A dull ache throbbed at the base of my skull. I pressed my fingertips to my temples and willed the tension to loosen.
Kenya let out a bitter laugh as she fought to keep her composure. “Well, it must be real bad if you’re calling me ‘Mama.’” She moved to the fridge, grabbed the half-empty bottle of wine, and poured herself a glass. “Sterling was many things, but reckless with money? I just can’t believe it.”
“You think I want this to be true?”
She took a long sip and leaned back against the counter. “It’s not like he was out buying boats or taking us on lavish vacations. We lived comfortably, yes. But not extravagantly. Where’d it all go?”
I hesitated. There was no way I could tell her about the kind of people Sterling owed—people who weren’t gracious enough to send overdue notices but showed up in the middle of the night to collect. Even if that meant taking your life.
“He was playing high roller games. Games that cost more than the house is worth. Now I’m tryna fix it before—” I stopped myself.
Someone gets killed.
Kenya’s shoulders sagged as she took another sip of wine. “Iwish he’d told me but knowing him his pride wouldn’t let him. He probably thought he was protecting me.”
And what about me?I wanted to ask.
Silence settled between us again, broken only by the hum of the refrigerator. I watched my mother as she stared into her wine, lost in thought, and tried to ignore the unease building in my chest. The Order had given me thirty-six hours. I was nearing twenty-four and still no closer to finding myself out of this hole.
“I just need another week,” I said. “I can cover your bills for the next few months. But I’m going to get that money back.”
Kenya scanned my face, and I could see her looking at me as a mother—maybe seeing her child for the first time. “Just be careful. I know your father trained you for this life, but I still worry about you Nai.”
I swallowed against the tightness in my chest. “I’ll be fine,” I said, forcing a steadiness in my voice that I didn’t really believe.
She nodded, but her eyes didn’t leave mine. There was nothing left to say. Just two women standing in a kitchen trying to hold onto the piece of a life that a man who was supposed to protect them shattered.
Fontaine’s truck was parked in my spot when I pulled into the parking garage. Smoke curled from the blunt between his fingers, his eyes tracking me as my headlights washed over him. I parked in the visitor space across from him and barely had my bag in hand before he was out of his truck.
“Why’d you turn off the trackers?” he asked, stepping intomy space.
I shrugged and made for the elevator. He caught my arm before I could press the button.
“What’s up with you?” he demanded, not hiding the concern in his voice. “You’ve been ignoring my calls and texts. Now you’re shutting down on me again? I thought we were past this, Kitten.”
I didn’t answer, but I let him pull me into his chest while we waited for the elevator.
“I just…I don’t want to think right now,” I said softly. “It’s too much, and I haven’t figured a way out of this. I just want to forget for a little while.”
He sighed and squeezed me a little tighter before slipping his hand into mine once the elevator stopped on my floor. Silently we walked to my door and he opened it with his copy.
“Go take a shower,” he ordered, slapping my ass lightly.
When I came back, dressed in a sports bra and leggings, he was already shirtless in gray sweatpants, scrolling through streaming apps.
My eyes lingered on him. The man was truly one of God’s favorites in the looks department—his muscular frame, his chest inked up in black and gray. I knew every piece by heart. The compass on his ribs, Gunnar and Drea’s name scripted on his collarbone. And the newest one I’d noticed the first time we slept together since I’d been back—a black kitten, curled up like it was sleeping.
“You gonna keep staring at me like a creep or come over here?” he asked without looking up.
I crossed the room and settled onto his lap, my fingers finding the tattoo before I could stop myself.
“When did you get this?” I asked.
He glanced down at my hand, then back at the TV. “A while ago.”
This man had permanently etched me into his skin, and somehow it made him sexier to me.
“Bear…” I straddled him, cupping his face.
