The last customer left Sweet Zin around 7:45.
I wiped down the counter, checked the display cases, made sure the morning crew would have a clean start. Shayla and JoJo had already left for the night. Brooke was finishing up the register count in the back.
“You good to close out?” I called to her.
“Yeah, I got it. Go home, boss lady.”
Boss lady. I smiled at that. I wasn’t the boss of anything—just holding it down until Zainab came back. But it felt good to be trusted with something this important. Her dream. Her baby. I wasn’t gonna let her down.
However, one day I would be a boss bitch of something I called my own. I wasn’t sure what yet. I wished I could get paid for putting bullets in the heads of men who hurt women. I still felt a rush of energy whenever I thought about shooting Ahmad or that crazy high-speed car chase.
And once things settle down with Zainab and she gets out of prison, I’m going to train in martial arts and firearms training, but for now, I’m all about my sister’s zinnamon rolls. However, I have been working out at home and see myself getting stronger.
I grabbed my jacket and headed for the back office to get my purse. My phone buzzed.
Prime.
“Hey,” I answered.
“What’s good, Mehar. You at the shop?”
“Yeah, just closing up. How’s Yusef?”
“He’s good. We actually played some music together tonight. First time in a minute.”
I could hear something different in his voice. Lighter. Like maybe there was a crack in all that heaviness he’d been carrying.
“That’s amazing, Prime. He needed that.”
“Yeah. He did.” A pause. “You need anything? For the shop? For yourself?”
“Nah, I’m good. We’re holding it down over here. Sales have been steady. People keep coming through showing love.”
“That’s what I like to hear. Keep doing what you doing. Zainab’s gonna be proud when she gets home.”
When. Not if. I appreciated that.
“I got her,” I said. “Don’t worry about this end. Just focus on her and the baby.”
“Bet. I’ll check in tomorrow.”
“Okay. Tell Yusef I said hey.”
“I will.”
He hung up. I grabbed my purse, said goodnight to Brooke, and headed out the back door to my car.
The night air was cool. Fall was settling into DC, that crisp edge that made you want to wrap up in something warm. I fished my keys out of my bag, already thinking about the hot shower waiting for me at home.
“You always work this late?”
I jumped. Spun around.
Thad stepped out from around the corner of the building, hands in his pockets, that slow smile spreading across his face.
“What the fuck, Thad!” My heart was pounding. “You scared the shit out of me.” This is exactly why I need a gun, or at least a taser.
“My bad.” He didn’t look sorry at all. “Didn’t mean to startle you.”
