Chapter 33
Thirty-Three
Honor Gravehart
Pulling up to Gigi's crib, I pulled my hoodie low over my eyes, grabbed the bouquet of roses from the passenger seat, and walked the short distance from my truck to her building.
"Coming," she called out after I knocked.
I hid the bouquet behind my back and waited for her to open the door.
"I hope whoever you are showing up here this late is here on good faith and not bullshit. I have three sons who don't play about this old lady."
She fussed as she shuffled toward the door. It swung open, and I smirked.
"Who you got beef with?" I asked, laughing at the stunned look on her face. "I'll lay 'em out right now."
"Boy, if you don't hush and get in this house." She laughed.
"These are for you," I stated once she had shut the door.
"Oh! They're so beautiful!" she gushed.
"Not as beautiful as you, but a close second." I smirked.
She playfully slapped my arm.
"Boy, you better stop." She laughed. "Go walk the house like you normally do, and I'll put these in some water."
"I'll come with you," I told her.
Gigi froze mid-step, looked at me, shook her head, then kept walking.
"Is everything okay?" she asked when we made it into the kitchen.
I pulled out a chair and sat while she grabbed a vase from the cabinet under the sink.
"I'm good. How you been?"
"Living." She smiled over her shoulder. "I can't complain, but I'd appreciate it if you and your brothers answered me back about family dinner. It's been too long since we had one. Hell, the last one we had was when Crown dug up that boy's bones and brought them for River."
She quietly laughed to herself. "It's not funny, but I still can't believe he did that."
"I missed that one, but I think I'm good on family dinners for a while."
"Family dinners are what we do," she said, turning back toward the counter. "You can't be good on them, especially with the holidays right around the corner."
Gigi gently twisted a few of the stems between her fingers, opening up the roses. "Are you sure everything is okay with you?"
"Why do you keep asking me that?" I chuckled.
"For one, you didn't walk through my house. I think the only other time you didn't was when Navy came over here after the shooting. You don't trust easy—"
"I trust you," I said, cutting her off.
"I know you do." She nodded. "I also know something's been unsettling your spirit since the day I met you."
"He's dead now."
The confession stopped the rose mid-twirl.
"Who is?" she asked, her voice shaking slightly.
"Lucian."
"When?"
"Last week."
She stared at me for a moment.
"How is Navy?" she asked.
I shrugged. That got her to leave the flowers and come sit across from me at the table.
"How is Navy, Honor?" Gigi repeated. "She just lost her brother and now her father. Not that Lucian deserved an ounce of grief from anyone with as much hell as he caused, but that's still her father."
I stared down at the table, tracing the grain of the wood with my thumb.
Gigi was the first person I've talked to since Navy ran out of the crib.
For the last seven days, I stayed in the crib, only leaving because I had to burn the shit that I killed Lucian in.
I barely ate, barely drank anything, and only washed my ass 'cause I wanted to see Gigi.
Every phone call got ignored, including Wynn trying to schedule my next session.
I couldn't deal with the small things that kept the world turning because my lifeline wasn't fucking with me.
"Honor."
"I don't know how she's doing," I finally answered. The words tasted acidic coming out. Not knowing how Navy was what she was doing felt poisonous to my soul.
"What do you mean you don't know?" Gigi frowned.
"She ran out on me."
"Ran out on you?" Gigi let out a long breath before looking back at me. "I need you to tell me more than what you're giving me so I can understand."
"I cheated on Navy." I sighed.
"With who?"
"Choyce."
"Chosyn's sister Choyce?" Her eyes widened.
"Yeah."
She sat there for a moment, stunned. "I don't even know what to say."
"Ain't shit to say. I cheated. She told me she cheated… and I choked her."
"You did what?" Gigi slammed her hand against the table. "You and Crown and this choking bullshit. What the hell is wrong with you?"
"You know I would never hurt Navy intentionally. She said that shit like it was some get my lick back type shit."
"It might've been."
"It wasn't. Navy fucked-up first."
"Well, did you fuck Choyce to get her back?"
"No, I didn't know Navy cheated until she confirmed it yesterday."
"Then how do you know she cheated first?"
"She deleted footage from cameras at The Vault. I could've reviewed the footage, but I wanted to hear what she did from her."
"And when she tells you, you choke her."
"That shit wasn't intentional," I muttered. "I was trying to be a man and explain why I fucked Choyce, but Navy wanted to hurt me. It caught me off guard. My hands were on her before I could even process the shit she said."
"Have you tried calling her?"
I gave Gigi a knowing look.
"I'm just asking," she said. "I'm still at a loss for words. I never thought you and Navy would be going through something like this."
"I don't think we thought that shit either." I shrugged. "But that's life."
"You've overcome a lot in your life, and this situation with Navy is no different," she gently reminded me. "Take this time apart to heal and learn how to live. Lucian is gone now, so you're finally free to live without worrying about him snatching your happiness."
"Maybe."
"Can I ask you something?" Gigi quietly asked.
"Anything."
"Did killing him bring you peace… or more ghosts?"
The question rocked me silent.
My brows pulled tight as I thought about the answer. I thought killing Lucian would bring peace, or at least something close to it. Instead, it brought memories that I'd buried so deep I didn't even know they were still there.
"You don't have to answer right now. Just think about it and whatever your answer is, make sure you live your life in what brings you peace and lets you leave the ghosts where you found them."
She smiled and got up, going back to tending her flowers.
I pulled my phone out to call Wynn back and see if I could schedule a session when a notification popped up from the tracker I had installed in Navy's car.
I only had it installed so I could find her if Lucian ever tried something.
I never turned it on until the night of our argument.
The alert said she was at a restaurant a few blocks from Gigi's crib.
At first, I thought nothing of it, but the same way women got intuition, niggas had that shit too.
"Gigi, can I use your laptop?" I asked, already standing.
"Go ahead, it's in the living room."
I was out of the kitchen and on her couch with her laptop on my lap in seconds.
I logged into the security system at Gravehart Homes and rewound the footage back by twenty minutes.
The screen lit up with Navy walking out of the building.
A nigga's hand rested on her lower back as they walked down the five fucking steps in front of the building.
He helped her into her car before jogging over to his. She pulled off, and he followed.
"Gigi, I gotta go," I called out, tossing the laptop aside.
"Is everything okay?" she asked, rushing out of the kitchen.
"Yeah. I just gotta handle something."
"Leave that girl alone."
"Huh?"
"Navy is the only reason you'd rush out of here like you're about to sentence someone to death."
"I'm just making sure she's straight," I explained, opening the front door. "I came over to tell you how much I appreciate everything you've done for me over the years. I don't tell you nearly enough that I love you… but I hope you never question it."
"I know you love me, Honor. What is this really about?"
"Other than me wanting you to know I love you, nothing. Lock up, and I'll check on you tomorrow."
"Okay." She sighed. "Be safe out there. Your family needs you."
I leaned in, kissing her cheek before dipping out of the building.
Once I got in my truck, I reached into the glove compartment and made sure the vial of Morphenyl Emersyn gave me was still there.
Finding it, I shoved it in my pocket. Red crept into the corners of my eyes, and the only thought running through my mind was whoever that nigga was…
had about twenty minutes left to breathe.