“Aight, then. So, we doin’ this next year, or what?” I questioned again.
“We’re doing it next year,” she confirmed.
I met her halfway for a kiss. “Damn right.”
My phone vibrated in my pocket. I thought to ignore it, but an uneasy feeling swept through my stomach. Producing my phone, I glanced at the screen, then answered Yakira’s call.
“Syn! Ah!”
Yakira’s muffled screams froze my heart.
“Yakira!” I hissed.
Then, I heard Que yelling at Yakira. Glass shattered, and the sound of furniture moving followed it. From the sounds of it, Que was putting his hands on Yakira again.
“Stop, Que!”That was my pops’ voice. If he was involving himself, shit was bad. Listening to the commotion was too much.
“I’m on the way!” Infuriated, I hung up.
One minute, I was slow dancing with my baby. The next, I was hauling ass out of the venue. I moved quickly, but Sienna kept up and didn’t ask a single question. I strapped Whims in her car seat, then jumped behind the steering wheel.
Skidding off from the curb, I quickly but safely flew towards the crib. My stomach was in knots, and I was afraid to say anything. Yakira’s call had me tight.
I made it to the crib and got Sienna and Whims safely inside.
Once I had them settled, I kissed Sienna’s lips and said, “I’ll be right back.”
“No!” She grabbed my arm to stop me from leaving. “Please don’t,” she pleaded.
Prying my arm from her hands, I ignored the tears in her eyes. “I’ll be right back,” I assured her.
“Synder!” Sienna shouted behind me. “Synder!” Her voice cracked this time.
I wanted to turn around and go back inside my house. Instead, I hopped in my truck, cranked the engine, and sped back down the driveway. Within minutes, I made it to my parents’ crib. An ambulance and two police cruisers were in the yard. My mama was on the lawn with her hands on her hips. She didn’t look the least bit fazed. Pops walked out of the house, looking like he’d just gotten his muthafuckin’ ass whooped.
“Where’s Yakira?” I questioned.
She pointed to the ambulance. “I told her she ain’t need no damn ambulance.”
I shook my head and left my mama standing there to go check on Yakira. Inside the ambulance, she laid on the gurney being checked out by an EMT. Her lips were brutally busted, and she had several scratches on her face.
“Where the fuck did he go?” I blasted.
Yakira shrugged her shoulders.
Irritated, I stormed off. It was like her to want to protect that nigga, but I wasn’t going for it. Either I was going to put him in a grave, or he was going to end up putting my sister in one.
Hopping back inside my ride, I sped off from the house. Christmas lights lined the street. Some houses had elaborate light shows, while others had extravagant figurine setups. Grumbling, just an hour ago, I was all in the holiday spirit. Now, I just wanted to get to Que to make sure he didn’t see his next Christmas.
I growled at the sound of my phone shattering the stark silence I rode in. I didn’t want to hear anything but the other voices in my head telling me to speed the fuck up. The phone hung up but rang again seconds later.
“What!” I barked.
“I thought we talked about this,” Big N drawled.
“Aye, I’ain tryna hear that shit! Would you let a nigga put his hands on ya sister?” I questioned.
“Hell, naw,” he replied.
