Chapter 32 Bad Bitch Energy #2
I nearly gasped. That was a new facial expression. Rin always looked bored. Always. But now there was something else in his face. Curiosity, maybe. I didn’t know. I was just happy to see him not appear bored.
Alright. This is interesting.
"Yeah." Deja shrugged and headed away from him. "Unfortunately, I don't date workers. I only date bosses."
Kaoru actually gasped, like. . .loud mouth open and hand to lips gasp.
Rin's gaze went back to Deja’s ass as she strolled away.
I saw another new expression on his face that was clear as day, and it declared, challenge accepted.
A few of the guards in the back snickered.
Rin's gaze cut to them.
The room went silent.
I thought about what I knew about Rin. About how he descended from royalty and more important. . .how he only fucked women if they had a silk bag over their faces.
Next, I looked at Deja. At the way she loved her face. The way she invested in herself. Make-up. Hair. The look-maxing.
No way. I don’t see it. Deja would never let him put a bag over her face.
Zo scooted his seat next to me and leaned in close. "Five hundred says Deja breaks him."
I looked at Zo. "What?"
He pulled out a wad of cash from his jogger pocket and peeled off five hundred-dollar bills, fanning them out between his fingers. "You heard me. Cash bet. Deja versus the man in white."
I glanced at Rin. He'd settled back into his usual stance against the wall. Arms folded. Face blank. That bored expression firmly back in place like the last two minutes never happened.
"Zo, no. That man is too crazy and too royal to be one of Deja's victims. He puts silk bags over women's faces. He carries a sword on his back. He looks like he descends from emperors and kills people for fun. Deja can't break that."
"Five hundred." Zo waved the bills. "Come on. Humor me. I'm nervous about Hiroko going off with your Dragon. I need some entertainment."
The humor drained out of me.
He was right. We were all sitting here pretending to have fun while the people we cared about were walking into danger. The twerking, the music, the weed. . .it was all just noise to cover the fear.
I sighed. "Fine. I'll take the bet."
Zo grinned and tucked three bills back into his pocket, leaving two out. "Cool. You're good for the money. I say Deja has Rin in her stable before she leaves the island."
"No way." I shook my head. "I say Deja heads back to New York with nothing else occurring between them."
Zo laughed. "You clearly don't know what it looks like when a man is about to snatch up a woman."
"And you do?"
"Better than you. Trust me. He wants her bad. It’s all over his face."
“Is it?” I studied Rin. The bored expression was fully intact. Arms still crossed. Eyes half-lidded like he might fall asleep standing up.
But his gaze hadn't moved.
He was still watching Deja.
Hmmm.
Deja clapped her hands. "Alright y'all, party's over. Let's get this girl's hair together."
Nika stepped forward and looked at my head. "Girl, what is going on with these braids?”
“I did them.”
“I know you haven't been walking around this island with those plaits looking like you just walked off a movie filming a slave plantation or something like that."
“Something is wrong with you.” I touched my braids self-consciously. "My man likes these little braids."
Deja put her hands on her hips. "He must love you because that looks a hot mess. I can't believe you. And you know this is my hair—as much as I've been working on this hair for years, making sure it looked good and together, and you ain't even representing us right."
Deja stood behind me and ran her fingers through my hair.
"What you want to do? You want to have red hair, blonde hair?
You want to stick with black or brown? Are we doing goddess braids?
Are we doing knotless? Like what you want, girl?
We got to do something really nice. We're going to have you together.
And while I'm doing it, you have to tell me all about your man. "
I sighed. "I don't even know. I just want to make sure my hair looks good. I don't really care."
"What do you mean you don't care?" Deja started. "You have to tell me something—"
“You pick, Deja,” Zo interrupted. "She’s got a lot on her mind."
I looked at him. He was watching me carefully. Like he could see the stress written all over my face.
Zo took a puff of his joint and blew out smoke. "You know better than she knows what to do with her hair."
“Alright then.” Deja nodded. “We’ll have some fun.”
Zo handed me the joint.
This time I decided to take it. Perhaps, the weed would calm my nerves.
I took it and inhaled. The smoke filled my lungs, warm and earthy, and I felt some of the tension in my shoulders ease.
Zo let out a long breath. "We're going to enjoy the movie and have fun."
“I’m surprised you’re so calm. You’re usually a mess.”
“Hiroko gave me opium. I’m surprised I’m even up right now.”
“Opium?”
“Yeah. She didn’t want me being frantic around you. She wanted me to keep the both of us calm.”
I smiled.
Thank you, Hiroko.
He leaned closer and whispered, "Kenji and everyone else is going to be okay."
I looked at him. "I hope so."
Deja started taking out my braids and humming.
I took another hit of the joint and relaxed in the chair.
The movie screen was visible from where we sat. I could see the theater below filling up with more people. Kids were running down the aisles. Women were settling into seats with their children. Older couples were finding spots together.
But there weren't many men.
My stomach twisted.
They must be guarding the island.
I handed Zo the joint and looked down at my phone.
No messages. No updates.
This heavy anxiety crept back in, damn near suffocating me.
I forced myself to breathe.
Zo grabbed my attention. “Have you eaten yet?”
“No, but I’m not hungry.”
“You’ve got to eat, Nyomi.” Then, he whispered, “You’re pregnant. You’re eating for two to five people now.”
“What the fuck?”
He rose and headed off.
“I am not, Zo! And two to five people? Stop smoking, Zo.”
“Could be triplets or something.”
Nika gasped, “Girl, are you pregnant?”
“Oh.” Deja undid a braid. “That’s why you didn’t have time to do your hair right. You had a lot going on—”
“First of all, these braids are nice. Second of all, I am not pregnant.”
Zo huffed. “Well, I’m making a plate for the babies.”
“Oh my God.” I rolled my eyes.
While Deja worked on my hair, I caught movement out of the corner of my eye.
Somewhere in between that conversation, Nika had quickly wandered over to the food table. She wasn't even making a plate. She was holding one of the forks up to the light, turning it slowly, and inspecting it like a jeweler examining a diamond.
What is she doing?
Nika ran her thumb along the handle, nodded to herself, and then glanced left. Glanced right.
Girl, I'm watching you.
Nika opened her purse and slid the fork inside. Then she picked up another one. Inspected it. Slid that one in too.
A third.
A fourth.
Deja took out another braid. "Nika, put those forks back. What is wrong with you?"
"They said I can have whatever I want at the table—"
"Food, Nika. Not silverware. Every time we go to a nice restaurant, I got to check your purse before we leave."
Zo shrugged. “In Nika’s defense, these are nice forks.”
"They’re real silver—"
"Put. Them. Back."
Nika sucked her teeth so hard I thought she'd pull a muscle. She opened her purse, took out all four forks, and set them back on the table with the attitude of a woman being forced to return a winning lottery ticket.
One of the kitchen staff stepped forward. "She can keep them if she'd like. We have plenty."
Nika's eyes lit up like Christmas morning. She snatched all four forks off the table and shoved them back into her purse before anyone could change their mind. "See? They said I could have them. Thank you, baby."
“Sorry, Nyomi.” Deja sighed. “My cousin isn’t a thief. She’s just so goddamn cheap.”
I grinned. “No worries.”
“I’m almost done, Nyomi.” Zo held a large plate and began placing food onto it. My throat felt tight. Crazy or not, Zo was taking care of me. Deja was doing my hair. Nika was laughing. The movie was about to start.
And somewhere in Tokyo, Kenji was walking into a war.
I checked my phone again.
Nothing.
I kept a strong face. Because I knew my worry wouldn't keep Kenji safe.
All I could do was stay here. Stay safe. And hope that the blood I'd smeared on those guns was enough.
Please, God. Let it be enough.