“Oh, you ain’t think I knew about that?” Her smile was cold. “I know everything, Rashid. Including who been warming your bed when you in DC. You think your little situation with that detective is a secret? Ain’t nothing secret from me.”
The mention of Vivica sent ice through my veins. How much did this woman know? How much had she shared with Prentice?
“Send your reinforcements,” Rita continued. “Send all of them. I’ll be right here waiting. And I’ll send every last one of them home in a box.” She adjusted the shotgun. “Now get off my porch before I change my mind about letting you walk away.”
I backed down the steps. Slowly. Never turning my back to her. The shotgun followed my every movement.
When I reached the sidewalk, she fired again.
BOOM.
The shot tore through the air inches from my ear. I flinched. Actually flinched, like a child startled by thunder.
“That’s for showing up at my home uninvited.” Rita’s voice carried across the yard. “Come back again, and I won’t miss. That’s a promise.”
She stepped back inside and slammed the door.
I stood on the sidewalk for a long moment. Blood on my lips. Ringing in my ears. Pride in tatters.
I had underestimated her. Badly. And she had made me look like a fool.
This was not over. But for now, I had to regroup. Reassess. Find another angle of attack.
I returned to my car and drove home in silence, rage simmering beneath my skin.
The footage was waitingfor me when I arrived.
I sat in my study, rewinding through the hours I had missed. Watching Yusef prepare the meal. Watching him carry it down the basement stairs. Watching him approach his father with the plate in his trembling hands.
“Yusef?” Demetrius’s voice was hoarse. Weak. The chain around his neck rattled as he lifted his head. “Yusef, that you?”
“I brought you food.” The boy’s voice was barely audible. “Liver and potato. Like he said.”
“Forget the food.” Demetrius pulled against his chains. “You gotta help me, son. You gotta find the key and get me outta here.”
“I can’t.” Yusef set the plate down. His hands were shaking. “He told me to feed you and go back upstairs. If I disobey him, he’ll?—”
“Forget what he told you!” Demetrius’s voice cracked with desperation. “He’s crazy, Yusef. He’s gonna kill us both. You gotta get me out so I can protect you. So I can kill that old man before he kills us.”
Yusef hesitated. I watched his face on the monitor. Watched the conflict play out across his features. Obedience versus love. Fear versus hope.
“Please, son.” Demetrius’s tone softened. “Please. I know I ain’t been a good father. I know I wasn’t there for you. I wasn’t there for your mama neither. I ran her off to Cali ’cause I was selfish and stupid and scared.”
The boy did not move.
“But I want to make it right. If we get outta here, I swear to God, I’ll be better. I’ll share custody with your Auntie Zai. I’ll be in your life for real this time. No more excuses.”
“You promise?”
“I promise, son.” Demetrius’s voice broke. “I love you, Yusef. I know I ain’t never said it before. But I love you. You my boy. My blood. And I ain’t gonna let nothing happen to you. Just help me get free, and I’ll handle the rest.”
I watched Yusef’s face crumble. Watched the tears spill down his cheeks.
“I’ll find the key.”
He left the basement and began searching. The kitchen drawers. The study. The bedrooms. He moved through my home with increasing desperation, opening every cabinet, checking every shelf.
He found nothing. Of course he found nothing. The key was in my pocket, where it had been since I chained Demetrius to that wall.
