I shook my head. “So, everybody around this muthafucka dropping the ball.”
“She’s your assistant, but you had her doing so much shit for you that the staff didn’t know what was what. Meanwhile, you were so busy with your dick down that greedy bitch’s throat that you missed all the signs. Then you had the nerve to flaunt your new woman in her face,” he scolded.
I lunged for him, but Nicholas jumped between this. “Chill, bro. This ain’t on either of us. It’s Darius. She’s been working with him the whole time. I’m pretty sure they were fucking around until he went down. Then he sicced her on you.”
“What the fuck?” I shouted, placing my hands on top of my head.
“They got one point three million in total. Some of it, we’ve been able to recover, but you know that’s beside the point. Even with her off the board, we have a bigger fish to fry,” Nicholas stated.
“It’s showtime,” Sawyer announced, pointing to the giant TV screen on the wall.
I watched helplessly as Puala strutted in the warehouse wearing a blonde wig. With all the money she had stolen, and that was the best disguise she could come up with. That was neither here nor there. She passed an envelope to one of the cashiers I recognized from that day in the cashier’s cage.
My face burned with anger. I wanted to reach through the screen and choke the fuck out of both of them and shake them until I rattled their brains like dice. Unfortunately, as soon as they made the exchange, a swarm of cops rushed into the room. Both the unnamed woman and Paula crumpled to their knees, screaming and holding their hands in the air as they were both gathered up and cuffed.
I had seen enough, so I turned and headed for the door. I promised Faith that I would hurry home. Although I was disappointed in how we handled Paula and her helper, at least I could make good on the promise to my lady.
“Leave Darius to me,” I said, turning to Nicholas before leaving the same way I’d come.
Once I was in my car, I pulled my phone out of my pocket. I scrolled through my contacts before landing on the number fifty-two. I pressed send, and there was a moment of silence before a deep baritone filled the quiet.
“Fifty-two.”
“Hey, I need a number twenty-two, family meal, delivered to Jonesbury Correctional Facility.”
“Say less,” he replied, ending the call.
By midnight, Darius would be with his creator, and I could rest easily knowing that he was finally out of the way. If you asked me, he lived way too long after the shit he pulled anyway. Like I’d said before, he wasn’tmyfucking cousin.
Thirty Days Later…
It took forever for me to feel like coming out of the house, but with a lot of persuasion from my sister and a little nudge from Reed, I was going out to a show with my sisters. It didn’t matter that we were going to Cashville. The only thing that mattered was I was getting out of the house.
Standing in the mirror, I checked my reflection for the third time. My sisters and I were wearing pink. I wished I could show Jada the beautiful dress Reed bought me to encourage me to get out. There was a grown and sexy R&B show at Cashville thatthe dress worked perfect for. If I didn’t think so, my sister’s encouragement sealed the deal.
“Stop looking at yourself in the mirror. You already know you look good. I’m sure that man tells you that every day,” Grace mentioned.
“And he does, hater.”
“I can’t lie. I wasn’t completely on board at first, but I have made a complete three-sixty. I’ll even go as far as to say I was wrong.”
“That’s big of you, short stuff,” Hope interjected as she entered the room. “I hope y’all are finally ready.”
“I am. I’ll just call Granny on my way out.”
“Don’t call that lady again. She already told you to stop worrying about Jada and go shake your ass.”
I howled. “She did say that.”
“Now get out of this mirror and let’s go. I’m not missing this show for you.”
I was grateful that Hope was driving, because I hadn’t even been behind the wheel in over a month. Nevertheless, the drive to Cashville was uneventful. Being so close to Reed made me feel more comfortable.
It had only been a few days since he went back to work, but it was still only for a few hours a day. Hopefully, me getting out of the house would show him that he didn’t have to be so vigilant about keeping an eye on me anymore, even if I didn’t believe that myself. Grace and I followed Hope’s lead to the designated ballroom.
“I can’t wait to see this show. I’m ready to dance,” she called over her shoulder.
To my surprise, there wasn’t a line. Either we were late like Grace feared, or everyone else was super early. As soon as Hope flung the doors open, I stopped in my tracks. The first person Isaw was my daughter standing at the end of the aisle in front of me. What the hell was she doing here?
