“Stop calling me that.”
I leaned on my door and put my head back. “Take yo ass back inside now… I’m not fucking asking.”
“Demands are usually held for relationships.”
“Zoya, take yo confused ass back in the house… I’m tired and not doing this shit with you.”
She stared at me, then turned and slammed the door. I stayed leaned on my door for a minute, before I let myself into my spot and went to shower and sleep before my alarm woke me up at the ass crack of dawn.
I had stopped smoking a few months ago, and she had me ready to roll up because she had my fucking emotions all over the damn place.
CHAPTER 20
ZOYA
Recommendation: Listen to First by KenTheMan
Gettingup this morning after being put through a mattress was the hardest thing. I’ve never had dick that had me considering calling out of work when today was closing statements. I’m not going to lie and say that when I left out the door this morning, I didn’t want to knock on his door.
Last night, I didn’t want him to leave me. I know what I asked for, but what I wanted was the opposite. Lying next to him was like a cure for something I never knew I had. He kissed my forehead every so often when I moved in my sleep.
His muscular arm served as a pillow behind me as I cuddled up closer to him. Then my dumb ass had the nerve to ask him for no strings attached.
Honestly, I thought he was going to call my bluff and tell me to stop playing with him. When he agreed, then nailed me to the cross the way he did, I was fucking mad. How dare you give me good dick like that and then leave.
I ran behind him to make sure he wasn’t giving anyone else what he had given me. In his eyes, I could tell that he was tired.
Not from doing what needed to be done, but from me. He was tired of the games and still hurt from what happened in Ashbourne. I gave him no explanation and figured it could be swept under the rug.
I’d like to think that most things could be swept under the rug. That was how I had been raised. Things just happened and no one ever gave any explanation as to why it happened. It took years before my brother decided to tell us why he killed Don’s best friend and damn near killed my ex-boyfriend.
If there was one thing that Menace taught us, it was that life moved on and he did whatever he wanted because he could. So, naturally, I adapted that same attitude toward him and others.
I fucked with Sigel because I could. He couldn’t tell me what to do, and although he could kill Sigel, it was a risk I was willing to take.
With Goo, I didn’t explain about leaving because he was gonna think I was stupid. The man told me he wanted to make us parents, proceeded to release inside me, and told me he loved me and here my goofy ass was still unsure.
I had other pressing issues this morning, as I made my way through the metal detectors and saw my sister ahead of me. Kora was hardheaded and came through the regular entrance at times. I watched as she flashed her badge, walking right on through without emptying anything out of her bag.
Kora was 5’4 and always wore the highest heels she could find. I watched as her Jimmy Choo heels sounded against the marble floors. She flipped her freshly pressed hair and looked over her shoulders.
She touched her chin, her way of discreetly saying hi, and to wish me luck today. I returned the gesture by touching my eyebrow and continuing in the opposite direction. She noddedwhile she continued down the other hallway, with security behind her.
Menace had a plan, and we were all supposed to follow it. We both knew we would end up on the same cases, and to avoid anyone ever finding out that Kora Case was an actual Caselli, we made up signals for one another. It didn’t matter how little Kora was, she was a force to be reckoned with behind that bench.
As the youngest federal judge, people learned not to fuck with her. She had this innocent baby doll look on her face, but she was ruthless and could ruin your life with just a bang of a gavel.
Or a gun.
The biggest flex that the Caselli women had was that we had Menace and Landon Caselli coming behind us, and they would blow a hole in anything with just one word.
Stevie didn’t understand, or maybe she did, how powerful her words were when it came to Menace.
Same applied with Navy.
My client, Kofi Maze, was on trial for murdering an FBI agent. Kofi Maze was a billionaire, and philanthropist. He was loud with his support against police brutality. He wasn’t just some stupid man with loads of money to blow.
Kofi was going to run for governor once Governor Johnson announced his run for president. He also spoke loudly about the egg farming scandal and how many people were involved.
