A laugh erupted out of him because that was the only thing he could do to not snap with his son feet away down the hall. Kennedy had told him once, she was playing the long game, but he’d failed to realize the game that she was referring to was him.
“I guess, we had a good run while we lasted, huh?” He moved aside so that she could pass.
Kennedy stared at him, unsure of whether his ease to let her walk away brought her relief or dejection because it proved she was nothing more than a convenience for him. Relic had used her in the same manner he’d done with any other woman in his life, and she’d made the grave mistake of letting a few gifts, contracts, and sweet nothings coerce her into believing she was different. Kennedy sucked that shit up and strolled past him because she had used him as well, so they were even. She took their tainted partnership for what it was.
A waste of both of their fucking time.
“One more thing,” Relic called out to her as she made it to the door. She didn’t turn around as he threatened, “If you’re pregnant and kill my child, we’re going to have a problem. I may have feelings for your ass. I may even slip up and show them muthafuckas from time to time, but let me find out you aborted my baby, and there isn’t a soul on this earth that can save you, Kennedy.”
Satisfaction coursed through Kennedy as she pivoted, knowing Relic had given her the green light to stab a knife in his fucking chest like he’d done to her.
“There isn’t and will not be a child, Relic. I’m on birth control,” she revealed. That thrumming vein in his temple garnered her attention as she reminded him, “The contract saidI’d get the money if I removed my IUD, which I did. Nothing said I couldn’t get on another contraceptive. You can thank Abiza for that little trick in wording.”
“You trifling bitch!”
Relic charged at her, and Kennedy stumbled back so fast that she tripped over her own feet and fell on her ass. Relic got a hold of her leg and began dragging her into his room, but she kicked him with her free leg before flipping over to crawl away. A gasp shot from her when he jerked her backward by her bag, making her strap wrap around her neck as she fell over. Too afraid to find out what he’d do to her, she did the first thing that came to mind.
“Jahleel! Wake up, Jah!”
Her body immediately fell forward from Relic letting her go. She scrambled to her feet as Jahleel’s door opened before he stepped out, scrubbing his eyes. His tired stare went to the bag on her arm before he peered between the two in skepticism of who to address.
“What y’all doing?”
“Nothing. Go back in the room,” Relic demanded, but Jahleel didn’t move. He looked at Kennedy.
“You’re leaving?”
She nodded. “I have to go home for a bit. A friend of mine’s brother passed away, and he needs support.” Her eyes flitted to Relic before she thought of what was on the horizon and asked, “You want to come with me?”
“Yes!”
“Hell, no. Don’t fucking play with me when it comes to him, Kennedy,” Relic snarled. “You want to leave? Get the hell out, but you’re not taking my son.”
“Why are you being mean to her?” Jahleel defended in confusion, but Kennedy smiled it off.
“It’s okay. I’ll call you once I get to where I’m going, Jah. Don’t give your dad a hard time. Come here.”
Jahleel raced into her arms, and she hugged him tight while staring at Relic over his head. He glared back with sadistic eyes she hadn’t seen targeted at her since they had first met.
As soon as she released Jahleel, she retreated toward the stairs for her escape. She was halfway out of there, but Relic stalled her with one sentence.
“The game isn’t over, Kennedy.” She peered at him over her shoulder as he schooled, “You know what’s the most important thing about chess? It’s that no matter how much power the queen has, once the king is captured, the game is over. Everyone loses because the board is nothing without him. Did you really believe my folks would let me go down if I’m the reason everyone eats? I guess that was your fault for assuming that I didn’t plan to fight my case. See you soon, madanm.”
“If you can find me,” she shot back, watching the fall of his expression before she made her departure.
Kennedy grabbed her keys from her purse and bolted out the house before he changed his mind and came after her. She jumped inside her car, started it up, and sped off into the evening without hesitation.
Warm tears flooded her cheeks before she got far, but she smeared her hand across them and then rummaged in her purse. After she located her oversized shades, she slid them on since crying over spilled milk, and rotten niggas who’d pushed her to the edge and expected grace, was a no go to her.
She was hurt but knew staying would’ve hurt her one hundred times worse, and Relic had proved as much. Like he told her, emotions didn’t mean shit, and the world kept spinning through their pain. Kennedy planned on making the most out of what she’d earned from their situation.
All she had to do was bide time until Relic was out of the picture, and her one-week cap for her million dollars was up.
“That bitch. That fucking...”
Relic gripped his head and paced in the middle of his room because Kennedy had thrown him off. She’d strung him along for over a month, making him believe that she had grown genuine feelings for him. Enough feelings that she would stick it out with him when that boulder fell on his fucking head and sent him to the pits of darkness he’d tried avoiding for most of his life. He’d done a horrible job of it, but she’d made it better. Kennedy had shone a little light in his life and then snatched it back after he reached to wrap his fingers around the bright spot.
If anyone ever said that Kennedy wasn’t as much of a fucking monster as him, they were a liar. She was the type that’d found the last piece of heart in the monster himself only to mince it to dust because she goddamn could. Relic regretted not offing herto the give the Feds the evidence they craved to put him away for life.
