Silence greeted me, and my forehead creased as I pulled the device away from my ear to look at the screen. A blocked number flashed across it.
“Hello?” I said again, more cautiously.
A dry laugh crackled through the speaker. “You finally got tired of sleeping on the floor? I was wondering how long it was gon’ take you.”
Every muscle in my body coiled instantly, and Booda sat forward, staring directly at me.
“What’s wrong?”
I held up a finger, telling him to hold on. “Who is this?”
“Damn,” the man said, sounding slightly disappointed. “Memory still fucked up that bad?”
Something about his voice scratched at the back of my mind unpleasantly, and my grip tightened around the phone.
“Who the fuck is this?” I repeated.
Booda had gone completely still across the room now, his attention locked on my face, observing every expression change.
“You don’t remember me yet?” the man asked mockingly.
“No, but you can stop playing games and just tell me who you are.”
“Damn. That’s cold. I know I hit yo’ ass hard, but I ain’t think I knocked myself clean out yo’ memory.”
A sick feeling rolled through my stomach, and pressure started building behind my eyes.
Booda said my name from somewhere across the room, but it sounded far away, and I couldn’t answer.
Instead, I pressed two fingers hard against my temple and breathed through my nose as pain tore through my skull and memories of the day I woke up in the hospital started rushing back.
“Anyway, this Richie Rich. You still there?” the man asked after some time had passed, pulling me back to the present moment.
I slowly lowered my hand from my temple and straightened my spine. “What the fuck do you want?”
Rich laughed, and hearing it made my skin crawl.
“I wanted to hear your voice,” he admitted. “I missed fucking with you.”
“Fuck you.”
“That ain’t nice.” His tone stayed light, amused. “Especially after I took the time to call and congratulate you on the new place.”
My eyes drifted toward the bedroom doorway.
“How did you know where I live, and how the hell did you get my number?”
“I know everything. I’m the new king of this city. I run shit.”
“You don’t run a damn thing but yo’ ugly ass mouth.”
“I see I have to show you.” He paused for a second before adding, “Putting bitches in they place is what I do.”
Booda’s expression shifted to stone as he stared at me.
“Put him on speaker,” he demanded, but I ignored him, my attention locked on the call.
Rich chuckled softly under his breath. “I ain’t gon’ lie though. Seeing you finally getting comfortable surprised me.”
