Inez screwed her face up and folded her arms. “I can get money and don’t need yours. Whenever I do, you and Khaos get in your feelings and swear you’re rescuing me.”
I had to laugh to keep from losing my shit. This was my fault, and the only person I had to blame was me. I’d rather her ask me for money, knowing where it was going, than her be out there begging and fucking for it.
I was to blame.
It was a fucked-up logic, but it made sense to me.
“The fact that we care… this what you throwing in our face?”
Her arms still were folded, and she had this silly stupid ass grin fixed on her face. “I come around because of ya’ll… I cou?—”
“Disappear then, Nez. It would fucking save us all the heartache… you see what you do to Aunt Maxine? She’s fucking skinny because all she does is worry about you. She doesn’t sleepbecause I’m the first person she calls to go look for you when you don’t come home… do you fucking see that shit or do you only see your pain?” I roared.
Her bottom lip poked out and she looked away. “Fuck you, Goo. You want me gone… then I’m gone.”
Inez didn’t give a fuck about how shit was fucked with our family. Maxine was so fucking skinny, losing hair, and she never slept. The minute my mother told her that Nez wasn’t over her house, she was calling me and asking me to search for her. I usually found her, but it was the fucked-up visual that lingered well after I brought her home.
No nigga ever wanted to see his baby cousin that way. I was sick of going to hunt for her, only for her to be ungrateful and always pointing the blame at us. I left my mom’s crib and went home to shower and sleep.
Inez had me so frustrated that I drove all the way to Manhattan ranting to myself. You know how crazy I probably looked talking to myself, head moving and shit on a motorcycle. I didn’t even say shit when valet complimented my bike.
As I rode the elevator up to my floor, my phone chimed. I ignored it because I wasn’t in the mood. When it chimed for the second time, I snatched it out my pocket.
Kimber: Stranger?
Kimber: Goon, we can fuck and not be together. Stop acting like this.
I stared at her text message.
Fuck.
CHAPTER 22
ZOYA
Aspen,Colorado
Caselli Chalet
I was elbow deep in the dish water, washing dishes from dinner. We had a housekeeper that kept the chalet clean, and here I was washing dishes. I wasn’t used to just sitting still, and that was how the past few days had been here.
Once I arrived, I went into town and got some basic needs and clothes since I arrived with my briefcase and purse. Having to leave the city so quickly was overwhelming. Usually, I would have argued with everyone and told them I wasn’t scared or leaving. Once in a while, I had to learn to be quiet and allow those around me to protect me. Menace and Kora knew the ins and outs of everything, so if he felt the need to rush me out the city, with her behind me, then I needed to listen.
Kora was right behind me on Don’s jet and landed a few hours after I did. Menace had security get me from the jet and bring me to our family’s chalet. It had been years since I had been here, and it was on purpose.
My family always spent the holidays here. It was a special place, but it also hurt like hell when I thought about the memories. Thought of the laughs and fun we collected here. I made a promise to myself that I would rid myself of anything that reminded me of my parents.
Although the pain was still there, I ignored it and kept myself busy with my career. What good would it be to keep thinking about my dead parents? They weren’t here, so I had to move on.
I needed to move on.
Menace was the only one that came to Aspen, and we never could figure out why. Kora was usually down with whatever he wanted, but even she never came to visit. Menace would spend his birthdays here alone. Now that he had Stevie, they came back often.
“Ms. Caselli, you don’t have to do that,” the housekeeper, Vera, told me, as she tried to take over.
“I am fine, Vera. I need something to take my mind off everything. Actually, take a seat and relax… what can I get you to drink?” I asked her, and she looked unsure of if she should sit down.
Menace wasn’t hard on his staff. He had clear rules, and if you followed those, he treated you like gold.
