Chapter 22
Chapter
Twenty-Two
Heir
“I’m so glad you came out,” Onesty said, hugging me from behind.
I’d been working around the clock trying to get Iman’s account cleaned up along with the software on top of handling the rest of my clients’ files.
I hadn’t been intentionally isolating, but I made time for work and nothing else.
This evening, my favorite cousin said enough was enough, and she dragged me out of the house to go to my favorite lounge.
Initially I was annoyed, but after our first hour here passed, I was happy she’d gotten me out.
“Me too! I really needed this. I can’t remember the last time I went out and had a good time. My days have been going by in a blur.”
“Kayla was being a little too patient with you for my liking. I knew I’d be able to get you out.”
I laughed as we returned to our booth. That was true. Kayla had tried to get me out the house a few times, but when I said no, she dropped it. Onesty wasn’t going for that.
“So what’s been up, Cuz?” I asked, wanting the attention off me. “Have you decided if you’re going to move to Arkansas and take that job yet?”
Onesty breathed deeply and shook her head. “I want to because it pays twice what I’m getting paid here but I don’t want to leave while Granny is sick.”
“I understand. You have to do what’s best for you though. You can always come back on your off days since it’s such a short drive away.”
“True,” she muttered. “I just want to be close. I know y’all got her but still. For my peace of mind, I want to be here.”
Not wanting sadness to bring us down for too long, I flagged the waitress down so we could get another round of shots.
Granny hadn’t been doing well mentally and emotionally.
It was like she’d started to give up. She kept saying she wanted to go home, but her kids wanted her to stay at rehab, because she had a better chance of recovery there.
Daddy was the only one who wanted to respect her wishes.
He felt like if she was in the environment she wanted to be in, she’d be more willing to fight, and I agreed.
I’d been praying like crazy that they’d be able to get home care so she could leave rehab.
Apparently, me flagging the waitress down put eyes on me that I never wanted to look into again. At the sound of my voice, Jay headed over to our booth. Groaning, I covered my face. The last thing I needed was to deal with his ass. Just the sight of him had me ready to go somewhere else already.
“What’s up, baby? How you been?” Jay asked while Onesty told the waitress what we wanted.
“Please get the hell away from me,” I demanded, not even bothering to hide my hate for him as he pressed his palms into the table.
“I’m tryna figure out why you’re giving me such a hard time. If I can forgive you for cheating on me, why can’t you forgive me for trying to put you on? I was trying to help you out, Heir. Why are you punishing me for that?”
Onesty laughed, muttering, “Is this nigga serious?” under her breath, making me chuckle.
“First of all, I didn’t cheat on you. I’ve told you that before, and I’m not going to say it again.
Secondly, I don’t care how you try to justify what you did, it was wrong.
You could have asked me if that was something I’d be interested in, and I would have told you no.
The man told you to kill me. What part of that are you not understanding? ”
“I wasn’t going to kill you, baby,” he said with a smile, reaching for my hand. When I jerked away from him, he scowled. “At the most, I was going to shoot you somewhere you wouldn’t bleed out then get you to safety. I would never kill you, Heir. I love you.”
Seconds passed of me just staring at him. I’d never considered there was a chance this man could be mental until now. Onesty and I looked at each other before bursting into a fit of laughter.
“Okay. I’m convinced there’s something wrong with you,” I said, done with the conversation.
“Look. I tried to help Marz keep you safe by putting him up on game. That should count for something.”
“Jay, I’m not going to tell you to leave me alone again.”
“I feel like you’re not taking me seriously, Heir. I fucked up but damn. We can work this out. Let’s go somewhere a bit more private and talk.”
“No.”
“Come on.”
Jay grabbed my arm and dragged me out of the booth. “If you don’t let me the fuck go!” I yelled, punching him, but it didn’t seem to be affecting his hard faced ass at all.
I saw Onesty reaching in her bag for her knife, but it didn’t matter.
Winston came out of nowhere and smashed Jay’s head against the glass on the table.
He put his gun to Jay’s head, causing everyone around us to yell and flee.
Before his finger could squeeze the trigger, two hands wrapped around Winston’s wrist, causing his bullet to enter the ceiling instead of Jay’s skull.
“Not in here, nigga,” Shiloh said, taking the gun from Winston’s hand.
Jay groggily scrambled away, and I could tell by the rage in his eyes as he looked back at me with blood dripping down his face that this was not over. Not by a long shot.
“Let’s go,” Winston ordered, leading me out of the lounge by my hand.
I looked back for Onesty, and she was trailing behind with Shiloh. Winston quickly yet carefully shoved me into the back seat of his car before telling me Shiloh would take Onesty home. He didn’t bother waiting for me to agree before he slammed the door and hopped in the driver’s seat.
“Thanks, Winston,” I said, trembling as I put my seat belt on. “My address is—”
“I’m not taking you home. I’m taking you to Marz.”
My eyes rolled as I shook my head. Lord knows I wasn’t trying to be difficult, but the last thing I wanted to do was hear Marz’s mouth.
He was going to tell me this wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t try to handle things on my own.
Jay was a little too comfortable approaching me, and had I let Marz handle the situation, that wouldn’t have been the case.
“I can’t go to Marz. He’s going to yell at me.”
Winston tried to cover his smile by running his hand over his mouth, but I’d already seen it. “If I don’t take you to him, you gotta come to my house. Jay knows where you live, so that won’t be safe.”
“Uh,” I groaned, hating that he was right. “My parents are there though. I don’t want him to do anything to them trying to get to me.”
“Marz will take care of that. For right now, I just need to make sure you’re good, aight? So what’s it gonna be? His house… or mine?”
With a huff, I looked out of the window. “Your house.”
Winston chuckled and looked back at me. “Aight, Heir. I got chu.”
I felt like I’d just calmed down enough to get to sleep when the sound of Marz’s crisp, Southern drawl woke me up.
“Get ya shit and come on. And I’on care if you want to or not.”
Tugging my bottom lip into my mouth, I held back my smile as I sat up. “Are you upset with me?” I asked sweetly, watching as he grabbed my shoes and purse from the bench in front of the bed.
“No,” was what he said, but it was so harsh I knew it was a lie.
“I’m upset with this situation. I’m upset that nigga thought he was safe enough to approach you.
I’m upset that I didn’t kill him and Iman even after that bullshit ass truce.
” As he kneeled in front of me and slipped my heels on, Marz added, “Because you know that shit is over now, right? Jay just demolished the deal you made with Iman in one night. It’s done. ”
“We don’t know that. He might not tell Iman what happened and—”
Marz rifled through his pocket and pulled his phone out. After pulling up his text thread with Iman, he showed it to me.
Iman: Your boy put his hands on my son. The deal is off. I hope you’re ready for war.
“S-son?” I whispered, clutching my chest. “He can’t mean his blood son, right? Jay never told me Iman was his father. Well, I haven’t really had the chance to ask.”
“You never met his family while y’all were dating?”
“N-no,” I stuttered as I stood. “He always told me he wasn’t close to his mom because she left them and moved to another state, and that he had a strained relationship with his father.
Something about expectations and never really making him proud.
He would always say he didn’t want me to think less of him because of how his father talked to and treated him. ”
Marz’s head bobbed as we walked out of the room. “That would explain why he offered you to Iman. To impress him. Iman is heavy in the streets, but Jay is a nobody. He probably figured you were the key to him finally getting his father’s approval.”
Blinking back my tears, I released a shaky breath as I gritted my teeth. At the door, I gave Winston a hug and thanked him again, making him laugh when I told him he wasn’t shit for tattling on me.
“It’s all love,” Winston said as he released me. “Marz, don’t be yelling at my girl. She done been through enough tonight.”
Marz sucked his teeth as he looked down at me. As upset as he was, his expression softened when he took in my watery eyes.
“I ’preciate you looking out, bro. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“Always.”
It blew my mind that I was connected to a man whose friends were willing to kill to protect me. That said a lot about their character and Marz’s. That truth made it impossible for me to stop a tear from falling.
Marz held my head as we walked out of the house.
On the drive, I waited for him to yell. To tell me this was my fault.
To tell me this wouldn’t have happened if I wouldn’t have left the safehouse.
None of that was the case. All he did was hold my hand and stroke it with his thumb every few minutes.
And for some reason, his softness made me cry.
As we pulled into a circular driveway, Marz said, “Shiloh is staying at Onesty’s house for the night.
She’s good but a little shaken up. I’ve already put two guards on your parents’ house.
You might want to call them and let them know what’s up, so they’ll be aware of their surroundings when they’re out and about. ”
“Okay,” I mumbled, looking out into the darkness. “Where are we?”
“My house.”
Marz got out and walked over to my side of the car. He waited until we were inside of the large two story home to say, “I’m glad you’re okay, Wifey,” as he embraced me. I didn’t realize how much I needed to be in his arms until I was there.
“I’m sorry, babe,” I sobbed, clinging to his shirt. “If I wouldn’t have left, you could’ve handled it your way, and we’d be out of this mess.”
“Shh,” Marz cooed, picking me up and wrapping my legs around his waist. “This ain’t on you.
Clearly that nigga thought it was safe to play, and I’ma make sure he knows that ain’t the case.
This isn’t your fault at all.” As he wiped my tears, more fell.
Laying against him, I hid my face in the crook of his neck.
“Everything’s going to be fine, aight? I’ma take care of it.
I need you to let me this time. Do you trust me, bae? ”
“Yes,” I agreed with a sniffle.
“Are you going to listen to me?”
“Yes.”
“Then stop crying and know that everything’s gonna be alright.”
“Okay,” I surrendered as Marz placed a tender, searing kiss to my forehead. Cupping his cheeks, I kissed his lips. I didn’t give a damn about waiting for the paternity test or anything else for that matter. This man was my protector, my husband, my heart. Nothing or no one would change that.