The weight of the world was on my shoulders. No man could fathom the storm that was brewing inside me.
“I don’t know what the fuck to think! You keep making these fucking declarations, but when you see her, I don’t feel none of that. You need to take the time and figure out what it is you really want. And I can’t be around you while you do that.” She tried to sulk away, her shoulders slumped and eyes more somber than I had ever seen. She snatched right away from me when I reached for her, and that shit felt personal.
“Excuse me, is your name Harbor?” Some random woman walked up on her as she neared the car waiting for her.
Flooded with tears that hadn’t fallen, she blinked and sniffled them back while squinting at the stranger before her.
“Why are you asking me that?” she queried, disturbed.
The woman gripped her phone and brought it up for her to see. Harbor’s expression of curiosity went to bewilderment.
“This girl in the picture looks just like you,” she declared.
I took a few strides over to them and snatched the device out of her hand. Scrolling her screen, I could see the headline, and the article with Harbor’s face plastered over it. My heart jumped into my fucking throat.What the fuck was going on?I gave the woman her phone back and could barely focus on Harbor in front of me.
“The fuck is this, Harbor?” It was my turn to get buck around this mothafucka.
The events from tonight were all piling up, and I was fucked up in more ways than one. I paced the sidewalk, bringing my eyes up and searching the rooftops. I didn’t like lingering anywhere, and right now, a nigga was feeling like a target.
“How the fuck did they even get this?” I hissed, seeing the headline on repeat.
We were near the car that D was driving, and since there wasn’t another soul around to take it out on, I ran with it on her.She cringed, backing into the car with her arms up in defense. This was the first time that she acted as if a nigga would hurt her, and that shit was like a punch to the gut.
“Maybe your other baby mama had something to do with it.” Daggers pierced me from her outraged orbs.
She didn’t back down. Instead, she brought herself steady on her feet while D lingered nearby like he was ready to pop off on me if necessary.Ain’t that a bitch?She had somehow captured the heart of one of my most-loyal soldiers as well. I knew he admired her, but D was also my minion, and he would never turn on me. He stood on her side for a reason, and all a nigga could do was respect it. Suddenly, a news van pulled up, and the reporter and cameraman hopped out like two eager fucking beavers. Fucking hounds. Like sharks in the water that smelled blood, they came right over to us.
“Harbor Lawson?” the blue-eyed brunette asked.
The lights from the camera flickered off her enraged glare.
“What?”
“Donna True with theVirginia Times. Is it true that you faked your own kidnapping?” she asked, sticking her mic in Harbor’s face as D pulled the back door to his Charger open. “Sources tell us that you’ve actually been living with the man that abducted you. How founded is that statement?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, and I have no comment.” She ducked into the car, and D shut the door behind her.
The finality wasn’t in the words that she had spoken, but in the way that they had come across. Something had shattered inside of her, and for the first time, I didn’t have a clue how to put it together. I was conflicted, and rightfully so. Another man in my position might have folded by now. I was doing the best that I fucking could given the circumstances; at least I thought I was. Standing there on the curb, I remained stuck as I watchedDeviance wheel the car from the curb and speed off down the street. I brought both hands to my head, stressed to the fucking max. Before the reporter could turn on me, I spun around to go get valet to get my ride. I had to get the fuck out of here. Damage control was needed.
Arriving home, Celine was on a nigga’s head as soon as I burst through the door. I released a sigh so heavy it was like I was draining a fucking balloon. Shaking my head, I closed the door behind her and stomped past her toward the staircase.
“Celine, I’m handling it.” I already had an idea about what she could want to lay into me about.
“Are you?” She lifted both brows. “Harbor just burst in here like her world had ended. She couldn’t stop crying. I saw the news. What are you going to do?”
“I can’t do shit standing here and talking to you!” I belted, startling her.
The emptiness in her stare sent a slight pinch to my chest. I didn’t mean it. “I’m sorry. Is she upstairs?”
“Yes. Packing. She said she’s leaving,” Celine concluded. “You better fix this.” The warning in her tone wasn’t approving as she padded down the hall to the kitchen.
I started up the stairs, and before I got to my bedroom door, I could hear things being opened and closed and clothes being tossed around while Harbor sniffled away the tears. Closing my eyes, I shook my head slowly while my shoulders dragged. My chest had caved, leaving me feeling like every breath I took was an extreme effort.
“Where are you going?” I asked.
“To a hotel for now until I find a place,” she answered, not looking up as she stuffed her suitcase full of clothes.
“You can’t just take my kids.” I argued, stepping further into the room.
