“You don’t understand.”
“No, I don’t.And that’s tired, Darius Tucker.And you knowit.”
“You think my boy wants an ex-drug dealer as his dad?”
He asked that, and he wasn’t done talking.
But I was done listening.
“I think it’s clear you don’t have the balls to find out.”
His head jerked like I’d slapped him.
But…
Fuck that.
It was official.
It had been a good run.
But I was clean out of patience.
I said what I had to say.
I got in my car, started it up and drove away.
Darius, no surprise, didn’t try to stop me.
“Someone kill me,” I said to myself as I drove up mydriveway and saw Lee Nightingale and Eddie Chavez sitting in the cute, wickerchairs on my front porch.
I’d already hit the remote, so I drove right into thegarage.
I then hit the remote to close the door, but I knew thiswasn’t something I could avoid.
So I didn’t.
I went into the house, dropped my bag and attaché, and nomatter that I was dying to kick them off, I didn’t take off my pumps, becausegoing up against those two, I’d need my height, even if it came in a three-inchstiletto heel and they’d both still tower over me.So I kept them on and headedto the front door to let them in.
I said nothing, just walked to the kitchen and put theisland between them and me.
They followed me but barely came into the room.
I’d seen the newspaper articles.I’d bought but hadn’t readthe book.
I knew they were semi-famous.Also that Lee and Indy hadfinally gotten together (and I was glad for both of them) and Eddie had foundhis own woman, a lady named Jet.
But I didn’t figure they were there to catch up.
I started it.
“I know why you’re here.”
“No, you don’t,” Eddie replied.
“He had chance after chance,” I informed him.
“No offense, Malia, but this isn’t about you.It isn’t aboutDarius.It’s about Liam,” Lee reminded me.
