Capone

8. Erin

8

erin

Jaiden picked around his pizza, his favorite food, while we sat in our favorite pizzeria. It was next to the laundromat, and while we waited for our clothes to dry, I suggested we grab something to eat. It was laundry day and I had forced Jaiden off his game to come wash clothes with me. Jo had a washer and dryer in her unit, but I hated to burden her even though it wasn’t a problem.

“What’s wrong with the pizza, Jaiden?”

“Nothing,” he snapped, trying to avoid eye contact with me.

It was so hard trying to be everything to Jaiden when all he wanted to do was fight me on it. As much as Jo suggested I let the reigns loose and allow him to have a life, I had a hard time with it. She acted like we lived in the best neighborhood. As if Jaiden hadn’t gone to two funerals last year of his classmates that were killed. It wasn’t easy letting my brother out of my sight without me knowing his every move.

“Can you stop acting like a funky brat?”

“Stop treating me like one,” his Adam’s apple flexed, forcing me to realize that he was growing right before my eyes.

He wasn’t that kid that I could bribe with candy or a trip to the toy store. Even though he was sixteen, soon he would be seventeen and graduating from high school. It hurt me to my core to know that he would soon be grown, and I couldn’t control what he chose to do with his life.

“What’s with the attitude? I thought we could do laundry and grab pizza like old times.”

He sighed. “I’m not ten anymore, Erin. It’s Saturday and I’m stuck doing laundry with my big sister… where does that make sense?”

Even though I was taken back by his tone, I checked myself. Jaiden was allowed to express his frustrations with me. Maybe that would finally give us some light at the end of this dark tunnel we found ourselves in.

“Be real with me, what’s bothering you?” It couldn’t be basketball. His coaches said he was playing amazing, and practices had been cut short since the weather had been nicer. With school soon about to let out for the summer, they wanted to give the kids a break. Jaiden was going to be playing basketball throughout the summer because he signed up for basketball camp.

“Rowan is having some of the basketball team over his house for the weekend. Everybody keep texting me to ask if I’m coming and I gotta tell them no because my sister is too strict.”

“I am not strict.” I didn’t even believe the words that left my mouth, so the look that Jaiden gave me was warranted.

“Yeah, whatever.” He scoffed and continued to poke around his pizza.

Rowan played on his basketball team, and he came over from time to time to play video games with Jaiden. His mother worked in the same hospital that Jo worked in, and she never played when it came to her son. I think she was stricter than I was when it came to Rowan and school. I should have been able to trust him to go away for the rest of the weekend to hang with his friends.

“Is Rowan’s mom going to be home?”

“She’s working a double, so his father is gonna be there.” He watched me struggle with an answer. “Come on, E. I never do anything besides basketball and school… please.”

“Fine. I’m going to text his mama too, so you better not be lying.”

“Go ahead.” He encouraged so I pulled my phone out and shot a quick text over to Rowan’s mom.

Me: Hey Wanda… is it alright if Jaiden comes over for the sleepover this weekend?

Wanda (Rowan’s mom.): Hey Erin! Yes, girl… he begged me for weeks for it. Jaiden is always welcomed. Ro’s father is staying over to watch the boys while I’m working.

I looked up to Jaiden who was watching me from across the table like a hawk. “What happened?”

“You can go.”

“Let’s go!” he jumped out the chair, cheering himself on.

I held my finger up and he groaned, tossing himself back into his chair. “You keep your phone on, and you make sure to check in with me before bed.”

“E, seriously? Bed? Who going to bed at a sleepover? Can I bring my PlayStation over, too?” I’ve witnessed how Jaiden and his friends stayed up late playing their games.

When I would be waking up, he was walking like a zombie to the bathroom because he had stayed up playing the game all damn night. I had to knock on his wall a few times throughout the night because he would be screaming through his mic at his friends.

“Yes. You need to help me get this laundry home first.”

Jaiden groaned again. “Do I have to fold it?”

“I’ll spare you the folding… this time.” I mushed him across the table, happy to finally have put a smile on his face.

These days all it seemed like I did was tell him no and break his heart. I just wanted to see my brother smile, so if that meant sending him to spend the rest of the weekend with his friends, then I needed to relax and give him that. Despite the rude remarks and attitude, Jaiden deserved that much.

I pushed the shopping cart filled with laundry bags while Jaiden dribbled his basketball, never bothering to help me cart this heavy shit. Honestly, I didn’t know why I even bothered to bring his ass. He spent most of the time with his headphones in or playing with that damn ball.

“Oh shi…shoot… that whip is fire. E, when I’m in the NBA, I’m gonna get that car.” He pointed toward the Audi parked at the infamous corner.

“I believe you. Make sure you take me on a ride first before your little chicks,” I nudged him with my shoulder and smirked.

“Of course. You gonna have a matching one… so you might not even need to ride in mine. Then I’m gonna retire you from that little bus driver job.”

“Um, excuse me. That little bus driver job pays our bills… remember that, Mr. NBA.”

He laughed. “When I go pro, you never have to worry about that.”

Whenever we spoke about Jaiden’s future, he made sure to mention how he would take care of me. I never needed him to take care of me, I just wanted my baby brother to win. I would be content seeing him follow his dreams.

Jo had texted me before we left the laundromat to grab her a pack of cigarettes. I stopped in front of the corner store, happy that Timmy’s ass wasn’t out front. Me and Jaiden were having a great conversation, and I knew seeing him would ruin that moment quick.

“You don’t need to take care of me, Jaiden… hold on,” I replied and ducked into the corner store.

“Hey Papi, let me get a pack of Newport’s.” I tapped the counter and waited for him to come back over toward the counter from the deli.

“Don’t tell me that you smoke.” I heard a familiar voice and turned around.

Capone was leaned against the freezer with a toothpick sticking out the side of his mouth. I couldn’t recall if he had been standing there when I walked in or not because I wasn’t paying attention.

“They’re for my aunt.” I kept it short, tossing the money onto the counter and taking the cigarettes.

I don’t know why I had such an attitude with him. Maybe it was because we had a great date, if you want to call it that, and then he disappeared. He never called or said anything, and I was left feeling stupid.

I felt stupid because I went against my better judgment and here, I was once again looking like a fool. I should have known a man like Capone wouldn’t want someone as boring as me. He probably dropped me home that night and made up his mind that he was good on getting to kno me.

He pushed off the freezer and walked over toward me, but I was already leaving the store. “We on it like that now?”

“We’re not on nothing… it was good seeing you.” I offered a fake smile and continued to push the shopping cart.

Jaiden looked from me then back toward Capone. “Who that?”

“Nobody.”

Capone laughed. “Stop playing with me.” He had caught up to me, which wasn’t hard to do with this heavy ass shopping cart.

“I’m actually busy so I don’t have time for whatever this is.” I waved between the both of us and tried to push the cart.

Capone’s hand remained on the cart, his veins protruding on his forearm. I gulped, trying to look away and not find beauty in any part of this man’s body. “Erin, stop playing with me.”

“Who playing?” I stood with my arms folded.

“Yo, Jerome!” I heard Jaiden yell. “Be back, E.” He ran off before I could even stop him. Nine times out of ten, Jerome was going to be at Rowan’s house this weekend too.

I didn’t care too much about Jerome being there. As long as Timmy’s ass wasn’t there, I was pretty much good.

Capone’s hand was still on my cart as we both watched Jaiden run off. I tried to push it and he held it in place. It didn’t make sense trying to push it because the grip he had on the handle was tight. With his free hand, he grabbed hold of my waist and pulled me closer to him and I tried to push away.

“What’s with the attitude? I thought we were good.”

“We were good.” I continued to stand with my arms folded, pissed that he was preventing me from going home to fold laundry.

He cocked his head to the side and looked down at me. “I did something?”

“It’s nothing. Can you let go of my cart?”

We were in a standoff in the middle of the sidewalk with this damn shopping cart, and his hand was snaked around my waist. I’m sure we probably looked foolish to people passing by, and Capone didn’t care because he hadn’t budged.

“You mad because I went ghost on you?” He smirked.

“And then you find it funny… you know what.” I removed myself from his grasp and took control of my cart, trying to push it and he was still holding onto it.

“Chill out, I don’t find the shit funny… I just find it funny that you all bothered by me not calling you.”

“I’m not bothered.”

I was very much bothered by him taking me out to eat, showing me his little chill spot, and then ghosting me. I went and bought a new dress for our so-called date, and he didn’t bother to call and let me know he wouldn’t show up.

I was pissed and embarrassed because I had told big mouth Ryai, and she was the first person to say something when Tuesday rolled around, and he never showed up. I rarely got excited for things these days and having that date to look forward to had me walking with a pep in my step.

“Gorgeous, your face says something different. Why you all mad then?” He pinched my cheek, and I swatted his hand.

“I’m not mad. Capone, I don’t know what you do with other chicks, but I’m not them. You can’t just pull up on me with a fancy car and I’m gonna be pressed. None of that shit matters to me… especially when you’re not true to your word.” He finally loosened his grip on the cart, and I was able to start pushing it down the block.

Jaiden was still at the corner talking to Jerome. We were near our block so I knew when he finished, he would end up walking home. I hated how bothered I had become by Capone’s sudden absence. I shouldn’t have cared or showed him how much it bothered me.

I was heavy on keeping my word and promises, and the fact that he disappeared, then popped back up like everything was all good irritated me.

“Erin!” he called behind me and I continued walking. “Don’t make me repeat myself again,” his voice had become lower, still, I heard every word that had left his mouth.

I stopped midstride and didn’t turn around. His scent greeted me before he came up on my left and turned me to face him. “I didn’t just not show up because I didn’t feel like it. I had some shit going on that needed my attention.”

Rolling my eyes, I removed his hand from me. “Well, then go and pay that attention. The first time you show me that your word isn’t good… we’re good.” I turned and continued to push down the street.

I expected him to come rolling up on me again, but when I made it to the house he was nowhere to be found, and Jaiden was sitting on the porch. “Who was that?”

“Nobody.”

“He didn’t look like nobody. Look like you real familiar with him, E.” He smirked, taking the shopping cart, and rolling it to the side of the house.

“How about you mind your business before I miraculously switch my mind.”

He laughed. “Alright, I won’t ask about your secret boyfriend.”

“Secret boyfriend?” We both jumped when we heard Ryai’s voice.

She was laid out on the couch with my favorite crackers and the Roku remote in her hand. “Didn’t she tell you about using that door?” Jaiden whispered.

“Oh, you have a problem with me using it now? When I hel—”

“My name is Bennett and I ain’t in it,” he quickly cut her off before she could finish her sentence.

“What do you want, Ryai?” I plopped into the armchair and sighed.

“Before we get to that… what secret boyfriend?”

“I don’t have a secret boyfriend.” I waved her off, not wanting to run down everything that just transpired between me and Capone.

Ryai was already mentally on the next thing anyway. She couldn’t wait for me to wave her question off so she could talk about why she was really in my living room.

“I need two favors from you.”

“What are the favors, Ryai?” I cringed even asking her the question.

Whenever Ryai needed a favor, it was always some crazy shit. When we were in eighth grade, she asked me to skip school with her to buy a pair of sneakers for her boyfriend at the time. Even though I knew I would get into trouble, I still went along with her.

My mother screamed my head off when my school called and told her I was missing for the entire day. I didn’t take in account that they would call my mom and mention I didn’t attend school. I was always in school, so why would I know that was something that they did?

She sat up on the couch, popping a chip into her mouth. “So, I’ve been talking to one of the players on the Sonics.”

“The basketball team?”

“Yes. Tevin Micks.”

“You talking to Tevin Micks?” Jaiden’s nosey ass popped his head out his room and yelled down the hall.

The walls in our small apartment were paper thin so not much went on without one of us hearing it. Which was the reason I scheduled time off to have alone time with myself. With how loud that vibrating feature was on my rose, Jaiden would for sure hear me whimpering in pleasure.

“Thought your name was Bennett?” Ryai laughed while leaning forward like she had the best tea to spill. “Anyway, he asked me on a date tonight. We’re going to some club opening, and his cousin is in town.”

I already knew where this was going, and I wasn’t going to like the outcome. “Cool.”

“Erin, come on. He said his cousin is a real estate mogul or something,” she tried to butter me up like that would matter.

“I don’t care if he sells seashells by the seashore… I’m not going.”

Ryai was damn near on the edge of the couch doing her puppy dog look. It never worked on me, and she still insisted on doing it every time she wanted something from me.

“What is the other favor?”

“He’s paying for me to get a whole Mommy makeover.”

“Ryai, baby?”

“Huh?”

“You’re not a damn mother!” I slapped her in the back of the head, then went to the kitchen to wash my hands so I could fold our laundry.

“Alright, maybe Mommy makeover isn’t the correct term. Still, I am as flat as a damn surfboard, and it has always been my biggest insecurity. Not all of us can be blessed like you are, Erin.” She sulked, praying that it would make me feel bad.

It didn’t.

Ryai may have not been blessed in the body department like the rest of the women in our family was, that didn’t mean she had to go get her body done because of it. If I knew anything, I wouldn’t be able to convince her not to get it done.

“Where do I come in, Ryai?” I waved her along because she was taking forever to get to the damn point, and I was losing patience.

“Well, you know how you have those vacation days saved up.”

“Yeah?”

“I was hoping you could use them and come with me… I don’t have anyone to come and help take care of me. Please, Erin. Think of it as a little vacation away, too.”

“How the hell is that a vacation when I’m going to be taking care of you?”

She sighed. “Please, Erin. I won’t lie and say I never ask you for anything, but I really need these favors. Come out tonight.”

“You should go, E,” Jaiden called from his bedroom, not minding his business – again.

“See, even Jaiden knows you need to get out tonight.”

It wasn’t too hard to convince me to come out tonight. I didn’t want to fold all this damn laundry in the first place. My problem was never going out, it was going out with Ryai. It was never a calm night whenever I went out with her. We almost always ended up in some shit. I just wanted to go out, have a few drinks and enjoy the night.

“I’ll go out tonight. You better find someone else to go with you to Miami.”

Ryai tossed herself on the floor. “Come on, Erin. I really need you… please… please.” She continued to beg as she crawled over toward the kitchen on her knees.

Taking the time off wasn’t the issue. I had so much vacation hours that I could afford to take the time off. “I can’t just go to Miami without figuring out what’s going to happen with Jaiden.”

“Jaiden is sixteen, Erin. He’s old enough to make sure he brushes his teeth and goes to bed at the right time. Plus, my mom will keep an eye on him, too.”

“I’m old enough,” Jaiden rounded the corner with his bookbag and overnight bag. I’m sure his bookbag had his system already in it. “School is about to be over and I’m going to be busy with basketball camp. I can ask Rowan’s mom if I can stay with him while you’re gone, and coach can pick us up together.”

I looked from my cousin to my brother and felt like the both of them had conjured up this plan. Ryai would have someone to go to Miami with her, and Jaiden would have the freedom he had been dying to have from me.

“Why do I feel like you both planned this?”

“I’m just offering solutions.” Jaiden shrugged. “Me and Jerome are walking over to Rowan’s house together.”

I walked around the counter and reached up to hug and kiss him. “Keep your phone on and let me know when you get there.”

“I got you.”

“Love you, Jaiden,” I kissed him again and he wiped the kiss off his cheek.

“Girl, you’re acting like he’s going to war or something. He’s going a few blocks to his friend’s house.” Ryai laughed and finally got her ass off the floor.

“Later, Ryai,” Jaiden called behind him as he left out the door to head over to Rowan’s house.

Jaiden’s mood changed the moment I allowed him to go over to his friend’s house. I had to stop being so overprotective and allow him time with his friends. Besides school and basketball, he didn’t have anything. He sat in his room playing his game whenever he had free time. Of course, he would start acting out if I didn’t allow him the space to grow.

“Baby, that wig is very… tired.” Ryai ran her hands through my work wig.

I didn’t care what I wore to do laundry, so I slapped this wig on and clipped it up. “Wow. Thanks, Ryai.”

“Lucky for you a company just sent me a new wig to promo… let me do your hair.”

During the pandemic Ryai got into doing wigs. She would use me as her test dummy to try out different wigs. Her videos ended up getting traction and companies sent her wigs to promo for them. Along with working at the club, she made money from wig influencing, too. She wasn’t as consistent with it, so it wasn’t her bread and butter.

“Do I have to go out tonight?” I groaned.

“Let me grab the wig. While I’m doing that, find what you’re wearing tonight.” She happily skipped over to the door she wasn’t supposed to use and slammed it behind her.

With how good Ryai had did my hair it would have been a crime to sit in the house tonight and waste it. As she slicked down the baby hairs, something activated in me, and I was pressed to find an outfit for tonight. She didn’t need to do too much convincing after she handed me the mirror and I took in the twenty-four-inch buss down with a middle part that made the wig look like it was coming out of my scalp.

I swung my head around feeling the hair whip around my back. It was safe to say that I was feeling myself and I was more than ready to go out tonight. Once Jaiden called and told me he made it to Rowan’s house, I hopped in the shower and got ready for the night.

Tevin had sent a car to pick us up and take us to the club. He and his cousin were going to meet us at the club. I couldn’t tell if Ryai was excited or nervous from the way she was so quiet. I watched as she constantly looked over her makeup in her compact mirror on the drive over to the club.

“You look perfect, Ryai,” I reassured her.

Every once in a while, no matter if you knew you were that bitch, you needed to be reassured. Ryai knew she was beautiful, and tonight she just needed that little shove to remind her.

She smiled at me. “Thanks, Erin. I’m nervous because this is the first public outing with Tevin, and I kind of want to make a good impression on him.”

“He needs to be making a good impression on you. Just because he’s a basketball player doesn’t mean he shouldn’t have to earn you and your time,” I reminded her.

Ryai had a bad habit of trying to be everything for these niggas so she never made them properly court her. She was always so quick to give up her panties without making them earn it. In the end, all she ended up with was unanswered calls and a night only she would remember. Tevin seemed to be pretty serious about her, so I was hopeful that she had finally found her one. If not, at least she got a new body out the whole ordeal.

The SUV slowed down with all the traffic from the club. I watched women hopping out of cabs to walk the rest of the way to the club. Ryai checked herself over in the mirror and took a deep breath as we crept up to the entrance. Between the red carpet, lights and cameras, whoever owned the club wanted the city to know that they were here.

I could feel the base of the music in my chest as our car came to a complete stop. Security spoke with the driver while Ryai grabbed my hand. “Can we have a good night tonight? Just have a good time, you don’t need to be on guard and play big sister.” Her eyes pleaded with me.

I could read in between the lines to know that she didn’t want me to suck the fun out the room. All Ryai wanted was someone to keep Tevin’s cousin company so she could turn up with him. As much as I hated playing wing woman, I couldn’t help but be excited to get in the club. I had been in a club once for my twenty-first birthday and that was the last time.

I ended up getting too drunk and getting us all tossed out on our asses. We ended the night squeezed into a booth at Crown Fried Chicken. “I got you. We’re going to have fun… and I will be on my best behavior.”

Which meant that I needed to check my face before we got out this car and play nice for the rest of the night. The door opened and security helped us out, as we walked down the red carpet to the entrance. There were photographers on the carpet that could take your pictures if that was what you wanted.

“Name, please.”

“Ryai Jennings,” she replied.

We held hands as he let us into the club. “Tevin said that he’s here and has a section on the lower floor.”

The club was huge.

Ryai had to grab me because I kept staring up at the different floors and sections. Each section had a small balcony area that overlooked into the main floor. There were bars on each floor, and three bars on the main floor. Ryai held my hand as she maneuvered through all the partygoers on a search for her man.

“There he is!” she yelled into my ear and yanked me toward the section where Tevin was. He was the tallest person in his section so you couldn’t miss him. His locs fell to his shoulder but were pulled back with a rubber band. His rich chocolate skin glistened under the dim lights of the club, and his beard was freshly trimmed.

Tevin’s security was standing outside of his section. The minute he noticed Ryai, he came and pulled her into the section. “Hey baby,” she cooed.

“Damn, Ryai… I know I told you to look good. You look too damn good,” he spun her around, admiring the tight denim skirt she wore and the mesh baby tee that had slits in the front, exposing her bra.

“You like?” she giggled.

Tevin spun her around once more. “I thought you stood me up,” he whispered into her ear before kissing her ear.

Ryai was showing all her damn teeth while twirling her hair around her finger. “Oh, this is my cousin, Erin.”

“Hey.” I smiled and shook his hand.

“Dante, get over here… nigga already been drinking.” He laughed.

The man that had been kicked back on the couch stood and he was just as tall as Tevin. His teeth were white and bright against his darker skin. He wore a low fade, goatee, and smelled strong. I didn’t know if it was the liquor I could smell on his breath or his cologne. Despite how strong he smelled he was handsome.

“I ain’t even finish my drink and you already talking shit.” He nudged his cousin and then turned his attention toward me, looking down.

From the way he eyed me down I could tell he enjoyed what he saw. I mean, I couldn’t help but feel myself after Ryai did my hair. I wore a long abstract mesh maxi skirt with a pair of black skims undergarments to hide my panties.

The black cropped corset top pulled the outfit together and showed a small peek of my stomach, which I was cool with. My heels were killing my feet, but the gold strappy heels pulled the entire look together.

“Hey… Erin,” I extended my hand like I was on a damn job interview. This wasn’t my usual scene, so I was rusty.

Dante smirked, taking my hand into his and pulling me closer to him. “How you doing? My name is Dante.”

Ryai and Tevin had already moved on from us and were over by the table pouring shots. She came back over and handed us both one. “Bottoms up,” she cheered.

Since she was forcing me to play wing woman, I needed all the alcohol that I could get tonight. Dante took my empty cup and filled it again before we walked over toward the couch. I was grateful because these Steven Madden heels were killing my feet.

Every girl knew that Steve didn’t give a damn about comfort when he made his heels. I slowly sat down and crossed my legs. “So, Erin, tell me about you?”

“Do people actually do that?” I snorted.

“Do what?”

“Tell people about themselves in a club?”

Dante chuckled. “Yo, I sound corny as hell… excuse me.”

“Nervous?”

“Nah, just not used to this. My cousin forced me to come out tonight… I wasn’t even feeling it.”

“Where are you from?”

“I’m from here, but I live in Miami.”

“Oh yeah? I may be visiting there soon with my cousin. What made you move there?” I was becoming more comfortable now that we had broken the ice.

Even with us breaking the ice, Dante was easy to talk to. He didn’t give off vibes that he was just making conversation to get into my panties.

“Word? That means I need to give you a tour around my city. I moved there for work and fell in love with the city. You couldn’t pay me to come back and shovel snow in the winter.”

We both laughed. “Between me, Ryai and my aunt, we be fighting for our life trying to keep our driveway and porch walkway clear.”

Jaiden started shoveling our driveway and walkway this past winter, and we all collectively agreed that it wasn’t his ministry, and he needed to stick to basketball. After mailman almost slipped on our stairs, he was voted off the shoveling island.

“You don’t have to worry about that in Miami,” he leaned up and grabbed a bottle and two fresh cups from the table.

“I guess not since you’re too busy worrying about damn hurricanes.” I accepted the drink and took a sip.

“Oh, you got jokes,” Dante chuckled.

Ryai and Tevin were dancing in their own world off to the side. “Something like that,” I flirted.

With the way drinks were cruising through my body and the music the DJ was playing, I was happy that I had come out tonight. While I moved my hips to the music, still seated, me and Dante continued to make conversation. Somewhere between the drinks we consumed and the conversation, Dante became even more flirtatious.

We went from sitting a good distance from each other to him moving closer and whispering in my ear. I would be lying if I said that I didn’t feel a little tingle down there. It had been so long since I’ve been touched that I was almost certain that dust might fly from under my skirt with how excited my girl was getting.

“I was really regretting coming out tonight and then Tevin introduces me to you,” he whispered, his lips touching against my ear lobe.

My skin was hot to touch, as I looked over at him. “Ryai is forever trying to set me up. I had all plans on entertaining you tonight and then moving on.”

“What you mean?” We heard Tevin’s raised voice.

When we looked over, he was talking to another guy about the bill. “Hold that thought.” Dante excused himself and went over where his cousin was.

Ryai came over and plopped down next to me. “How is this the first night and they’re already mixing shit up? They’re trying to charge us for that section’s drinks. We’ve been drinking the same bottles the whole night,” she sighed.

“Hopefully they fix it.”

They must have fixed it because Dante and Tevin came swaggering over toward us. Dante sat next to me, placing his hand around my waist while Tevin pulled Ryai onto his lap. I desperately wanted to believe that this could be her forever. We’ve been in this place so many times when she thought that she found the one.

Then the next week she would be under her covers swearing off men because it ended horribly. I just wanted what was best for my cousin, even if she had no clue what that meant for herself.

“I don’t think I’m ready to let you go tonight,” Dante whispered into my ear. “Let me see you tomorrow.”

“It’s already tomorrow,” I giggled, tickled that he wanted to see me again. It was funny how I had already come into this knowing we wouldn’t click, and we surprisingly did.

“Then that means you just have to stay with me for the rest of the day.” He kissed my ear, and I smiled, looking away.

My phone buzzed while Dante went to grab us more drinks. With Jaiden over at his friend’s sleepover, I kept my phone on vibrate so that I could check in with him.

Capone: Yo, quick question… what you want your obituary to say? I stared at the text message from Capone confused.

He surely must have sent that to the wrong person.

Me: Wait…Huh?

Capone: Tell that nigga to remove his hands from your waist or I’m shooting.

Me: You’re here?! I quickly replied.

The club was so packed out that I couldn’t spot him. Dante was back with our drinks and had put his hands back around my waist, and I politely stood up. I wasn’t about to test Capone tonight. Everything about him and what Ryai told me about him screamed that he would shoot. I checked my phone, and he still hadn’t replied.

Me: Capone, you’re here?” I shot him another text message as I did a slight pace.

Ryai looked at me weird. “Everything good, E?”

“Yeah, um, I’m gonna go to the bathroom,” I stammered.

Dante stood up. “Let me walk yo—”

“No!” I shouted, then calmed down. “I’m sorry… no, I can go. I’ll be right back.” I tried to recover, but even Tevin was staring at me like I had lost my mind with the way I yelled.

I exited the section and pushed and pulled myself through the crowd of people until I made it to the bathrooms. Capone had my ass paranoid as I looked over my back every five seconds. Why the hell was I so worried about him seeing me with another guy? We weren’t together, and after he played me, we would never be together.

You only had one chance to show me that you weren’t serious, and I was done. It wasn’t that I was even considering taking Dante seriously. He lived in Miami, and I lived here, so nothing could ever come out of us hanging out tonight.

I was surprised there wasn’t a line for the bathroom. Pushing my way into the bathroom, I closed the door behind me and stood at the sink. I needed to breathe and the further I was away from Dante the better.

When the door opened, I didn’t bother to pay attention until I heard the locks click. Opening my eyes, I came face to chest with Capone. How did I know it was Capone? It was those menacing eyes staring down at me.

“What are you doing here? This is the woman’s bathroom.”

He ignored me and stared right down into my eyes, my soul even. “Remember when I told you that you didn’t want to have a man’s body on your conscious?”

My breath was caught in my throat while I stared up into his eyes. I could see the red brewing behind his pupils. “We’re not even together so why the hell would you kill him? Capone, we may have gone out before, but I am a single woman and capable of going out and dating.” I pushed past him.

His hands latched onto my hips, and he pulled me back around to where he was standing. “Don’t make me prove a point, Erin,” he stressed.

His tone, composure and the look in his eyes told me that he wasn’t playing with me. On the other hand, I refused for him to dictate who I can or cannot be around. He wasn’t even my man.

“You had your choice… prove a point if you need to,” I unlocked the door, and stormed out with him on my heels.

“Erin,” he called out. His voice was low, but loud enough for me to hear him. I continued on like I hadn’t heard him. “Don’t make me—”

Pow! Pow! Pow!

The gunshots caused me to freeze in place while a stampede ensued.