Page 220

Yonas froze as his attention moved from the television to his phone and back again.

“How the fuck…”

I smiled.

Yeah. How the fuck?

He slowly reached for the remote and pressed the power button.

Nothing.

My picture stayed right there.

He pressed it again.

Still nothing.

Then the volume rose, and a deep, distorted laugh filled the room.

Yonas snatched his phone off the bed. “Yoooooo’! What the fuck?!”

He got up, walked to the TV, and unplugged it. The screen finally went black, and I watched relief move across his face.

When he turned around. I made the TV come right back on.

My picture appeared again.

“Aaaaaaaah!”

I fucking lost it.

Yonas snatched the loose plug off the floor and held it up like evidence in court.

“It ain’t even plugged in!”

I nodded.

Now you catching on.

He backed away from the television, and I made the bedroom door slowly swing open.

“Lakelyn?” He grabbed his phone, stepped into the hallway, and called out to her again. “Lakelyn?”

I stayed out of sight while he checked both directions.

When Yonas didn’t see anyone, he rushed back into the bedroom, closed the door, locked it, and climbed into bed with his phone clutched in his hand. Then he pulled the covers all the way up to his chest.

The nigga had apparently lost every bit of interest in his earlier activity.

Good.

Yonas fought sleep for a while. Every time the air conditioner clicked on, his eyes opened. Every time a branch brushed against the window, he checked the curtains. At one point, he even turned the bedside lamp on and left it there like a little fucking nightlight.

I shook my head.

Now you wanna be cautious.

Eventually, though, he fell asleep.