Chapter 10
Headlights swept across the windshield as I leaned forward in my seat, staring out at another block that looked as though I should’ve known it better than I did.
A liquor store sat on the corner behind a wall of scratched plexiglass.
Three men lingered outside beneath a flickering light, their voices carrying over the music rattling from a car parked next to the curb.
I knew this area.
Or at least pieces of it.
A run-down building sat nearby with paint peeling from its sides. A bent street sign stood crooked at the corner, and an old mural stretched across the wall of a store, faded from years of heat and sunlight. Something about all of it kept pulling at me, even if I couldn’t fully understand why.
I drove with one hand on the wheel while the other rested against the center console, my eyes moving slowly over everything around us.
“You keep tensing up every time we come through here,” Booda said, watching me closely. “Something about this area bothering you?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted, frustrated. “Everything keeps blending.”
We’d been riding around for hours, doubling back through neighborhoods, stopping at gas stations, cruising past old apartment complexes and corner stores while I tried to pull memories out of the static crowding my head.
The city looked different at night. Every alley felt as though it was hiding something, and every pair of headlights creeping up behind us tripped my nerves.
“Slow down,” Booda said calmly when I started rubbing my temple again. “You tryna force it.”
“I’m tired of not knowing shit,” I snapped.
“I know.”
That simple answer took some of the heat out of me, but not enough.
I leaned back against the seat and looked out the driver’s side window as we rolled past another crowded strip lined with smoke shops, beauty supply stores, and fast-food joints.
A group of girls crossed the street laughing loudly, heels in their hands, while traffic crawled around them. Something about that scene made me smile despite the frustration weighing on me.
“I think I used to come over here.”
Booda glanced at me. “For what?”
“I don’t know.” I frowned. “But I know I did.”
Before he could respond, my phone vibrated in my lap. When I looked down, I saw Giani’s name lighting up the screen.
“What’s up?” I answered on the third ring.
“Where you at?” she asked, sounding cheerful. “Please don’t tell me you still in that apartment hiding from the world.”
I looked through the windshield at the street ahead of me. “I am. Why?” I lied.
Giani hadn’t given me a reason to believe she had anything to do with what happened to me, but right now, trust wasn’t something I could afford to hand out freely.
“Well, I want you to kick it with me tonight,” she laughed.
I shook my head even though she couldn’t see me. “Nah, boo. I’m good.”
“Koko,” she groaned dramatically. “Don’t start. I’m celebrating.”
“Celebrating what?”
“My promotion, bitch,” she shouted, and I could tell she was also kicking her legs. “Diamond Curve Cosmetics finally made me a regional manager.”
“Congratulations,” I said, genuinely happy for her.
“Thank you. Now come outside with me.”
“I’m really not in the mood, Giani.”
“Yes, you are. You just don’t know it yet,” she replied smoothly. “I’m getting ready now. Come pregame with me for a little while.”
“I don’t know… I got a lot going on right now.”
“That’s exactly why you’re getting out with me, and don’t worry about what to wear. You will not be in one of them sad-ass hoodies in my section,” she added. “I’ma dress you.”
A laugh slipped out of me before I could stop it.
“I’m serious,” she continued. “You used to be the flyest bitch around. I’m not letting you walk in there looking a hot-ass mess.”
“Girl—” I started, but she quickly cut me off.
“I’m about to text you the address,” she said. “See you in a minute.”
The line went quiet for a second.
“…I’ll think about it,” I said finally.
“That means yes,” she laughed before hanging up.
I rolled my eyes as I dropped my phone in my lap.
“I’m not going.”
“Why not?” Booda asked.
“Because somebody already tried to kill me. Why the fuck would I willingly put myself in a crowded club where anybody could walk up on me?”
Booda looked at me for a second but didn’t argue right away.
“I’m serious,” I continued. “I don’t know who set me up, who was involved, or who still wants me dead. For all I know, the wrong person sees me tonight and I end up right back in the hospital.”
“That’s exactly why you should go,” he replied calmly.
I frowned. “What?”
“You hiding in that apartment ain’t stopping nothing. Rich already knows where you live,” he said. “Being outside might help you find him first. You can either stay scared or start hunting.”
Looking away from him, I bit down on my lip so hard I tasted blood. I didn’t want to admit it, but Booda was right. Sitting inside Apartment 214 with the blinds closed and the doors locked hadn’t made me feel safer. If anything, it made me feel trapped.
All I’d been doing was locking myself inside that apartment and waiting for somebody else to make the next move. I was tired of feeling helpless.
“You really think somebody connected to this might be there?” I asked, glancing from him to the road.
“I think the more you step back into your old world, the more likely you are to get your memories back,” Booda replied. “People talk too much in clubs. Niggas get drunk, comfortable, careless.”
I swallowed hard, my thoughts racing. “What if I remember something at the wrong time?”
“Then you deal with it,” he said simply.
A quiet settled between us before I finally sighed.
“You right. I’ll go.”
“And I’ll be there in case shit pops off.”
My head turned toward him. “I thought you ain’t want people knowing you back home.”
“They won’t,” he replied calmly. “I know how to be around without being seen.”
A memory brushed against me at that moment.
“I know,” I replied, opening Giani’s message before I could change my mind.
Booda leaned back in the passenger seat, watching me closely while a slow grin spread across his face.
“That’s my girl,” he said softly, and the way his eyes moved over me made heat crawl up my neck.
For the first time since waking up in that hospital, I wasn’t thinking about surviving.
I was going hunting.
I dropped Booda off at my house to change, then headed across town to Giani’s.
By the time I pulled into her complex, the city lights had started blurring together around me. I cut the engine and sat there for a second, staring up at the balcony lights before finally climbing out.
Giani opened the door before I could knock.
“That’s my bitch,” she grinned, halfway dressed with her hair pinned up on one side. “Come on. You gon’ have me running late.”
“That means I’m right on time. Who gets to the club early anyway?” I asked jokingly.
Giani stepped aside so I could come in, and my eyes immediately landed on the living room.
Cream-colored furniture, accentuated by gold accents, rested beneath soft, dim lighting. Flickering candles danced atop mirrored trays scattered across the tables. An oversized painting, gracefully stretched across the wall behind the couch, served as a vibrant focal point for the elegant decor.
My eyes kept drifting from one thing to the next. The colors, the furniture, the candles, all of it matched my taste so perfectly it almost caught me off guard. Giani really had style.
“Everything good?” she asked, watching me while I continued standing in the middle of her living room.
A soft laugh slipped out of me. “Yeah. I was just admiring your home.”
And I was.
The apartment was beautiful.
Giani grinned and kicked the door shut behind me. “Thank you. I've been putting money into this place for a minute now.”
“It shows,” I admitted, my attention still drifting.
A glass bar cart sat near the dining area, stocked with expensive liquor bottles, crystal glasses, and fresh flowers arranged inside a tall vase. My gaze moved past it toward the kitchen, where cream-colored stools lined the marble island beneath hanging pendant lights.
“You still standing there?” Giani laughed.
I blinked and looked over at her. “Your place is nice as hell.”
“It better be for what I’m paying,” she joked before grabbing my wrist. “Come on. Let me see what still fits you.”
She led me down the hallway toward her bedroom, and the second she pushed the door open, I stopped again. Clothes covered the bed in different shades of black, cream, and nude, while heels lined the wall beside her dresser, and jewelry sparkled beneath the vanity lights.
Giani walked farther into the room while I looked around.
The bedroom matched the rest of the apartment perfectly. Soft colors. Gold accents. Expensive-looking pieces that all somehow fit together. It just kept getting better and better.
“You still wear a small, right?” she asked, digging through the clothes spread across the bed.
“I think so,” I answered with a laugh. “Hell if I know anymore.”
“Please. Your body still tea,” she replied dismissively before tossing a black dress in my direction. “Try that on.”
I caught it against my chest and glanced down at the material.
The dress was simple, fitted, and classy. Exactly the kind of thing I would’ve gravitated toward myself.
“You got really good taste,” I admitted, admiring the piece.
“Obviously,” she grinned. “You think I’m about to let my best friend walk in my section looking basic?”
I laughed softly and laid the dress across the bed while my attention wandered again.
Perfume bottles covered the vanity beside expensive makeup palettes, and jewelry trays overflowed with gold. Everything looked lived in. Loved. Carefully chosen.
“You can wear those too,” Giani said, noticing me eyeing a pair of heels near the dresser.
I looked over at her. “Girl, you letting me borrow all this?”
“What else am I supposed to do with it?” she asked casually. “Half this shit barely gets worn.”