He looked up at me with blood bubbling from his mouth like a volcano.
“You tried to take my heart from me. You thought she was married to a pussy, and I’m far from that. By the time I meet you in hell, I will have shown your sister the love and devotion she deserves. The St. James legacy will live on, but your namewon’t. I’m going to make it my life mission to make sure your entire existence is scrubbed from the face of the earth. As far as anyone will know, Ethel and Amir had one child, a beautiful and precious daughter named Nuri Symone.”
Rylas looked up at me with regret, but who could give a fuck about that? When his mouth muttered something, I mocked him, making no effort to make sense of whatever he was saying. I didn’t care. He tried to take away the best thing that has ever happened to me. There was nothing he could say to me. I would never be able to sleep knowing he was still roaming the streets. The life fading from his eyes was the only way this story ended. I smiled when his body went limp.
“Night, night, nigga,” I spat before jogging away, heading straight for the truck.
Jah watched my back until I was safely inside. Man Man mashed the gas once we were all in and gunned it down the street. We were the last ones to leave because I had to handle that.
My back plopped against the seat as I sighed, feeling a little relief. I still had another enemy out there, but knowing Rylas was gone gave me some peace. I pulled my vibrating phone from my pocket to see that Jiah was calling me. I leaned forward as my heart rate picked up.
“Wassup, Jiah?”
I could tell I wasn’t the only one who stopped breathing as Man Man quickly rolled all the windows up. You could hear a pin drop as we all waited for Jiah to speak. “Nuri is awake, and she’s asking for you.”
I closed my eyes, pressing my phone to my chest. God had looked out like I knew He would. You couldn’t convince me that I wasn’t supposed to serve His justice on them bitch ass south side niggas and Rylas.
My heart filled with gratitude despite my shaky breathing. A tear slid down my cheek as I pressed the phone back to my ear. “Tell her I’m on my way.”
When my eyes blinked open,the light in the room was blinding me. It took a minute to adjust, but I was able to see Mama Que in the corner reading a devotional book. Jiah was standing by the window, staring out at the view. I could tell there was a lot on her mind by how hard she was staring.
My body felt so heavy that, for a moment, it was hard to move. I felt something piercing my skin when I tried to move, causing me to groan in agony. There was a gasp before something clattered to the floor.
“You’re awake,” Mama Que uttered in shock.
For the next half hour, everything was a blur. She rushed over to the bed while Jiah went to get the doctor. They asked me about what had happened, but I kept quiet. It wasn’t fullyclear. After checking me over, they said I seemed perfectly fine. They weren’t too worried about my remembering the shooting because it was traumatic.
When they left, my attention turned to Jiah. “Where’s Sekai? Is he okay?”
Her gaze flicked to her mother, then back to me. “He’s fine. A lot has been going on this week, and he had to step away to handle some things. I’m going to call him and let him know you’re awake. He is going to be so relieved. We all are.” She reached for my hand and firmly squeezed it, then left the room.
Mama Que came around the side of the bed and began straightening up my pillows to try to make me more comfortable. She always had motherly energy, and it warmed my heart that she accepted me with open arms. She told me that she was perfectly fine with having another daughter.
“How is Kai really?” I asked her, wanting the truth.
She sighed. “Not himself without you. I am so happy you’re awake.”
I wanted to ask her to elaborate, but Jiah came back into the room. “He said to let you know he was on his way.”
I sighed, but I still felt uneasy. It was so crazy that he was the first person I looked for. The boundaries of our fake marriage were so blurred that this shit was more real than fake. My eyes began to feel heavy. I kept blinking, trying to keep them open but failed miserably. I heard Jiah giggling as I continued trying to fight off my restlessness.
“Get some sleep, pretty. Don’t worry, we’ll wake you when your husband gets here.”
“Thank you,” I mumbled before submitting to the darkness.
I felt soft kisses on my forehead. Relief filled my body when I smelled his amber cologne. It was so warm that it felt like a hug in its own way. My eyes fluttered open to find Sekai staring down at me with love in his eyes.
“Kai,” I whispered.
“Wassup, Nuri Symone. You had a nice nap?” he teased, making me smile.
I shook my head. “Not really because you weren’t next to me when I woke up.”
His facial expression turned serious, as if my words had flipped on a switch. My eyes roamed across his hardened features. Even without him opening his mouth to say anything, I knew what he’d done. I could feel it in my bones.
“I apologize for not being here. When you come home, I’ll never let you wake up alone again. I’ll always be there.”
I gulped, then reached for his hand. His grip gave me the strength to ask the question. “Ry ... He-he-he,” I began to stutter, unable to get it out.
