“Someone set her up. Sent her a fake threat about Yusef, made her think he was in danger. She left the house to save him and violated her bail.” I could hear the rage simmering beneath his words. “She’s back in jail. I’m working on getting her out, but it’s gonna take time.”
I couldn’t breathe. My sister—my pregnant sister—was sitting in a jail cell right now. Alone. Scared. Facing a murder charge for something she didn’t do.
“I’m coming to LA,” I said immediately. “I’ll book a flight tonight?—”
“Mehar.” Thad’s voice was soft, concerned. He’d moved closer, his hand on my back. “What’s wrong?”
I covered the phone. “Zainab got arrested. I have to go.”
“Of course, baby. You should be with your family.” He rubbed my back soothingly. “Go. I’ll be here when you get back.”
He was so supportive. So understanding. I didn’t deserve him.
I went back to Prime. “I’m booking a flight right now.”
“Wait.” Prime sighed. “I appreciate that, but think about it for a second. You can’t abandon Sweet Zin right now. Zainab’s been stressed about it ever since this shit started. If you leave, who’s gonna run it?”
He was right. The bakery was Zainab’s dream. It was the business she’d built from despair, the legacy she was creating for her family. If I abandoned it now, everything she’d worked for could fall apart.
“I can’t just sit here while my sister is in jail.”
“You won’t be just sitting. You’ll be holding down her dream. Making sure she has something to come back to when this is over.” Prime’s voice softened. “That’s what she’d want, Mehar. Trust me. Keep doing what you’ve been doing. I just wanted you to be informed.”
I closed my eyes, tears threatening to spill. He was right. I hated it, but he was right.
“Okay,” I whispered. “But you keep me updated. Every single day. I want to know everything.”
“You got it. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
We hung up, and I sat there on Thad’s couch, my phone clutched in my hands, trying to process what had just happened. My sister was in jail. Someone had set her up. And there was nothing I could do about it except keep her bakery running and pray.
Thad pulled me into his arms, letting me cry against his chest. He murmured soothing words, stroked my hair, held me like I was the most precious thing in the world.
“It’s gonna be okay,” he said. “Your sister’s tough. She’ll get through this.”
“I know.” I wiped my eyes and looked up at him. “Thank you for being so understanding. Most guys would be annoyed that I almost ran off?—”
“Hey.” He tilted my chin up, forcing me to meet his eyes. “I’m not most guys. Your family matters. I get that.” He kissed my forehead. “I’m here for you. Whatever you need.”
I nestled back against his chest, letting his heartbeat calm my racing thoughts. His phone buzzed again on the table. He ignored it.
“You sure you don’t need to get that?” I mumbled.
“Positive. Nothing’s more important than you right now.”
I closed my eyes, exhausted from the emotional whiplash of the day. The shooting range felt like a lifetime ago. Serenity’s bruise. Zainab’s arrest. It was all too much.
But at least I had Thad. At least I had someone in my corner who showed up when it mattered, who held me when I cried, who made me feel like I wasn’t alone in this.
I drifted off against his chest, worn out from crying, his fingers still tracing lazy patterns on my arm.
36
PRIME
The amount of people that kept coming for me and my woman, was getting out of hand. But thank God, Farah was sloppy. I found her purely on luck. But I already knew it had to be her. No one else had this level of animosity to set up a pregnant woman to go back to jail. No one still free and breathing.
She also knew better than to actually kidnap or touch Yusef. She ain’t have it in her to pull no shit off like that.
