Cisco blinks at that. I take a step forward, bat lifted, and he gets the picture. He stumbles backwards, falls into a bush, and has to scramble his way back to his feet, brushing twigs and leaves off of his shoulders.
His face flushes. He’s humiliated now, and he gets in my face. “Always have to get in the middle of things, don’t you?—”
He’s within swinging distance. I could hit him. I could crack him across his smug face. But before I can act, Phantom swiftly puts his body between us.
“Walk away,” he says. And that’s it—no threats. No weapon in hand. Just his low, steely command. There’s a quiet, dark energy around him, and Cisco seems to respond to it, finally backing away.
“You’re crazy!” he mutters. “You, your fucking sister…all of you!”
But he retreats now, stumbling down the pathway and out the gate. He walks backwards, keeping his eyes on Phantom and me in case we make a move towards him, and continues grumbling, mumbling to himself as he leaves.
The second he’s out of sight, I drop the bat. I rush to the door. “Aleena. He’s gone. It’s me.”
The door swings open. Aleena’s face is wet with tears, and she sobs with relief. “I’m sorry…I’m so sorry, I didn’t know who to call…”
I feel Phantom beside me. “Did he hurt you?” he asks. His eyes scan her, looking for signs of damage.
“No, thank god. He never made it inside.” She wipes her hand over her eyes, shaking.
“Are the kids here?”
“They’re in their rooms…”
“May I?” Phantom asks.
Aleena nods, and Phantom moves inside, going to check on the kids. I wrap my arms around Aleena and just hold her tight. “You’re safe,” I whisper to her. “I promise.”
I linger, comforting Aleena. Moments later, Phantom comes back downstairs. “Kids are okay,” he announces. “Squeaky slept through the whole thing.”
“Casper!” Through the open door, I see Phantom’s partner in the ambulance. She waves him over. “We’ve gotta go!”
His eyebrows knit. He reaches into his pocket, pulls out a set of keys, and hands them over to me. “Call the cops,” he says. “File a report. Then go to the club. You can all stay there. I don’t want them here in case he decides to come back around tonight.”
I stare at the keys, dumbfounded. Phantom? Mixing his club world with his real world? Unheard of. “Are you sure?”
“Tell Princess when you’re on your way.” He’s on the move, but he takes an extra second to put his hand on Aleena’s shoulder. “You’re going to be okay,” he tells her.
Aleena’s eyes go wet again. “Thank you…”
Once last glance at me. “You have everything you need?”Always checking in on me…
I nod, resolute. “Yeah…we’ve got it from here.”
Phantom gives a curt dip of his head, and like that, he’s out. He leaves the house, jumps back into the ambulance, and they’re off.
“This is the library,” Princess says, giving the grand tour of the Harlem brownstone in her slippers and a pink pajama set. “Wehave books, games…help yourself. The kitchen is right ahead; make yourself at home. Food, drinks, whatever you need.”
“This place is really nice,” Aleena comments. She sounds like she’s in a daze, and she probably is—the panic from earlier has melted into a soft, cozy shock. But at least she’s calming down now. She’s carrying Squeaky, who sleeps soundly on her shoulder.
“There’s a bathroom to your left, and—don’t go up there!”Kira has one foot on the staircase, her little hand on the banister. Princess blushes when she realizes she raised her voice. “I mean…it’s…being renovated. Stay downstairs. Please. Safety.”
Slowly, Kira retracts her foot, returning back to the ground floor.
Princess clears her throat awkwardly. She unlocks a door, opening it. There’s a staircase leading down. “Phantom said you can stay in his room. He’ll take the upstairs bedroom when he gets home. It’s down this way.”
Princess motions inside, and my sister, the two kids, and I descend.
Phantom’s room. In all the time I’ve known him, it hits me that I’ve never actually been inside his bedroom. There are two giant bedrooms on the third floor that people fuck in. I guess I’d justassumedhe’d slept in one of those, but now that I think about it—yeah. I probably wouldn’t want to sleep where people had been rutting like animals before, either.
