“Cali!” He knocked on the door before opening it.
Instantly, she smiled, hoping her face wouldn’t showcase the anxiety wrecking her body. Rio stepped inside, looking handsome but she couldn’t appreciate it at the moment. His cologne swarmed her as he studied her from head to toe.
“Where you been?”
She gulped and cleared her throat. “I had some errands to run and spilled food all over me. I came home to take a shower.”
There was something different in Rio’s eyes. They were dark, lacking the shimmer that Cali loved.
He nodded. “Come out here. I need to holla at you.”
“Uh, o-okay. Let me throw on some clothes.”
Without saying a word, Rio stepped out of the bathroom. Cali grabbed a sun dress from her closet and put it on. Afterward, she slipped her feet into some sandals and walked out of the bedroom. She stopped in her tracks when she heard a set of voices. When she couldn’t make out who it was, she stepped into the living room and noticed Rio seated with Cee and another unknown man. He looked older with salt and pepper hair along with a goatee. Once he noticed Cali standing, he smiled and stood.
“Hello, Calia.” He extended his hand. “I’m Nathaniel Rogers.”
Cautiously, she shook his hand then looked at Rio. “Why is he here?”
Rio peered at her with an intense stare. “Have a seat.”
“Babe—”
“Sit down, Calia,” he ordered with a tad more bass in his voice.
Taken aback by his sudden change in demeanor, Cali’s head slightly jerked before she sat down on the chaise.
Nathaniel cleared his voice. “Well, I would like to say that I am a private investigator.”
“Private investigator?” Cali questioned. “To investigate what?”
Nathaniel gracefully held his hand up. “I was brought in to investigate DuRio’s car crash.”
Cali peered at Rio, who intensely stared at her. Her leg bounced as she willed herself not to overreact. She had no idea that Rio was interested in the cause for his crash. He never let her in on it and now Cali was worried.
Rio leaned forward with his thick forearms bulging with veins. “Shit wasn’t making sense to me, and neither was it making sense to Cee.”
Cali looked at Cee, who avoided her gaze.
“Well.” She swallowed hard. “I was told by the police that you ran a red light.”
“That’s not true,” Nathaniel interjected and pulled out a laptop from a messenger bag. “I have evidence that he never ran a red light. In fact, someone tampered with his car. It’s right here.”
Cali’s chest immediately tightened when a video emerged on the screen. It showcased Rio’s car parked in a lot. Then, seconds later, a person appeared wearing all black.
Stupid-ass Braye…
He walked toward the front of the car and kneeled down. He was there for what seemed like forever before he stood, looked around, and ran away.
“As you can see, someone tampered with the brakes.”
Cali swallowed the access saliva in her mouth and looked at Rio. “Did you have some kind of beef with someone?”
He smirked. “Nah, not that I know of. I think Nate figured out who did it, though.”
Cali was afraid to ask the million-dollar question since she already knew the answer.
“Play the rest for her, Nate,” Rio instructed.
