“And I’m still out, but Cordova is my gal now, and these her people. If anyone is going to kill them, it’s going to beme.”
“You sure you want that pressure, Son?” My eyes shifted in Pops’ direction. “That’s a heavy weight to carry. You think Cordova will be okay with that?”
“She won’t have a choice. I won’t let them continue to cause issues for her or y’all. A dead threat ain’t no threat at all.”
“I would say talk to her about it first, Drake,” Nathan said. “I know she’s had problems with her people, but that’s still her blood. Whatever you wanna do, I’ma ride with you. I just wanna make sure it doesn’t cause no issues between y’all.”
My phone vibrated in my pocket, and seeing as she was the only person on my favorites list, I knew it was Cordova. I lifted my finger to pause the conversation as I pulled out my phone.
“You good, boo?”
“No!” she whined, then sobbed.
Without even having to hear anything else, I damn near ripped the hinges off the door trying to get out that motherfucker and get to her.
Iwas in such a happy mood when I left work. All I wanted to do was buy the last pieces I’d need for Sugar Baby’s home so I could spend next week looking for accent pieces and décor, then spend the evening with my man. Imagine my surprise when I walked into my home and found it trashed,… and I do mean trashed.
Windows were busted, my new sofa was slashed. They’d broken every piece of crystal I had and all the plates and glasses in the kitchen. The walls in the hallway looked like they’d hit them with hammers. My mattresses had been pulled off the beds and tossed outside and burned. The walls of my bedroom were painted black with a message—if we can’t have the house, neither will you.It was clear my cousins did this, and that broke my heart even more. I didn’t even bother checking the security cameras before I called Draco, and he told me he was on his way and not to call the police.
I cried until he came, then I cried a little more. It didn’t matter how much he told me he was going to take care of it; I was still heartbroken. My cousins had done a lot of crazy shit to me over the years, but this was taking it too far.
We looked at the security footage, and sure enough, Cam, Brandon, and Megan came in and did damage. I expected the boys, but not Megan. Then again, she didn’t have a reason to hate me, and she’d done scandalous shit before. As much as I hated fighting, a part of me wanted to pull up on her and beat her ass, because I knew Draco would do the same to Cam and Brandon, and I wouldn’t feel guilty about it one bit.
Even though I knew it, I still cringed when he told me it would be best for me to stay with him. Before I could even plan my next steps, he had already hired a cleaning company, someone to repair the drywall, and painters to come and take care of everything next week. I sadly packed my bags and trailed him home. When we arrived, I quickly showered and climbed into his bed. He cut the fireplace on and held me close, whispering promises that he’d handle this and make sure they never messed with me again. My tears silently poured, but I knew he’d take care of this for me.
The Next Night
My mood had done a complete 180. Today, my man spoiled me. He started my day with a couple’s massage at his house. Then, we spent the afternoon on his boat on the lake. After that, we went to the mall, and he let me shop until I was tired. During which, I made a new friend. We were going to have drinks this weekend, and I couldn’t wait. He teased me about how I was the friendliest introvert he ever knew. After that, we had dinner.
Now, we were on our way home, and my smile felt like it was permanent. Draco as my best friend was perfect, but now that things had gone to a deeper level, they were better than I thought was possible.
Since I was in control of the music for the evening, I grabbed my phone to change the album we were listening to. The sight of Lily’s call surprised me. I’d called her yesterday to tell her about what had happened, and she didn’t respond the way I thought she would. She was upset and said her siblings were wrong, but that was it. I didn’t feel like she held them accountable enough. I understood those were her siblings, and she was going to stand beside them, but it made me feel like I could no longer trust her.If she accepted my enemies’ actions and didn’t call them out on their shit or try to make them stop, she was just as bad as them in my book.
I lowered the music then called her back and put it on speaker.
“Hey, Cuz,” she answered.
“Hey. You called?”
“Yeah. I was just calling to check on you and to make sure we were good. You seemed upset with me yesterday.”
Scoffing, I rolled my eyes and shook my head. “Of course I was upset. Your folks fucked up my house—your parents’ house—and you didn’t really seem to care at all.”
Lily sighed. “Of course I care. I’m just tired of being in the middle of y’all. It’s been the same shit since we were kids.”
“Imagine how I feel!” I almost yelled, sitting up in my seat. “They’ve been torturing me for fucking years, and you never call them out on that shit. All you do is downplay it or try to convince me it’s not as bad as it really is. What they did was not only horrible toward me, but it was disrespectful to your parents. You saw the damage they did to the house, yet you’re so loyal to them all you had to say was, ‘damn, they were wrong for that.’”
She chuckled, and for some reason, that pissed me off all over again.
“I just don’t know what you want me to do, Cordova. You want me to tell them they were wrong and to leave you alone?”
“Is that asking for too much? I mean, damn. Hold them accountable. Otherwise, you’re just as bad as them. I’m not saying you have to cut them off, but the more people that make them think what they’re doing is okay, the more they will do it.”
Lily sighed. “I’m sorry, Cuz, but I’m just not comfortable with that. Yes, they were wrong, but that’s my sister, and those are my brothers. You’re like a sister to me but?—”
“Just… save it, Lily. I think we should take some space. I don’t trust you to have my best interest at heart, and if that’s the case, I can’t consider you a friend. We’ll always be family, but that’s it for me.”
“Dova, please?—”
