Chapter 17
Chapter
Seventeen
Marz
As soon as I woke up, I felt the lack of Heir’s presence.
Refusing to believe she’d left, I checked the house from top to bottom and the cameras.
I watched as she packed, wrote a note, and left it on the kitchen island before kissing me and leaving.
Downstairs, I snatched the note off the island and had to keep myself from ripping it up.
Babe,
Don’t be mad! Okay? I know you probably want to strangle me.
I decided to handle this situation with Iman myself.
You wouldn’t be in this predicament if you weren’t protecting me.
This was my chance to protect you too. And I know you’re going to say you don’t need me to but still.
I’m going to work for him for a brief period of time and end this war before it really starts.
That way we won’t be cooped up in the safehouse, we can return to our lives, and no one has to risk losing theirs for me.
When I’m done with his account, I’m quitting my job and going back to school.
As horrible as it may be to have to do this for him, it’ll be worth it to close this chapter of my life.
When it’s over, I’ll have no connection to him or Jay, and I’ll be free to be with you.
Please understand this is for the best. The two of you are in no condition to come to an agreement, so it’s on me.
Thank you doesn’t seem adequate enough to express my gratitude. I hope this choice doesn’t lead to the end of us, but if it does, I’ll forever cherish every day we were able to spend together.
I balled the letter up and tossed it into the trash before taking the stairs by two to get dressed. If she thought she could write a damn letter and not tell me this shit face to face, Heir had me all the way fucked up.
Two hours later, I was at the hospital, in my car, calming myself down before I faced Heir.
When I called her, she let me know where she was, but before she could go into detail about her meeting with Iman, I ended the call.
That wasn’t something I wanted to talk to her about over the phone.
Plus, I was sure there was a chance she was going to irritate me all over again, and I’d been working hard as hell to calm down all morning.
As much as I wanted to hit a blunt, I didn’t want to smell like weed around her family.
This would be the second time I was around her parents, and the first time was weird enough.
Slowly, I made my way through the hallway and up to the second floor.
I lightly tapped on the open door before stepping inside.
Her parents greeted me then introduced me to her aunt, uncle, and cousin while Heir shyly avoided my eyes as she held her grandmother’s hand.
She looked a hell of a lot like the sickly woman lying in the bed, and that was the only thing that cooled my temperature a bit more.
I was close to both sets of my grandparents, particularly close to my pops’ parents, and I hated watching them age and seeing Ma’s parents transition.
Heir stood and excused herself before taking my hand and leading me out of the room. As much as I wanted to pull away, I waited until we were in the hallway to do so and cross my arms over my chest.
“I know you’re angry,” she said softly, voice shaking. “I can literally feel the rays vibrating off of you, but if you would just let me explain—”
“The time to explain was before you left, Heir.”
“You’re right,” she conceded quickly, and her not getting an attitude or disagreeing with me only pissed me off more. I realized in that moment I’d likely be fighting myself, and that was never fun. “I knew if I told you what I planned to do, you’d be against it.”
“Yeah, because there was a chance Iman would have still tried to kidnap you to get to me or worse. What if he decided you weren’t worth the hassle anymore and killed you because of what you knew?
What if he’d already found someone else to work with?
What if you were walking right into a trap, and I would have had no way to find you? ”
“I’m sorry, babe, but that was a risk I was willing to take. Not just to be able to be here but for you as well. You were going crazy being in the house and—”
“Nah, don’t give me that bullshit,” I said after sucking my teeth. “I was more than willing to wait if it meant keeping you safe. Don’t put your choice on me.”
“Regardless of how you feel about it, you were a part of my reasoning as well, Marz. I did want to return to my life, but I wanted that for you too. More than anything, I wanted to be here with my granny.” She paused as her eyes watered.
She licked the corner of her mouth and swallowed, and I knew she was holding back her tears.
“My granddaddy died while I was in Nashville for college. I convinced myself he’d be okay until that weekend when I was done with exams, but that wasn’t the case.
He died before I had the chance to say goodbye, and you know what hurt even worse?
The fact that he asked about me every day while he was in the hospital, and they kept telling him I’d be there soon.
H-he tried to wait for me, but he couldn’t.
” After wiping a tear away, she repeated, “I didn’t get the chance to say goodbye. ”
As upset as I wanted to be, that shit broke my heart a little. Taking her into my arms, I pulled her into my chest.
“I refused to let that happen with Granny. If that puts static between us and upset you, I’m sorry. But you know how important family is to me. It’s just as important to you. Can you stand here and say you wouldn’t have done anything you could if the roles were reversed?”
“Of course I would have done anything I could, just like I was doing what I could to get you here safely. Why didn’t you trust me enough to make that happen?”
“It wasn’t about trust,” she stressed quietly, squeezing my arms. “It was about time. Time that I wasn’t sure I’d have. I was going to go crazy until I got up here with her, and if she died, I didn’t want to associate her death with being there with you for the rest of my life.”
“So you would’ve resented me for that? Because I made you wait?” I clarified.
“I wouldn’t have wanted to. Logically I would’ve known it wasn’t your fault, but who knows what my heart would do.
That wasn’t something I was willing to risk, babe.
I was too triggered and not thinking clearly.
I do apologize for the way I left but not for leaving.
I’m here, Iman is handled, and everything worked out okay. ”
Releasing her, I bobbed my head and took a step back.
“I’m glad you’re here with your people, and I’ll be praying for your grandma.”
“What about us?” she asked softly, twiddling her thumbs, pleading with me, for me, with her eyes.
My head shook as I looked into the room and took another step back.
“I respect the choice you made, but I can’t be with a woman who doesn’t trust my lead.
I get you doing what you feel like you had to do, and I’m truly grateful everything worked out.
Maybe it’s my ego, but what you did… that shit gutted me, Heir.
Made me feel like we can’t be true partners.
I love what Pops and Mama Neo and my aunts and uncles have, and the foundation of that is their partnership.
Their trust. Their loyalty. Their communication.
If we ain’t got that, we ain’t got shit. ”
Her head nodded as sadness covered her beautiful face. “I understand,” she mumbled. Smiling softly, she looked away as she added, “I messed it up again huh?”
Mirroring her smile, I cupped her chin and turned her face back in my direction. “Not at all, bae. You did what was best for you, and I’ll forever respect that. Maybe we’ll find our way back to each other a third time. For now… I think we just… need space.”
Her jaw clenched as she nodded then gently removed my hand. “Goodbye, Marz. Thanks again for everything.”
“You’re welcome,” I said as she quickly retreated back into the room.
I was at peace that things had been resolved, but I didn’t like that she was back in Iman and Jay’s orbit, and I for damn sure didn’t like the fact that she was no longer with me.