On the heels of Mom’s exit, Nicole and two members of Baxtown Iron enter the room. Her eyes shift around the room until they land on me. My body stiffens momentarily because we haven’t had any interaction since the diner. I’m not sure if Nicole is a friend or foe, given the rocky status of our slight friendship. But before I can analyze it further, Nicole walks up and wraps her arms around me. I feel like I’m in a cocoon as Righteous’s heat penetrates my back.
“Thank you, Jariyah. You didn’t have to aid in my rescue, but I’m glad you did,” Nicole whispers before she squeezes and releases me, then walks away.
“Should I go talk to her? How is she doing? To be honest, I shot that man in the woods because his gun was aimed at you. I figured you and your club members had the guy holding Nicole,” I whisper.
“Nah. She’s good. Let me take care of you. I still feel you shaking,” Righteous says before he places a gentle kiss on the back of my head.
I don’t know if Nicole and I will figure out our friendship. But the memory of my actions tonight forces me to push that uncertainty to the back of my mind. The more pressing matters return like the boogeyman, and tremors fill my body. Damn. I shot someone and got disowned by my mother within an hour. What a night.
Two Weeks Later . . .
Only the open window in my room at the clubhouse saved Nox and Trouble from losing their lives after Jariyah’s great escape. I was ready to kill both of them with my bare hands until they begged me to replay the cameras in the clubhouse. Only then did I see Jariyah run to my room seconds after Nox left. My phone was on silent when I left the clubhouse toward the location where Knight and his crew held Nicole. So I didn’t see the back-to-back calls from both men until after the Mayor Owens ambush. But only my need to let Jariyah decompress from everything that had happened kept my anger in check. Two weeks later and I still can’t let go of the turmoil over Jariyah’s actions.
Jariyah:
Are you still giving me your ass to kiss?
A grunt emerges when I read Jariyah’s text, which I ignore because I need to have my head in the game without the distraction she’ll bring. Thanks to the mayor’s presence at the clubhouse after Nicole’s rescue mission, the club and I had to walk the straight and narrow. Heat fills my body like a volcano at the reminder of the state Jariyah was in that night. Jariyah shooting one of the Midnight Eagles’ men caused a chain of events. All the Midnight Eagles men who were there were killed.
Everyone but Knight, who made the mistake of not only being the ringleader of Nicole’s kidnapping but also the idiot whose gun rested on Nicole’s temple. Jariyah’s unexpected shot caused Knight to drop his weapon instead of killing my baby sister. Shadow shot him in both knees, making Knight no longer a threat.
“Who stops to read a text during a mission?” Shadow teases, which makes me shift my focus from my phone to him.
“A man with a rebellious woman.” I didn’t want to chance losing one of our prospects, so there are five men assigned to Jariyah’s hardheaded ass.
Unlike before, Jariyah is at my house instead of the clubhouse because she can’t escape there. I also had Boston bring over Loki and Shoogieboogie to assist Diva with added babysitting duties for Jariyah.
“Man, I saw the rebellion in cuz’s eyes, so I’m not sure why you won’t let her off the hook.” Deacon interjects with a laugh I don’t return.
“I think she should be let out of the iguana house simply because she shot that dude in the back of the head like an expertmarksman, or woman in this case.” Shadow smirks. His eyes are dreamy, and before I can stop myself, I punch him in the chest.
“Watch how you express yourself about my woman, nigga,” I grunt.
“Are you mothafuckas done or not? Either get this over with or?—”
Deacon and I must have the same thoughts as our hands move repetitiously into the reason for our current location. Knight still had to face the consequences of his actions which is why Deacon, Shadow, Diesel, Gunz, Smoke, and I are at our private property.
“Yeah, this is a narrative I can cosign. Look at the Redmonds putting in that work,” Gunz says in a proud tone.
“Make sure when you get to Hell that you let your brothers know that you worked hard for your entry, bitch ass nigga,” I grumble.
It pisses me off that I had to leave Diva behind and let my hands put in work, but completing this beatdown alongside Deacon gives me enough fuel to finish. My knuckles are swollen, blistered, and bloody, but it doesn’t stop me. Every time I recall Jariyah’s brokenness, I swing again. While I’ve had to handle Jariyah with kid gloves over the last fourteen days, this moment releases me to express myself. For every minute in the days that preceded the rescue of my baby sister, I hit Knight.
My animosity toward Knight has only increased as a result of Baxtown Iron trying to stay under the mayor’s radar for two weeks. Time slips away from me, but my adrenaline won’t let melet go of the push to keep hitting my target. Knight must take his beatdown for the old and new.
“Come on, cuz. He’s no longer breathing. You can let up now.” Deacon’s voice rings in my ears seconds before I feel his arms wrap around my body.
But I can’t stop, because a blend of Nicole’s and Jariyah’s pain blends in my mind. It takes Deacon and Smoke to pull me off Knight, and in that moment, I realize the water is slowly trickling down my face. Knight is unrecognizable and unmoving, yet the knowledge doesn’t slow my heart, which races like I’m in a five-mile race. My chest heaves up and down as I can’t slow my mind enough to gather myself. Diesel and Gunz step in front of me before I feel my brothers’ embrace, a tight one that strengthens me.
I’m on an emotional overload that I’ve never had before. But I have never been in love and never faced the knowledge of almost losing my sister. Love chokes me in two different capacities in this moment. Without knowing it, I could have lost Nicole and Jariyah on the same night, and that thought causes my body to sway. Deacon tightens his hold on me, and I’m grateful, as my knees nearly buckle from the weight of the thought.
“All bullshit aside, we got you, bro. But let’s make sure we redeem ourselves after these girly ass emotions you’ve got us feeling.” Shadow smirks before he turns toward Knight.
*Pow. Pow. Pow*
“One for the Father. Two for the Son. Three for continuing this Baxtown Iron run,” Shadow declares after he fires three times into Knight’s dead body.
“See, that right there is why it’s acceptable for you to get away with not having an animal.” Gunz smirks.
