“Let me walk you home?” I asked.
She opened her eyes and looked up at me with a small smile.
“Goodnight, Fontaine.”
She pressed a kiss to my cheek, and I watched her, hands in my pockets, until she disappeared around the corner.
I was fucked.
My mind was all over the place between seeing Nairobi and what Parker had told me. There was no way I could go home. I drove straight to Cash and Jasmine’s condo. I never showed up to my friend’s spots unannounced, but this was an emergency.
“Did you know Nairobi was back?” I asked the moment he opened the door.
He looked up at the ceiling, shaking his head as he stepped aside to let me in.
“Yeah,” he said, walking over to the couch and muting the TV. “Jas told me.”
“The fuck? You couldn’t let me know?” I snapped.
I started pacing the living room, pulse racing. It felt like betrayal, even though I didn’t have the right to call it that.
“Nigga, take your fucking shoes off if you’re gonna do all that pacing,” he said, frowning.
I glared at him but did as he asked.
Cash moved over to the bar, pulled out a small box, and fished out a pre-roll. He sparked it and took a long pull before passing it to me.
“Jasmine said she didn’t want anyone knowing she was back. Especially your ass. I gave my word I wouldn’t meddle.”
I scoffed and snatched the blunt from him. “When has that ever stopped you?”
“Since I got a pregnant wife,” he said as he exhaled smoke through his nose. “So, I’m guessing Nai wasn’t happy seeing you with Presley.”
“Parker,” I corrected before taking a pull deep enough to burn my chest.
“Whatever. What happened?”
I sank into the couch as the weight of everything caught up with me. My whole body felt tense like it was bracing for something.
“They know each other,” I said, staring at the lit end of the blunt.
“Come again?”
I passed the blunt back to him. “She knew Parker’s name, bruh. I pulled Nai to the side to get some clarity, but she basically gave me her ass to kiss. So I left, and Parker told me that she was her handler. She also threw in that she knew about me and Nai’s situation.”
“Well shit,” Cash muttered.
Just then, the front door opened. Jasmine walked in andwrinkled her nose. “Ugh, Cash, I told you—if you’re gonna smoke, light the freaking incense.”
Cash shot me a look before quickly stubbing out the blunt. “My bad, baby. This nigga came over here on one, and I needed him to calm down.”
He crossed the room and wrapped her up, peppering her face with kisses like he hadn’t seen her in days.
“This nigga,” I muttered under my breath.
He gave me the finger without looking, lips still pressed to his wife’s neck.
“Money, go light some damn incense,” she laughed, smacking his chest.
