Chapter 37
When Gianna told me about the black truck incident and her suspicions, I wasn’t trying to hear anything else.
I told her she would be staying with me for the week, and it wasn't up for discussion. I didn't know if it was that Boss nigga or some other weirdo she worked with, but I wasn’t taking any chances. Luckily, she didn’t protest.
I reached out to Devon to see if he could give me some information on Boss without telling my business on why I needed to know. All Devon told me was that he owned a couple of convenience stores and laundromats. He and Boss were cool, but the extent of their relationship was through their wives.
I had my eyes and ears open though, and if it came down to it, I was fully prepared to handle Boss myself.
I was known for being chill, but I wasn’t pussy by any means.
So for the week, I had been keeping Gianna close, taking her to my restaurant, and showing her the ins and outs of how to run a business.
Gianna was more invested than I expected.
She would be in the kitchen talking to the kitchen staff one minute—curious about techniques and recipes.
The next, she was on the floor talking to the customers and helping the waitstaff.
She would even be at the bar asking questions about cocktails and wine pairings.
Everyone loved her. She just had a way with people, and I loved watching her work a room. If I had it my way, I would always have her right next to me. The way things were going, I would be able to make that happen.
The week had been good overall. I got to wake up and fall asleep next to her.
Watch her and my son's bond grow stronger by the day.
At this point I was ready to move her in and get the ball rolling on moving our relationship forward.
I had to keep reminding myself to just take it slow and enjoy the moments instead of already planning our wedding menu in my head.
It was evening and we were on our way to my parents to pick up Melo.
Soft music was playing low. My hand was resting on Gianna’s thigh while she leaned back in the passenger seat smiling down at something on her phone.
Every now and then she read me random tweets and quotes from Instagram while I drove.
Honestly, I was enjoying the hell out of it. Just regular, normal, couple shit. The kind of stuff I didn’t realize I had been missing. “You laughing too hard,” I glanced over at her with a grin. “It wasn’t that funny.”
“It was to me,” she giggled shaking her head. “Y’all men really don’t have any sense.”
“I got sense.”
“Mmhm." She pinched my cheek playfully. "Debatable."
"You lucky you're beautiful." I smirked reaching over and squeezing her thigh gently.
"I know." She shrugged not modest at all.
But suddenly…the laughter faded. Gianna got quiet. My eyes flicked toward her briefly. She was staring out the passenger window now, brows pinched slightly before she checked the side mirror. Then the rearview. Then the side mirror again.
My grip tightened on the wheel slightly. “You okay, baby?” I asked casually.
“Yeah…” she answered too quickly.
A moment passed. Her posture straightened subtly in her seat. That’s when I checked the rearview myself. Noticed a black truck. Nothing immediately strange about it. Tinted windows, big body a few car lengths behind us. But her reaction had me worried.
“What’s wrong, love?” I asked quieter this time. "Tell me?"
Gianna kept staring ahead now. “I might be tripping…”
“But?” I glanced over at her.
Her lips pressed together. “That truck,” she finally murmured. “I think it’s the same one I told you about.”
My eyes lifted back to the mirror. The truck kept a steady distance behind us.
My jaw tightened slightly. “You sure?”
“No.” She shook her head quickly. “I don’t know. Maybe I’m just paranoid after everything that happened. There are thousands of black trucks on the road.”
I didn’t answer right away. Instead, I switched lanes. A few seconds later—the truck switched too. My stomach tightened instantly.
Gianna noticed it too. She reached over, her fingers slowly curling around my forearm.
“Remy…”
“It’s okay, bae,” I replied calmly even though my mind was trying to quickly figure out a plan. “Don’t panic.”
I took another turn.
So did the truck.
Now my pulse was starting to kick up. “Reach in that glove compartment and grab my gun for me,” I said low, eyes still fixed on the rearview.
Her brows lifted. “You have a gun?”
“Just do it, baby,” I said firmly.
She opened the compartment carefully before handing it to me.
I rested it on my lap. “See if you can get a picture of the plates for me.”
Gianna nodded quickly and shifted in her seat, turning slightly to angle her phone toward the windshield without making it obvious. The truck stayed behind us. Its headlights glowed against the darkness as it kept pace a few car lengths back.
“You get the plates?” I asked after a moment.
“I’m trying.” She zoomed in on her phone with a frustrated sigh. “The light keeps glaring over it.”
I slowed slightly.
The truck slowed too.
Hell naw. Something wasn’t right.
My grip tightened on the steering wheel while I glanced around quickly assessing the area. We were only fifteen minutes from my parents' house, but I had no intentions of driving straight there now.
The truck remained behind us through another light.
Then another turn.
Then another.
Every instinct in my body was screaming now. My mind already creating scenarios on what would happen to my son, my family, and Gianna if I had to shoot this nigga.
Gianna finally lowered her phone into her lap. “I got a partial plate, babe.”
“Okay, love.” I nodded. My eyes flicked toward a brightly lit gas station up ahead. I turned sharply into the station. The truck drove past us. Neither of us spoke for a second as we watched it continue through the intersection without stopping.
Gianna exhaled shakily beside me. “Oh my God.”
I made sure it had disappeared before I turned to her. "You alright?" I asked, searching her face.
She nodded. "Are you?"
Reaching over I kissed her forehead. "Don't worry about me. I'm good."
She shook her head in disbelief. "This shit is crazy. If that is Boss, I have to get a restraining order or something."
I shook my head slowly. "They won't issue it unless he's done something to you, babe. Right now, we have no proof it's him. And even then…men don’t always respect restraining orders."
"So what—" she lifted her hands and dropped them back on her legs. "I'm just supposed to wait around like some sitting duck for this nigga to do something to me?"
I took her hand in mine and kissed the top. "No, of course not. I got you. I 'm not gonna let him or any other man hurt you," I assured her. "I'm prepared to do what I need to do to protect you, Gianna."
"No." She shook her head quickly. "You have a son. I won't drag y'all into my bullshit. He already lost his mother—" her voice cracked and she looked away quickly. "I'm not going to be the reason he loses his father too," she whispered.
I gently pulled her face back towards me. "That's not going to happen. We're gonna figure this out, babe. In the meantime, just continue to stay with me for now."
Her eyes searched mine anxiously. “Remy…”
“I mean it,” I said firmly. “You're not going back over there right now.”
She exhaled shakily and leaned back against the seat, rubbing her forehead.
I could see her trying to process everything at once.
Fear. Guilt. Frustration. My heart twisted seeing her like this because I knew she was used to carrying herself.
Used to surviving. I knew this situation was eating her alive internally.
“I hate this,” she whispered finally. “I hate feeling scared.”
I reached over rubbing my thumb across her thigh gently. “You're not weak because something got you shook, baby.”
She blew out a sharp breath. “I just…I finally felt like things were coming together.” Her eyes glistened slightly as she stared out the windshield. “I was happy.”
“You still can be babe,” I replied quietly.
“But at what cost?” she shot back softly. “Your peace? Melo’s peace? Y'all's safety?” She shook her head.
I took her hand again, intertwining our fingers. “Listen to me carefully,” I said low. “Whatever this is—we're gonna handle it together. You're not by yourself anymore.”
Gianna swallowed hard before finally nodding once. “Okay.”
I lifted her hand kissing her knuckles softly before putting the car back in drive. “C’mon,” I murmured. “Let’s go get Melo and get home.”