“I don’t know. I just saw them in what looked to be a heated discussion at the barn and ended up following them outside.”
“I wonder what Uncle Mayor had to say to her when they were in the conference room,” Ashanni said. “Asad went to Liberty with Red.”
“So did Mythic and Ferris,” Milana added.
I relaxed against my couch cushions with my eyes closed, doing my best to keep it together while Bali was alone, falling apart.
CHAPTER 24
RED SQUARED
“She did what?”
I couldn’t have heard that nigga right. He said Bali had paid to have somebody killed. He and I had gone to the barn while Asad, Mythic, and Ferris stayed on the back porch talking. He was so fucking angry. The nigga couldn’t even smoke a blunt.
“You fucking heard me. How I’m supposed to marry somebody capable of that shit? I can’t get over the fact that she ain’t even showing no remorse, man. I knew she could be mean, but this shit is way beyond that. That’s cold and fucking evil. Why would I want to be connected to someone like that?”
I was stunned into silence. This shit was unbelievable. “What . . . I mean . . . fuck. You breaking up with her?”
“Man, I want to. I’m just too angry to make that decision right now. I love the fuck out of her. For my entire life, I saw her as the woman I would spend the rest of my life with. I don’t know about that shit now, and it’s fucking me up on the inside. Fuck!”
I slid my hand down my face and sat on a bale of hay, watching him saddle his horse. I supposed he was gonna ride for a bit. “You want company?”
“Naw, I need to be alone for a minute, man.”
I nodded as he got on his horse and took off out of the barn. I slowly shook my head in disbelief. Pulling my phone from my pocket, I texted Noni.Have you talked to Bali?
She responded immediately.No. She won’t let me inside the house. This is killing me. Is Carter talking? What happened?
Instead of texting her back, I called. I didn’t feel like texting all that shit. She answered immediately, but she didn’t say a word. I didn’t either for a minute or so. “He saw her paying Watchful Eyes on her phone and started asking questions. He said she paid them twenty grand.”
Noni burst into tears. She probably had an idea of what had happened but needed confirmation. “Don’t cry, baby. I’ll be back over there later. He’s riding his horse alone right now. When he comes back, I’ll leave. I think Epic is on his way to stay with him.”
“Okay,” she whispered. “Fuck! Did he break up with her?”
“No. He said he was too angry right now. He wants to, but he wants to wait until he calms down and see if he still feels the same way. I just . . . I’m at a loss for words. They’re so perfect together. I don’t know, baby. It’s not looking good at all.”
“I hate that she won’t let me in. I know she needs me. I can hear her cries with my soul, Red. Her heart is so broken. You think maybe Mythic can talk to him?”
“I don’t know if that will help or not. They kind of kept their distance from Mythic when he was in that shit. Whenever they were around each other, it was because Mythic came to them.”
“I don’t know what to do to get to her. God . . . I’ve never seen Bali like this.”
“Same for Carter. We are going to have to let them figure this out on their own. It seems like that’s what they want. Mythic is heading over here, baby. I’ll call you back.”
“Okay.”
When he got close, he slowly shook his head and huffed as he fell to the hay next to me. “Ferris and Asad headed out. Epic should be here in about ten minutes. I have to leave when he gets here. Baby girl is stressing so much because Bali locked herself in the house and won’t let any of them inside. Did he say what happened?”
I glanced at him. “This has to stay tight, man.”
“You have my word. I won’t tell him I know.”
“Bali had the pharmacist popped.”
He frowned. It was one of confusion because as soon as he realized who I was talking about, his eyebrows hiked up on his face. “Where Vanessa worked?”
“Yeah, man. He saw her paying Ali and asked her about it.”
