Chapter 12
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Marilyn, Dru’s grandmother, asked.
Marilyn’s eyes were red and puffy from how much she’d cried.
That morning, Dru woke up early, determined to keep her sister safe while she looked for a job.
When she was a child, Tina drilled in her head that what happened in their house, stayed in their house.
She wasn’t supposed to tell anyone what was going on, not even their family.
With Dreya, things were different. Dru couldn’t sit around silently and watch Tina damage her sister the way she’d done her.
So for the first time, Dru decided to be honest with her grandmother about what had been going on.
She had Dreya pack a couple of bags, and she took her to Marilyn’s house.
After Marilyn heard about what had been going on, she broke down.
Not only did she cry, but she apologized and begged for their forgiveness.
When Dru was younger, her grandparents didn’t want Tina to not be a responsible mother, so they stopped helping as much as they did previously.
If only they would have known what they were setting their granddaughter up to silently suffer through.
Marilyn agreed that Dreya could stay with her until her suspension was up, and she also offered Dreya a room there for as long as she wanted to stay, even after she graduated high school.
She knew Tina would have something to say about that, but she felt like Tina would agree if it meant having the house to herself and not having to pretend to be a mother.
There was also the threat of going to the police and letting them know that Tina had been, in essence, pimping out both of her daughters for years.
Marilyn wanted her daughter to be punished, but more than that, she wanted Dreya safe.
She was fully prepared to agree to not go to the police if Tina let Dreya stay with her permanently.
While Dreya appreciated the offer, she made it clear she wanted to stay with her grandmother until she could stay with her sister, and that was all the motivation Dru needed to find a second job and get her own place.
If she didn’t have to worry about paying her mother’s rent, she could easily find something smaller and cheaper for her and her sister.
“I thought I could handle it and keep her safe,” Dru confessed, feeling guilt. “I didn’t know that was happening still. Tina promised me she’d never do that again when she let me move back in the house. I should’ve known she couldn’t be trusted.”
“It doesn’t even matter now. Dre is here, and she’s safe. And you know you can stay here too.”
Dru smiled as she tightened her grip on her purse. “I appreciate that, Granny. I might have to. She’s going to be so mad when she finds out I brought Dreya here to you.”
“Don’t even worry about that. You did the right thing, and I’ma handle her myself. I’ll call her and tell her Dreya is staying with me indefinitely, and I dare her to come over here trying to act a fool. She ain’t too old for me to beat her tail.”
In desperate need of that laugh, and the help, Dru laughed as her grandmother pulled her in for a hug.
“Thanks, Granny. Call me if y’all need anything, or if she shows up. And I’ll stop by tomorrow and drop off some money after my shift tonight.”
Sucking her teeth, Marilyn gave her a dismissive wave of the hand. “Chile, don’t worry about no money. Now, if you want to put something in her pocket, you can, but I’ll take care of her. You just focus on yourself. It’s past time you have the chance to do that.”
Though Dru heard what her grandmother was saying, that was certainly easier said than done. “Yes, ma’am.” Dru agreed. “Bye, baby sis! I’ll check on you later.”
“Bye, Sister. Have a good day. I love you!”
“I love you too, kid.”
With a smile and lightness that Dru hadn’t felt in what felt like forever, she headed to her car, hopeful that things were finally about to turn around.
“You have got to be fucking kidding me,” Dru grumbled. “This cannot be my life.”
She’d been trying to get her car to start for the last fifteen minutes, but it seemed impossible.
No matter how many times she tried, it wouldn’t start.
It didn’t help that it was dark, rainy, and forty-five minutes before her shift was set to start at the lounge.
Mike was an asshole, and she knew he’d be on a power trip if she was late.
Pulling her phone out of the cupholder, she called the lounge and asked to speak with him.
“Yeah?” Mike answered with muffled music in the background.
“Hey, this is Dru. My car won’t start. I’ve been trying to order an Uber in between trying to get it to start, but no one is near my location because of the rain. I’m still going to come, even if I have to walk. I’m just going to be late.”
Mike sighed. “If you’re going to be late, you might as well not even come, Dru. I told you we had a packed crowd for tonight because we have two birthday groups.”
“I know, and I’m sorry. It’s not like I’m randomly calling out just because I don’t want to work. I literally can’t get my car to start.”
“That’s not my problem. Either get here on time, or don’t get here at all.”
He disconnected the call, and Dru had to keep herself from punching the window.
The last thing she needed was to lose her second job.
Her mind raced with options on who she could call that could potentially arrive in time enough to give her a ride to work.
Only three people came to mind: Stevie, Vontae, and Caden.
Stevie was at work herself, she didn’t trust Vontae as much as she used to, and though she was sure Caden would come to her aid, she didn’t want to call him.
They hadn’t talked since he’d paid her debt to Galloway, and that was already more than she could have asked or paid him back for.
The last thing she wanted to do was feel like a burden on anyone else, but pride had no space in her car right now.
She needed to get to work, no matter how she got there.
Putting her pride aside, she dialed Caden’s number.
“Wassup, beautiful?” he answered, making her smile immediately.
“Hi. Are you busy?”
“I’m never too busy for you. Is everything okay?”
Sighing, Dru massaged her temple. “No. My car stopped, and I have like forty-five minutes to get to the lounge, or I’m going to be fired. I can’t lose this job too. I tried to get an Uber, but there are no drivers nearby. Can you please come give me a ride?”
“Of course. Send me your location.”
Relief immediately filled Dru at the sound of his words.
“Thank you so much, Caden. I’m about to send it right now.”
A few seconds passed before he said, “Got it. Let me put on some clothes, and I’ll be headed your way in less than five minutes.”
“Thank you.”
After disconnecting the call, Dru decided to text Dreya and check on her while she waited.
It took Caden around thirty minutes to make it to her, and it was going to take every minute of the last fifteen minutes to make it to the lounge.
Before she could get out and run to his car, Caden hopped out of the back seat with an umbrella.
He walked over and held it over her head, then led her to the car.
“Thank you. So sorry for the inconvenience,” Dru said, sliding into the Rolls Royce.
“No apologies needed,” Caden replied before he shut the door and walked to the other side.
“Um, does your driver know the address for the lounge?” Dru asked, trying not to stare at him too hard. She thought he looked amazing the last few times she saw him because he was dressed in suits, but tonight, his tee and sweatpants had her pussy getting wet.
It didn’t help that it looked like his tapered fade had been freshly cut, perfectly lined and connected to a thick, shiny beard.
His cinnamon brown-skin was covered with tattoos that she was noticing for the first time on his arms and neck, and she was curious about if he had more anywhere else.
The shirt molded around his wide, muscular frame, showing off muscles that Dru wanted to squeeze.
Caden licked his juicy, pomegranate hued lips. Those dark, shiny eyes looked over at her as he smiled.
“Ian knows the address, but that’s not where we’re going.”
“What do you mean?” Dru asked softly. “If I don’t get to work in the next fifteen minutes, Mike is going to fire me.”
“You don’t need that job. I’m going to take care of you.”
“Huh?” Dru asked, making him chuckle.
“I told you the next time I saw you, you were going to be mine. Did you think I was playing?”
As the car pulled off the curb, Dru nodded. “Yeah. I mean, people usually are joking when they say that kind of shit.”
“I rarely joke, especially when it comes to what I want, and I want you.”
“Caden—”
“I know you don’t want a relationship right now, and I’ll give you time. For tonight, you’re coming home with me. No sex. No weird shit. For just one night, let me give you the treatment you deserve.”
“I still need a job,” Dru muttered with a pout, considering his request.
“If you trust me, you’ll know you don’t. You’ll know you never have to work another day in your life unless you simply wanted to. So can I have you, beautiful? If only for tonight?”
Dru’s mind went back to her grandmother’s words. How she told her to finally focus on herself. For the first time in what felt like forever, Dru decided to do just that.
“Yes. But just for tonight.”