“And then I’ma put this bullet right between her eyes.” I set it down on the table with a soft click. “Poetic justice.”
Brandi smiled. First real smile I’d seen on her face since Nigel died.
“Good,” she said. “That bitch deserves everything she got coming.”
I smiled back. We was in this together now. A mother and a father, united by grief and rage and the burning need to make somebody pay.
Zahara didn’t know it yet, but her days was numbered.
And when I was done with her, I was coming for that boy too. No matter how long it took. No matter what I had to do. No matter who I had to go through.
My son was dead.
Somebody had to answer for that.
17
PRIME
“Don’t open the door for nobody.”
Yusef looked up from the couch where he was already settling in with his PlayStation controller. “I know.”
“I’m serious, lil man. Not maintenance. Not nobody. You need something, you call me.”
“Prime.” He gave me that look—the one that said he was twelve, not two, and I was being extra. “I got it. Building has a doorman. Cameras everywhere. Key fob to even get on the elevator. Nobody’s getting up here.”
He wasn’t wrong. I’d chosen this building specifically because it was a fortress. But after everything that had happened—Zoo sniffing around, Meech about to be released, Rashid making moves I couldn’t predict—I wasn’t taking any chances.
Zainab came out of the bedroom and my brain short-circuited for a second.
She was wearing this deep emerald dress that hugged every curve like it was painted on. Slit up the thigh. Low cut in the back. Gold jewelry at her neck and ears. Hair swept up, showing off that neck I was definitely gonna have my mouth on later tonight. Her deep dark skin against that jewel toned dress was magnificent.
“Damn,” I said. Couldn’t help it.
She smiled, doing a little spin. “You like?”
“I’m reconsidering whether we need to go to this party at all.”
“Boy, stop.” But she was blushing, which was cute as hell. “We’re going. My cinnamon rolls are there and I need to make sure everything looks right.”
“Your staff handled the setup. You’re going as a guest tonight, not the help.”
That had been important to me. When we’d discussed her catering the gala, I made sure she understood—she wasn’t gonna be back there in an apron, sweating over displays while everybody else enjoyed themselves. I’d fronted the money for her to hire a team. Professional servers. Setup crew. The whole nine. Tonight, Zainab was walking in on my arm, not through the service entrance.
“I know.” She walked over and adjusted my bow tie, even though it didn’t need adjusting. “Thank you. For making that happen.”
“Anything for you, Goddess.”
Yusef made a gagging noise from the couch. “Y’all are disgusting.”
“Mind your business,” Zainab said, but she was smiling. She went over and kissed the top of his head. “We’ll be back in a few hours. There’s food in the fridge and snacks in the pantry. Don’t stay up too late.”
“Yes ma’am.”
“And don’t?—”
“Open the door for nobody. I KNOW.” He was already focused on his game, dismissing us.
