Chapter 2 #3
Blinking quickly, she looked up at Mozzi before nodding.
Inari walked over to the sink to wash and dry her hands, and Mozzi handed Iara over to her.
With the little bundle in her arms, some of Inari’s troubles faded as she soaked in her adorable sleeping face.
She looked just like Coast, if that was at all possible at one day old.
“She’s beautiful,” Inari whispered, sniffling, but never taking her eyes off Iara.
“You good?” Mozzi checked with her, brow wrinkling in concern.
“Have you talked to your brothers or seen the news?” Inari rocked with Iara in her arms and lifted her eyes to Mozzi’s.
He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.
“Nah. It was a long night dealing with these two. My phone died, and I put it on the charger, but I haven’t checked it. What’s up? Something happen?”
“Moses,” Coast grumbled, eyes scanning the couch where she remembered falling asleep and watching Mozzi with Iara.
Not seeing them there sent her into instant panic, and she shot up in the hospital bed. When she spotted him at the foot of her bed, she released a relieved sigh.
“Nari. When did you get here?”
“Just now,” she answered, walking closer to Coast. “You did good, mommy. Congratulations.”
Somehow, she managed a warm smile, but Coast frowned when she placed Iara in her arms.
“Is anybody else with you?” Coast cradled her baby girl, and she stirred, moving her little lips like she did when she was hungry.
Last night, a lactation specialist stopped in to help her with breastfeeding, and Iara moved like a champ. She wasted no time latching on and filling up on liquid gold.
“No. Just me.” Inari squeezed in and sat beside her on the bed while Coast positioned Iara to feed. “There was… an incident last night. Ayla is…” Inari choked trying to say the words.
She brought her hand against her mouth to cover the sob that slipped out.
“Oh, my God. What’s wrong?” Coast’s brows cinched together, and Inari took a moment.
“Ayla’s dead.”
“What? No.” Coast shook her head, heart thudding rapidly in her chest. “I don’t understand. How did this happen? Are you sure?”
“I saw the coroner this morning.” She wiped her nose with the back of her hand, then pressed her hands against her cheeks to stop the tears. “Her car exploded. Her personal effects were on the scene, but there was so much damage to her body—”
“Oh, my God,” Coast croaked.
Mozzi saw that Inari was in pain. He grabbed his t-shirt and slipped it back on before going over to the other side of Coast’s bed and wrapping her in a hug.
She didn’t expect it, but she locked her arms around his waist and held onto him.
He didn’t utter a word, but he looked into his wife’s glistening eyes and empathized with her pain.
Ayla had become like a sister to him, and in exchange, so had Inari.
He couldn’t imagine losing one of his brothers.
Coast rested her hand on Inari’s thigh and gave it a squeeze.
The door to her hospital room opened a moment later, and Moose strolled inside, holding a big pink teddy bear and a heart-shaped balloon with another bouquet of flowers. His expression wilted the minute he saw Inari crying into Mozzi. He hated that he couldn’t be the one she took comfort in.
“Hey,” Coast greeted him.
Moose set his things on the foot of the bed, and Inari pulled away from Mozzi.
She swiped her tears with anger before quickly rising to her feet.
There was no way she could sit around him too long without wanting to haul off on him.
She swept her hands down the legs of her sweatpants and faced Coast.
“I’m gonna go. I just wanted to stop in. It was a crazy night. Otherwise, I would have been here—”
“You don’t have to apologize, Nari, and you don’t have to leave. I’m so sorry this happened,” Coast voiced.
“I do have to leave.” Inari nodded before a hardened stare landed on Moose. “I can’t be around him right now.”
Confusion spread over both Mozzi and Coast’s faces as Inari moved to the door.
“I’m here if you need me,” Coast told her.
“You have a brand-new life to take care of, Coast. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.” Inari grabbed her purse and let herself out.
Coast immediately fell apart once she was gone, which upset Iara. Luckily it was time for her to burp, so Mozzi scooped her out of her arms so she could have a moment.
“I don’t understand.” Coast reached for the box of Kleenex beside her bed on a table. “What the hell happened?” she demanded, dabbing at her eyes.
Moose looked at Mozzi first. One glance told his brother everything he needed to know. Some shit had hit the fan. Rocking with Iara on his shoulder, Mozzi glanced at Coast, who still had no clue what was going on.
“Somebody say something! How is Ayla dead!”
“It’s a lot of shit. Long story. Something you shouldn’t be focused on right now.” Moose voiced.
“Moose, I don’t need you or anybody else telling me how to fucking feel right now. I’ll tell you like I told Mozzi, I appreciate full disclosure. I’m not some weak little bird who can’t handle shit. So, tell me what the fuck happened!” Coast roared, sitting up like she wanted to lunge for him.
“It was Inari’s ex, Danilo, and his auntie. Some shit happened with Inari and Ayla when they were kids. Bad shit. Some shit that should have stayed buried, but his auntie, Mira, wouldn’t let it.”
“Mira?” Mozzi repeated, his face balling into a frown. “Mira Jones?”
“Yeah. Her and Danilo were blackmailing Inari. She’s been moving product for her.
Years ago, she walked away from all that, went to work at Vintage Vault, and built a legit life for her and Dane.
When Danilo got out, he wanted to fall back into old habits, so they used something against Inari to get her back.
After the Christmas party, she pretty much knew they were on bad terms because she told them she was done.
Mira and Danilo didn’t want to hear it, so they took Ayla. ”