Luxe
A couple weeks later
Ghost and I had been stuck in his apartment ever since we came home from the hospital.
Savion gave us instructions that we couldn’t go anywhere.
At least that we didn’t need to. I’d been following his orders because I didn’t want anything else to happen to Ghost. The night he got shot, I honestly thought that I’d lost him. I was ready to crash the hell out.
If us staying locked up in here was the safest place for us, then I didn’t mind at all. We had everything that we needed. Food, television, and each other.
Ghost and I had been lying around in bed all day, flipping through the channels.
I’d rub his body here and there to make sure that he was comfortable enough.
We hadn’t had sex since he came home from the hospital.
I didn’t mind. My intimacy needs were filled in other ways.
Sex could wait until I knew I wouldn’t hurt him while we were making love.
“I can lay here with you all day,” I told him as I traced his abs with my index finger.
“That’s all you’ve been doing the past couple of days,” he joked.
“And I don’t care one bit.”
“Hold on.”
I lifted my head from his chest, and he tossed the covers back and then got up from bed. I noticed the little wince he did when he stood up. Of course, I didn’t mention it, because he’d only brush the shit off.
Ghost strolled into the bathroom, and seconds later, I could hear his pee hitting the water in the toilet.
I grabbed my phone off the nightstand and checked it.
There weren’t many notifications. Crystal was handling everything for work from home.
I told her that I wasn’t taking any jobs or anything right now.
Things were getting kind of out of control.
We had to put a tight leash on everything right now.
Once whoever was trying to kill me was off the streets, business could return to normal.
I was certain that my clients would understand my small hiatus.
Ghost came back out of the bathroom and stopped at the side of the bed. I heard the drawer on the nightstand open and then close, so I placed my phone back on my nightstand.
“I was waiting for the perfect moment to do this. I had all the works planned out for it, but what better moment to do it than now?”
When he turned around, I saw the small velvet box in his hand. I just knew that wasn’t what I thought it is.
“Ghost . . .”
I shifted in the bed where I was fully facing him.
“You deserve the best of the best, Luxe. You deserve your fairy-tale ending just like everyone else. I knew that shit between us was far from perfect. Hell, I almost checked out of here. That was another reason why I wanted to gone and do this. I didn’t want to spend another moment without you being my wife. ”
He dropped down to one knee and winced. I bolted to my feet and ran around the bed. “Please get up off the floor.” I couldn’t bear watching him in pain.
“When you tell me that you’ll be my wife, I’ll get up.”
Moisture filled my eyes as I stared at this man.
“Yes.” I nodded. He slipped the ring on my finger, and it fit perfectly.
“You’re crazy. You know that?”
“Crazy for you.”
Gripping him underneath his arm, I helped him to his feet. He cupped my face and brought his lips to mine.
“We’re really about to do this?” I asked him when he peeled away.
“Long as you don’t leave me at the altar.”
“I’ll never do anything like that.” I snickered. The night he got shot, I didn’t leave his side all the way until we came home. This was where my heart was, and I’d be a fool to walk away from it. “I guess it’s time for me to tell everyone, huh?”
“Unless you gon’ wait ’til the wedding day,” he joked and took a seat on the edge of the bed.
“Damn, I love you.”
Later that day, I gathered all my family on a Zoom call so that I could tell them the news. It would’ve been great to tell them in person, but with Ghost and I not being able to leave the house, I would’ve had to wait to tell them.
“Luxe why you got us on here like we’re in a fucking business meeting?” Maniac questioned me. This man always had something to say.
“If you give me time, I can tell you why I invited all of y’all here.
” My eyes glanced down at the huge emerald cut diamond on my finger.
“I wanted to let y’all know that I’m getting married!
” I lifted my hand up into the camera and squealed.
The only person screaming back with me was Solei.
She was the only person who knew Ghost and I had a thing.
“When have you had the time to date?” Daddy questioned me.
“I haven’t seen you with no man. Who the hell asked you to marry them? He ain’t even been through us first. Nigga ain’t got no manners,” Wicked added. I figured the boys were gon’ have something to say because they were so overprotective of me.
Solei silently sat there on the screen. “Wait, I think Solei knows something we don’t know,” Aria spoke up. I knew she was gon’ say something eventually.
“I don’t know nothing,” Solei quickly objected.
“Congrats, Sis,” Grim spoke. At least someone other than Solei was happy for me. Grim disappeared from the screen before I could even thank him.
“Are you gon’ tell us who the nigga is?” Maniac questioned.
I looked over the screen at Ghost who patiently sat there to see how the call was going to turn out. I beckoned for him. He came over and appeared in the screen.
“Ghost? See, I called that shit,” Maniac said.
“You ain’t call nothing. Why you lying?” Solei questioned him.
“Get your hating ass off the call. Kairose, n—” He wasn’t even able to finish his sentence before he disappeared.
“Lying nigga,” Solei said and shook her head.
“I think it’s really sweet,” Ma added. “As long as you’re happy, that’s all that really matters.”
“Thanks, Ma.”
We got off the call and Ghost settled back in bed.
My phone chimed. When I picked it up, I saw Brielle on the screen, sneaking into my office.
That was another reason why I stayed away.
Savion figured that they thought I was dead.
As long as I didn’t show my face, they shouldn’t think otherwise.
He said the snakes would eventually slither their way out, and he was right.
When I looked over, Ghost had dozed to sleep. This was my opportunity to sneak off and catch Brielle.
I tiptoed out of the bedroom up to the front door. My slippers were the only shoes I had up there, and that was because I took the trash out in them and didn’t feel like they were clean anymore.
Putting them on, I grabbed some keys and slipped out the door.
Brielle was still at the office by the time I got there. I knew that because her stupid ass didn’t show up on the camera leaving out.
I stepped off the elevator and saw a light coming from my office. Marching in that direction, I pushed the door in and aimed my pistol straight at Brielle. Her hands instantly went up in the air.
“You mind telling me what the fuck you were doing?”
“You’re not dead?”
She looked like she’d seen a ghost.
“Why? Should I be?”
She backed herself into the corner. “I’m sorry. I never wanted to do this.”
“Do what?” I took a couple steps toward her.
“They threatened me and my family. Said they’d kill us all if I didn’t cooperate.”
“Who?”
“If I tell you, then he’ll kill me.”
“And if you don’t, I’m gon’ torture you ’til you do.”
Tears streamed her face. I didn’t give a damn about her ass crying. It was over with for her, and she knew it.
“Fuck.” Her shoulders relaxed. “His name is Dominic Valenti.”
I squeezed the trigger, releasing a single bullet into Brielle. Her body dropped to the floor behind my desk, and I stepped over there where she lay. “Your mama should’ve taught you the meaning of loyalty.”
Pow!