Page 17 of And It’s Still You

“What the hell? Is everyone okay?”

“From what I know, they are. I’m ’bout to go check it out now.” I paused and carefully thought of my next words. The last thing I wanted to do was scare her, but I needed reassurance. “Moya?”

“Yes, Shea. I still have my gun, and my house is secure, thanks to you. If I suspect anything, I’ll call you.”

That made me smile. She knew me so well.

“A’ight. You mind if I slide through later to check everything out? I know you got it, but I need a peace of mind as well.”

“That’s fine, Shea. We probably won’t get home until late, so I’ll let you know when we get there.”

“Sounds good. Tell Ocean I love him.”

“I will. Be safe, okay?”

“Always.”

We ended the call, and I scrubbed my hand down my face. Whatever was happening needed to be fixed ASAP. I went legit for a reason, and I didn’t need anything messing it up.

5

MOYA COLLIER

Ocean was heavy as hell, but I carried him inside the house and to his bed. My baby was exhausted from the long day. He’d been celebrated in the best way, and I was grateful that everyone took the time out to rally around him.

I hated that Shea wasn’t there. I could tell it bothered Ocean as well. He kept asking me if Shea was okay and if he was coming. I had to call him a good three or four times to ease Ocean’s mind. Even then, I knew he wouldn’t be content until he laid eyes on his father.

Once I had Ocean situated, I dragged my feet back to my room and undressed. All I desired to do was shower and get deep into my bed. I’d been on go all day. My feet and back were aching. My head was slightly hurting. Sleep was the only remedy for me.

I set out everything I needed before getting in the shower. Mid wash, I heard something that made my heart skip a few beats. I stopped and closely listened but didn’t hear anything else, so I continued with my shower.

Then there it was again.

An eerie feeling crept over me, and my gut screamed for me to get to Ocean. I didn’t even bother rinsing off. I turned the shower off and put my robe on. My first instinct was to go straight to Ocean’s room, but I knew better. Shea didn’t train me like that. I never thought I’d need to put my skills to use, but to protect myself and my son, I would.

I retrieved one of my guns from underneath my bed and made sure it was fully loaded. After confirming that one was in the chamber, I expelled and whispered a silent prayer as I turned off all my lights.

There it was again.

The noise was coming from my back door which was closest to Ocean’s room. If I had to guess, I had about two minutes to get to him and safely place him in the hidden room. Since I wasn’t sure if anyone was in the house, I tiptoed down the hallway in complete darkness. One thing Shea taught me was to know my house inside and out, to know how many steps it was to get to Ocean’s room, to know how many steps each wall was from one another, to simply know.

From my room to Ocean’s, it was approximately fifty-three steps.

From the back door to Ocean’s room, it was approximately forty-seven steps.

That was a six-step difference. I could only hope I had a head start.

Loud whispers made the hairs on the back of my neck rise. I focused on controlling my breathing and remaining quiet. If I freaked out, everything would go wrong. I’d lose control, and I needed to have the lead in the situation. They were in my house, not the other way around.

Finally.

I made it to Ocean’s room and carefully opened the door. Once I was safely inside, I kept my gun in one hand while gently shaking Ocean up with the other. He stirred awake, and I placed my finger against my lips before waving for him to follow me. Without any questions, he got out the bed. I pointed toward his closet that led to the hidden room. Even in the darkness, I could see his eyes expand and fill with water. There was no time for me to coddle him. They were getting closer.

“Come with me, please,” he whispered, and it broke my heart hearing him so scared.

“I can’t, Ocean. I must protect us. When you get in there, you know what to do, okay? We’ve been over this many times, only it’s not a drill right now. This is serious, so I need you to be strong and execute what we’ve taught you. Okay?”

Ocean wiped his eyes, held his chest up, and nodded. I quickly hugged and kissed him. Once I heard the click indicating he was safely inside, I counted down from five and moved.