Chapter 3 #2
"Honor," Lucian spoke evenly. "I'm happy to hear you've gotten a good night's rest. I assume the situation I asked you to handle will be completed no later than eleven fifty-nine tonight, since I upheld my end of the deal.
"Is that what you called for?" I grunted, stretching my limbs the best I could in the driver's seat.
"Yes. I had to make sure getting what you wanted didn't cause you to forget what I'm owed."
"Owed is a hell of a word." I laughed.
"How so?"
"It implies you did me a favor."
"Did I not?" Lucian questioned. "I delivered what I promised straight to you. That sounds like a favor to me."
"It sounds more like prevention," I shot back. "You know exactly what would've happened if you hadn't brought them to me. You know because you taught me. Never hunt the enemy. Do just enough so they come to you."
"Ah, yes. One of the more important lessons my father taught me. I'm glad to see you putting your lessons to use. Just make sure you remember what I said. Eleven fifty-nine, and I expect proof."
"I heard you."
"Good. Speak soon."
The line went dead, and I let out a long yawn as reality set back in. Adjusting in my seat, I hit the button to lean it up, then scrolled through my contacts and added Choyce and Syn to a group chat.
Me
That favor gotta get handled tonight, and I need proof.
I swiped out the thread and let my fingers hover over Navy's name.
It had been a minute since Navy and I slept apart over an argument.
Mostly because we didn't argue, but lately, that was all we knew how to do.
Conversations that could've been easy turned into heated back-and-forths, the kind that could've ended with me holding her if we'd both stepped out of our pride long enough to listen.
Instead, we stayed locked in hurt, and I kept choosing silence over vulnerability and distance over honesty.
Because of it, I was parked outside the place she chose to sleep instead of home, hoping the closeness might somehow shrink the space that had been growing between us.
"Fuck it," I muttered, clicking her name before I could talk myself out of it.
Me
Good morning, beautiful.
I love you. I know things been heavy, but I'm here whenever you're ready to talk.
Locking my phone, I tossed it on the dash, then pressed my forehead against the steering wheel, feeling like my heart had gotten caught in a vice grip. Each beat felt forced, like it was pushing through something meant to suffocate me.
A sharp knock sounded against the window.
I flinched, reaching with one hand under my seat to grab my gun.
When I lifted my head, it was Wolfe standing outside the passenger window.
Crocs on his feet, pajama pants sagging, and a hoodie pulled over his head.
His stare was heavy with sleep, but still sharp enough to catch the tension resting between my brows.
He knocked again, then jerked his chin toward the lock.
I smashed my finger into the button, and the locks clicked.
"You know," he started, his voice dry. "Most niggas would've asked to crash in a guest room instead of sleeping outside their baby brother's crib."
"Morning to you too, nigga." I smirked.
Wolfe didn't smile back. "How long you been out here?"
"You should know."
"I do," he flatly stated. "I want you to say it so you can hear how stupid it sounds."
I sighed, dragging a hand down my face. "All night. I got here before she did."
Wolfe sucked his teeth, shaking his head. "You really slept out here like that was gon' fix something?"
"I wasn't trying to fix shit," I muttered. "I just… needed to be close."
Silence filled the car, the kind only brothers knew, where understanding didn't have to be spoken, because we felt that shit.
"You love her," Wolfe finally said.
I nodded. "More than I know how to explain."
"Then tell her that shit."
"I've tried," I muttered, "but shit's weird with us. It's like I fell out with Crown and somehow that caused us to start moving in opposite directions."
"That's not where whatever is happening with y'all started, and you know it," he said. "You and Crown's beef just brought it to the forefront. What Navy is feeling has been there. You just weren't paying close enough attention."
I smirked half-jokingly. "Nigga, you're married and got a baby, why the fuck you watching my girl so hard?"
"Chosyn. She's the reason I'm locked in when it comes to a woman's emotions and their nonverbal cues. She doesn't always say what's wrong, and as much as I tell her I'm not a mind reader, I still key in on what's not being said and fix it."
I finally looked at him, a bitter laugh escaping me. "Are you always this wise in the morning, or is this a special occasion?"
He smirked. "Special… 'cause Navy got you looking heartbroken, nigga."
Heartbroken wasn't even the word to explain how I was feeling, let alone how I looked. Every fiber in my being screamed for me to rip my heart out and hand it over to Navy just so she'd finally understand how much I fucking loved her.
"Navy erased the camera that points toward the bathroom at the club."
Wolfe's head snapped in my direction. "Why?"
"I don't know," I muttered. "Everything backs up to a different server, so if I wanted to find out I could, but…"
My voice caught. Saying what I was thinking out loud felt like I was turning my worst fear into a fact.
"Honor."
I stared straight ahead, letting my gaze blur in the distance.
"If I look and I'm right," I continued, and it came out barely above a whisper, "then I failed her… failed us, and that's some shit I don't know how to come back from."
The car went quiet again, only this time it wasn't brotherly, but heavy as fuck. Wolfe didn't rush me to explain. He didn't joke. He just sat there letting me talk through shit vaguely to keep from losing my shit.
"Whatever the reason is, I need to hear it from her 'cause if I'm wrong, I'ma hate myself for doubting the woman I trust with everything, but if I'm right…"
I didn't finish the thought 'cause some shit was too fucked up to say out loud.
"Word," Wolfe nodded, understanding what hadn't been said. "Take me to grab breakfast for the girls. They're not up yet, but Nix won't let them sleep for long."
"I'ma swing by my crib to shower, brush my teeth, and change first."
"I wasn't gon' say shit 'cause you were in your feelings, but your shit smelling foul."
"Fuck you." I laughed.
"Don't hyena crackle this way, nigga. Keep that funky shit over there."
"Fuck you, nigga," I spat, starting the car and pulling off.
Wolfe talked the whole ride about all the new shit Nix was doing, but my mind couldn't focus on that. It stayed on Navy. My phone buzzed in the cup holder. I reached over, my heart skipping a beat, when I saw her name on the screen.
Navy
I love you.
I stared at it as a voice in my head whispered the one question, I didn't have the guts to ask: Did she really mean it?
I wanted to trust that even through the distance, the doubts, the fights, she loved me the way I loved her. However, a part of me wondered if this was just words said to keep an old flame from burning out.