The truth was, he’d paid the supervisor to go the extra mile. Bought his loyalty the same way he handled most blue-collar muthafuckas hired to do dirty work for him. He was certain his money had sent more of their kids to college than grants or financial aid ever had.
Nivéa nodded slowly. “Hm…well, I’m grateful.” She wasn’t mad at it.
Crown studied her face. “What you need from me?”
She managed to smile through the tears; she loved it when he asked her that. “Nothing. You've already done a lot. I can’t thank you and your family enough. Thank you so much.”
“What I tell you about thankin’ me?”
A small laugh slipped out as she wiped her nose.
“Damn, I missed hearing that. I didn’t think I’d ever hear you say that to me again. If he had gotten me out of town, it’s no telling what would’ve happened. I don’t know if I would’ve survived, Ahmad.”
“I would’ve found you. A nigga would fuck up a whole city to get to you and her, even if we ain’t together.”
Nivéa nodded, believing him. She hugged Nyla a little tighter.
The next few minutes passed in silence as Crown let her feed in peace, his eyes never leaving her. He missed her like crazy, but he knew now wasn’t the time to unload all of that, not with her still shaking, not with her trying to tend to the baby. So, he held it in and just stayed present. When he finally spoke again, his voice was firm, but gentle.
“You can’t go back home or to your shop, ma. Not right now.”
“He doesn’t know about my shop.”
“I don’t trust that. I cannot let you out there alone until he’s found.”
Nivéa shook her head, disappointment flashing across her face, and he felt bad about it.
“I ain’t tryna hold you against your will, but—”
“I know,” she cut in softly.
“You ain’t gotta tell me that. I know. It’s just…fucked up. I worked so hard to build a life for us, and here he comes fucking it up. Shit is sickening. I only had my business for a month, and now this happens. I have to miss more days. Hiding. This is crazy.”
Crown stayed quiet, letting her get it out.
“I’mma take care of it. Everything gon’ go back to normal soon. Don’t worry.” He said, finally.
“Ahmad…there’s so much you don’t understand.”
“Then explain it all to me. We got time. I ain’t going nowhere. What don’t I know?”
Nivéa bit down on her bottom lip, her whole body trembling. Boe was gone, but his words still echoed in her head. What if theman he had fucked over really did come looking for her? What if she’d only escaped one nightmare just to walk into another?
Part of her wanted to tell Crown everything right then. The other part wanted to sleep on it, clear her head first. She didn’t want to get him worked up over something that was possibly a lie. She thought maybe it had all been manipulation.
Crown was a protector; that much Nivéa had learned. But she also knew that he had a lot going on in his own world. She didn’t want to put more on his shoulders. And another part of her felt bad. She didn’t want to say she hated violence, only to turn around and want it when she was scared.
Nivéa didn’t want him to feel used when she needed him and discarded when she wanted peace. She was a fair girl, a good one with a heart of gold. She never wanted her needs or actions to be misconstrued. She was thinking that maybe she should just file a report and let the police handle it.
“I’ll tell you later. Right now, I just wanna take a hot bath and relax. I’m exhausted.”
Crown had questions and concerns about Boe, but he forced himself to grant her wishes and let it go for now. “Say less.”
“I need to change her first, though. Can you grab that bag for me?”
Crown nodded, grabbed the bag, and handed it to her. He sat back quietly as she changed Nyla and rocked her back to sleep. The moment the baby’s eyes fluttered shut, he tilted his head toward the stairs.
“Come on.”
