Seth took a step closer, jaw locked tight. “Do it look like that’s the answer I want to hear?”
“I said I don’t know!” I snapped. “I can’t even find out Rich grabbed me before I could find my phone!”
“Rich didn’t give me time to find my phone,” Seth mocked, voice dripping with venom. “You really think that nigga was gonna answer for you after he tried to take your sister’s life?”
That word tried echoed in my head... I blinked.
“So, she’s still alive?” I asked, trying to look around him, past the heat of his body and to Stormi’s still figure.
“Dre is who shot Stormi?” Jo’s voice cracked as she moved toward me, her hand on her chest like she couldn’t breathe.
Then suddenly a whisper cut through the air.
“Yes,” Stormi said, her voice soft and shaky. “He’s Ronnie’s son.”
We all froze. Stormi’s eyes fluttered open. Seth spun back to her side like he’d been yanked by his heart.
“What did you say, baby?” he asked, dropping to his knees by her bedside.
Stormi’s voice trembled. “Dre… before he shot me, he said he watched you kill his father. And this was for Ronnie.”
Seth’s face shifted like rage and grief twisting together. He kissed her hand and pushed her hair gently from her face to kiss her forehead.
My throat burned. “Stormi, I’m sorry,” I said, taking a small step forward. “I didn’t know.”
Seth’s arm snapped out, blocking me.
“Man, that’s my fuckin’ sister!” I barked, my frustration boiling over. “Why the hell y’all actin’ like I’m some stranger off the street?”
Seth turned slowly, face stone cold. “Now she’s your sister?” he said, stepping into my space again. “Now you care? You done pushing her away? Blamin’ her? Making her feel like shit for doing what was best for herself?”
Each word hit like a punch. And the worst part? He wasn’t wrong. Stormi had been trying to hold us all together. And I kept treating her like the enemy.
“Man, this is family business,” I said through clenched teeth. “Stormi might need you to swoop in and save the day, but I don’t. I’ll never need another nigga to play hero. I’m the man of this family, not you.”
I should’ve been ready, but I wasn’t. Seth grabbed me before I could even brace. Fist balled in my shirt; he lifted me clean off the floor. My feet dangled. His knuckles dug into my chest like he was pressing my soul into the wall. His eyes didn’t blink. He didn’t flinch not once. His eyes said everything, and it was clear he wanted to kill me.
“Seth!” Stormi called out, her voice was weak but sharp.
His grip loosened just slightly but he didn’t let go. He turned his head just enough to speak to her, and not me.
“Stormi,” he said darkly, “I’ll never get in the way of you and your brother’s relationship. Never. But you better tell this lil nigga right now that you’re my wife… and that I just watched ateam of doctors bring you back to life because he couldn’t tell the fuckin’ difference between a friend and an enemy.”
He turned back to me, fire back in his eyes. “You want this street life? Cool. I’ll give it to you. Excursion-style.Bullet between your eyes.”
His voice dropped low. “Don’t ever think you man enough to step to me about anything concerning my wife. She’s the only thing sparing you right now.”
The room was silent. No one moved or spoke. Jo, Ms. Serena, not even Stormi. It was like time froze until Seth finally let me go, and I caught myself before I hit the ground. Breathing hard, I straightened my clothes and looked around the room, and all I could do was smirk.
“I should’ve known you were just like Jo,” I said bitterly. “First nigga shows up and play God, and you flip. Turn your back on family. Like mother, like daughter.”
Jo stood slowly. The air around her shifted calm, but fierce. A different Jo than I’d ever seen. She was clean, composed, and collected but full of fire.
“I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “I’m sorry your sister had to raise you because I couldn’t. I’m sorry that once she left, I kept showing you the same hurt that broke her.”
She stepped closer.
“I know you’re hurting. I know pain very well. But don’t you dare put any of that on Stormi. You want a punching bag? I’m right here. Aim that shit at me.”
