“Don’t! I want to know what happened.”
“He’s dead,” Ocean shot back. “I thought that was pretty obvious.”
“I know that. But how?—”
“I pistol-whipped his ass.”
Nyx gasped.
“Damn.” Ocean sucked his teeth. “I probably should’ve made sure you weren’t wearing a wire or some shit.” He let me go, then sat on the arm of the couch and shrugged. “Oh well.”
I tucked my bottom lip between my teeth, trying to hold back a laugh.
Everyone didn’t understand Ocean’s sense of humor. It could be a little dark at times. But with him, there was never a dull moment, and I loved it. Even when I shouldn’t.
“So that whole car accident thing...that wasn’t real?”
“Oh, that shit was real,” he replied. “I didn’t kill him all the way. I left him a little conscious, so he could witness his own death.”
I looked over at Nyx. I could tell that Ocean’s lack of concern worried her. As much as she couldn’t stand Eli, I’m pretty sure she didn’t want him dead. But something told me that if he was dead, it was for a good reason. I’d only known Ocean a short time, but I knew that he didn’t do shit just because.
“So, why did you do it?” I asked.
“Because he ran my sister over and left her for dead.”
“Wait, are you saying that he was the driver at the club that night?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying. Had he so much as stopped and made sure she was okay, I would’ve let him keep his life.I still would’ve beat his ass, but his soul wouldn’t be forever engraved on a tree.”
“Nyx, baby,” Shade stepped in. “I know this is probably a lot to hear. But you have to understand where we’re coming from.”
Ocean stood up and placed his hand on Shade’s shoulder while smiling. “If it makes you feel any better, your man didn’t get his hands dirty. That shit was all me. I think y’all were out eating sushi when I was giving him a facelift,” he added casually.
Nyx sighed, then looked at Shade.
I giggled.
“It’s not funny,” Nyx spat. “Someone is dead. What if the cops find out what really happened?”
“Trust me, they won’t,” Ocean said.
“How do you know?”
“Because my clean-up crew is impeccable. They don’t make mistakes, and they don’t leave shit behind. You only see what they want you to see.”
“Your clean-up crew?”
“Yep, and had this shit not been so personal, I would’ve had them handle the whole thing. But I needed to make sure his blood was on my hands.” He slid out of his jacket and tossed it on the couch. “You got an ice pack or some shit? I fucked up and used my fists a few times. That fool had me out there acting like Shade.”
He laughed.
“I’ll grab you a bag of ice.” Nyx headed toward the kitchen.
“I’ll come with you.” Shade followed behind her.
“Don’t come behind me trying to butter me up.”
“That’s not what I’m doing.”
