I didn't answer. Didn't give her nothing. She shifted in the seat, crossing her legs. I could see the movement in my peripheral. Didn't turn. "Why you wanted to meet here of all places?" I questioned. My voice stayed level.
She smiled. I could hear it. "Private enough, and public enough if it's a setup, somebody else will see it." She took a sip. Lime hitting the rim of her glass.
"What you tryna say?" I questioned.
"Exactly what I said. I know your brother looking for me. I can imagine he don't wanna have a friendly conversation either." She said it light. Like it was a joke.
I took another sip from my glass. Ice clicking against my teeth. "If you know that, why you playing these pussy ass police games?" I responded.
She turned toward me then. I could feel it. The weight of her eyes. "Why not?" she questioned. "You up and leave me high and dry and treat me like shit, all because you wake up one day deciding you finally wanna be faithful to your wife. Fuck you, Jules." Her voice tightened at the end. I could hear the bitterness in it. I let the words sit between us.
Look, Jade," I sighed. "I ain't come here for all that. Don't you got a kid or some shit by that nigga that died a while back?"
She stiffened slightly. "Why you worried about my son? He's of no concern to you."
"What's it gon take for you to disappear?" I questioned, cutting her short. That got her attention.
She leaned back in her chair, studying me. "You really think it's that simple?" she said.
"Yes." I didn't blink.
She laughed under her breath. "You always think money fixes everything."
"Does it or don't it?" I replied.
She tapped her fingers against the glass. "You think I'm scared of you?"
"No," I said. "I think you scared of ending up broke and alone." That one landed.
Her jaw tightened. "You think you can just pay me off and I'll vanish?"
"I think you like attention. I think you like knowing you still got a hook in me. I think you think this is revenge."
Her eyes darkened. "And what if it is?" she asked quietly. I finally looked at her. She wasn't the same either. Harder around the edges. Tired eyes. But still dangerous. Not because she had power, but because she had nothing to lose. That's always more dangerous. "You got a son," I said. "That should be your focus."
She laughed again. "Nigga don't act like you concerned about my son when you the reason his daddy aint here." That one slid across the bar smooth. I cut my eyes at her.
"Ion know what the fuck you talking bout," I said through my teeth.
She scoffed. "Sure you don't." The bartender glanced between us then looked away quick. Smart. The bar felt tighter suddenly. Like the ceiling had dropped an inch. Like the air didn't circulate the way it was supposed to.
I stared at my glass instead of her face. "Look, Jade," I sighed, voice steady. "You continue with this shit, you might not make it to that trial. You know that. Name your price, man, and stop it with this bullshit and these games." I didn't threaten her directly. Didn't have to. She knew what came with my name.
She looked away first. Took another sip of her drink. Ice hit her teeth. "You broke my heart," she said finally.
I almost laughed and said something more hurtful, but I didn't. "You knew what this was."
"I thought I did."
"That's on you." She shook her head slow, like I was the one missing something.
"You don't feel nothing?" I didn't answer because the truth wasn't clean.
I felt something. But not longing or regret. Not the kind of feeling she wanted to pull out of me. Just recognition. It was Recognition that I'd caused damage, that my choices rippled further than I intended, and everything always cameback around, whether you believed in karma or not. "I feel responsibility," I said finally.
"For what?" she snapped.
"For my house. Fuckin wit you and damn near destroying my happy home." The words came out even. No emotion tied to them. Just truth. That was the only thing that mattered. Nia flashed through my mind then. Not in a romantic way. Just the image of her standing at the kitchen counter wiping it down like she was trying to scrub something invisible off it. The way she wiped in small circles. Over and over. The way she didn't look at me when I came in the room. That silence between us felt heavier than Jade sitting beside me.
