Chapter 37 Ocean
OCEAN
I walked into the condo, laughing as Skye hurried off to the bathroom whining about her bladder being two seconds away from exploding.
That girl couldn’t hold liquid.
Well, except for...
I tucked my bottom lip between my teeth, my mind drifting to the last time she was on her knees.
A beautiful fucking sight.
“Yo, chill,” I whispered, looking down at the bulge that was pressing against my pants.
With everything that had been going on, I’d been trying to be less of a man that wanted to get his dick wet and more of a man that wanted to make sure his woman’s heart was good. It wasn’t easy, but I needed Skye to know that I cared about her emotionally more than anything.
My mind switched gears, suddenly thinking about my decision to let Skye know I was thinking about moving to the city.
Although it had been on my mind for a while, I wasn’t expecting to say it tonight.
But Skye had that kind of effect on me. She made me want to say whatever I was feeling whenever I was feeling it.
I was about to scroll through some emails when a call came in from Ol’ School.
“What’s up, old—” I started, but I couldn’t get the rest out. His voice was strained, and I could barely make sense of it. My stomach dropped. “What? What happened?”
He didn’t answer, just groaned into the phone.
Something was wrong.
“Hold on. Don’t move. I’m coming,” I said.
Heart hammering, I rushed out of my condo.
I hit the street, tires squealing against the asphalt.
Thoughts ran a hundred miles a minute. What if it was serious? What if he…? No. Stop it, Ocean. Focus.
By the time I pulled up to his house and made it inside, I was barely breathing.
Waylon stood in the living room with his hands shoved in his pants pockets. My chest went ice-cold.
But then I saw Ol’ School sitting, his body leaning heavily on one side of the recliner chair. Paramedics were packing up their equipment and heading back outside, nodding at me that he was fine.
I looked at Waylon, fury in my eyes. “What the hell are you doing here?”
He frowned. “What do you mean? This is my father. They called me. What the hell are you doing here?”
I stepped closer to him, my height and presence suddenly a weapon. “Your father? You mean the man you abandoned, tricked out of everything and left on the street?”
Waylon’s face went pale. “I...I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Nigga, cut the shit. You left him homeless, living in a damn abandoned building. The same one that’s now my club.
I found him there. Gave him a place to live.
Made sure he was safe. And you? I know why the fuck you’re here.
Your bitch ass was hoping to find him dead so you could get your hands on some extra cash. ”
Waylon’s jaw tightened. “Like I said, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Oh, but you do. It’s cool though. We can play this little game.
But just know I’m going to win every fucking time.
” I paced around him. “I’m going to give you a warning, and it’s only going to be this one time.
I don’t fuck with you, and neither does he.
So do yourself a favor and get the fuck on.
Don’t come back. Because if you do, you won’t walk away from it next time. ”
Ol’ School wheezed from where he was sitting. “Ocean…it’s fine…let it go.”
I took a breath, letting his words temper the rage rumbling in me. I respected him. And because I respected him, I let Waylon live without me rearranging his face.
Waylon finally huffed and walked off without another word.
I went over to Ol’ School, crouching down beside him. “I’m hiring a nurse. You’re not staying here without someone watching over you.”
He grumbled. “I don’t need no damn nurse. It was one little fall. I was trying to change a lightbulb.”
“And that’s why you’re getting a nurse. Why the hell would you be in here trying to change a lightbulb? You should’ve called me?”
“I had it handled.”
“Clearly, you didn’t,” I said, looking him over.
“You treat me like a kid.”
I laughed softly, heart still racing. “Better a kid than a corpse.”
He shook his head but allowed it, mumbling something under his breath about today’s young folks.
I smiled at him and made my way toward the kitchen, dialing Skye as I went.
She answered almost instantly, worry thick in her voice. “Ocean, what’s going on? Are you okay? Where are you?”
“Skye, I’m fine,” I said. “Ol’ School had a little fall, but he’s okay. I’m going to get someone over here to look after him, then I’ll be home.”
She exhaled, relief flooding through the line. “Thank God. Okay, be careful coming home.”
“I will.”
I hung up, then made a few phone calls to get someone to look after Ol’ School for the night. Once he was tucked in and resting, I headed out. I should’ve been going home but my encounter with Waylon was still heavy on my mind.
It was too much in one fucking day.
Driving, my hand tightened around the wheel and adrenaline rushed through me. It was sharp, hungry, and it needed release.
Before I knew it, I was pulling in front of a studio. But it wasn’t just some random studio...it was where I’d been informed that Enzo would be tonight.
Although Trace had given me the location, he’d told me to hold off since he was waiting to clarify some new information about Enzo and the party. But he wouldn’t tell me what the information was, and I didn’t have time to wait.
My thoughts were raw edges of anger, and I needed a target. And there he was, the arrogant son of a bitch, standing in the parking lot. No security. No excuses.
His eyes widened the second he saw me step out of my car.
“Ocean,” he said, trying to smile. “What brings you by?”
“You,” I growled.
The next few moments were a blur. Fists, hits, blocks, the raw instinct to make Enzo pay for everything he’d touched in the past. I cornered him, every word and punch calculated.
“The party,” I said, voice low and lethal.
“The night Skye was there. Don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about. ”
He swayed, caught between confusion and fear. “I don’t know—”
“Liar,” I snapped.
My phone buzzed.
Still gripping the collar of Enzo’s shirt, I used my other hand to check the text.
Trace: Yo, Enzo wasn’t at the party that night. He was out of the country.
I frowned, then shoved my phone back in my pocket. “A text just saved your life tonight.” I hit Enzo one last time, then let him drop to the ground. “Now, about Kory Riley. Why the fuck are you two leaving hotels together?”
Enzo laughed, dark and knowing. “I’m not telling you shit. It isn’t my business to tell.”
My blood ran cold.
So his bitch ass was up to no good. And if he was fucking with Enzo that could only mean one thing...teenage girls.