“Cali, you have to try and fix this,” Cecilia advised.
“Are you crazy?” Douglas laughed condescendingly. “There’s a bounty on her head now. There’s no fixing this.”
Cali jumped from the chair with eyes big as the moon. “A bounty?”
“Yeah, $100,000 to be exact. Rio put it out the minute we pulled away from the house.”
Her gaze drifted to the table as realization settled in her mind. Rio had put out a hit on her. Death was inevitable and due to his status in TLM, his people wouldn’t hesitate to lay her out.
“See, I told you. I told you.” Enya shook her head.
“Shut the fuck up!” Cali screamed at her. “You make every situation worse with your know-it-all ass. Go the fuck away!”
Cecilia stood. “Calia, sit down and be glad that you have someone in your life that will tell you the truth. Enya didn’t tell you nothing wrong. In fact, you should’ve listened to her. You shouldn’t be mad at nobody but yourself. You're the one who dishonored your marriage. You're the person who put your husband in a position to be harmed. This was all your doing so if you're going to be mad, be mad at yourself.”
Silence engulfed the room, making Cali’s tears return. Slowly, she sat in her seat and put her head down. Life had come at her at a rapid pace. She had it all figured out, once upon atime ago. Unfortunately, reality had turned into a night terror. What she once knew had vanished like vapor mist in the air. Cali needed a way out, but she had to sit in the litter she’d created.
“I need a minute,” she announced and headed to the backyard.
The sky was painted in shades of gray as the scent of rain lingered in the air. The weather mirrored her inner being. She was clouded with guilt. Her insides burned from the act of treachery she’d caused. Cali was dying on the inside and there was no one around to resuscitate her.
“Hey, sis.”
She turned around at the sound of Bria’s gentle tone.
“Do you need a hug?”
Cali nodded and fell into Bria’s awaiting arms. At that second, her sister’s embrace felt like the safest on earth. She just wished it was Rio’s arms instead of Bria’s.
“Look”—Bria held her face in her hands—“I know you fucked up, and I do know you tried to right your wrongs. I was there when you made the commitment to give your marriage a shot. I was present when you were by Rio’s side, and I was there when you tried to sever ties with that crazy nigga. I know you're not this stone-cold bitch everyone thinks you are.”
“But I’m never going to live this down. You see the way Dad looks at me. And look at how Enya is enjoying this. I wish I could just disappear.”
“Don't listen to them. They ain't perfect. They got skeletons in their closets, too. The doors just ain't been opened yet.”
Cali wiped her face with her fingers. “What am I going to do, Bria? Rio wants me dead and Braye’s in the wind, knowing he just ruined me.”
“Look, Dad is going to handle Rio. He’s mad now but there’s no way he won’t protect you. In the meantime, I want you to come stay with me.”
Cali shook her head. “No, I don't wanna impose on your family, especially when there is a hit out on me.”
“Girl, please.” Bria pursed her lips. “Lo got our house locked down like Fort Dix. Ain't shit coming through there. You’ll be safe, and he’ll protect you while Dad gets everything sorted out.”
“I’m scared of Lo, though.”
They both laughed, disrupting the emotional scene.
“Girl, Lo’s not gon’ do nothing to hurt you. He’s cool until somebody try him. Then, he turns into a beast. Other than that, he’s not going to bother you.”
“Are you sure it’s cool for me to come there?”
“Yeah, ‘cause I know you don't wanna stay here with Mama and Dad.”
Cali silently gagged at the thought. She loved her parents so much but knew they would’ve been on her ass if she were to stay with them.
“No, I don't. I can’t take Dad looking at me in disgust and Mama telling me what a horrible wife I am. No, thank you.”
“Then, it’s settled. You’ll come stay with me. Koda and Dallas are going to be so happy to have their Auntie around.”
