“Looking for this?” Temi quizzed in a relaxed tone and waved the Glock in his face.
“What the fuck is going on here?” Syris queried in angst.
“Your tyranny reign is over. Me and Eric will be running shit from here on out.” Temi turned to me. Handle your business.”
With quick steps, I raced to Syris and rocked his shit. Blood sprayed everywhere as I grabbed him from his seat and tossed his bitch ass over his desk. “Ugh!” he hollered, but no one could hear him.
“You like taking advantage of women.” I kicked him in his face. “Beating, raping, and torturing them for your pleasure!” I kicked him in his stomach and more blood leaked from his nose and mouth. “You enjoyed holding my lady hostage and controlling her nonstop. Well, your reign ends here.”
I bunted him in the face again like a football player, and his whole body sloshed onto his back. Blood spilled from his face, and I looked up at Temi. A satisfied look covered her face, but I wasn’t done yet. I grabbed the gun Temi handed me, I stood over him with a devious smile on my face as fear filled his bloodshot eyes. Quickly, I fired two shots into both of his knees.
“Oww!” he hollered like a bitch.
“Oh no, nigga, don’t get to crying now. This is lenient compared to what your wives wanted to do. See, they wantedto drug you and drop you off in Prairie State.” I smirked as fear surfaced on his pain-stricken eyes again. “Yeah from that expression, you know what I’m talking about. Booty Town. Once they get you, ain’t no escaping.” I chuckled then handed Temi back the gun. “Era is free from his wrath, but so are you and your sisters. Are you sure you don’t want to come with us?”
Temi smiled. “Thank you for the offer, but I’m staying. Now that he’s fucked up, I’m going to continue to run his import and export business and take over the rest of his businesses. I was the one that built this shit.
“He’s now about to experience what it’s like being at someone else’s mercy. I know Era nor you want his money, but she earned that shit. You guys have more than enough money to spend in two lifetimes. Tell Butterfly I love her, and I’ll be in touch soon. Now, go before his guards arrive.”
“Will do.” I sped out of his office and through the party crowd.
Hill was having the time of his life while he danced sandwiched between Sasha and Monet. Smirking, I continued as I raced out of the house and into my SUV. As I drove down the driveway, I nervously looked into my rearview mirror, but no one was behind me. Once I made it to the gates, they slid back, and Syris’s ground alarms began to sound off. Red lights flashed everywhere as his guards looked alert. I sped through the opening and took off to retrieve Era, Poppy, and MJ so we could start our new lives in the states.
EPILOGUE
Era
2026
A year later
“What kindof ice cream do you want, Mizz Lady?” Muse asked as he pulled on a pair of his brand name sneakers. I admired his white tee and slim fitting gray joggers from the couch. As bad as I craved my favorite ice cream, I wasn’t too fond of him wearing those sweats. Muse shook his head.
“I see the look on your face, and I’m not even getting out of the car. I’m going through the drive-thru.” Together, we laughed because my facial expressions gave me away every time. “You keep looking at me like that though, and the only cream I’ll have tonight is yours.”
This man of mine. I snickered at him and shook my head this time. “As tempting as that sounds, your big head child that I’m carrying, wants one scoop of rainbow sherbet and one scoop of butter pecan with pralines.”
“Aight. I guess, I’ll have my cream when I return.” He wiggled his eyebrows at me, then planted a kiss on my lips and forehead before he headed to the store.
Thank God our local Dunkin Donuts had a Baskin Robbins, and it was twenty- four hours. This child was causing me to eat everything in sight. It was to be expected because Muse had a hearty appetite. Snuggling further onto our comfy couch, I thought about him and my sisters.
Can I just say how blessed I was? To have a man risk his life for me and my sisters, who put their lives on the line as well, just made my heart swell. I was beyond grateful for each of them. It hadn’t been easy coping without them and Syris because I was so accustomed to that lifestyle, but with the help of my therapist and my love, Muse, things were transitioning smoothly.
I chose to go back to Illinois because I missed my parents so much. In the past five years, they had aged a lot, and I knew most of that stress was worrying about me. Syris never permitted me to see them, but I had Tyson purchase me a burner phone years ago so I could keep in contact with them as much as possible.
Yasmeen, Temi’s daughter, loved the idea of grandparents so much that she opted to continue to live with them even when we arrived in the states. I didn’t blame her because I had really great parents. They loved on MJ just as much as they loved on Poppy. Tonight, however, the kids were having a sleepover with them, and I was grateful because I’d forgotten how tiresome it was carrying a baby.
Speaking of kids, I wasn’t the only one carrying a baby. Muse’s partner, Hill, had knocked up both my sisters, Sasha and Monet. They were three months, and I was six months. Hill was living his best life with both sisters. They took their portion of their divorce and inheritance and moved into their own mansion with Hill. It was nice to see they were all in love.
Temi was still cracking the whip and running shit like a boss. She took over Syris’s import and export businesses and dismantled his harem of hos. Only the women he had kids with received monthly allowances and were placed in a lavish homeon the island. With Eric by her side, she was able to acquire more business while falling harder for him. As long as she was happy, so was I. Starry’s ho ass was kicked out the mansion, but it wasn’t long after until she found an old man to marry her and live in his mansion with his other wives on the island.
As for Syris, he laid in his king size bed all alone every night and there was nothing he could do about it because he was paralyzed from the legs down. Temi told me he attacked her right before Muse walked in. His presence distracted Syris, and she quickly grabbed the gun and shot him. I’m not saying it didn’t happen, but I think there were some details missing. With Muse corroborating her story, I had no choice but to go along with it.
I was beyond grateful my Syris nightmare was over, and I could sleep peacefully. The floor creaked behind me, and I turned around, but nobody was there. That was strange because neither Muse nor the kids were here. Facing the TV, something didn’t feel right to me. The floor creaked again, and I lowered the volume on the TV then turned around. Again, no one was there.
“Hello? Muse? Are you back, baby?”
Only sound that greeted me in return was the low volume on the TV. I looked down the dark hallway, but nothing was in sight. The kitchen light was on, but there were no shadows. Although I didn’t see anything, that didn’t mean anything to me. I didn’t want to take any chances, so I picked up my phone and texted Muse 911. My heart beat sped up as my palms grew sweaty. Something didn’t feel right. The floor creaked again, and this time when I turned, I was face-to-face with another devil. “What we watching?” he questioned, in a deep tone as he slowly moved around our couch.
