Chapter 17 Peace Graham
peace graham
. . .
“Hey, have you heard anything from Dreaux?” I asked Maliah as she walked back into the office.
“He sent me a message last week with instructions because he was going to be out of the office for a while. I haven’t heard anything since them,” she explained.
“His sisters reached out and asked if I had seen him. Apparently, they haven’t seen or heard from him since then either. Is this normal for him to disappear like this?” I tried to put on a smile and pretend I was asking out of pure curiosity, but the truth was, I was reeling inside.
“No, not at all. He rarely ever takes time off, and when he does, it’s usually to spend time with his family. I’m sure he’s okay. He probably just needed to unplug from the world for a bit.”
My feelings were hurt because I fell hard for Dreaux, but it seemed as if those feelings weren’t mutual.
What was worse was the fact that Promise grew attached to him as well.
She kept asking for him, and whenever she went to their house, she would call his name, but there was no response.
It pissed me off because he would be another man in her life who let her down.
I pulled up to Ciyani and Justice’s house with one thing on my mind. She tried to get some information from Justice, but his loyalty to Dreaux wouldn’t allow him to give out the information. She thought he might change his mind if I came to see him in person. All I could do was hope for the best.
“Hey, boo. Come on in.” Ciyani greeted me with a hug before inviting me into her home.
“Hey, love. Thank you for letting me come over. I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”
“Girl, no. Janae, Wisdom, and the twins are here for dinner. The men are watching a fight tonight, so I decided to cook at the last minute. I know you came here on a mission, but you’re more than welcome to stay.” She gave me a knowing look, but I shook my head.
“Don’t give me that look. I just want to know where he is and why he hasn’t been home. He’s a grown man, so if he’s somewhere laid up with a bitch, that’s his business. I just want to make sure everything is okay.”
“Well, I can assure you that he is safe. He and Justice are extremely close, and I can promise you that my husband would tear this city up behind his best friend. They may not be blood, but they are family. Come with me. I’ll show you to his office.”
She led me to Justice’s office and lightly knocked on the door before letting herself inside. Justice’s eyes lit up the moment he laid eyes on her, and I thought it was the cutest thing ever.
“What’s up, baby?”
“Hey, Peace is here to see you.” When Justice glanced in my direction, a smirk flashed across his face.
“How are you doing, cousin? I apologize for not checking in with you the way I should have. My schedule has been crazy lately. I’m happy to have another cousin in the family.
We can be a little crazy at times, but we love hard.
” He got up from his seat to pull me in for a hug.
I lingered in his arms longer than I intended, but I was unaware of how much I needed it.
“Thank you. I apologize for bringing chaos to Sunday dinner and for leaving the cookout early. I seem to have a knack for making grand entrances and exits.”
“Naw, that wasn’t your fault. Besides, you aren’t the first bomb drop we’ve ever had at dinner. I’m glad to see you in good spirits, though. I know none of this has been easy for you, but I can promise that your heart is safe with us.”
I nodded my head because I was afraid my emotions would get the best of me if I attempted to speak on the subject any further.
“Alright, baby. I’m gonna leave you two to talk. The food should be ready by the time you finish up for the night.” Ciyani stood on her tiptoes with her lips poked out, waiting for a kiss. Of course, Justice happily obliged, making sure to add some tongue to the mix.
“I won’t be long. The fight doesn’t start until late this evening, so I’m gonna eat and then freshen up. I love you.” He leaned down and pecked her lips once more.
“I love you more. Peace, don’t leave my house without saying goodbye. At least have a glass of wine with us before you go.” Ciyani demanded, winking at me before she skipped out of the room. Justice watched her until she closed the door behind her.
Justice returned to his desk and gestured for me to take a seat in the chair in front of him.
“Ciyani gave me a summary, but what can I do for you?” He inquired.
“I want to know where he is.” I kept it simple because he already knew why I was there.
“I see. Well, Dreaux isn’t in any danger in case you were worried. He needed some time and space to deal with a few things, but he will be back in no time.”
My face twisted into a frown because, although I expected him to give me the run around, I secretly hoped he would prove me wrong.
“There are some things I need to talk to him about, and I don’t give a fuck about him needing to take time for himself. He didn’t do it the right way, because his sisters have no idea where he is and haven’t heard from him.”
“I understand that he’s your friend, and I respect you wanting to cover for him.
All I’m asking is for an opportunity to say my peace.
I couldn’t care less what he’s doing as long as he’s safe, but there are a few things I need to get off my chest, and I don’t want to wait.
” I crossed my arms over my chest to let him know I meant business.
Justice responded with a chuckle before pulling out his phone.
The phone rang a few times before his deep tenor boomed through the phone.
“What’s up, bro?”
“Nothing much, bruh. I have a visitor in my office who is demanding to speak to you. I thought I would call you before I gave her your location.” Justice replied smoothly.
“Oh, yeah?”
His response pissed me off, and for a moment, I considered the fact that he might actually be with a bitch.
“Yeah. She’s over here looking like she’s ready to bite my head off, and I’m not the one she has an issue with.” I rolled my eyes at his joke because, in that moment, I wanted to hit somebody. Dreaux sounded so calm and relaxed while I spent the last few days worried about him.
“Tell her if she has an issue with me, then come say that shit to my face.” The line disconnected, and I bit back all of the curse words on the tip of my tongue.
“I see the two of you are friends for a reason,” I grumbled, getting up from my seat.
“You aren’t wrong. The two of us operate in similar ways.
The biggest difference between the two of us is that Dreaux doesn’t like to express his feelings.
Don’t take it personally; I promise it isn’t.
I probably shouldn’t say anything, but I can tell by the frustrated look on your face that you care about him.
“Dreaux is used to being the savior. Everybody in his life depends on him for one thing or another. There isn’t anything wrong with it, but because he’s so used to being there for everyone, he doesn’t know how to let people be there for him.
I don’t give him much of a choice, but we’re brothers, so it’s different.
I can’t tell you his personal business because that’s his business to tell.
What I will say is that strong people need people, too.
“Understood.”
“He really cares about you. I’m not a deeply spiritual person, but I believe you two met for a reason. One of them was to reunite you with us. I guess it’ll be up to you two to figure out the other reason.” I let his words linger in my mind as I tried to reason with my heart and mind.
He gave me Dreaux’s location, so that was a start.
He was an hour away, so I sent a message to Dominique and Dana to make sure they were okay with keeping Promise.
They sent me multiple replies and politely told me to kiss their asses and leave their baby alone.
Once I made sure she was settled and they didn’t need anything, I made the drive.
I wondered what I would do when I saw him, but I guess I would let things play out the way they were supposed to.
“What took you so long to answer the door?” I asked the moment he pulled the door back. I may have been a little dramatic, but it seemed like several minutes passed before he opened the door for me.
“Bring your ass inside. I liked you better when you were too shy to speak your mind.” His eyes raked over me, and it almost distracted me from his disrespectful words.
“Boy, fuck you. I’ve always had a smart mouth, but I didn’t have a reason to show you until now.
” I observed the room as I removed my shoes by the door.
It was a presidential suite at an upscale hotel.
Shamefully, I had never seen one in person, but it was even more breathtaking than the ones I saw in the movies.
“What’s up? I heard you wanted to talk to me about something. Talk.” His demeanor was laced with a mixture of rudeness and something else I couldn’t quite put my finger on.
“Yeah, actually, I do. When I first met you, I told myself you must have been some knight in shining armor sent to me when I needed a friend. For a moment, you almost fooled me into believing you were someone I could count on, but I guess the joke was on me,” I vented, eyes locked on his as we stood in front of each other.
“I spent this whole week wondering if I had done something wrong or if maybe you were in danger and you’ve been in this suite living your best fucking life. You’re a real piece of work, but I should have known better.”
Dreaux flexed his jaw, and I noticed the little vein pulsate in the middle of his forehead. I didn’t give a damn about him being upset because my feelings were hurt.
“Are you done?” he shot back in a smug and nonchalant tone. His unbothered demeanor gutted me because I thought he cared about me. It fueled my anger even more because he really fooled me.