She smirked through the pressure, eyes daring me. “You only come to me because she’ll never want you.”
Her words sliced through, and the hate in my chest burned hotter. I wanted to snap her neck, but she still had use, at least I thought she did. But the truth? The bitch knew nothing. Her kid wouldn’t talk, she didn’t even know where Seth laid his head. Seth had played her like the fool she was.
When I finally pulled out, I finished all over her face, watching her wipe it with her hand and lick it clean like it was nothing.
“Freaky-ass bitch,” I muttered, disgust twisted with satisfaction.
She licked her lips and whispered, “And you’ll be back for more.”
“Find a way to get close and see what’s really happening with Stormi and Seth.”
“I got you, bae.”
That little nickname crawled under my skin every time she used it. She said it soft like she already owned the corner of my life she wanted. But she had her own plan, one built on being there when Stormi dies, on stepping into a life she didn’t earn. I didn’t like the way she smiled imagining it, but she was useful.
“I’ll touch down in the city for my birthday,” I said, checking my phone ready to plan a war. “Turn up with my peoples, have a good time before I end this.”
“You sure that’s smart? Seth got eyes everywhere.”
“If he had eyes everywhere, he’d know where I am now. And if he knew where I am now, he’d know your ass is with me.” She didn’t argue. She swallowed, like she’d just finally seen the cost of being right here with me.
I leaned back and watched her. “Don’t trip. Just get close. Learn his routine. Make him so family focused he forgets to watch his back.”
Imani laughed a soft, dangerous sound. “Bae, when Stormi goes down, I’ll be there to pick up the pieces. We’ll raise our kids. We’ll be the family he should’ve built with me.”
“You ain’t Stormi,” I said. The words were sharper than I meant. “Pretty face only takes you so far.”
She straightened, heat in her eyes. “Pretty face can move mountains when it knows the right spots.”
“Just—” I paused, thinking about my mother’s voice lecturing, about anchors I couldn’t afford. “Don’t mess this up. When I slide back into town, I need the path cleared. I want Seth exposed and vulnerable before he even knows I’m back.”
Imani pushed off the bed like she owned the room and headed for the bathroom. “I’ll handle it. Don’t trip. Tunnel vision. You know how I do this.” Her whisper followed me, cold as a blade: “End Stormi. Get your family back.”
The door clicked shut. I let the silence sit on me hard and hungry. Imani would get what she could, and I’d take whatever it left behind. By the time I walked back into that life, I was gonna make sure nobody forgot who I was.
Chapter
Seven
SETH
Being back home had been crazy. S3 clung to Stormi like he could sense she wasn’t herself yet, hovering around her every second like a little shadow. Shiloh wasn’t any better. He only wanted her breast, not even to eat, just to use it as a pacifier. Something about the steady rise and fall of her breathing knocked him right out, like she was the only place in the world where he felt safe.
And hell… I got it. I knew that feeling more than anyone. But my wife was exhausted, and it showed in the way her shoulders sagged even when she tried to smile.
“Ma,” I murmured, brushing Stormi’s cheek as she sat on the edge of the bed, trying to comfort Shiloh and keep her eyes open at the same time. “Let me take the boys for a while. You gotta rest.”
She blinked up at me slowly. “You sure? He’s been on ten all night.”
“I can handle ten,” I said, kissing her forehead. “I just need you to handle you.”
Stormi’s lips curved, soft and grateful. “Thank you, bae.”
So, I scooped up our two little hurricanes, one whining, one clinging, and carried them to the playroom. It took a minute to settle them. S3 kept looking over my shoulder like he was checking to make sure Stormi was okay, and Shiloh whined every time my chest didn’t feel like hers.
“I know, little man,” I sighed, rocking him as he fussed. “Your mama is magic. I miss her too.”
S3 plopped onto the alphabet rug with a dramatic flop. “Mama Stormi sleeping?”
