“Damn, that’s fucked up. I’ve been thinking about you all day. Even while sitting here with you, Mari. Now you’re telling me I haven’t crossed your mind.”
She smiled. “Did I say that?”
“Yeah, you did. You said you haven’t thought about what the rest of your night looks like, which means you haven’t thought about me. You can rectify the slip now.” He stepped in front of her, so close that his body made contact with hers. “Let me have your time.”
She lifted her chin, allowing her eyes to meet his. “You’ve had my time all day.”
“One day isn’t shit. I want it all, now can I get that?”
“Yes.” She blushed under the intensity of his stare.
“Aight then, let’s go.” Asao dropped an arm around her shoulders and the two made their way to the door. As soon as they stepped outside, the peaceful bubble they’d existed in all day deflated.
Asao felt the shift before he realized what had caused it. The moment he laid eyes on a reminder of his sins, his body tensed with remorse he couldn’t seem to shake, no matter how many years had passed.
He locked eyes with Ky’Meera but didn’t speak. She narrowed hers ,which filled with rage the minute she recognized him. Asao walked past Na’Mya’s sister, praying she would let the past remain in the past.
They’d both suffered a loss, and even though he blamed himself for the grief they shared, he wasn’t the one who’d pulled the trigger that night. Asao couldn’t be responsible for the actions of another man and the self-imposed torment he placed on his shoulders wasn’t rightfully shared.
“So it’s fuck my sister and her memory. Muthafucker, you ain’t shit.” The words were spoken to his back but they pierced his heart like a knife. Asao flinched just enough for Samari to notice something was off. She glanced over her shoulder, only to be met with years of hate and pain that shouldn’t have been directed at her. The feelings had nowhere else to go, so the verbal attack was launched at her person.
“Bitch, don’t look at me. You think shit is sweet but it’s not.”
“Meera, chill. She doesn’t have anything to do with what you’re feeling. Keep that shit respectful,” Asao said smoothly, even though his heart was conflicted. He understood her reaction. Felt pain and loss the same as Ky’Meera, but Asao wouldn’t allow Samari to be pulled into the line of fire of a past that didn’t have anything to do with her.
“When that bitch is standing where my sister should be, this is about her.” Asao stepped away from Samari and moved closer to Ky’Meera. He also made a point of placing his body between the two women as a precaution.
“You’re hurt so I’m going to let the disrespect slide but don’t get things fucked up. I’m not to be played with.”
“What are you going to do, Sao? Put a hit on me like you did for my sister? You were never good enough for her. No matter how many times I told her to walk away from your sorry ass, she refused. Now she isn’t here and you have the next bitch at your side like my sister didn’t matter.” She cut her eyes past him at Samari then shook her head seconds before she spit at his feet. “You’re a murderer.”
Asao took a step forward but his actions were halted by a hand on his arm. His rage-filled eyes dropped to the connection before her voice registered. “We should go.”
He glanced at Samari before he snatched away and his eyes were on Ky’Meera again. “The respect I have for your sister will only get you so far. Don’t fucking push me,” he growled then walked away. Samari gave the woman one last look before she followed him to his Jeep. Asao was already in the driver’s seat, so she found her way to the other side and got in next to him.
“You want to tell me what that was about?”
“Nah, I really don’t, but I know I have to. I just need you to give me a minute though.”
Samari sensed there was more to the exchange than could be expressed through the accusations thrown out, so she nodded and buckled her seatbelt.
Asao guided them into traffic, and after a minute, he briefly turned his eyes on Samari. “If you don’t feel safe with me, Mari, I’ll take you home.”
“Put a hit out on me like you did my…”
The statement felt reckless but Samari needed the facts.
She considered his words before his eyes were on her again. Their gazes locked before she spoke. “I’m fine.”
He tossed his chin and neither of them spoke for the reminder of the drive. They ended up at his house in Crescent Cove, sitting outside on the deck. Asao had gone through his words a million and one times trying to figure out how to justify the life that had been lost on his watch.
When his words didn’t come, Samari asked questions. “Why is she blaming you for losing her sister?”
“Because she took a bullet meant for me.” He turned his eyes on Samari who frowned. “Shit was different back then. I was in the streets heavy, always in the middle of something that put a target on my back. I wasn’t naive about the consequences of my actions but I always thought those consequences would be on me. I never brought my bad decisions home. My knew who I was and how I got down but that doesn’t mean I don’t own the responsibility of doing my part to keep those bad decisions away from her.”
Samari now fully understood. “What happened?”
“I was at the studio, had been there all night and she had class the next morning. I was in her car. She caught a ride to the studio to get it and people who were gunning for me shot up the car, thinking they’d gotten me. By the time they realized they hadn’t, it was too late.”
