“Nice to meet you.”
“Same here,” I replied.
“I’d like to ask you a few questions about the shooting.”
“Okay, that’s fine.” I folded my arms, trying to look like a grieving wife, not a woman holding back a secret.
The dreadlock detective pulled out a notepad. “Where were you when the incident happened?”
“I was out with her.” I pointed over to Drayla. “We’d been out for a minute, just trying to get out of the house.”
“Okay. And do you know who did this? Was anyone there when you arrived?”
“Kyrie mentioned a name, but I couldn’t quite make it out,” I lied, my voice smooth as silk. “He was losing a lot of blood.”
White leaned in. “Do you know someone named Jamal?”
“Yeah, he’s on the team.”
“Do you know if he and Kyrie have any issues?”
I shook my head, keeping my face blank. “No. Is there a reason you’re asking me all this?”
Before he could dig deeper, the doctor emerged from the back, clipboard in hand. I felt my heart drop straight into my stomach. I stood up so fast, my coffee almost tipped.
“Mrs. Maddox?” the doctor asked, stopping in front of us.
“Yes, I’m here.” I held my breath, praying he wasn’t about to break me.
“The surgery went very well. Kyrie’s arm will be in a sling for a while, but he’s stable.” He checked his notes. “We’re keeping him overnight for monitoring.”
“Monitoring, why?”
“Just hospital protocol, nothing to worry about. We’ll have him out of here in a day or two.”
The air finally rushed back into my lungs. “Can I stay with him?”
“Of course.” He gave me a genuine smile this time and walked off.
I took a deep breath, finally feeling the tension leave my shoulders. He was okay. My man was actually okay.
“Alright, Mrs. Maddox,” the detective with the faded smile said, breaking my relief. He handed me a business card. “We’re gonna let you go be with your husband. But if you remember that name he mentioned, don’t be scared to call.”
“Thanks.” I took the card and tucked it deep into my purse without looking at it.
As soon as they cleared out, Drayla leaned in, her eyebrow arched halfway to her hairline. “You don’t think Jamal really did that, do you?”
“Girl, I don’t know.” I shrugged, keeping it low. “But Kyrie did tell me they got into it at practice.”
“Well, that ain’t shocking,” Drayla said, shaking her head. “Them niggas get into it all the time. Put ’em all on one field, and that ego starts doing the most.”
“I see that now.”
“Anyway, I’ma head out and let you be with your man. Call me if you need anything.”
“I will.” I stood and pulled her into a tight hug.
She’d come through when I needed her, but now, I just need to see Kyrie. We went our separate ways, and I headed toward his room. Ready to see my husband.
