“Kai! Kai! Kai!” I continued to scream for my husband.
Ry almost had me to the back when I heard gunshots.
“No,” I cried, immediately becoming afraid that something had happened to him.
Everything was chaos after that. I was tossed in the back of a truck, but before it could take off, shots rang out from everywhere. I got down on the floor and covered my ears,praying for God to keep me safe. For minutes, all I heard were gunshots, my labored breathing, and my racing heart. You couldn’t convince me that I wasn’t in the middle of a civil war in a third-world country.
I screamed when the back door was snatched open but stopped when I saw who was standing there. I leaped into Kai’s arms and wrapped myself around his body like a python. I was crying so hard I was hyperventilating. He lowered his black bandana from his mouth.
“You’re okay, baby. You’re okay. Breathe,” he tried to soothe me. Kai sat me on the seat, wiping away my tears. “Shh, shh. It’s okay, baby. Breathe, please. We’re good. I told you I wouldn’t let anything happen to you.” He paused, then lifted a finger to my mouth. “I’m going to fucking kill him,” he roared.
I saw a drop of blood on his finger when he pulled it away.
“Y’all good?” Jah asked, walking up with his bandana covering his mouth. He saw my face and cursed. “Fuck, sis.” He looked as crushed as his brother to see me sitting there with a busted lip.
Kai helped me out the back. When he turned to his brother, he began doing sign language. Jah nodded and then responded. I wish I could understand what they were saying, but I didn’t have the energy right now to ask about it. This was a lot.
Everyone else walked up as I glued myself to Kai’s side.
“Them niggas are after my wife, and they’re gonna have to go through me to get to her,” my husband declared.
“Me too.” Jah was quick to back him up.
I watched as his family and friends all did the same thing he did before he walked out of the restaurant. They made the letter ‘R’ with their fingers, then drew a cross over their heart. Kai turned to me and did the same.
“What’s happening?” I questioned in a shaky voice.
Jah smiled. “We all just vowed to protect you with our lives. You gang now, Nuri Symone.”
My mouth fell open as I turned to Kai. He nodded once, confirming what his brother said.
I shook my head. “No, no. I can’t ask y’all to do that.”
Lazer scoffed before lowering his bandana and spitting on the ground. “You didn’t ask. We told you what we’re going to do. We always protect our own.” We could hear sirens in the distance. “Everybody get ghost and link at the spot.” He placed a hand on Kai’s shoulder. “Take care of home first. We’ll be waiting for our orders, OG.”
Kai nodded once, then nodded for me to follow him. We ran around the front of the building, then slid into his car. I gasped when I saw bodies lying in the road. The puddles of blood leaking from mouths and gaping wounds were the last thing I noticed as Kai gunned it down the street.
Nuri’s handwas glued to mine as we made our way toward the entrance ofTil the Dawn. The owners always paid on time and kept a dope deejay on payroll, so anytime they reached out to me, my manager accepted. Since running into her brother a week ago, Nuri wouldn’t leave my side. Not only was she terrible at hiding her feelings as a Cancer, but I could feel her fear suffocating her, and it was fucking me up.
I promised to protect Nuri, so her slimy ass brother and lame ass Zero should’ve never been able to get close to her, let alone lay a hand on her. When I saw her busted lip, I wanted to empty the clip of my Glock into anything that moved. Nuri was the most precious jewel on this earth, and they tried to destroy her beauty for a second time. I couldn’t allow them toget a third opportunity to try their hand. I was ready for war. Unfortunately, it was interfering with my relationship with Nuri. I’d watched her experience so many emotions over the last week. However, I was so focused on plotting my get-back that I wasn’t fully there for her. Not in the way she needed me to be, so I wasn’t shocked when she instantly let my hand go when we made it to the section.
The bottle girls were already over with the top-shelf liquor I’d preordered. Walking to the back of the plush couch, I took a seat at the top. I needed to be able to see everything happening inside the club. Even though I was here to work, I wasn’t so arrogant that I didn’t consider niggas could be on other timing. I wasn’t letting anybody catch me slipping, so I was strapped and ready for anything.
After surveying the club for threats and finding none, my eyes floated over to Nuri. She was busy pouring herself a drink. When she was finished, she turned to Jiah and Nazje before they all toasted. I could tell the liquor was burning going down when her face turned sour. A dribble of the liquor ran down her chin, and I wanted to go wipe it away. She beat me to it though.
Tonight, Nuri was wearing a colorful halter-like top that left her back exposed. Seeing her rolls on display had me licking my lips. Her breasts were sitting up so perfectly, I kept clutching my fists to keep from grabbing them. The tight and tiny skirt she wore had her little ass cheek meat hanging out the bottom, pissing me off. On her feet were a pair of lime green heels, and she walked like an expert in them. Her hair was in a curly afro that was pinned up on the sides, giving a perfect view of her flawless side profile. My girl was constantly dripping in gold jewelry, so tonight was no different.
I wanted to hem her up in the bathroom for two different reasons. On one hand, she needed to be punished for wearing something so skimpy. It should’ve been for my eyes only. At theend of the day, she was a married woman. Fuck all that “it’s fake” bullshit too. Then, on the other hand, I wanted to hike her leg up on the sink, lift that fucking skirt, drop to my knees, and eat her pussy like she stole something. Nuri could make anything look classy. And a part of me felt like she intentionally wore that outfit to fuck with a nigga’s head. Fuck... even her titties were trying to make me jealous as they jiggled every time she moved. It was taking everything in me to keep my distance, but if she didn’t sit her ass down somewhere, one of two scenarios was happening. Maybe even both of them fucking with me.
For some reason, every time I looked at her lately, I heard this heavenly melody pouring from the ether. Nuri’s aura not only had a sound, but it was beautiful to witness. It was colorful, bright, and morphed effortlessly from one color to the next, much like Nuri’s emotions. I couldn’t get enough of her magnetizing essence and the way she made my heart race when she entered the same room as me.
The weight of what I was feeling was pressing down on me. Mainly because I felt some guilt about what happened. Nuri was just beginning to feel safe again. Her trust in me was fresh... too fresh for there to already be a crack in the surface. Now, I wasn’t sure how to move forward from that. The first night Nuri appeared in the doorframe of my bedroom, asking if she could sleep with me, I figured she just needed a little time to adjust. By the fifth night, I was afraid I’d ruined her.
I watched her dance around with my sisters while they continuously took shots. The more Nuri drank, the more seductive her dance moves became. When I noticed I wasn’t the only nigga in the section mesmerized by her, I stood up, blocking their view of her voluptuous body, creating shapes that should’ve only been reserved for the bedroom.
“I want to go to the dancefloor!” Jiah yelled over the music.
While I wanted to hold Nuri hostage, I had no choice but to follow her with my eyes. The club was filled with bodies, yet her sweet fragrance was all I could smell. Leaning against the banister of the section, I kept a close watch on my girls. Jiah and Je were my responsibility too. Niggas were in here getting fucked up, which meant morale was low around this bitch. I refused to let anybody ruin their nights.
