Chapter 3
Everything was silent inside my home except for us shuffling inside.
Harlo trailed me quietly, arms folded across her chest, eyes assessing what the low light in the foyer revealed.
I was still thinking about how it felt to have her on the back of my bike.
Clutching to my person like I was all she needed to survive.
“Are you sure I will be safe here?” Her soft voice pierced through my racing thoughts.
I glanced down at her and nodded. “Without a doubt. This is like Fort Knox, mama. No way in, no way out.” For emphasis, I nodded to my security system where I input the code to secure us inside.
The system was very high tech from this brainiac named Gorgeous.
This was one of the safest places to be in the city.
I allowed my eyes to rest on her to see how she’d respond to that second part.
A shiver slid down her spine, and she hugged herself a little tighter.
“Okay,” she mumbled. “Can you just show me to my room? It’s been a long day.
” Her phone began to vibrate in her pocket.
While she was focused on her notifications, I was focused on her.
I studied everything about her. Like the way her temple pulsed when she was deep in thought.
I even picked up on her wincing when she was removing her phone from her pocket.
And I definitely didn’t miss the way her eyes ballooned at something she read on her phone screen before she pocketed it quickly, pretending that everything was all fine.
“Sorry, sister group chat. Everyone wants to make sure I’m safe.”
I nodded once. “So do I. Let me know what all you need to be comfortable here. My home is my haven, and now it will be yours too.”
My home was spacious but not enough to get lost in. I walked her down the hallway leading to the living room and kitchen. She gasped when we stepped into the open floor plan. I turned to her to see what that was all about. She noted my raised brow and explained.
“Oh, sorry. It’s just really sophisticated in here.”
My head jerked back in offense. “What? You thought a nigga lived in a trap house or somethin’?”
Her laugh was light and airy as she circled my living room. “No, not at all, but it’s just very aesthetically pleasing in here.”
I grunted but chose to keep quiet. Not many people were allowed to see the inside of my home.
It was a sanctuary, and every time I stepped inside, I felt nothing but peace.
I rubbed my jaw, tracking her every movement like a predator.
She stopped in front of this art piece I’d gotten a while back.
The artist was local but only did commissions through social media.
I’d lucked up a few times before she sold out.
“You like it?” It was this raw painting of the crying lady. It was a style of art created by the artist HER, and I was in love with the brand, so not only did I have paintings, but there were a few collectible statues all over the house.
“I love it,” she whispered, then turned to me with the most dazzling smile. I didn’t miss the sheen of tears in her eyes, though. “Not you got a piece of me in your home,” she teased.
I tilted my head to the side. “You’re lying.” I’d never put two and two together, but now that she mentioned it, I felt like an idiot because it made sense.
She giggled innocently and twisted side to side.
She motioned me to come closer with a finger.
Like a dog on a leash, I closed the distance between us without protest. She pointed to the signature in the corner of the piece.
Sure enough, it read HER with a heart beside it, and it finally dawned on me that those were her initials.
“Oh damn, you pretty raw, mama. I’m a fan of your work.”
She turned to the other pieces in the living room and beamed. “I can see that. It is greatly appreciated.” She returned her attention to the painting on the wall and began to nibble on her lip. “Um, I’d like to go to my room now,” she said suddenly.
She was choked up and seconds away from falling apart.
It irritated me that I didn’t know why. “Sure.” I turned and led the way to the bedrooms. Mine was at the end of the hallway, so I stopped at the first door on the right.
“You can stay in here or the other guest room. It doesn’t matter much to me. ”
“Which bedroom is yours?” Her question caught me off guard, but I didn’t allow my face to show it. I pointed to the end, causing her to give a simple nod. “Okay.” She pointed to the door that was closest to mine. “I’ll take that one.”
I motioned for her to lead the way because this girl was fucking with my head. She stopped just inside the frame and turned toward me. “Um, aight. Just let me know what you need, and I’ll handle it. You can eat and drink whatever’s in there, or if you want to order food, just let me know.”
“I have my own money, Dior. I don’t need you to—”
I held up a hand to keep her from saying more. “I got you, Lo. Just let me take care of you until shit is handled.”
She tucked in her lips, wanting to say more, but for whatever reason, she chose not to give in to it. “Okay, fine.” Her chin fell to her chest. “By handled, do you mean kill him?”
“Honestly, I’m not sure what it means.” My heartstrings tightened at the idea that she might care for this nigga. “Why? You care what happens to him?”
Her head began to shake adamantly. “Not at all, but I don’t want you, my father, or brother getting into any mess behind this. Emir is my burden to bear.”
I pressed my finger into her lips because she was talking too much.
“Not anymore he’s not.” Moving my finger to below her chin, I forced her to look at me.
“Any one of us are willing to do what it takes to keep you safe and couldn’t care less about the consequences that come with our choice.
You know that.” I whispered the last part because we both knew she did.
I was about to say something more when her vibrating phone spoke instead. My finger fell from her face as she pulled it out of her pocket. She used her face to unlock it, and I saw that same look she had earlier.
“Who is it? Is it him?”
She nodded once. “Yes . . .”
“Let me see,” I demanded with a stern voice. I held my hand out, to which she complied by placing her phone in it. I lifted it to my face to see what this nigga was saying, and what I read on there infuriated me.
The Devil:
Oh, so you want to play huh? Ima teach your ass a lesson tonight!
Where the fuck are you at fat ass? You have exactly one hour to get to this fucking house or so help me God I’m going to kill you bitch!
ANSWER THE FUCKING PHONE!
You turned your location off bitch?
You must’ve forgot that I can always track your moves. You can run but you won’t be hiding for very long. You’re going to regret this. I hope going out and being a ho with your sisters was worth it. You will never see them again.
I launched the phone into the wall, causing it to shatter into pieces. Lo shrieked in fear, clutching her pearls. “Wh-why did you do that?”
I glanced at her hand, seeing her wedding ring. “Take that fucking ring off.”
“Huh? Why?” she replied in fear, seeing her phone in pieces nearby.
“I don’t want to take any chances of him tracking you. I need anything on you that he could use to find you. The security system has a jammer, but he would’ve gotten close by if he was actively tracking you before I turned it on.”
What I said must’ve made sense to her because she took off the ring and patted herself down in attempt to recall what she had on. The diamond earrings and necklace she wore came off next. She was about to leave her bracelets but decided to take them off as well.
“Here, just take it all.” She sounded so defeated and on the verge of tears. “Just take it all. I want nothing from that life.”
Unable to help myself, I took her hand in mine and pulled her into my arms. “I got you, Lo. I fucking promise I do.” She wrapped her arms around me the same way she’d done on my bike.
I couldn’t fight the sparks of fire in my gut, because it was too late.
I was already well on my way to being on fire for her.
“He’s never going to hurt you again,” I assured her, knowing I meant just that.
It was no longer about the race, the money, or anything else I pretended I gave a fuck about.
The way he spoke to her made this shit personal for me.
No one deserved to be treated like that.
Especially not this little sweetheart trembling in my arms. I was going to make him pay.
By the time I was finished with that nigga, he was going to wish he’d never laid a finger on her.
He didn’t deserve to even breathe the same air as her.
“Why are you looking like that?”
I was so deep in my thoughts that I didn’t realize she was looking at me. “What am I looking like, LoLo?”
“Like . . . like you’re going to kill somebody.”
“Because I am,” I stated boldly. That was exactly what I planned to do, but I would be smart about it. “By the time I’m done with him, you will forget he ever existed. That chapter in your life is over. No one will ever hurt you again.”