“Nah, it’s nothing.”
“Quest. What is it?”
He tilted his head to the side, squinting at the babies like he was studying them. “I don’t know, man. They got a Benjamin Button thing going on. Looking older than Rita.”
I turned to stare at him. “Yo, I will beat your ass right here in this nursery. Don’t play with me.”
“I’m just making an observation!” He held his hands up in mock surrender, but he was grinning like the asshole he was. “They look like they already pay taxes. Like they got strong opinions about the economy and the state of the housing market.”
“They are THREE DAYS OLD, Quest.”
“And already looking like they need to file for a reverse mortgage. Got that old soul energy.” He was trying so hard not to laugh. “I’m just saying, when they sharktank, they ain’t gon’ be pitching. They gon’ BE the sharks.”
“You got one more time.”
“Aight, aight, I’m done.” He finally let the laugh out, shaking his head. “They cute though. For real. In a distinguished, elderly statesman kind of way. Very dignified.”
“I swear to God, Quest.”
“Save that energy, baby bro.” His smile faded a little, his voice dropping lower and losing its playful edge. “For realthough. Save your energy. You got enough bodies on your list already.”
Just like that, the lightness in the room evaporated.
We stood there in silence for a moment, both of us looking down at my sleeping children.
“Speaking of which,” Quest said carefully. “What you wanna do about Farah? She’s still at the spot. Been there for days now. Can’t keep her chained up in that warehouse forever.”
I thought about Farah. About her tears and her threats and her promise to never stop coming for my family. About the love she claimed to have for me and the hatred burning in her eyes.
“I’ll try talking to her one more time. See if I can get through to her somehow. Make her understand that this is over, and she needs to move on with her life.”
“And if you can’t get through?”
I watched Idris’s tiny chest rise and fall with each breath. So peaceful. So innocent. No idea what his father was capable of.
“Then I do what I gotta do to protect my family.”
Quest nodded slowly. He understood. He always did.
“Aight.” He moved toward the door, then stopped with his hand on the frame. His voice dropped even lower. “We still gotta handle the other thing tonight though.”
I looked at him. He looked at me.
We both knew what the other thing was.
“Tonight,” I confirmed.
We dapped, that silent understanding passing between us the way it always did.
He left the nursery without another word.
I stayed there with my children, my finger still wrapped in my son’s tiny grip, thinking about everything I was going to have to do to keep them safe. All the things I’d already done. All the things I couldn’t take back, even if I wanted to.
Tonight, there would be one more.
46
MEHAR
