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“Around.” E clasped his hand and slid into the booth beside me, looking entirely too comfortable for somebody who'd just walked into a situation like this.

Darnell laughed. “Ain’t seen both you niggas together in forever.”

“Been a minute,” E said, leaning back against the booth while keeping his attention on Darnell.

The conversation lasted maybe another minute, but Darnell was paying closer attention now. E showing up had thrown him off, even if he didn’t know why yet.

I wasn’t about to drag the shit out.

I rested my forearms on the table and looked directly at him. “Terrance told us everything.”

Darnell went still.

That was all I needed.

E watched him from beside me. “You knew better, Nell.” His voice was calm, but there wasn't a damn thing friendly about the way he was looking at him.

Darnell’s jaw tightened as he looked between us. “Chi—” He started to lean forward, but I shook my head before he could finish.

“Nah.” I held his stare. “You knew.”

We didn’t need to remind him of the agreement or explain why we were pissed. Darnell knew exactly what he’d done.

I finished my drink and stood. “Come on.” I looked down at him, waiting for him to get up.

This time when Darnell looked at me, he knew we weren’t going somewhere else for another drink.

The warehouse sat damn near an hour outside Westhaven, surrounded by nothing but dark road and trees.

By the time we got there, Darnell knew what time it was.

He stood beneath the single light in the middle of the warehouse and looked between me and E. “I fucked up.” His voice was quieter than it had been at the bar, and for the first time that night, he looked like he understood just how badly he'd fucked himself.

“Yeah,” E said, standing a few feet away with his hands at his sides. “You did.”

“I can give the eighty back.” Darnell looked between us, searching our faces for some sign that the money might be enough to fix what he'd done.

E laughed under his breath. “You think this shit about eighty thousand dollars?” He shook his head, looking at Darnell like he couldn't believe the nigga was still missing the point.

Darnell didn’t answer.

“You could’ve called either one of us if you needed eighty,” E continued. “You know that. This ain’t about money.” He held Darnell's gaze, letting the words settle between them.

Darnell looked at me. “Chi, we go too far back for this.” His expression shifted, and I could see him reaching for the history we'd shared, like that was supposed to erase what he'd done.

I held his stare. “Exactly.”

That should’ve mattered before he crossed us.

There wasn’t anything else I needed to hear. No apology was going to change what he’d done, and no excuse was going to make me trust him again.

I pulled my gun.

Darnell’s eyes dropped to it. His entire body stiffened, and he looked back up at me. “Chi—”

The shot echoed through the warehouse.

After that, there wasn’t shit left to discuss.