Promise to Repeat

Prologue

What we gon’ do right here is go back. Way back, . . . back into time.

The crowd was hyped.

“Thank you, Detroiiit!” Lil’ Kim yelled over the crowd. We all screamed and clapped our hands, hating for it to be over.

“Yooo, this concert was all that!” Aniya yelled.

I nodded with a huge smile on my face. “It sure was.”

“You have to thank Zion for us for getting us the tickets. I had been trying to win them off the radio all week!” my sister, Junipher—or Junie—said to me as we maneuvered through the crowd.

At the very mention of his name, my smile broadened, my heart fluttered, and butterflies swarmed in my belly.

Zion Sullivan.

The hood-rich, fine-ass, get-money nigga that stole my heart in high school was now all I could think about when he wasn’t around me. I may have been in love with him since high school, but we didn’t start dating until my third year at Wayne State University.

I tried to convince him to go to college with me, but due to his rough circumstances, the streets claimed him, and his dreams of playing ball differed.

I didn’t approve of his lifestyle, but I couldn’t tell a grown man what to do.

The only thing I could do was continue to love and support him the way that he loved and supported me.

“Tell him yourself,” I replied, eyes going to the chocolate adonis in the parking lot, who leaned on the hood of his cream 1986 Monte Carlo with the gold-spoked rims, hanging with his crew.

Zion didn’t do concerts or big crowds, but because he knew I was there, he stayed in the parking lot to make sure my friends and I were safe. The second reason was that he was making money, serving the partygoers with whatever they needed to make their night even more hype.

The smoke from his blunt curled around his face as we locked eyes. From that point, everything seemed to disappear around us, and we were the only people out there. That gorgeous smile lifted on his face as soon as I got close enough to see it fully.

Gosh, this man was fine.

And he was all mine.

Once I made it to him, he took my hand and made me do a 360 turn, checking out my outfit.

“You trying to get a nigga hurt tonight, huh, Dinny?” he asked in that cool, deep tenor, calling me by the nickname he gave me.

I blushed because that voice always did things to me.

The gray Guess jumper short set hugged my curves like latex.

My sisters and I were naturally thick, so the shorts were shorter than I thought.

My hair was in braided plaits that Jessie put in this morning, and I rocked a white Guess cut-off shirt underneath my jumper, with my breasts sitting up just right.

A gold herringbone necklace—courtesy of my man—bracelet, and gold rings complemented my look, along with my slouch socks and all-white Jordan Ones on my feet.

I looked every bit of the nineties theme.

Zion nodded his head in approval, then his arm came around my waist, and he bent to press those thick lips to mine. We engaged in a heated kiss, and my body relaxed into him when he grabbed two handfuls of my ass.

“Awww!” I could hear my girls cooing behind me.

I pulled away and smiled at him. “Hi,” I greeted.

“What’s up, baby. Y’all have fun?”

I nodded. “We did.”

“Yeah, thank you for the tickets, brother. I got to see my boo Ginuwine up close and personal,” Junie said, geeked.

“It’s all good, sis. Glad y’all enjoyed yourselves.”

“It’s an after-party at Rouge Park. Y’all trying to go?” Trouble, one of Zion’s best friends, asked.

“Nah, me and my shorty finna be out. Where y’all park at, Junie?” Zion asked, lifting from the car.

“Not too far. We’re by the gas station on the corner.”

“Meeko gon’ take y’all to your whip.” He nodded to Meeko, his other best friend.

“A’ight, see you, Sis. I love you,” Jessie said, hugging me.

“Love y’all too.” We all hugged each other, with promises to get together soon. Aniya and Lauren got into Lauren’s car, which was parked only a few cars down, while my sisters got in with Meeko.

Zion escorted me to the passenger side of his car and opened the door for me. Before I could get inside, he pulled me back and pinned me against the car, staring down at me.

“I missed you,” he said, kissing my earlobe. I wrapped my arms around his neck and lifted my head while puckering my lips. He gave me a soft peck and smiled.

“I missed you, too.”

“I love you; you know that, right?”

I nodded. “Of course, and I love you, too.”

“I know you hate what I do, but I have a plan that’s going to secure our future. I won’t be doing this shit forever. I want you to be my wife and have my baby. Can’t do that by doing this dangerous shit, but nothing is going to stop me from making you Mrs. Sullivan. You wit’ me?”

I smiled at him. “You know I’m with you, baby. The way you love me and take care of me, I’ll give you anything you want from me. Yeah, I don’t like what you do, but I understand. As long as you’re trying to quit this shit, then I’ma be here, always.”

“Promise?”

“I promise,” I assured.

He grinned then bit his lip. “So whatcha say, boo? If I asked, would you say, I do?” He sang the Jon B. lyrics to me. I giggled because that was the first song we heard on our first date, and it became our theme song.

“I love you so much, Zion Montell Sullivan.”

“I love you more, Jordin Janae Sullivan.” He nuzzled his nose against mine, then pecked my lips again. It was moments like that one that made me fall more in love with him. Although we were only twenty-two and twenty-three, the almost six years we’d been together were nothing short of amazing.

Of course, there were chicks trying to break us up.

They hated that I had the finest, richest nigga in the hood, and he was falling at my feet.

There was even a time when we broke up. Well, a time when I thought I broke up with him because, even when I told him it was over, he was still coming to my parents' house, acting like we weren’t at odds. But through all of that, we were solid.

I loved him, and I prayed for him daily. For him to be making moves to get away from the streets meant a lot to me, and I couldn’t wait to start our happily ever after.

“Yo, Zi!” someone called out to him. We both looked over to see who I was sure was one of his customers by the way Zion’s face turned from adoring me to serious.

“Get in the car, baby. I’ll be right back.”

“Okay,” I said, sliding inside. I busied myself by looking through his CDs for some music to listen to when I felt something cold against my temple. My body instantly froze, and my palms went in the air when I noticed it was a gun.

“Run me all yo’ shit. Hurry the fuck up,” he gritted through his teeth while looking around to make sure no one was coming. My eyes went to Zion, but he was too preoccupied with serving some niggas.

“P-please—”

“Bitch! Give me this shit!” He snatched the chain from my neck, and I screamed, feeling his nails dig into my skin.

“Aye! What the fuck?” Zion yelled after hearing me scream. He rushed toward the car just as he heard two shots ring out. I ducked and cried, praying to God and calling out to Zion.

“Ziooon!” I screamed.

“Fuck you think this is, homie!” I could hear Zion yell, then the car rocked as if it had hydraulics.

I lifted my head and looked toward the back, seeing Zion, Killa, and Trouble pistol-whipping the gunman.

“Bitch-ass nigga tryin’ to rob my girl! Do you know who the fuck I am! ” He gritted his teeth.

I had never seen him so irate, and it scared me as he continued his assault on the gunman.

I could hear the guy’s screams and hurried out of the car to stop Zion and his friends before they killed him.

The remaining concert attendees lingered around, watching shamelessly as the gunman’s face became almost unrecognizable.

“Zion! Baby, stop! Please!” I yelled. “Trouble, stop!”

“Get back in the car, Dinny!” Zion yelled, gripping the man by his shirt collar.

I heard tires screeching and saw Meeko hop out of his car and rush over to join in.

Tears streamed down my face, and I stood in fear that Zion and his friends were about to kill this man.

“Zion. . . Baby, please. Look at me,” I said, grabbing his arm. He finally snapped out of his rage and looked at me, then looked down at the man who was clinging to life. His soft groans were the only thing that let me know he was still amongst the living.

Zion’s eyes went from me to the gunman, and he snatched him up.

“You see her, motherfucka?” he asked, holding him by his neck. When he didn’t speak, Zion pulled his gun from his waist and put it to his head. “Answer me, bitch!”

“Ye”—cough—“Yeah!”

“When you see her, you'd better know she's got me right behind her. Apologize to my lady, and give her back what the fuck you took from her!”

“I-I’m sorry! I’m sorry,” he said, barely audible, holding my necklace out to me. I didn’t move to grab it until Zion spoke.

“Get your shit from him, baby.”

Shakily, I reached out and took my necklace from his hand.

Zion pushed him away, then a single shot rang out, and I screamed.

The man immediately grabbed his thigh where the bullet was lodged.

Before I could even say anything, lights flashed, and the police pulled into the parking lot.

My mind scrambled, and I could feel my chest tightening as the police came closer.

“Zi, give me the gun!” Trouble yelled. Zion gave him the gun and handed me his keys. Trouble hurried off, disappearing into the crowd, just as the police jumped out with guns drawn.

“Put your hands up!”

“Let me see your hands!” they yelled, aiming their weapons at Zion. Zion put his hands up.

“Get down on the ground now!”

“No, please!” I yelled, wrapping my arms around Zion.

“Get in the car, Dinny. Go home, and I’ll meet you there.”

“No!”

“Dinny, go!” He pushed me back, just as the police grabbed him and pushed him to the ground while checking on the gunman. I backed away from the scene and got inside the driver’s seat. I started the engine and pulled out of the parking space.

As bad as I didn’t want to leave, I knew I couldn’t stay behind to watch or try to save him. With my foot on the gas, I drove out of the parking lot and headed to our apartment, not too far from the venue.

Tears streamed down my face from the unknown. My heart broke because I just knew he was going to get in trouble from what he did to that man, and there was nothing I could do but wait for him to call.

And I prayed he would call to tell me to come pick him up. If not, things in our lives as we’d known them would change.

Three Days Later . . .

My leg bounced heavily as I sat next to the phone, waiting for it to ring. Junie and Jessie sat next to me in the apartment I shared with Zion, trying to soothe me.

For the past three days, I’d been on edge, crying, and feeling sick because I couldn’t talk to him. I had been going up to the jail every day, but they wouldn’t allow me to see him and told me he didn’t have a bond until he saw a judge on Monday.

Monday came and went, and still, no word.

The more time that passed, the more anxious I’d become, and I felt guilty because I could have tried harder to stop him. The fear I felt, seeing him in that light, was what halted me from doing more.

I had never seen that side of him before, and it paralyzed me more than I thought it would.

Junie placed her hand on my leg to stop it from shaking.

“Calm down, Baby Sis. I’m sure he’s going to call.”

“When? It’s been three days!” I exclaimed. “I’m scared, Junie. I can’t lose him.” Just as I finished my sentence, the phone rang. I didn’t even let the phone get a full ring before I snatched it up.

“Hello!”

The recording began, and I held my chest to calm my heart.

“This is the Department of Corrections on a recorded line with a call from . . . Zion. Do you accept the charges?”

“I do!” The call connected, and my heart slowed. “Baby,” I choked out.

“Dinny, you good?”

“No, I’m scared, Zion. What is happening?”

I could hear him sigh into the phone. “Everything’s gon’ be alright, baby. Don’t worry. . . I need you to hold shit down for me. There’s some money in my closet, under the floorboard. I need you to listen to me carefully, a’ight?”

“Okay.”

“One alligator, one night, one time, that’s it.” He spoke in code, which meant he wanted me to give Meeko the green bag he kept in the back of his closet tonight at nine. He always told me that if he ever got locked up, that was the code I needed to know and follow.

“Okay, but what are they saying? Are you coming home?”

“It ain’t looking too good for me, Dinny. I may have to sit down for a while. I-I don’t expect you to wait—”

My heart plummeted. “No! Don’t say that to me, Zion. You-you didn’t do anything but protect me!”

“Jordin, baby, listen. They are trying to hit me with fifteen years max for assault with a deadly weapon and attempted murder. I talked to my lawyer, and he said he can probably get the deadly weapon shit thrown out, but I don’t think I’m getting out of this one, but I’m gon’ try.

I love you, a’ight? You’ve always been the best thing to ever come into my life.

You always had my back and never switched up on me, and I will always love and honor you for that.

If shit don’t work out, don’t wait for me.

But when I get home, just know I’m coming for you.

You gon’ still be my wife and give me my babies. You hear me?”

I sniffled into the receiver as I cried audibly. My heart was breaking, and my airways were clogging.

I couldn’t breathe.

“Dinny. Breathe for me, baby. Please. I need you to be strong.”

I could hear the sorrow in his voice, and I broke down even more.

“I-I-I can’t. What am I supposed to do without you, Zi?”

“Live, baby. I’m gon’ get right back. That money in the floorboard is yours. Keep it and take care of whatever it is you need to. The apartment is in your name, so you good. Just . . . promise me you’ll be available when a nigga get back.”

I nodded as if he could see me. “I promise.”

“You have one minute of talk time available,” the recording said.

“I love you, baby, and I’m sorry.”

The line disconnected, and I fell to the floor in agony. Junie and Jessie got down on the floor with me and held me as I cried because a life without Zion was no life at all.

I could feel my heart broken and knew this was one situation I would never come back from.