CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
CASH
The condo felt too quiet…
Cash stood in the kitchen with a glass still in his hand.
Listening. There was no water running. Nothing stirred down the hall.
The condo had never felt this quiet before.
Ordinarily, the silence didn't bother him.
He preferred it. Tonight, it pressed against him in a way he could no longer ignore.
He'd fantasized about this night more times than he cared to admit.
And if she walked out looking anything like he'd pictured, he already knew he wasn't built to play this safe tonight. His eyes found the hallway again, his grip tightening around the glass. She’d been out of the shower for damn near thirty minutes, and for reasons he couldn't explain, it made him nervous.
Cash didn't get nervous. Especially over women.
But Jackie Brown wasn't just any woman. She was the dream… at least his, anyway.
The sake still sat low in his system. Not enough to blur his judgment, but it loosened the grip he usually kept on himself.
He exhaled slowly as his instincts started nudging him again, telling him to fall back before he made this harder than it already was.
Cash knew every reason he shouldn’t be pursuing this.
For starters, there was Zambia and their messy-ass arrangement that only seemed to grow more complicated by the day.
Marcus, who still needed to be dealt with.
Even Najee crossed his mind once or twice, if he were being honest with himself.
Still, none of that shit mattered. Because right now, as far as he was concerned, Jackie Brown was his.
If a few bridges had to burn behind it… he’d deal with the fire when it came.
He was just about to take another shot of sake when a hard knock hit the front door.
Any other night, he would’ve grabbed his Glock first and checked the cameras.
He took a shot, instead. Because something in his gut already knew this was about to be some bullshit.
Another knock came a second later, harder this time, and annoyance crept up quick because there was only one person audacious enough to pull up to his condo this late at night.
When he opened it, Zambia stood there in a pink silk pajama set, mink slippers, and a twenty-four-karat under-eye mask still sitting beneath her eyes like she’d climbed straight out of bed.
In her hand was a steel bat that stood taller than she did.
Cash blinked. “You serious right now?” Before she could answer, he snatched the bat out of her hands and tossed it behind him into the condo.
It hit the floor with a loud clank. That only made Zambia push forward harder, trying to slip around him like her little ass wasn’t five feet tall.
“Move—” She didn’t make it a step. Cash shifted once, planting himself directly in the doorway.
“Ayo, Zambia. You drawing,” he said, his tone sharp and frustrated.
She pushed against his chest again, trying her best to force her way inside, but his hand came up firm enough to stop her where she stood.
“Bro, you not coming in here.” Zambia looked up at him then, and Cash could already see, whatever was left of her composure cracking around the edges.
Cash knew Zambia well enough to know what he was seeing wasn’t hurt.
It was rage. She was pissed and he could feel it.
“I know she in there, Cash,” she snapped.
“I’m not fucking stupid.” Cash didn’t answer.
Because for the life of him he couldn’t figure out how Zambia knew Jackie was here.
Zambia let out a sharp breath and shook her head.
“Wow. You aint even gonna deny the shit.” A humorless laugh left her mouth.
“So, this what we doing now Cassius?”
“Bringing bitches and their kids to the house now?”
Cash’s jaw tightened immediately.
“Ayo, keep your fucking voice down.”
“Or the fuck what?” Zambia questioned. Cash stayed quiet, because he didn’t want to agitate her further.
Still, his silence said everything without saying anything at all.
Zambia stared at him for a second, like she was waiting for him to deny it.
When he didn’t, her expression shifted into something darker.
“I came to your little at-risk football game and stayed all day,” she continued, stepping closer.
“I even had my daddy cut a big ass check to that tax shelter of a school for you.”
Cash looked away briefly, but Zambia didn’t stop. “And what did you do?” she asked, crowding his space. “Sat there gawking at that bitch, like some pathetic-ass puppy. What you thought you were being incognito or something?” A sharp laugh left her as her voice lowered.
“I wasn’t even paying attention to you at first. Because unlike everybody else, I already know how you give it up when you get anywhere near that bitch.
Still, I played my role and looked the other way.
Then your own mother pulled me to the side because your obsession with that hoe was that fucking blatant.
” Cash went still. Because if his mother knew that changed everything.
“Even now,” Zambia continued, her voice lowering.
“The only reason I’m standing here is because one of her little spies called me and told me you got that bitch and her kid up in here.
” Cash paused because before this was just about them, and the work-around they created.
Now this was drifting into legacy territory.
And as much as he hated to admit it, in his world optics still mattered.
They controlled reputation, determined societal standing, and ensured legacy.
Cash wanted to believe he was being careful.
That he was protecting Jackie, protecting himself.
But now he wasn’t so sure. He let out a deep breath and tried his hardest to not allow everything he felt on the inside to show up on his face.
Because up until that moment, he’d thought this pop-up was random.
But if word got back this fast, then the situation was already outside of his control.
“You sloppy as fuck, Cassius.” Her lips pressed together tightly before she added quieter: “And disrespectful.” The silence hung heavy in the air now, and for the first time since she got there, Cash didn’t have a smooth way around any of it. “You love her, don’t you?” Zambia asked.
Cash didn’t answer. And he should’ve. This would’ve been a perfect opportunity to finally take a stance, denounce Zambia, and get off the ride once and for all. But as usual, duty had him pinned. Something in his face must’ve shifted because hers did too. “Wow.”
This time when she spoke, her voice softened.
“Why her?” That question didn’t come with attitude this time.
It just sat there between them. “I know I’m not perfect,” she said quietly, “… I’ve done my fair share of dirt.
” Her eyes flicked toward the inside of the condo before landing back on him.
“But her though?” Cash stayed quiet. Because the truth was, anything he said would make this real in a way he hadn’t fully allowed himself to acknowledge yet.
“Be honest,” she pressed, her voice tightening.
“Am I really that bad to you?” That reached him in a place he refused to name, because suddenly this wasn’t about Jackie anymore.
It was about him. Cash exhaled slowly, dragging a hand across his jaw while Zambia watched him carefully, like she could see right through him.
Then she straightened up before letting out a deep breath.
“Whether you want to acknowledge it or not, I am your wife.” This time Cash didn’t correct her.
“Yeah, we haven’t made it official yet, but in our world... we already one.”
And for the first time in a long time, Cash really heard her. The real her.
Somewhere along the way, Cash forgot Zambia was just as much a pawn in this game as he was.
For the first time in a long time, Cash saw her.
Not as the public persona he'd spent years keeping at arm's length.
But as a daughter who never wanted this life and decided to make the best of it.
More importantly, she was a woman trying to preserve what was left of her dignity.
Zambia didn't have to come here quietly.
She could've rung the alarm and blown the whole situation up publicly.
Instead, she came herself, and he finally saw it for what it was. Grace.
Up until tonight, Cash had convinced himself their arrangement only mattered on paper.
But standing there looking at her now, he finally understood the reality of it.
Whether he liked it or not, Zambia was tied to him in ways that reached far beyond feelings.
And Jackie deserved better than being dragged into his unfinished business.
“I suggest you use tonight,” Zambia said finally, her voice calm now, “and get her out your system.” Cash didn’t respond, because deep down he already knew he’d probably never get Jackie out his system.
Zambia turned to leave before he called after her.
“Zam.” She froze. He hadn’t called her that in years. “It’s late,” he said quietly.
“Let me drive you home.” She glanced back over her shoulder. Now you worried about me.” Cash didn’t answer because it wasn’t really a question. Zambia let out a quiet breath.
“I got here just fine.” A pause. “I’ll get back the same way.
” Then she walked off, slippers soft against the floor, disappearing just as abruptly as she came.
Cash stood there longer than he meant to, trying to process everything that had just happened before finally shutting the door and punching both security codes back in.
The quiet returned instantly. Only now it felt suffocating.
He leaned against the door and dragged a hand down his face slowly because nothing about that conversation went the way it normally did.
Usually, he could smooth things over with Zambia.
Redirect her. Remind both of them what this wasn’t.
Now, he had no choice but to see it for exactly what it was. A marriage.
When he finally pushed off the door and turned around, Jackie was standing in the archway between the hallway and the living room.
She wore the wife beater he laid out for her and almost nothing else.
Her bare legs glowed softly beneath the dim lighting, thick thighs catching against the shadows while the shirt clung low against her curves.
Her hair was still damp from the shower, skin warm and glowing like she’d stepped out of something softer than this moment deserved.
Cash stared longer than he meant to. Everything Zambia said still hung in the air, unresolved and impossible to ignore.
Yet, none of it changed what happened when he looked at Jackie.
She was undeniable. Sacred in ways he’d somehow overlooked until this very moment.
Something primal took over. And that was exactly why he couldn’t do this.
Because if he touched her tonight the way he wanted to, there would be no coming back from it.
His body moved before his mind fully caught up, closing the distance between them fast. Jackie didn’t step back.
She just lifted her chin slightly, lips parting enough to say everything she wasn’t willing to put into words.
And for one dangerous second, Cash almost gave in.
His hand came up instead, knuckles brushing slowly along her jaw before sliding to the back of her neck.
His grip deepened instinctively, firm, but not rough.
Grounding himself more than her. Jackie’s breath caught softly as he leaned in close enough for her to feel what almost happened between them.
Close enough for her to expect it. But right before their lips met, she turned her head slightly. And that’s when he knew.
She heard everything.
Cash went still, as their eyes held, and something unspoken passed between them.
He didn’t pull away, but he didn’t push forward either.
Instead, he pressed his lips softly against her forehead and let them linger there longer than he should’ve.
When Jackie opened her eyes again, she didn’t look confused.
Just relieved. Like the moment finally answered something for her.
Cash finally stepped back, his voice rougher when he spoke.
“Go to bed, Jackie. “It wasn't a dismissal.
Cash just needed a boundary. Even if it cost him everything he ever wanted.
She held his gaze another second, hurt hiding behind her eyes, before she finally asked quietly, “Can I get some sweats?
I'm gonna sleep with Max.” That answer told him everything.
Cash nodded once. “Yeah.” He stepped back, putting space between them again.
Jackie turned first, disappearing down the hallway without looking back.
And this time... Cash didn't follow.