Inari’s hand trembled holding the photo of her auntie’s boyfriend. Right after her parent’s died, Chantel moved in to take care of them. She was a drunk and did drugs, using Inari and Ayla to get a check. At the time, Inari hadn’t even told her she was pregnant. When Leron started sniffing around her little sister, it caused a huge divide in the house.
It got to the point that Chantel was going to kick her out of her own home. The night Inari came home and found Leron on the ground in a pool of his own blood, and her baby sister black and blue, she wanted to kill Chantel too. Instead, that bitch ran off, and they hadn’t seen or heard from her since. When Ayla woke up, she didn’t remember anything. Inari had concerns, so she called a hotline and lied about who she was to find out information on traumatic events.
The doctor she spoke with told her it was very likely that someone could block out certain thing as if they never happened. There was no telling how long it would suppress itself or if it would ever return. A big part of her was grateful for it. She hated that Ayla had to carry that. Once she locked up, Inari returned to her bedroom and closed the door behind her. With her back against it, she brought her head to the ceiling and took a breath. When her cell phone went off, she went to check it. Danilo.
“Hello.” Inari picked up.
“You ready to work?” he asked.
Gazing down at the image in front of her, Inari’s eyes filled to the brim with tears. Not because she was sad or scared, but because she was pissed the fuck off!
“Is that what this little note is for?” she quipped.
“Just thought you should remember who’s been there for you when you needed it.”
“You don’t need me, Danilo.”
“I actually fucking do, and I hate that shit, but it is what it is.”
“I guess it is,” she muttered.
“Oh, and drop that nigga you fucking with. We’re working on this family shit all around.”
“You have lost your fucking mind.”
“Drop him or an anonymous tip gets dropped and your little sister becomes a prime suspect. You said that bitch Tulla is back in town. I bet she would love to get her hands on this information after all these years. Ain’t no statute of limitations on murder, remember?” Danilo reminded her arrogantly before hanging up in her face.
In that moment, Inari knew she had no choice. She texted Moose to let him know she couldn’t see him that night or ever again, then she blocked his number and prayed he got the message and didn’t show up at her house. She had two things in life she’d go to war over, her son, and her sister. Right now, protecting them both came with some serious sacrifices.
