The front door opened again, and this time another man walked in. He was just as tall as Focus and just as attractive, but there was no denying he wore his crazy like a badge of honor. Focus was crazy, but he had control over it.
“And in walks Exodus,” Consonance replied lowly. “The rival to your man’s family when it comes to black mega churches.”
“He’s a pastor?” I asked, surprised. He didn’t look like a pastor I’d ever seen before.
“Nope, his granddaddy is. You’ve never heard them mention the DeCortes?” she asked, and I nodded.
“Yeah, I just never paid too much attention to it,” I answered with a shrug. The truth was that I intentionally didn’t deal with the church side of the Kilmore family. I wasn’t perfect by a long shot, but knowing what they did on the side and then learning that they were affiliated with the church was a shock. Knowing they lived a double life yet condemned others always made me side-eye them. “I stay away from that life.”
“Well, they’re the killers of the church,” Consonance laughed.
“How the fuck do you know all this?” I couldn’t help but ask.
“I’m nosey,” she answered with a shrug, and I playfully rolled my eyes. She wasn’t lying; she was nosey, but she stayed informed because of how she and her sisters moved. The Madden sisters were ruthless, and I loved it. “And because of Bodhi. He’s friends with them. He introduced us.” Bodhi Rush was Consonance’s business partner. They’d been friends for years, and even though I secretly wanted them to hook up, I loved that they’d never crossed that line and ruined their friendship. Consonance didn’t do relationships, and Bodhi wasa die-hard romantic. She’d break his heart without even trying. “It’s a bunch of them; he’s the oldest.”
“And the craziest,” I said as I continued to watch the exchange. Focus was now standing in front of Mahogany, blocking her from seeing Gentle while Exodus stood to the side with a smirk on his face. He was enjoying the show just as much as we were.
“Nah, he’s the nicest,” Consonance laughed. “He has some girl cousins and friend, let me tell you, one of them is off. Like, probably should’ve been committed but hasn’t been yet.”
“Yet?” I asked in surprise. “She should be committed?”
“Oh, yeah.” Consonance nodded with a smile on her face. “I saw her tie this man up one time.”
“Nope, no,” I said, shaking my head. “Don’t tell me shit.” I went back to looking for a dress. “Whatever she did needs to stay with you. I don’t need to know.”
“But it’s so good,” she laughed as she followed my actions. “It involved a straight blade; you know, the kind that barbers use.”
“Consonance Madden,” I said, cutting my eyes at her. “Stop.”
“Fine,” she dramatically sighed. “I won't tell you how she dragged it-”
In the middle of her talking, I turned and walked away. It wasn’t that I wasn’t interested in what she was saying; I didn’t want to know in case I ever had a run-in with her and started asking questions. The thought of blood and gore never bothered me; hell, it couldn’t with a friend like Amethyst. He was always showing me some damn video because he was in med school. I’d formed a thick skin and an even stronger stomach, and there was a little piece of me that was interested in torturing someone. I knew if anyone knew, they’d side-eye the shit out of me. I raced cars; I wasn’t bloodthirsty.
I picked up a white dress and examined it. “This could work for church and then dinner, right?” I asked Consonance, whonodded. I didn’t want to change my outfit in between, so I was hoping she would say yes. “Good.”
“What about shoes?” she asked.
“I have something at home that will go with this,” I answered, and she nodded. Thanks to Amethyst, I had a million and one pairs of shoes, so I knew I could find something. “You ready to check out?”
“Yep.” She picked up a pantsuit, and we headed to the register. Mahogany, Gentle, Focus, and Exodus were gone, and in their place was a salesgirl. She checked us out, and we left the store.
“You know my nosey ass was looking for Gentle’s car,” Consonance said once she’d driven off. I laughed and shook my head. “I can’t wait to talk to Bodhi and ask why he’s sniffing behind Mahogany.”
“I don’t think he was sniffing behind her,” I said, shaking my head as I went to my text thread with Amethyst. We were supposed to meet for dinner later, and I wanted to check if we were still on for it. I just wanted to hang out and chill instead of going out.
“Really?” she asked as she came to a stop. “You think it was something else?”
“I don’t know,” I shrugged as I texted Amethyst. “It just didn’t look like that was what it was for me. I don’t know how to explain it, but it didn’t. It was personal, that was obvious, but from the way Mahogany looked at him, it was more to it than just some relationship shit.”
“I guess,” she replied, and I looked up to see her shrug. The way her face relaxed made me pause.
“Are you interested in Gentle?” I couldn’t help but ask.
“No ma’am,” she laughed, but the way she said it didn’t sound convincing. “Gentle is into some shit that I don’t even want to be a part of.”
“What do you mean?” I questioned. If Consonance was keeping her distance, then that meant something.
“Gentle is ruthless as fuck,” she said with a humorless laugh. “From what Bodhi has told me, that nigga ain’t nothing but the Grim Reaper in human form.”
