Chapter 9
Promise stirred in her sleep after hearing Pryce’s cries. She turned over and froze. She watched as Kemi walked in and picked him up.
“Shhh, don’t cry, fat boy. You miss your daddy? It’s okay. I miss him too,” she cooed.
Promise silently observed them, even though she wanted to speak Kemi out.
She fixed him a bottle and sat in the rocking chair.
She put the bottle in his mouth. They rocked back and forth for a while until he was asleep again.
Kemi placed him in his bed. She changed his diaper.
Then, she pulled the cover over him before turning and locking eyes with Promise.
“Did you not hear him crying?”
“I did but you were already in here, smart ass. I thought you were working on getting Shadow here?”
“I am. It’s taking more time than I expected.”
“You have until tomorrow night to get him here or we’re leaving.”
“You can’t take Pryce, Promise. Y’all have been safe here. I’ll make some calls,” Kemi assured. She walked out, not waiting for Promise to respond.
Promise got up. She checked on Pryce then got back in the bed, going to sleep.
The next morning, she awoke getting out of the bed.
She looked at Pryce again to see that he was still asleep.
She walked into the bathroom and quickly handled her hygiene.
She walked into the room, getting dressed in blue cloth shorts and the matching jacket.
She stepped into her house shoes. She made Pryce a bottle and stuck it into the warmer.
She undressed him then laid him on her shoulder. She walked him into the bathroom.
“Good morning, Mommy baby!” Promise cooed while he smiled. She kissed his nose. She laid him in the warm water she prepared in his tub. They had been at Kemi’s safe house for the past two days after leaving the bunker.
Promise sang a song her granny used to sing to her when she was a kid. The song didn’t have a name but it had her soul all over it. At times, she found herself humming the sounds to herself.
“Boolah boolah boolah boo la boo,” Promise sang as she washed Pryce up.
Once he was clean, she got him out. She cradled him in her arms for the longest time.
She laid him on the bed and moisturized his body.
Then, she got him dressed. She sat on the bed with him in her arms along with his bottle in hand.
She tested the temperature of the formula.
He whined as she did so. Promise laughed while putting the bottle in his mouth.
She fed and burped him. He went to sleep in no time.
Promise jumped after hearing what sounded like gun fire.
She got up, strapping Pryce against her body in the event she needed to run.
A few seconds later, Kemi busted in the room with her Glock in hand.
“Come on, Promise!” She demanded as she aimed her gun down the hall, squeezing the trigger.
Promise rushed towards Kemi who was in the doorway with her back to them.
“Stay behind me,” Kemi demanded as Promise walked out, rushing in the opposite direction of the shooters.
“You said we would be safe here,” Promise harshly whispered as a gunmen came around the corner of the steps they were going down with a gun in hand.
Promise screamed as she clutched Pryce. Kemi quickly turned, squeezing the trigger.
The man fell with his hand on the trigger, making him shoot bullets into the ceiling.
“You gotta move fast.” Kemi got in front of them. With her head on a swivel, she led Promise down the stairs.
“Stay here until I come back.” Kemi opened the hidden door at the bottom of the stairs. Promise quickly climbed inside, even though she didn’t know if she should trust Kemi. However, that wasn’t the time for that. Pryce was her main and only concern at the moment. She had to get him to safety.
“Promise, do not leave here until I come back and if I don’t, wait until you can’t any longer and go out the back door.
There are weapons and a safe room in the shed.
Take this, shoot first, ask questions later, you understand?
” Kemi asked. She aimed her gun, pulling the trigger as someone rounded the corner.
“I got it,” Promise let her know. Kemi closed the door, locking them inside. She looked at the time on her Rolex. She was giving Kemi a hour and that was only if she could stomach staying in the cramped space for so long. She also couldn’t take the chance of Pryce crying and someone hear him.
It blew her that claustrophobic Kemi had a secret room that was entirely too small for a human.
Promise closed her eyes and prayed. Footsteps approached the door.
Promise held the gun in front of her, preparing to pull the trigger.
She covered Pryce’s exposed ear. The door opened and Kemi appeared.
Promise hadn’t ever been more happy to see her.
“Come on, we gotta go.” Kemi held her hand out. Once Promise was out, Kemi led them to the back door. There was a helicopter in the back.
“Stay close,” Kemi demanded as she opened the door, stepping outside. Promise looked behind her before stepping out. They rushed towards the air craft, climbing inside.
“It’s too loud for him,” Promise worried.
“We’re not going far but I got these in case we did have to leave like this.” Kemi passed Promise a pair of infant earmuffs.
“Thank you, Kemi.” Promise was thankful for more than the earmuffs. Kemi had saved both of their lives and she was grateful. Promise looked down at Pryce, kissing the top of his head.
Shadow awoke, feeling like he’d been ran over.
He looked around the dark, cold room. He grabbed his phone off the table, realizing he’d been out of it for days.
He felt around his body after remembering being shot more than a couple of times.
He’d survived but he was sure Promise was going to kill him.
He dialed Don, who answered on the second ring.
“Nigga, you straight?” Don asked.
“I just woke up. Where P?”
“You ain’t gon’ believe this shit. She’s been with Kemi. Her and Lil P.”
“Nigga, what?” Shadow snapped. He kicked his legs off the bed. That had him eager to get back to his loved ones. Promise had no idea who Kemi was or the things she was capable of.
“Everything happened so fast. Kemi was inside with them when they pulled up. Promise took her underground.” The door to Shadow’s room opened. As if they had talked her up, Kemi walked in the room.
“I’ma call you back. Kemi just walked in.”
“Hi, husband, you look like shit.”
“Where’s Promise, Kemiya?”
“I came to get you so I could take you to her. She’s getting on my damn nerves.
” Kemi rolled her eyes. Her and Promise couldn’t stand one another but they had coexisted just fine, for the most part.
Kemi tossed a bag of clothes and hygiene products on the bed.
Shadow unzipped the bag. He pressed the button, calling for the nurses.
They came in, unhooking him from everything.
Next, his doctor came in to check him out before agreeing to let him leave.
Shadow walked into the bathroom to see he had lost weight.
He quickly brushed his teeth with the thought of Promise on his mind.
He was ready to get back to her. He needed to feel her.
He got in the shower with the slides Kemi packed.
Then, he got out and got dressed in the black leather shorts.
There was a long sleeve, white and black Chrome Heart shirt inside.
He put a beater on before pulling it over his head.
He brushed his hair and beard before walking out of the door.
Kemi stood at the window in deep thought.
“Come on,” Shadow demanded.
Promise was in yet another one of Kemi’s safe houses. She missed her family, friends, and most importantly, she missed Shadow. Pryce was keeping her sane but she needed her man to feel whole. She awoke that morning and went to find Kemi but she was already gone.
“Promise!” Kemi yelled, prompting her to suck her teeth. Promise glanced over at Pryce, who was sound asleep. She grabbed his baby monitor. She walked towards the staircase. Kemi and Shadow stood in the foyer.
“Babyyyyy!” Promise squealed. Shadow laughed as she rushed down the stairs, jumping into his arms. He kissed her forehead, nose, and lips.
“Wassup, Wifey. I missed you.”
She wrapped her legs around his waist. Her arms were wrapped around his neck, cutting off his circulation but he didn’t mind.
“I missed you too, baby. I can’t believe you almost died on me.” She slapped him, causing him to laugh harder.
“My bad,” he apologized as if it wasn’t nothing.
“Get down. He was just shot.” Kemi rolled her eyes in disgust.
“Thanks to you!” Promise snapped at Kemi who was unfazed.
“Where’s my son?”
“He’s sleep. Come on.” Promise got down. She grabbed his hand, leading him upstairs where Pryce was. Shadow didn’t waste any time picking him up, kissing his forehead, nose, and lips same as he had done Promise.
“You and Kemi been okay?”
“Yes, I can’t stand her but she’s been keeping us safe. Some men broke into the first safe house we were in but she shot our way—”
“What?!” Shadow frowned as Kemi appeared in the doorway.
“We have to end this.” Kemi locked eyes with Shadow.
“Why can’t you do it? This is all your fault, you’ve painted targets on all of our backs.”
“You do it,” Kemi suggested.
“What?” Promise cut her eyes at her.
“Didn’t you used to be a stripper?”
“What does that have to do with anything?” Promised sassed with her hand on her hip.
“My father likes to party.”
“Fuck no!” Shadow quickly interjected. He could see the wheels turning in both of their heads.
“You never had a problem with me getting my hands dirty.” Kemi looked at him with anger in her eyes.
“Kemi, that’s different.”
“How?” They asked in unison before locking eyes. Promise smacked her lips in annoyance while Kemi rolled her eyes. Shadow chuckled at their antics until their icy gazes landed on him.
“How is it different, Shadow? Are you saying I can’t handle myself?”
“Yeah is that what you’re saying, Shadow? I say let the princess prove herself.”
“Shut up!” Promise mugged Kemi.
“Is this what y’all have been doing, fighting like a old married couple in front of my son?”
“That’s her. She doesn’t know when to shut the hell up.”
“And you do?” Kemi scoffed.
“I’m just glad that you’re back so I can get away from her. You may as well let me do it the sooner we take care of this, the sooner we get rid of her.”