“Carson,” Emani whined before climbing inside. Donnée followed and Carson got in the driver’s seat. “Who told him?”
“We didn’t have to tell him. The shit hit the news and blogs at the same time and I’ve been going back and forth with the label. You want the good or bad news?” Donnée posed.
Emani grumbled. “Nothing is going to sound good right now, so just hit me with it all.”
“Good news, Joanna and Sandi refuse to give a statement. Malik hasn’t uttered a word but Janet is singing. Right now, the charge is assault high and aggravated but they have no camera proof. I’m not sure how the footage from your security system got erased but it did,” Donnée spoke as Emani looked at Carson in the rearview. “Bad news is, we can’t get in the house to get any of your stuff.”
Emani shrugged. “I don’t care about the stuff. I can get more. I’ll stay in the condo until I figure out what’s next.”
Donnée winced. “Yeah, that’s out the question. Jahlil cussed both of us out because we didn’t call him and tell him you were arrested. It was either he came and got you or we did and take you to his house.”
“What? No! That man has kids and I’m not walking in there like this,” Emani protested. “Do you see my face? That nigga punched the shit out of me.”
“That was the only hit he got, right?” Donnée posed.
Emani cut her a look. “I fucked all of them up. Except Janet but I’m not jeopardizing my heavenly seat by splitting my elder into two.”
“God forgives,” Donnée stated. “She knew that little boy was her son’s and just walked around like it was nothing.”
Emani shrugged. “And she’s pregnant again. So it’s probably a great thing all of this happened today. I was already taking care of one of Malik’s kids from another bitch, I wasn’t going to be taking care of two.”
Emani sank into the seat. “Can I hold your phone? I’ll tell Jah I need a minute. I can’t be around them like this.”
“Considering the day they’re having, seeing you might turn it around,” Donnée shared.
“What happened?” Emani’s concern went back to Jahlil.
“Andrew got arrested on some bullshit while we were tailgating,” Carson stated.
“See, another reason for me not to be in his space right now,” Emani stated.
“He needs you and you need him,” Donnée finalized. “So breathe ‘cause your man isn’t letting you spend the night wallowing at your condo.”
Emani didn’t say anything, she accepted that when Jahlil laid his eyes on her he was going to turn ten different shades of red underneath his brown skin. Almost an hour later, Carson stopped his car at the front door of a mansion that put the house she leased with Malik to shame. She scoffed at that thought. A leased mansion where she paid the rent, utilities, and upkeep and she couldn’t go back in to get her things because the bitch ass nigga inside was upset for being found out.
“I’ll be back in the morning to talk about what’s next, but for tonight, I need you to rest,” Donnée shared.
“I’ll work on getting your name off of the lease and your property back. Even if that means his ass is on the curb,” Carson stated before Jahlil walked out of the house and opened the door.
With intense eyes, he peered down at her, taking in the red blotch on her face. “Outside of this, you hurt anywhere else?”
Emani’s lips quivered and the tears she swore were done came out in a flood and she allowed every guard she had to fall. Jahlil pulled her into his arms and sighed, feeling his own guard fall.
“I swear I’m not crying over him,” Emani muttered into his chest.
“I know,” he assured, kissing the top of her head. “You’re good here, Rose.”
He rubbed her back, hoping to ease some of the pain of betrayal. He knew that hurt more than her face. “You’re home. I got you.”
Emani pulled away and wiped her face. “I can’t go in there like this.”
“Sanaa is knocked out. Drew is probably sleep too from his day of fuckery.”
Emani caught the aggravation in his tone. “Want to talk about it?”
Jahlil subtly nodded. “You gon’ rub my shoulders?”
“I can do that.”
