9. The Lesson in Loyalty #2
Landing back in Detroit gave her anxiety.
The moment the plane touched down, her chest tightened like the city itself was waiting on her.
Every thought hit at once, everything she did, everything she said, everything that went wrong.
She felt sick to her stomach, replaying it over and over, wishing she could take it back, wishing she had moved different, thought different, been different.
But it was too late for that. Now she had to face it.
All of it. And she wasn’t even sure where to start.
The moment she stepped inside her home, dropping her bags by the door, something in the air felt off. Too still. Too quiet. Then she saw him. Sitting on her couch like he belonged there. Calm. Comfortable.Waiting.
A blunt burned slowly between his fingers, smoke curling lazily into the air.
“Surprised to see me, Jazmine?” Chill said coldly, his eyes locked on hers, burning straight through her soul.
Jazz froze. Her breath caught in her throat, her body screaming at her to turn around and run.
But her feet stayed planted, trapped between fear and anger.
Her breathing grew heavy, panic setting in as she stood there, not knowing what to do.
“So,” he said, his voice smooth, almost casual, “I hope you got that information for me.” Something in her snapped.
“I don’t have shit,” she fired back, her voice shaking but loud. “I didn’t get a chance to do shit. You fucked that up when you kept calling my phone. She found out. How the fuck did you get in my house? You’ve lost your damn mind.” Her chest rose and fell quickly.
“You haven’t seen me lose my mind, Jazmine,” Chill said, his voice low, almost calm, but something dark lingered underneath it.
“You know who the fuck I am. Don’t play dumb now, bitch.
” He stood up slowly from the couch, like he had all the time in the world.
That’s what made it worse. Each step he took toward her was steady, controlled…
calculated. Jazz felt her body lock up. Her breathing turned uneven, her chest rising and falling too fast as panic crept in.
Her heart pounded so loud she was sure he could hear it.
He stopped just inches away from her. Too close.
“Tell me something,” he said, tilting his head slightly as he studied her face.
“How much do you love your baby?” Her stomach dropped.
The question didn’t feel like a question.
It felt like a threat. Before she could say anything, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, tapping the screen like this was just another normal call. FaceTime. It rang once. Then,
“Aye, what up doe, bro?” the voice answered.
Chill didn’t take his eyes off her. “Let this bitch see your location,” he said calmly, turning the phone toward her.
Jazz’s eyes fell to the screen. And everything inside her went cold.
He was standing right in front of her child’s daycare.
Something inside Jazz snapped. Not fear, something deeper. Protective. Desperate. Her baby.
Her breathing slowed, but her chest tightened in a different way now.
Her hands curled slightly at her sides, nails pressing into her palms as her mind raced.
Nothing else mattered. Not Chill. Not the situation.
Not even herself. Just her child. And in that moment… she knew she would do whatever it took.
“You haven’t seen me lose my mind, Jazmine,” Chill said, his voice low, almost calm, but something dark lingered underneath it. “You know who the fuck I am. Don’t play dumb now, bitch.”
“Okay, okay… I’ll tell you everything I know,” she cried. Her voice broke as the words left her mouth, her body giving in before her pride could catch up. Tears blurred her vision, spilling over as she shook her head, trying to hold herself together but failing.
“I’ll tell you everything… just please don’t do nothing to my baby.” Her hands trembled at her sides, her chest tight, breath unsteady.
When Kira returned home, she noticed it immediately.
A pink envelope sat on her porch, wrapped neatly with a bow.
She paused at the bottom of the steps, her eyes fixed on it, a strange feeling settling in her chest. Not fear.
Not curiosity. Something heavier. Like her body already knew what her mind hadn’t caught up to yet.
Slowly, she walked up, each step feeling more deliberate than the last. She bent down and picked it up, turning it over in her hands.
Her name was written across the front. Kira.Her fingers lingered on the paper before opening it, like she needed a second longer to prepare herself…
even if she didn’t know for what. She stepped inside, closing the door behind her. Carefully, she opened the letter.
Dear Kira,