Chapter 6 #8
I exhaled, half-laughing, half-exhausted. “Well,… that was chaos.”
Elias pushed off the counter, a smirk playing at his mouth. “That was family.” He came over and plucked a glass from my hand before I could load it into the dishwasher. “Let me help before you wear yourself out.”
I raised a brow. “Detective washing dishes? This, I gotta see.”
“Don’t get it twisted,” he said, rinsing a plate with easy efficiency. “I’m nice with it. I got years of practice. EJ thinks every night’s a buffet, so I’m always cleaning up after him.”
That made me laugh, shoulders loosening. I leaned against the counter, watching him roll his sleeves up, the muscles in his forearms flexing as he wiped down the sink.
“Alright,” I teased. “You pass. No dish soap crimes committed.”
He shot me a look over his shoulder, smile slow. “You really just called it ‘dish soap crimes’?”
“What? I work in law enforcement too. Everything’s a case.”
That earned me a deep chuckle, one that vibrated low in his chest and tugged something deep inside me. He finished up, dried his hands, and before I could crack another joke, he stepped in closely, crowding my space in that way he did that felt like safety instead of pressure.
His hand slid to the small of my back, thumb brushing lazy little circles against my skin through my shirt. “House feels different when it’s just us,” he murmured.
My heart stuttered. “Different how?”
“Quieter. Calmer.” He tilted his head, eyes soft but steady. “Better.”
I swallowed, caught in that gaze, unable to pretend I wasn’t affected. “You always know exactly what to say, don’t you?”
“Nah,” he said, leaning closer, his voice dropping lower. “I just don’t waste time saying shit I don’t mean.”
Before I could respond, his lips found mine, slow and sure, carrying the taste of everything he hadn’t put into words. I melted into him, my hands sliding up his chest, holding on like I’d found the center of gravity. His kiss lingered, unhurried, like he was memorizing the way I tasted.
When he pulled back, he pressed his forehead to mine, his breath warm. “I gotta head out. I’ma pick EJ up from Jazz’s before he talks her ear off all night.”
I smiled, still a little breathless. “He gets that from you.”
“Damn right,” Elias said, smirking. He kissed my temple, lingering there, then pulled back just enough to look me in the eye. “Tomorrow. Lunch. Don’t forget.”
“I wouldn’t dare, baby.”
He grinned, gave my hip one last squeeze, and then was gone, boots heavy against the hardwood, the door clicking shut behind him.
I stood there in the quiet, my lips still tingling, my chest still warm, and for once, I didn’t feel alone. I felt… chosen.
But peace didn’t last long.
When I finally settled in at my vanity, candle flickering, oils lining the counter, my phone buzzed.
Moonlight
Kam.
Against my better judgment, I looked. The texts were unraveling.
Moonlight :
You think you better than me now?
Whole family in your ear got you acting brand new.
I see you smiling, but you was supposed to smile with me.
Don’t forget who held you first.
You mine.
My stomach soured. Then the voicemails from an unknown number started, his voice jagged and desperate.
“You blocking me like I’m some stranger? Don’t forget who loved you first, Jonay. Don’t forget whose arms you used to run to. He don’t know you like I do. You mine.”
Another, more bitter.
“I saw you earlier. You not safe without me. Remember that.”
And then darker.
“Keep playing with me, Jonay. You can’t just throw me away like you done with me.”
I dropped the phone on the counter, heart thudding. Flabbergasted didn’t even cover it. I had never heard him like this. He didn’t sound like himself. Or maybe this was his real self finally spilling through.
But no matter how twisted his words got, one truth burned steadily: he had already crossed a line that could never be uncrossed. He’d cheated. With Taleah. My cousin. My favorite cousin. The girl I once called sister. That betrayal wasn’t something you came back from, not something easily forgiven.
I stared at my reflection, hand pressed to my chest. “You don’t get forgiveness for that,” I whispered.
My thumb hovered over delete, but I stopped. Not this time.
I saved the voicemails, setting the phone on my nightstand. Proof. Something Elias needed to hear.
For now, I finished braiding my locs, smoothed oil down the length, and blew out my candle. Kam could unravel all he wanted. I wasn’t answering.
Not now or ever again.
My phone buzzed on the nightstand, the screen lighting up with a name that already steadied me. Detective Fine Shyt.
I snatched it up quickly, heart stuttering, trying to steady my breath. “Hey, baby.”
His voice wrapped around me, low and calm. “Just got home, gorgeous. Wanted to let you know we made it in safe.”
In the background, I heard a little boy’s voice, sleepy but sweet. “Daddy, lemme say hi!” There was some shuffling, then EJ’s voice came through the line, small and warm. “Hey, Ms. Pretty.”
My heart melted on impact. “Hey, cutie! You supposed to be in bed.”
“I know.” He yawned. “But Daddy said I could tell you good night.”
“Then you better tell me right,” I teased, smiling despite the weight in my chest. “Good night, EJ.”
“Good night,” he mumbled, voice fading as Elias coaxed him back into his room for bed.
A door clicked shut, soft footsteps, then Elias was back, voice lower, meant only for me. “Alright, gorgeous. What’s wrong?”
I blinked. “Nothing—”
“Jonay.” The way he said my name, steady but sharp, cut right through the wall I was trying to hold up. “I hear it in your voice. You holding on to something. Talk to me, baby.”
My throat tightened. He’d only said a handful of words, but already, my eyes burned. I tried to laugh it off, weak. “You really think you know me like that?”
“I don’t think,” he said, quiet but firm. “I know. You sound different. Heavy. And I don’t like it. Tell me what’s up with you before I lose my mind, mama.”
I swallowed, staring at the nightstand drawer where my phone had trapped Kam’s ugly voicemails like poison in a jar. My chest ached with the decision.
“Elias…” My voice cracked, and I pressed a hand to my forehead. “It’s Kam. He… he’s been calling, leaving messages. He doesn’t sound like himself. He says… he saw me tonight.”
Silence stretched, thick as thunder waiting to break. Then Elias’s voice, deep and even, came through. “Don’t erase ’em. I want to hear everything. Tomorrow. You understand me?”
My lip trembled, but I nodded even though he couldn’t see me. “Yeah.”
“Good.” His tone softened. “Now listen to me, Jonay. You’re safe. I don’t care what time it is. If he calls again, you hit me up. I’ll handle it. You want me and EJ to come get you? I should’ve brought you home with me anyway.”
The tears finally fell, hot against my cheeks. “No, it’s okay. I just… I just want him to leave me alone.”
Elias exhaled, like he was holding his temper on a leash. “He will. I’ll make damn sure of it. But for tonight? You breathe. Lay that pretty head down and rest. I got you, baby.”
And the way he said it, low, reverent, and no hesitation, made me believe him.
I sniffled and swiped at my cheeks, but my voice still cracked. “I hate this. I hate that he’s still takin’ up space in my peace. I should’ve blocked him and never thought twice.”
“You don’t owe him nothin’,” Elias said, steady as stone. “Not a reply, not a look, not a damn thought. What he’s doing? That’s desperation. Ain’t got nothing to do with you. That’s him drowning in his own shit. But you? You’re not his to reach for. You mine now.”
Something in me shivered at that word: mine. Not possessive in the way Kam used to be, but grounding, like he was putting a lock on the chaos around me.
“Elias,” I whispered, breath shaky.
“Yeah, baby?”
“I’m scared.”
There was a pause, his breath deep and slow, like he was pulling his temper back with both hands.
“I know, and I hate that. But you don’t gotta be scared alone.
You hear me? Every time you feel that weight, call me.
I don’t care if it’s three AM. I’ll answer.
I’ll pull up. Whatever you need, gorgeous. ”
My throat tightened. “Why you so good to me?”
He let out a soft laugh, low and warm. “Good to you? Baby, this is the bare minimum. You don’t even know how much more I plan to give.”
I curled into my pillow, clutching it to my chest. His voice was in my ear, but it felt like his arms were already around me. “Say something else,” I whispered. “Something to make it quiet in my head.”
“Close your eyes.” His voice dropped, smooth and commanding, but gentle. “Picture my hand right there, on your lower back, my thumb drawing them little circles like I do. You feel that?”
I nodded against the pillow. “Yeah.”
“Now picture me kissing your temple, telling you I got you. ’Cause I do. Ain’t nobody getting through me to touch you, Jonay. Not Kam, not his drama, not nobody. You’re covered.”
Tears slipped out again, but softer this time. “Covered,” I echoed like a prayer.
“That’s right,” he said. “Now, breathe with me. In… and out. That’s it. Good girl.”
I exhaled slowly, the tension in my chest loosening. My lashes grew heavy, his voice like a lullaby laced in steel.
“Tomorrow, you show me those messages,” he murmured. “But tonight? Just sleep, gorgeous. Let me be the last thing on your mind, not him.”
“Mhm,” I hummed, my voice trailing as sleep pulled me under. “Last thing.”
“Sweet dreams, baby,” he whispered, his voice the last anchor I felt before drifting. “I’m right here.”
And for the first time in a long time, I believed it.
Sunlight slipped past my curtains, warm streaks across my sheets, and for the first time in what felt like forever, my chest didn’t feel like it was carrying bricks. I stretched, yawned, and blinked at the soft glow around me.
Then my phone buzzed on the nightstand. The name lit up bold as day: Detective Fine Shyt .
I snorted, covering my face with my pillow. Lord, if this man ever saw what I saved him as.
Sliding it open, I read his words:
Detective Fine Shyt :
Good morning, Gorgeous. Can’t wait to see your pretty ass at lunch.
And remember, any time, any place, if you need me, call. Don’t ever hesitate.
I smiled so wide it pulled at my cheeks, biting my lip as my thumb hovered over the keyboard.
For a second, I just sat there staring at his words, letting them soak in.
The way he moved so easily between hood, sweet, protective, and patient, was dangerous, dangerous in the safest way I’d ever known.
I typed back, fingers shaking with a grin I couldn’t hide.
Me:
Morning, Detective Fine Shyt. You really tryna have me blushing before my feet even touch the floor?
The bubbles popped up immediately.
Detective Fine Shyt :
Damn right. If I can get you smiling first thing, my job’s already done. Now get up, baby. Today’s ours.
I pressed the phone to my chest, laughing at myself, my blush, my everything. This man… he was trouble wrapped in safety.
And for the first time in a long time, I didn’t mind being in trouble.