Chapter 6
Four weeks later…
Nadia finished throwing up in the private bathroom inside the office to the gym.
She hadn’t seen or heard from Rose. He sent instructions on where to have his money sent, and that was all she wrote.
Nadia wasn’t slow though. She lived in town, so she heard things.
She knew that he and Minx were all over town together, flossing their relationship for everyone to see.
Wiping the side of her mouth, Nadia brought her face from the toilet and stood.
Shaking off the nausea, she went to the sink and cupped her hand under the faucet.
She rinsed her mouth out with water and brought her head up to the mirror to take a peek at herself.
She looked like death and felt even worse. This baby was kicking her ass.
A shadow moved outside the door, and Forrest’s reflection appeared in the mirror.
Nadia whipped around, facing him in alarm as she pressed her back into the sink.
She’d avoided him for as long as she could.
Dodging him at her place and rejecting his calls, this was the first time he’d been able to catch up with her.
Now she was cursing herself for being so careless, knowing the nigga was thirsty as hell.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, pulse speeding up as he stared back at her blankly.
“You’ve been avoiding me. Why?” Forrest asked, and she rushed past him out of the bathroom and into the office space.
“A lot has been going on,” she muttered.
“We had a fucking plan, Nadia. What happened to that, huh?” Forrest grilled her, narrowing both eyes at her.
“The plan has changed, Forrest. Leave it alone.” She shuffled some papers together on her desk.
Forrest stepped up and slammed his hand down on top of them. His eyes met hers in a cold stare.
“This shit is concrete, Nadia. What don’t you understand about that?” he countered with a controlled voice.
“I’m more worried about Rose will do than you, Forrest.” She scoffed, lowering her gaze back to the desk. “You can leave.”
Forrest chuckled, amused, and swiped the tip of his nose as he shoved her so hard she hit the side of the sofa in the room and sank to the floor. The stunned expression on her face tickled him, and he smirked wickedly back at her.
“Funny shit is you think you got options.”
“I’m not about to be out here caught between you and Rose. Fuck both of you. I’m doing what’s best for me. In the end, that’s all I fucking got. So what you gon’ do? Kill me right here with all those witnesses outside the door?” Nadia tested him.
Forrest’s jaw flexed in anger when he stared back at her. She was right. The shit was stupid. There were other ways to get to a nigga like Rose.
“The fuck you in here throwing up for?” Forrest suddenly recalled what he saw when he first walked in.
“I’m fine, had some bad sushi,” she lied, bringing herself to her feet.
She was barely standing before he snatched her up by the collar of her shirt and pinned her against a wall. He didn’t give a fuck who saw them right now. He had a point to get across.
“Yeah, ’cause a nigga been sick himself lately, extra tired and all that bullshit.
Got my auntie telling me she dreamed of fishes and shit and all my symptoms mean I’m about to be a daddy.
What you know about that, Nadia, huh?” He got in her face, grimacing, and she nudged him back with all the strength that she had.
“I don’t know, Forrest. Maybe it’s one of your other little hoes you out here smashing. I don’t owe you an explanation for shit.” Nadia’s defenses were high, so he knew that she was on the fuck shit. Nodding his head with a knowing smile, Forrest kept his cool.
“Tell me right fucking now… are you pregnant?” he commanded.
“And what if I am? It ain’t got shit to do with you. You know you ain’t the only one, Forrest.” Nadia sneered smugly, and he turned, like a rabid dog, on her.
Fisting her hair, he gripped her shit so tight she thought he would rip it from her scalp. Wincing in pain, her lips parted in agony, and Forrest brought himself to her face.
“If there is even a chance that this is my baby, your best bet at staying alive is to tell me now. That nigga don’t give one fuck about you, Nadi.”
“And you do? I can feel the love, Forrest.” She laughed, but his grip remained tight, making her temples pulse and a headache form in her cranium.
He snatched away from her but didn’t go far.
“How far along are you?” he asked, looking her up and down.
“About two and a half months,” she answered. “I fucked him in Miami, so he knows there is at least a possibility. He wants a DNA test.”
“Smart man.” Forrest chuckled and tapped his chin, deep in thought.
“Smart woman too. You just spared yourself.” He wagged his finger at her before taking steps toward the door to leave.
“Don’t worry about Rose. Shit will hit him when he least expects it, and there won’t be time to recover from what I got in store for him. ”
The scorned, contemptuous beam that spread across his face turned Nadia cold inside, and even the air around her went icy.
Things were about to take a turn, and she was almost certain that she didn’t need to be around for it.
Only problem was, she didn’t have a lot of time or money to pull off a vanishing act, so she had to come up with a plan.
Mille returned to school about a month ago.
To him, it was all routine. He did his work, pushed through the halls, and didn’t talk to anybody.
With the way he was feeling, he was afraid of what he would do if he came across someone that rubbed him the wrong way.
Mulling through the halls toward his locker, he did his best to avoid everyone.
Even the people he was once cool with, he blew off.
Folks were too fake for him. They didn’t care about him or what he was going through.
They wanted the scoop, so that they could go around gossiping.
Pausing at his locker, he put his combination in so he could switch out his books and move on. When he slammed the door shut, he smiled when he saw the pretty face standing at his side. Enika was a creeper. She was quiet like a mouse, so she was always able to creep up on him.
“Good afternoon,” Enika greeted him, a cute smile gracing her face, showing off her dimple.
“It is now. Where you been hiding?” he asked, knitting his brows at her.
“The gym. Planning the homecoming dance,” she answered, hugging her books against her chest.
“Oh, I didn’t think that was your thing.” Mille voiced, falling in stride with her down the hall.
They were synchronized down to the last step. Enika loved being around Mille. Her day wasn’t complete if she didn’t see or speak to him. She was glad he was back in school, but she could tell he was still very sad about his father.
“Yeah… Usually, I’m not. I was asked to help though, and I didn’t want to say no to Mr. Caulfield,” she responded sheepishly.
“That’s cool.”
“So what are you doing after school?” Enika questioned.
“Uh, nothing. I got a lot of work to catch up on before the year ends. I’ll just be trying to get it all turned in.”
“I can come and help, if you need me to,” she nervously suggested.
Mille glanced over at her, his eyes dark and bleak. He gave her a nod and a half smile.
“Yeah, I’m staying at my sister’s spot with her and Rose. My mama is going through some things.”
“Okay. We can ride the bus together. I will text my daddy and let him know I’ll be studying with a friend,” Enika replied.
Mille loved the way her smile lit up the corners of her eyes. Right now, she was his peace. He didn’t like being around people much, but Enika was different. She let him talk, and had a level of understanding that even some adults hadn’t mastered yet.
“Are we… friends?” Mille checked with her, and Enika paused, thrown from his question.
“Yeah. What else would we be?” she asked, a cute simper on her face.
“One day, you gon’ be my girl. I’ll let you have that friend stuff for now,” Mille said boldly, making her blush.
Enika’s eyes fell on the ground, and she suddenly felt flushed. Mille reached down, grabbing her hand in his while looking into her eyes.
“Hold your head up when you walk with me, pretty girl.” He nudged her with his shoulder, and she let out the cutest giggle.
For Mille, most days were like he was going with the motions since his father died.
Nothing felt the same, not even him. Minx and Rose did what they could and gave him his space to push through things, but he could tell even they were growing a little frustrated with him and his lack of communication recently.
He didn’t know what else to do. He was only eleven years old and dealing with a lot.
He would be twelve soon, and all he kept thinking about was that his father wasn’t going to be there for it. Yeah, everything was different.
Minx and Luna pulled up to the space for Lunar Events, and Luna parked her brand-new BMW that Finn had copped her last week.
She and Minx got out, and Luna popped the trunk so they could retrieve their things.
Minx picked up a box with no lid that was filled with party stuff, decorations, etc.
Luna had two bags that she carried with her to the sidewalk.
A grand opening for their business was tonight so they were there to set everything up.
Everyone in town was invited, and both ladies were ecstatic about it.
Minx hadn’t had anything to look forward to in what seemed like a very long time.
She stood behind Luna, holding the box against her chest while waiting for her to use her key to let them inside.
Anxious, she bounced around, and an unsettled feeling hit .
With an inkling that she was being watched, she couldn’t help but look around.
Luna got the door open and hit the light switch before they each stepped inside.
Seeing the place now versus when it was first purchased, they could feel the transformation.
It was everything. Luna had stages set with different looks and templates for her ideas.
The office space was off to the side, and it was all glass.
When stepping inside, she could see everything going on around her.
Sectioned off, there was a room to meet with clients and then their private workspace.
Each of them had a desk with built-in shelves behind them.
In just a short amount of time, they’d grown to love it here.
“Can you believe this, Minx? It’s opening night. We are about to be the first event company in town!” For days Luna was ecstatic about everything.
“We are about to turn parties out. From weddings to baby showers and birthday parties. Lunar Events is going to be a household name this time next year. Mark my words.” Minx unloaded items from the box.
Positioned on the opposite side of the counter, Luna did the same thing. When she brought her eyes up, her back stiffened. Minx lifted her head and caught the strained expression on her friend’s face.
“What is it?” Minx queried as the bell to the alarm chimed, letting her know someone entered.
Eirian strolled inside, and the room turned into Antarctica. Minx spun with her defenses high as he approached them. He was a handsome yet dangerous man. It was all in the darkened pools that were his eyes. He peeped their setup, and a slow smile crept over his lips.
“Good afternoon, ladies. This is nice.” Nodding, he rubbed one of his fists into his palm.
“Why are you here?” Minx asked, hand on her hip.
Eirian bit into his bottom lip and looked her over. She was a bad bitch, and he liked that fire behind her eyes. He stood a few feet from her and crossed his arms behind his back. With a casual shrug, he lifted his head and continued to look around, searching for a camera.
“Just thought I would pop in and check out the latest spot opening around here. Kansas City is a cool town. Thinking about extending my stay,” Eirian insinuated.
“Well, unthink it,” Minx conveyed, full of attitude.
Eirian liked that shit. He touched his mustache with his fingers and grinned slyly. He was tired of fucking around. Months passed since his brother and Galena were killed and the taste he had for blood was overwhelming. He needed to hurt something. Minx was the product of Mila. She was his way in.
“Why don’t you let a nigga take you out?” he suggested, and a stunned expression found its way across her face.
“How dare you bring your snake ass in here and talk to me like you didn’t have my father killed?” Minx inched closer to him. “Get the hell out of here!” She aimed her finger at the door, and Eirian looked her dead in her eye.
He saw fire, like a volcano erupting behind her glare. Minx didn’t blink, and before Eirian could react, the door chimed again and in walked her uncle Jonah.
“We got a problem here?” Jonah didn’t miss a beat as he walked right over to their situation and positioned himself between Minx and Eirian.
He made sure that he was facing his opponent. Eirian took a few steps back and checked him from head to toe.
“Nah. The trash was just leaving,” Minx piped up from behind him.
“Good. I would hate to have to move it first,” Jonah responded, chin up.
He reminded Minx so much of her father. Strong, confident, and lethal.
It all showed in his darkened glare fixed on Eirian right now.
Ward men didn’t back down. If anything, they stood taller in the face of adversity.
The challenges in life made them who they were, and they were taught to embrace that.
Minx never met her grandfather, but she heard stories about how he ruled with an iron fist and told his boys all the time that they were leaders.
“Jonah, right?” Eirian checked.
“Glad you know the name. Check the fucking receipts. Leave. And stay away from any member of my family that you see. If you plan on sticking around, remember this one thing if nothing else… you play with the Wards… and you won’t win. That’s a guarantee,” Jonah vowed.
“Hmmm,” Eirian replied with a light laugh. “Y’all have a good day. Be careful out there,” he warned before he turned to go.
Jonah watched him until he was out the door, then faced Luna and Minx. She was so mad she was shaking. Jonah placed calm hands against her shoulders and Minx blew out a harsh breath.
“The nerve of that bastard,” she muttered.
“It’s all good. Don’t worry about that. We got an opening night to prepare for. We got eyes on you.” Jonah lifted her chin gently. “At all times.”
“Well, you want to help us decorate?” Luna asked.
“Nah, décor ain’t my shit. Y’all got it. Got somewhere to be anyway. We got Proof sitting across the street. He’s locked and loaded and watching the spot,” Jonah advised on his way to the door.
“Thanks, Unc!” Minx called out before pivoting toward Luna. “Let’s get to work. We have an event to throw, and we aren’t about to let anything stop us.”