So, she texted back.
Where are you?
A minute later, she got a response.
Main floor, you need me?
She rolled her eyes and sent her reply to his question.
No, just didn’t see you. I’ll be leaving soon. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.
She didn’t bother to wait for a reply. Instead, she headed back to join Nyelle. With thoughts of both Reg and East on her mind, she wasn’t sure why, but she knew something was off about her interaction with both men. For the time being, Joi pushed it to the back of her mind and decided to enjoy the rest of her night.
“You good, Joi?”
“Yeah, girl. Why you all up on me?” Joi responded with sass and a smile.
Her girl was always ready for anything, but Joi wasn’t in the mood for anything to pop off. She kept her thoughts to herselfabout the interaction she had with East and the thoughts he put in her head about Reg.
“Because, hoe, I know you, and I can tell that you’renotgood. I won’t push though. When you want me to know, you’ll tell me, then we can fuck Reg up for being dumb.”
Exactly why I’m not telling your crazy assanything. She rolled her eyes and leaned forward to put in another drink order.
“Nobody is worried about you or Reg. Now, what are you drinking? This the last round before I take my ass home.”
“It’s early, Joi.”
“And what?” It was just after one, and the club didn’t close until four, but there was no way either of them were staying that long.
Nyelle was talking trash, but she was just as ready to go as Joi. She rattled off her request for a Henny and Coke then started dancing in her seat to the beat damn near vibrating through the floor. She planned to make the most of what was left of her night and that meant draining her body of every bit of pent up energy, so when she got home she would sleep like a baby. She hated being home alone and wasn’t looking forward to it, so her intoxicated state would be her solace.
4
Nyelle heard a thumping sound in the hallway outside of her condo. Thanks to Reese not sparing any expense for his family’s safety—the one thing he did right—the building she lived in had twenty-four-hour security and the property was gated. So, she didn’t think much of it until the thumping sounded right outside of her door. She jumped up and threw her legs over the side of her bed. Just listening for a minute while plotting her next move. She sat there for what felt like forever before she laughed and rolled her eyes.
“You’re so damn scary, Ny. Take your ass back to sleep.”
It was true. Being alone in her oversized condo had her on edge. She missed Nick being there because his absence made her feel extra alone. It wasn’t like her four-year-old could protect her from harm, but it just felt better to know she wasn’t alone. After Reese left to be with his new family, Nyelle had to adjust to the discomfort of him not being there anymore.
Just as she was about to lift her legs back into the bed, Nyelle heard heavy pounding on her door then a man’s voice. It was so deep that it boomed through her door and condo with ease.
“Ay, I need help. Shit, I’m fucking wasted. Ay, you in here? Shit, who’s in there? Man, I don’t even know, but they need to hurry they ass up. I’m tired as hell.”
Nyelle made her way through her apartment and stopped a foot away from the door, listening to what sounded like one man having a conversation with himself. She froze, not sure what to do, and prayed he would go away. When he began to pound on her door again, she inched closer and pressed the button to get a visual of whoever was standing at her door.
“Ay, hurry up. I think I’m gonna be sic…”
Nyelle watched as he balled up his fist and covered his mouth with it. Clearly drunk, the man leaned forward, pressing his other hand on the door and dropping his head low.
“Who the hell is this?” Nyelle mumbled as she watched the intruder and waited to see what he would do next.
When he lifted his head, she could see his face, and she hated that she liked the visual. He was handsome; medium brown skin that almost looked red and a head full of tight spirals tapered at the sides. His face was clean besides a patch of hair that covered just his chin, leaving his square jaw visible.Damn! Why the good ones always gotta be crazy?
“Shit, I’m ’bout to…” He covered his mouth again with a balled-up fist. Once he got it together, he banged on her door again, causing Nyelle to jump.
“You have the wrong place. I don’t know you.”
“So what? I don’t know your ass either, but you see a brother struggling out here. Open the door, shorty. I need help. Real shit.”
