I watched him walk over to his brothers, friends, and some other guys I’d seen when we were at the cookout. I just hadn’t gotten introductions because Kai wasn’t with it.
“We talkin’ or we shootin’ pussy?” I heard Lazer yell out, lifting his shirt to expose his gun. Some of the others were holding the Dracos from Kai’s trunk. Everyone had their black bandanas around their necks today and looked ready for war. It was very clear they were a unit.
They didn’t wait for a response as they made their way across the street. The other group of guys prepared themselves as they came over. I pressed my ear against the glass as if that would help me to be able to hear what was being said. However, all I could tell was that words were being exchanged. By how tense everyone was, I knew the conversation wasn’t friendly at all. My eyes searched the sea of bodies for Kai, but he was at the front, so I could only see his head and shoulders. I knew he wasn’t doing any talking as he stood there ready for whatever.
“My, my, my little sister. You’ve been hard to catch up to these days.”
My heart damn near jumped out of my chest when I heard Rylas’ voice behind me. When I turned around, he was standing there with the silver fox I’d woken up in the truck with. He was back to looking rough with a crazed look in his eyes.
I remained silent, unsure of what to think. I didn’t expect to see either of them today. The way Zyro was smirking at me made me uncomfortable. “You’ve made quite a mess of things, sis. All you had to do was marry Zyro, and everything would be all good.”
I shook my head. “I never agreed to that. Whatever debt you owe him is your business.”
“No, it’s our business. Weren’t we raised to look out for each other?”
I scoffed. “Is marrying me off to a man I don’t even know your way of looking out for me?”
My brother nodded and looked at me as if I was the crazy one. “Duh. He’s going to take care of you. I mean, you might have to bust that pussy open and get knocked around from time to time, but you would be set for life, and so would I.”
“We were already set for life. You ruined your future. There is no way in hell I will allow you to ruin mine.”
“Grab her so we can go. I want to be long gone by the time they realize we have her,” Zyro finally spoke.
I held up my hand. “I’m already well taken care of by my husband. I would rather die than go anywhere with you.”
Zyro frowned as he looked at Rylas. “You stupid little bitch.” He began laughing as he lunged at me. I ran around the tables trying to get away, but he grabbed me by my hair and snatched me back. “They created annulments for a reason. You weren’t in your right mind when you signed that paperwork. Therefore, the marriage is null and void.” He placed his mouth by my ear. “You are going to do this for me whether you like it or not, you ungrateful little bitch.”
I refused to go anywhere with these men. I knew I wasn’t strong enough to fight Ry off, but I could use my voice. I screamed as loud as I fucking could while struggling against him. He slapped me across the face, but that didn’t stop me.
