Page 155 of The Wright Man

"...Okay. Maybe I should put this tequila down," she muttered. "Because I know I just hallucinated."

I could hear the tequila being placed on a table, then silence.

"I kissed her, Tee," I said again, quieter this time. "She freaked out and she hasn't talked to me since."

I heard movement, followed by a long pause. No words. Just the sound of her processing, and maybe deciding which body part she was going to chop off first.

Then, "You goddamn dummy."

Flat. Dry. Annoyed.

Not the response I expected. Honestly, I would've taken yelling.

"Tina, it just—"

"If you fix your stupid little mouth to say 'it just happened,' I swear to God, I will fly across the ocean and punch you in the balls. I may do it anyway."

I sighed, long and heavy. "She told me about Maleeka."

More silence. Then, quietly...

"Shit."

Exactly.

"I don't know what to do," I admitted, hating how small I sounded.

"Of course you don't," she snapped. "Because you're a goddamn dummy."

"Cool, got it. I'm a dummy," I muttered, pacing again. "Now what the fuck do I do?"

"First? You give me a second."

"Tee—"

"I said give me a damn second. I'm calling in backup."

The line clicked, not disconnected, and I waited in the tense silence like a kid on hold with the principal's office. Hand at the back of my neck, pacing the living room, regret weighing on my chest like a weighted vest.

Then Bella's voice came through the phone like a clap of thunder.

"Jesus Jevonte Christ, Maleek."

The irritation in her voice was palpable. Not quite anger. Worse.

I winced. "Bells, I—"

"Aht, aht! Don't even start. You are going to explain what in the holy name of Beyoncé and Kelly Rowland possessed you to respond to my sister revealing her deepest, ugliest trauma by sucking her face off—"

"She kissed me—"

"MALEEK, I SWEAR TO GOD—"

"DON'T MAKE ME CUT YOU," Tina snarled over her.

I shut up. Good decision.

Bella took a breath and continued. "As I was saying... You are going to explain yourself. After we track down my sister."