She shifted carefully, and I reached down and took him from her. Cradled him against my chest like he was made of glass. Felt his warmth. His weight. The impossible smallness of him pressed against me.
“Hey, little man,” I whispered. “I’m your daddy.”
He stirred. Made a small sound that wasn’t quite a cry, more like a complaint about being moved. Then he settled against me, his tiny fist curling around nothing, and I felt something shift in the universe. Something permanent.
I had a son.
Whatever else happened today, whatever violence I was about to commit, whatever mess I had to clean up—I had a son. And a daughter. And a woman who almost died giving them to me.
I looked at Zainab. Let her see everything in my eyes—the love, the fury, the hurt, all of it tangled together.
“What the fuck I gotta do to make you trust me, huh?” My voice was low and controlled. Didn’t want to wake my sleepingbabies. “I’ve given you everything. I’ve changed everything about who I am for you. Why do you keep hiding shit from me?”
“Because I wanted to wait until?—”
“Until what?” I cut her off. “Wait until he hurt someone else you love? Because that’s exactly what’s happening right now. Mehar is with him, Zainab. She’s probably lying next to him right now thinking she finally found a good man. And he killed your fuckin’ sister.”
“I know. I just needed?—”
“Needed what? To handle it yourself? To be the one to pull the trigger?” I shook my head, still holding my son against my chest like an anchor. “I get it. I do. He took your sister from you. You wanted that moment. But this ain’t just about you anymore. It’s about Mehar. It’s about this family. You should’ve told me.”
Tears were streaming down her face now. “I didn’t know who he was until I got arrested. I saw him at the grand opening and everything clicked, but by then I was in handcuffs and then I was in California and then I was in that cell and I just… I thought I had time. I thought I could wait until I was out and then we could handle it together. I never thought he would end up with Mehar. I didn’t know they were even talking until she told me on the phone and then—” She gestured at her body, at the bed, at everything. “This happened.”
I looked at her, really looked at her. The handcuff around her wrist. The IV in her arm. The way she was holding our daughter like she was afraid someone was going to take her away. This woman had just given birth to twins on a prison bunk, almost bled to death, and woke up chained to a hospital bed. And I was standing here interrogating her like she was the enemy.
She wasn’t the enemy.
Thad was the enemy.
I exhaled slowly. Let some of the rage drain out of me. Not all of it because I needed that rage for what came next—but enough to see clearly.
“Listen to me.” I moved closer, still holding my son. “I understand why you did what you did. I don’t like it, but I understand. You wanted to be the one to end him. You earned that right. But you gotta understand something too—my job is to protect this family. You, these babies, Yusef, Mehar, all of it. I can’t do that job if you’re keeping secrets from me. You feel me?”
She nodded, tears still falling.
“If this shit ever happens again—if you’re holding onto something that could put you or anyone I love in danger—you tell me. Immediately. Not when it’s convenient. Not when you’ve got a plan. The second you know, I know. That’s how this works. We’re partners. That means no more secrets. Ever.”
“I know. I’m so sorry, Prime. I’m so sorry. I fucked up.”
“Yeah, you fucked up.” I leaned down and kissed her forehead, letting my lips linger there for a moment. “But I still love you. That ain’t never gonna change.”
She sobbed harder, reaching up with her free hand to grip my shirt.
“Before I go handle this,” I said, pulling back just enough to look her in the eyes, “is there anything else you wanna tell me? Now is the time. Anything else you’ve been holding onto, any other secrets, any other shit that’s gonna blow up in my face later—I need to know right now.”
“No. That’s everything. I swear.”
“You sure?”
“I swear on our babies’ lives. That’s everything.”
I studied her face. Searched for any flicker of hesitation, any sign of another lie waiting to surface. Found nothing but exhaustion and guilt and love.
“Alright.” I looked down at my son one more time, memorizing his face, making a promise to him that I didn’t say out loud. Then I carefully handed him back to Zainab, watching her settle both babies against her chest.
“What are you gonna do?” she asked quietly.
“What I gotta do.” I was already moving toward the door.
