Page 159 of 4 Corinthians

“Okay.”

“Don’t involve your grandparents,” he said and I reared back confused. “They asked us to protect y’all, and we tried, but they are older. They deserve to sit this one out. They’ve been through enough, seen enough, lost enough.”

“Okay,” I agreed. “I won't tell my grandparents.”

***

A few days later, I adjusted the band to my bra strap, then walked out of the bathroom. Uri had insisted on taking Judah and Deuce to school this morning, and I didn’t have to be at the shop for a few more hours. Having time to myself was welcomed. My mind was still racing at what Bradon had told us. The older generation knew each other, ran the streets together, and caused havoc before things went bad. Bradon didn’t have a lot of answers, but he had enough to make me realize that they’d pulled a lot of strings over the last few years to ensure we all met.

“Cori!” Uri called my name then the door opened. I quickly reached for my shirt but didn’t get to it before he walked into the room. Even though he’d seen the crest on my stomach, I still didn’t want him to see me without a shirt. I used my hand to cover it. Uri’s eyes dropped to my hand, then back up to my eyes. “Move your hand.”

“No,” I quickly said, shaking my head.

He rounded the bed, then stepped into my space. His large hand went to my wrist, and he gently pulled my hand away from my stomach. He sat on the bed, then pulled me close to him and rested his head on my stomach. “I’m sorry,” he said softly.

“It’s not your fault.”

“I should’ve killed him when I was younger, and this wouldn’t have happened.”

“And I wouldn’t have Judah.” That was the only bright spot in this entire situation. I got my son.

He lifted his head then kissed the brand. “Why didn’t you ever get it covered?” he asked. His fingers traced the burned lines that I’d memorized. I spent countless nights lying in the closet, rubbing the same pattern.

“I needed a reminder that I could never get comfortable,” I told him. “It reminded me to keep my distance, never to let my guard down, to not trust anyone.”

“The girl that was your friend, that set you up, what happened to her?”

“Don’t know,” I replied. “She disappeared that night, and I couldn’t find her. Trust me, I looked.”

“Did you have Cross look?”

“No,” I denied. “I didn’t want to drag my cousins into my mess.”

“Alright,” he said, nodding. “I’ll have Nine look for her. What’s her name?”

“Melissa Walters.” Uri’s face twisted. “What?”

“Nothing,” he said, shaking his head, then wiped his hand over his face. “I’ll have Nine look for her. When he finds her, I’ll let you know.”

“Uri, do you kill women?”

“Yes.” He looked up at me, his eyes focused and unrelenting. “For you and Judah, I’ll kill anyone.” He licked his lips. “Now tell me everything about that night again. Don’t leave out one detail.”

And I did, well, almost all of it. I didn’t tell him I remembered seeing his brother.

Four

“The names.” Trey handed me the folder as he sat next to me. I could see Cori from my spot across from her shop. I was trying to give her some space, not to crowd her. I could see that all this was starting to affect her more than she wanted to admit. Ever since the conversation with Uncle Bradon and then her telling me everything she could remember about the night she was assaulted, she’d been sleeping less, and when she did finally shut her eyes, she wasn’t resting. She moved constantly and some nights cried in her sleep. I hated that shit.

I looked down at the folder in my hand and nodded. “Thanks.”

“You sure about this, Four?” Trey asked. “I know she means a lot to you, but going against the names in that folder is going to cause a lot of problems.”

Chuckling, I shook my head. “Ain’t a name in this folder that is going to cause me to lose sleep. They touched my woman; for that, they have to die.”

“You sure?”

I looked over at my brother and lifted my brow. “Why wouldn’t I be?” I asked him. Trey licked his lips, then looked away. “Nah, say what you gotta say, Trey. Why the fuck would I care about a name in this folder?” I held it up. “Huh?”