I looked up at him through a haze of tears. His face was pretty beat up—he had a nasty gash above his eyebrow, a busted lip, and dirt smeared across his cheeks. But he was here. He was real.
“You hurt?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. I reached for his face, then moved down to his chest. He flinched when I brushed against his ribs.
“This ain’t shit,” he grunted.
“Yo, hate to rush y’all, but we gotta move. Now,” Nairobi said.
Cash nodded. “We’ll take the Yukon.” He jerked his head toward the truck still idling nearby. Everything happened so fast, I’d forgotten all about it.
“Where’s the driver at?” Nairobi asked, looking around the garage.
“That nigga took off soon as Money and ol’ boy started tusslin,” Jelani said.
“At least he left the keys,” Cash said. He tightened his hands around my shoulders, steadying me. “You good to walk?”
I nodded even though my legs still felt shaky. We moved toward the truck. Jelani slid into the driver’s seat, Nairobi hopped in next to him, and Cash climbed in the back with me.
“You just gonna leave him like that?” I asked. I didn’t know the rules to any of this shit, but leaving him there felt… wrong.
“Yeah,” Cash said. He pulled close and planted a soft kiss on my forehead. He sounded cold and indifferent. “He’ll be another casualty of tonight’s shit. Don’t worry about it.”
Jelani revved the engine and drove the truck out of the parking garage. Outside was pure insanity. Two cars were on fire, the dark smoke filling the night air as firefighters worked to douse them. EMTs rushed around, loading the injured on stretchers and into waiting ambulances.
A cop stepped in front of the truck before we could merge onto the street. My heart jumped into my throat. This was it—we were about to get arrested. I was about to go to prison. We looked guilty as fuck—dirt smudged on our faces, Nairobi had blood on hers. I prayed he wouldn’t see Cash in the back, who looked the worst out of all of us.
Jelani rolled down the window and turned the charm on, feeding the officer some story about us just wanting to get home. Whatever he said was good enough because the officer waved us through without a second glance.
I exhaled, my eyes glued to the chaos outside. My body felt heavy, like all the adrenaline that had kept me moving had finally left. By the time we hit the highway, exhaustion had me slumped against Cash’s chest. The steady rhythm of his heartbeat grounded me, even as my feet throbbed from those damn heels.
“Wake up,” Cash whispered, shaking me gently. My eyes fluttered open, and I squinted at the sight outside the tinted window. We were parked in the driveway of a large, well-lit cabin surrounded by towering trees. There were no other houses around.
I yawned. “Where are we?” I asked groggily.
“Somewhere safe,” Cash replied. “We’re gonna stay here for a few days till shit dies down.” Jelani and Nairobi were already out of the truck.
I reached for the door handle, but Cash stopped me. His warm fingers brushed against my skin as he yanked the necklace off. I inhaled, remembering the look on his face when he first saw it. I didn’t say anything. Instead, I opened the door and kicked off my heels before I stepped out. The gravel pressed into my bare feet, every step sending a dull ache up my legs, but I pushed through.
Inside, Slim was sprawled on an oversized gray couch, one leg propped on the coffee table while a movie played on the flatscreen TV. He looked over and lifted a hand in greeting, like this was just another day at the office.
The place felt like a well-kept Airbnb rather than a safe house with its polished wooden floors and modern furniture.
I noticed Fontaine and Nairobi hugged up in a corner as Cash led me upstairs. The master suite was spacious and simple—a king-sized bed and a dark dresser that complemented the furniture downstairs. Thick curtains lined the tall windows.
“What about my stuff?” I asked as I glanced around the room. “Everything’s still in his penthouse.”
“You’ll get it tomorrow,” Cash said, lowering himself carefully into an armchair. He winced as he pressed a hand to his side. “Nai grabbed you some things in the meantime.” He nodded toward a pile of shopping bags near the bed.
“Thanks,” I murmured. I leaned down to kiss him, but he pulled back slightly, his eyes dropping to my hand.
I followed his gaze and froze—the ring.
Without saying a word, he reached for my hand and gently slid it off.
“Go shower,” he said, looking at me with an expression I couldn’t place.
I frowned. I wanted to question him, but pressed my lips together, grabbed the bags, and headed into the en-suite bathroom. I was surprised to see it was stocked with everything I could need—a shower cap, body wash, shampoo, even a small jar of whipped shea butter that smelled faintly of mango.
Steam filled the bathroom as I stepped under the hot water. It was a little too hot, but I didn’t care. I needed to wash away any evidence of tonight. So I got to work, scrubbing my skin until it felt raw, trying to free myself from the weight of the night—the past week—off me.
