Saint came back in, dragging the saw behind him and, clearly, had caught some of the conversation. “That’s your problem,” he said, setting the table saw in the middle of the room next to a folding chair one of them must have been sitting in. “It doesn’t matter that you didn’t want to be in this situation. You in it now. I get why you don’t want this shit. But you should’ve worn a condom. Now, there is no use in being angry like you can change the situation. The baby isn’t going to evaporate because you’re mad.”
I cut my eyes at him. “That ain’t what we here to discuss.” Then I nodded toward one of the men. “Grab one of them and untie his wrists.”
All three of them started breathing hard, trying to talk through the tape, twisting against the ropes, feet scraping the floor. Saint walked over to the one in the middle and yanked him up.
“Don’t try nothing stupid,” Saint threatened as he dragged him across the room.
The other two watched in full panic while Saint sat him down in a chair next to the table saw. He untied his wrists, then tied one wrist down to the arm of the chair, then grabbed the other arm, forced it flat against the table, and held it there.
The man started bucking immediately. His eyes kept darting from me to the table saw.
I stepped up to the table, saying, “You had to know that nothing good would come from you trying to take from us.”
Had these dudes been some young niggas, I probably would have had some sympathy for them. But they were old enough tohave gotten a job or a hustle, not steal from those that took the time to build their wealth.
I cut off his muffled pleas by firing the saw up. The sound alone made all three of them lose their minds. The two still against the wall started trying to break free with such force that the ropes pulled tighter around their arms and ankles. Saint, on the other hand, looked like Christmas had come early. His eyes stayed locked on the man’s arm while he held it down with both hands.
The man at the table was screaming through the tape.
“How dare you try to steal from us,” I barked over the noise. “Who the fuck raised you to think you could play with what’s ours?” Then I grabbed the man's arm.
His eyes went wide, pleading, but I didn't give a fuck. I pushed his elbow right into the path. The teeth of the saw bit into the skin first, tearing through with a wet, grinding rip that sprayed blood in a hot arc across my shirt and the concrete floor.
Big A frowned with disgust and looked away for a second.
Flesh parted like wet paper. Muscles snapped against the blade that chewed deeper, hitting bone with a high-pitched whine. The bone cracked and splintered. Shards flew out in a bloody mist. The saw vibrated hard under my grip as I forced it through, severing the arm clean at the joint. The stump gushed and arterial spray pulsed in rhythm with his heartbeat. Dark blood spooled around the severed limb that flopped off the table with a meaty thud.
His muffled scream ripped through the basement and bounced off the brick so loud it damn near sounded like there were five of him in the room instead of one. Saint held him steady while he thrashed and convulsed.
Big A cursed under his breath and stepped farther off with disgust all over his face. The other two men were damn nearhyperventilating, eyes bugged out, bodies jerking against the wall.
12
AVA REYNOLDS
“So, this is the primary bedroom,” the rental agent said as she pushed the door open wider. “You could fit a king-size bed in here easily, and the bathroom is attached.”
I stepped inside and looked around while she kept giving me the details. I loved the big windows and soft beige walls. I appreciated the brand new carpet. The en-suite bathroom had a soaking tub, double sinks, and one of those glass showers that made the bathroom look expensive. The whole condo had that quiet suburban feel I needed right then. No stalking sister and brother-in-law. No men posted in the den. No family always in and out of my business. No Reek popping up whenever he felt like it.
Just peace.
And the farther I had driven from Saint and Zahra’s house, on my way to the showing, the more I had felt myself start breathing differently. Their house was beautiful. It was huge, warm, and full of love. But every mile I got away from it, I felt less trapped, watched, and dependent. By the time I had pulled into this complex, I already knew moving out ASAP wasn’t just something I wanted; it was critical for my peace and sanity.Every time I looked at the people around me, I felt more out of place. Saint made it look like being good to his wife came as easy as breathing. Icon and Livia moved like a unit without even trying. Legend and Aria had a whole basketball team of kids and somehow were still in their honeymoon phase. I could have imagined how polar opposite Big A and Sincere’s reactions would have been to Tempo or Rhythm being pregnant. Even when everybody was tired or irritated, there was still this sense of love between them that made what I had going on look so toxic. It was embarrassing, especially after I was dumb enough to sleep with Reek again.
After that conversation in the parking lot, it was obvious he had feelings for me. But Reek would rather wrestle a grizzly bear than address anything in himself like a grown man. He’d rather act cold, angry, possessive, and confused than get some damn therapy and deal with why he was the way he was.
And I was done letting his immaturity and stubbornness ruin my experience of having my first child. I couldn’t keep confusing lust and old chemistry with Reek finally opening his heart to me. Especially not while he still talked down about our baby and still found ways to speak to me like I had trapped him. I was disgusted with myself for even letting him back in after that.
“This closet has built-ins,” the agent said as she slid the door open. “And there’s extra storage right off the hallway too.”
I was smiling from ear to ear, because this condo was exactly the kind of place I had been picturing in my head.
The rental agent led me back into the hallway. “And this would be the second bedroom. A nursery would fit really well in here.”
That made me pause. The second bedroom was smaller, but bright with enough space for a crib, dresser, chair in the corner, and maybe some floating shelves. The window looked out over the parking lot and a little patch of trees beyond it.
My hand moved to my stomach without me thinking.
Anursery.
