Chapter 5
Although there was a TV in the large room Glimmer rested in, she hadn’t turned it on since she got there the day before. The racing thoughts in her mind were enough to keep her entertained and distracted. She didn’t need the TV adding to the silent noise and overstimulating her.
She stared at the white wall with the covers pulled up to her nose.
Since it was just her in the room, she had no shame breathing in Gideon’s scent that lingered on the sheets and blanket.
He smelled so damn good, and she was a sucker for a nigga that smelled the fuck good.
Breathing him in like this made her miss her perfume collection.
She hadn’t been able to take it with her to Trick’s house.
Hell, she didn’t get to take anything. She only hoped her mom hadn’t gotten ahold of it and used all her shit up.
Camille Delacroix would definitely do some shit like that.
The thought of her mom brought mixed emotions. She worried about her. They never agreed on anything, but Camille was still her mom. Trick would definitely harm Camille to get at Glimmer, but she had a feeling Trick knew her mother wasn’t her favorite person.
Glimmer’s heart pained as she thought about her father. That was her favorite person, and he was who she worried about most.
What felt like the millionth tear she’d cried that day slipped out of her eye. She swiped it away just as there was a knock on the door, and then it opened slightly.
“Glimmer? It’s us,” Kyomi’s sweet voice called out into the darkened room. The only light spilling into the room came from a crack between the blacked-out curtains and the wall where the large windows rested.
Glimmer wiped her face and sat up, wincing slightly at the pain in her ankle. She still felt weak, but she thought that had more to do with months of stressing and not being able to rest properly than anything.
“Hey,” Glimmer croaked.
Kyomi and Deja shuffled into the room. Kyomi hopped onto the bed while Deja opened the curtains, revealing that Glimmer was still dressed in the same clothes as the day before.
“How you feelin’?” Deja asked as she perched on the edge of the bed.
Kyomi, on the other hand, was no stranger. She sat right next to Glimmer, leaned against the headboard, and then put her head on Glimmer’s shoulder.
Glimmer stiffened slightly. It had been a long time since she’d gotten any kind of affection, but she soon melted into the touch.
“Honestly? I can’t believe I’m here.” She looked at her two old friends.
“I can’t either. I thought your ass moved to another state or something,” Deja responded.
“Move out of The Bay? Never,” Glimmer said, and she meant that. No matter how bad things had gotten, it had never been in her heart or her father’s heart to move. Desmore Bay was home. Camille, on the other hand, would have gone wherever the damn money was.
“I know that’s right,” Kyomi said, and then her expression turned thoughtful. “I still don’t really get why you never reached out. I mean, I know your dad said it was best, but still . . .”
Glimmer understood where Kyomi was coming from. They were more than friends once upon a time. They were sisters. Back then, there was never a world in which they lost touch with each other.
“I guess there was just something about the way my dad changed after your dad died, Ky. He was sad all the time. He lost his spark, for real. I never wanted to do anything to make things harder on him or to make him sadder. My mom did enough of that.”
Deja snorted. “Mrs. Camille never changed, did she?”
Glimmer’s eyebrow arched. “She did.” She paused for dramatic effect. “Her ass got worse.”
The three of them giggled. There had always been a dilemma between the three when they were younger.
Glimmer’s house was the most fun, and when Juke was around, he let them get away with murder and spoiled them rotten, but Camille was the worst to be around.
She was mean and wouldn’t let them do anything.
Deja’s house wasn’t big like Kyomi’s and Glimmer’s, but her mama cooked the best home-cooked meals.
Kyomi’s house was okay, but Haze was way too overprotective and always in their business, which normally meant they took their chances at Glimmer’s.
The three of them spent the most time there, but it didn’t go without a lot of talking shit about Camille.
Glimmer never blamed them for it either.
Not once. As a matter of fact, she was the main ringleader when it came to the Camille hate train.
“I can’t imagine a worse Camille. Remember the time she made us give her a damn pedicure because we got caught sneaking out?” Deja asked.
Kyomi’s eyes grew wide. “And you know I have an issue with feet. I kept gagging, which only pissed her off more.”
Glimmer chuckled. “And I couldn’t stop laughing because you kept gagging. It pissed my mama off so bad.”
“Why was that her form of punishment anyway? Normal parents would ground you or something. She never grounded you,” Deja asked with her nose scrunched up.
Glimmer shook her head. “Nope. She just lived to make my life hell.”
Deja shook her head. “Damn shame.”
“I am worried about her though. She and Trick always seemed to get along okay, but that could have changed when I ran. What if he thinks she was in on it?”
“Do you know her number? You can use my phone to call her,” Kyomi suggested as she pulled her phone out of the pocket of her joggers.
Glimmer’s eyes lit up. One thing her father always instilled in her was to always memorize the numbers of the people closest to her. She grabbed the phone and muttered, “Thank you,” before she dialed her mom’s phone.
“Don’t even worry about it. I’ll mention to Haze that you need a phone. You aren’t a prisoner here, you know?” Kyomi asked as if she wasn’t really sure Glimmer knew that or not.
She hadn’t, actually. It was why she hadn’t asked for anything. She was so used to being a damn prisoner that it hadn’t even been a thought that these people who loved her like family didn’t look at her as leverage or an item.
All Glimmer could do was nod as she brought the phone up to her ear. With bated breath, she listened to the ringing and wondered what the hell she would say to her mother if Camille answered.
“Hello?”
Glimmer gasped, completely unprepared to hear her mother’s voice so quickly. The phone had only rung three times.
“Mama?”
“Glimmer? Where in the absolute fuck are you, chile? Do you know the mess you’ve caused? All that fuckin’ money you wasted because of the stunt you pulled yesterday?” Camille chastised.
Glimmer frowned. “I . . . I know, Mama. I just, I couldn’t do it. I—”
“I don’t want to hear your excuses, little girl. I want you to bring your ass home. Where are you? Matter of fact, here. Talk to your damn fiancé.”
Glimmer heard shuffling and muffled voices as she tried to process her mother’s words. She didn’t expect Camille to be overly concerned for her, but she at least expected her mother to care a little bit.
Before Glimmer could even blink, Trick’s cold voice came over the phone. “Where the fuck you at, Glimmer?”
Her mouth opened as if she wanted to speak, but she had no words. She felt like a deer in the headlights as she stared into her friends’ concerned faces.
“You okay?” Kyomi whispered.
“Yo, who the fuck was that? Glimmer, you done already pissed me the fuck off. Don’t push it. Whoever you wit’ right now, tell them to bring ya ass back to me before I come find you,” Trick snapped. She could tell he was infuriated, which terrified her.
“I’m not coming back,” she said weakly as she averted her eyes from Kyomi and Deja, ignoring their questioning gazes.
Trick laughed menacingly in her ear. “That ain’t how this shit works.
Since you seem confused, let me break it down to you.
Bring ya ass back here so we can get married, or I’ma make sure ya daddy gets fucked real good in that jail cell he’s rotting in before his neck is sliced. Get back here by the end of the day.”
The phone went dead silent. Glimmer pulled the cell away from her ear with fresh tears in her eyes.
“What happened? What she say?” Deja asked. Her dark brows dipped in concern as her pouty lips poked out in a pout.
Glimmer couldn’t speak. It seemed like all she could do for the past twenty-four hours was cry. She covered her face with her hands as she accepted the fact that she would have to go back to Trick. If there was any way for Glimmer to protect her father, she would.
Kyomi rubbed her back. “Glimm, what happened? Talk to us.”
Glimmer gently nudged her away as she flung the wonderful smelling covers off her and proceeded to scoot toward the edge of the bed. “I have to get out of here.”
“Wait, what?” Deja asked while Kyomi placed a hand on Glimmer’s shoulder.
Glimmer nudged her away again, harder this time. “Stop, Ky. Don’t make this harder than it has to be.” She sobbed as she stood to her feet, wincing at the aches in her body.
Deja rounded the bed while Kyomi hopped up. They both stood in front of Glimmer, wanting an explanation. Glimmer didn’t know if she could offer one. All she knew was she needed to make her way back to Trick’s house by the end of the night.
“Don’t make what harder than it has to be? What the hell is going on? You need to be back in bed and resting. No offense, girl, but you look fucking exhausted. You—”
“Stop.” Glimmer held her hands up. “Just let me go. Please.” She whimpered as she fought not to crumple to the floor.
“Go where?” Kyomi asked with tears in her eyes, ever the empath.
“I know like hell you ain’t talkin’ ’bout goin’ back to that nigga,” Deja snapped, ever the aggressor with the big heart.
Glimmer immediately got defensive. She knew Deja loved harshly, and she only wanted what was best for Glimmer, but right now, she couldn’t handle the tough love.
“I have to. You have no idea the pressure I’m under. You have no idea what I’ve been through. If I don’t go back, people die. Do you understand that?” Glimmer argued with her voice elevated.
By now, her voice came out in a panicked screech, and Deja and Kyomi tried to calm her down. They talked over one another until their voices meshed into one roar of emotion.
“The hell is goin’ on in here?” Haze’s voice cut through all the noise, and all three women instantly fell silent.
Dread filled Glimmer’s heart because she knew her mission had just gotten one hundred times harder as her eyes landed on Haze and Gideon standing just inside the room.