Fuck no.
San Diablo was a small town in Northern California. Our paths crossed weekly. We were friendly. Her younger brother was my friend, and her older brother had been my best friendbefore he passed. Our lives were intertwined, which made it impossible to stop loving her.
“Hi, Silvia. Slay.” Cass waved at us. “I have a gift for baby Chance.” She handed a bag to Silvia. “Now he can have his own library.”
“Aww, how sweet. Thank you.” Silvia peered into the bag. “Jefe is changing the baby’s diaper, but they should be back soon for you to see him.”
Cass looked gorgeous as always, and wearing a black sundress with think straps. Black was her favorite color and had been since she was a teenager. She’d done well for herself, owningCass’s Vibes. She’d managed to put her three favorite things in one building, baked goods, coffee, and books. She had the trifecta, and I was damn proud of her.
When we were young, and still now, Cass was obsessed with Starbucks. Even though she owned a small café, I saw her multiple times a week with a Starbucks cup in hand and a book. That image of her hadn’t changed since she was a teeny bopper. Starbucks, books, and baking had made Cass the happiest, and me for a while…
We stared at each other, but neither of us said a word. The awkward silence, the unsaid words, and a sense of wanting between was how we rolled.
My phone chimed on the table in front of me, and the text notification jolted us out of our haze. I picked up my device, but I couldn’t read the message until the connection with Cass was broken. I wasn’t about to be the one to end our staring match and waited for her to do it.
“So, is motherhood everything you imagined it would be?” Cass asked, turning her attention to Silvia.
Instantly, cold and darkness returned to my soul.
Dramatic much, Slay?
Yes, I wasn’t embarrassed or too cool to admit my feelings.
“Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect, which was probably a good thing. We have a lot of sleepless nights,” Silvia replied.
“Slay, did you get the alert?” Prez hollered.
“Yes.” I stood from the table and opened the message, forcing myself to focus on club business instead of Cassandra.
“What’s going on?” Silvia asked.
“Nothing,” I said, a bit harshly. Fuck, this was bad.
“Come on. I know something is going on.” Silvia hiked her brow. Since being pregnant, she’d gotten to be more stubborn and nosey. She was still sweet, but motherhood changed her, and she didn’t take hearing no very well.
Cass’s hazel eyes cut to mine, and I could tell she was also interested in my message but naturally, neither of the women could know anything about it.
“Club business, Silvi. You know the drill.” I tried to hide my unease. But this was so fucking bad.
“Isn’t that your buddy, Steve? We better get to the bottom of this before Cass hears about it.” Jefe froze at the entrance to the dining room with the baby cradled in his arms.
“Son of a bitch, boss,” I hissed through gritted teeth.
“Before I hear what? Has something happened to my brother?” Cass asked.
“Oh, shit,” Jefe said. “Sorry. Didn’t know she was here.”
“Will somebody tell me what’s going on?” Cass shouted.
1
Cassandra
Everyone in the dining room seemed to have lost their voice, except for me. “I’m not playing, Slay. You better answer me right the freak now!”
He looked at Jefe, then me. Back at Jefe, then me.
“What? Do you need his permission to tell me what’s happened to my brother?” I put my hands on my hips, feeling my face turn hot. Normally, I could keep my cool in stressful situations, but not this time. I sensed something really bad had happened to my younger brother.
