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Walking further inside, I heard the door close behind me. I turned to see Chance checking me out.

Yeah, get a good look, nigga, because you won't be touching me anytime soon.

“You know, I could call the police on you, or I could kidnap you for entering my property all wild and crazy,” he called out behind me. I simply kept walking into the room, searching for any sign that he had a woman.

“I know you hear me talking to you, Trouble.”

I turned to him. “Trouble? Why do you keep calling me that? What happened to you calling me ‘sweetness’?” I used air quotes around the word trouble.

He rubbed his beard, nodding to himself. “I’m sure they both fit.”

I wasn’t quite sure what he meant by that, so I simply looked at him for a moment, studying him. There was something off about him. He still looked the same, maybe even more rugged and better-looking than I remembered, if that was even possible.

I noticed subtle differences. His walk was different, less law-like. He had more… swagger. His voice was a bit deeper and more seductive, though I could’ve imagined that. The tattoos and hair were the more obvious changes. Maybe this was his true self. How would I know? Maybe he no longer felt the need to pretend in front of the other correctional officers and inmates.

I’m not exactly sure what it was, but I really wanted to explore more of this version of Chance because maybe I hadn’t truly known him before.

Part One

Five Years Earlier - October 2020

CHAPTER 2

Justice

OCTOBER 22, 2020

My birthday was just hours away, and I was supposed to arrive in the Maldives with my sister, Jamie, and my best friend, Sage. Instead, I found myself in an airport jail cell, trying to figure out how I got here. Yep, you heard that right. Nothing beats a Jet2holiday like celebrating your twenty-first birthday in a TSA holding cell.

I had been saving money for months to prepare for this trip. During that time, I seized every opportunity to do makeup for others, including prom sessions, weddings, and birthdays. I had bought so many outfits, well, pieces of fabric, because, let’s be honest, my ass and titties were going to be hanging out. I was ready to sing Meg’s and Cardi B’s new song, Wap. That shit has been stuck in my head since it came out.

I knew I was going to come back to the States sun-kissed, golden brown, maybe three to four shades darker. I had no plan to ever stay inside. I wanted to sleep on the beach if I could.

The only worry I had was fitting everything into my suitcase, which was not budging. I could not zip it, even when I sat my size-thirteen ass on it. Granted, all my pieces were made of thin fabric, but I still overpacked somehow.

It was just my dad and me at home, and it always was. My mom passed from a drug overdose when I was eleven, so it was just the two of us. My half-sister, Jamie, and her mom didn’t quite get along with our dad, and I never really understood why. But I decided to stay out of it, since it wasn’t my place.

“Daddy, my suitcase zipper broke. I need a new one!” I yelled in the basement.

“Come down!” He yelled in response.

When I reached the last step, I noticed he was pulling out several suitcases. I had a small one and a matching large-sized one, but neither was quite right for what I needed. I felt a bit like Goldilocks. What I really needed was a medium suitcase, one that would fit my things perfectly.

“Here, try this one.” He handed me a burgundy, medium-sized suitcase with a zipper lock and an anti-theft lock.

“Perfect! Thanks, Daddy.” I grabbed the suitcase and placed a kiss on his cheek.

“Of course, Junior.” He grinned, knowing that was going to piss me off.

I hated it when he called me that. It was rare for a girl to be named after her daddy, but I guess my mom loved him so much that she let me have his entire name.

A few hours later, I packed my suitcase and set it by the front door while I got dressed and took out my hair. I removed the flexi rods from my locs. I had been rocking this style for two weeks to make my hair extra curly and bouncy.

Once I was ready to leave, I grabbed my purse and double-checked that I had my passport along with all my debit and credit cards. I called out to my father to let him know I was leaving, but he didn’t respond. As I left, I noticed his car was no longer in the driveway. I quickly texted him and continued on my way.

He didn’t even tell me he was leaving. I had asked if he could’ve dropped me off at my best friend’s house, but he claimed he was tired. I guess he wasn’t that tired after all.

My first stop was at my best friend Sage’s house. She came out rapping Beyoncé’s verse from Savage Remix. Based on her song choice, I could tell she was dealing with relationship problems, which weren’t new for her. She and her nigga were always arguing.