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“Know what?” J’No smirked. He was too high to process he was living his last few hours, possibly minutes. Or maybe he didn’t care. War wasn’t sure which applied but he didn’t fucking care either. “So what, I tracked that nigga. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, right? But you don’t have proof I shot him. So what now?”
Neece’s stomach sank. “You were here that night. When Merritt called, telling me he was about to make a run, you left right after.”
“Yeah and I came back, didn’t I? Remember, you sucked my dick as soon as I walked in the door.”
Neece felt sick to her stomach. If J’No killed Merritt that night, then laid in her bed…
She gasped for air as a sob consumed her but War had no sympathy.
“Get the fuck up.” He lifted his gun to J’No who angled his head to the side once more.
“So you can take me somewhere and put a bullet in my head, nah fuck that. I’m not making this shit easy for…”
War pulled the trigger. One clean shot ended J’No’s life. Neece screamed and scurried back until she landed against the wall and buried her face in her hands while she sat on the floor sobbing.
“Why you crying, Neece? Your bad decisions finally catching up with you and you’re afraid of what I’m gonna do about it?”
War lowered his chin and her eyes lifted to his, fear dancing in her brown irises. “I didn’t know.”
“I believe you did.” He lowered to his haunches in front of Neece and moved the barrel of his gun under her chin. She froze and blinked several times. War didn’t truly believe Neece played a role in Merritt losing his life beyond being stupid enough to sleep with the enemy but to be sure, he wanted Neece to plead her case. To settle any uncertainty he was feeling.
“I didn’t fucking know, Wardell. Do you really think that low of me?”
“Shouldn’t I?” He pressed the gun more firmly under her chin and she began trembling uncontrollably, with more tears and heavy breathing.
“N-no. You shouldn’t. I loved Merritt. He wasn’t shit but I still cared about him. Why would I want him dead? If you don’t believe I loved Merritt, then believe I love my son. He…de-deserves to have his father in his life. W-we…both did. I didn’t know,” she said harshly, then once more a lot softer. “I didn’t…” War had her chin lifted from the barrel of his gun so her eyes met his. He had the answers he needed, so he extended to his full height and stepped away. Neece slumped into a crying mess.
“Even if you didn’t plot with him to make that shit happen, you gave him access. I lost my cousin. JoJo will never know his father and that shit is on you. You did that shit, Neece, and you have to live with the reminder every time you look at your son. And when he’s old enough to ask questions, you better pray I don’t provide him answers. Truthful answers. He will fucking hate you as much as I do. As loud and heavy as my hate is going to be, JoJo’s will be a million times worse.” He paused and dug the invisible knife in deepest when he added, “From the time Merritt was fifteen years old, my mother raised him as her son. Kirsten loved him as her brother. JoJo will always be a part of their lives, accepted and loved. If you’re smart, they’ll never find out about your betrayal or I can’t promise you what either of them will do but I can promise you’ll wish you had kept your fucking mouth closed.”
With his final word, War walked away and began conversing with York on what needed to be done to handle what was left of the situation. They had to get rid of the body and any potential evidence so he could get back to the one thing in his life that made sense. Cali.
It was just after six in the morning when War pulled into the parking garage of Cali’s building. They had so many moving parts to deal with that it took hours to pull it all together.
First was getting J’No and the sofa out of Neece’s house. That required a box truck which he and York had to retrieve from War’s storage facilities. While Neece sat in the kitchen like a zombie out of her mind with grief, York and War loaded everything onto the truck.
With it only being the two of them, the task required hours of moving around but War didn’t trust bringing in another body to help and neither did York. By four in the morning, the vehicles used—J’No’s BMW and the Mercedes truck—were torched just outside city limits. J’No’s body was loaded into the trunk of his car. War and York stayed long enough to ensure there was no usable evidence before they parted ways and War made his way to the one woman who could give him peace in the midst of chaos.
Conner let him in and he stripped out of his clothes, already having showered and cleaned up at his apartment in the city so nothing prevented him from climbing in bed with Cali. He pulled her into his frame and the weight of the past few hours was heavy on his mind. She provided enough of a calm to help his mind settle. Killing J’No didn’t provide satisfaction. It wouldn’t bring Merritt back but the task was necessary for his closure. Now that the closure existed, War could move on with his life.
The next morning, Cali woke to the weight of a body partially covering hers. It was just after nine when she peeled her eyes open and realized she wasn’t alone. War kept his promise and returned, providing confirmation she desperately needed. He was there, he would be there.
While he slept, she managed to untangle her body from his and snuggled close so her face was inches away. The light breaths that escaped War in a steady rhythm had Cali inching closer to drag the pads of her fingers across his chest and down the bridge of his nose.
She smiled and inched closer, planting a trail of kisses over the freckles he hated but she loved. When he didn’t move or react, she assumed he was too tired and needed the rest, so she climbed out of bed, heading straight to the bathroom. She washed her face, brushed her teeth, then brushed her hair into a bun that she twisted into a tight ball on top of her head.
When she entered the living room, she found Conner already up, tucked into the corner of the sofa with her eyes glued to her phone.
“You happy?”
“Hmm?” Cali’s brows pinched as she padded into the kitchen and began removing a pod to load into the coffeemaker.
“I asked if you’re happy?” When Cali had a mug, she turned her attention to Conner who glanced at her briefly then went back to swiping her phone.
“That you’re here?” Cali placed the mug under the bottom of the coffee machine and yanked the top closed to begin her brew. “Some days yes and some days no. You could clean a little more.”
“I clean but there’s barely any room here so no matter what I do, it still looks messy.” Conner frowned at the pile of her things cluttered near the wall. “But that’s not what I meant. I was asking if you’re happy that he’s here.”
Cali attempted to suppress the smile that surfaced from thoughts of War and failed miserably.
