Chapter 1 #2
“I’m serious, Priest,” I tried again. “You don’t have to.”
“Yes, I do,” he said simply. “Now quit trying to send me away, Solae. You know I ain’t goin’ anywhere.”
I didn’t want him to see how much that affected me, so I glanced away, but I could feel his gaze still on me. And I swooned. It was sweet… Dangerous, but sweet.
I tried to shake it off and focus on something else, but my gaze slid past him to where Carl’s body now lay covered with a white sheet.
Reluctantly, my eyes lingered on the still form.
Priest stayed planted near me as the paramedics and police moved around us, emotionless, like there wasn’t a dead man in the room with us.
“I’ll be right back,” I told Priest as I forced myself to look away from Carl.
I couldn’t even think straight as I headed for my window to get my purse.
After taking my purse from the drawer, I got my phone out of it to call Rah. It was getting late, so I needed him to pick the kids up for me before the after-school program charged us a late fee. He didn’t answer, so I sent him a text, asking him to call me as soon as possible.
Rah and I had a good, loving relationship; he was just always so busy.
He was a hustler, and he took care of our family well.
I understood when he was out all night or too busy to answer.
He paid all the bills, and that took hard work, so I respected that.
I worked because my father taught me I should always have savings of my own, so I’d never have to fully depend on a man.
Rah was also trying hard to get his cousin Moses’s rap career off the ground.
Rah was managing him, so I knew his nights were often swallowed up by studio sessions, meetings, and networking events.
“You okay, Solae?”
I felt Kenyatta’s hand soothingly on my back. She was one of the tellers. I turned to look at her, and she still had the same fear in her eyes that I did.
My voice shook a little as I replied, “No. This is so sad. I can’t believe this happened. Poor Carl.”
Kenyatta nodded. Her eyes were still wide, like she was replaying everything in her head. “I swear, I thought I was going to die. I thought… I thought I would never see my kids again.”
“Me too. I couldn’t even move. My whole body froze.”
Kenyatta swallowed hard, glancing toward Carl. “And Carl… God. I still can’t believe it. I was just talking to him this morning about his wedding anniversary coming up. He couldn’t figure out what to get his wife.”
I pressed my lips together as the sadness started to become too much. “He didn’t deserve that. None of this makes sense.”
“You think he knew? You think he knew he was dying?”
I shook my head quickly, blinking away the sting in my eyes. “Don’t. Please. I can’t think about that right now.”
We stood there for a moment, both of us silent, just breathing in the metallic smell of blood that still clung to the air. On the other side of the window, every sound made my nerves jump all over again.
People got killed every day in “Chiraq,” so we should’ve been used to stuff like this. But hearing about shootings and death was social media and the news was nothing like witnessing it with your own eyes. I was lucky to still have my life after what just happened.
And that’s exactly what the police officer told me as he interviewed me fifteen minutes later.
“You’re lucky to have your life. Can you tell me what happened?”
I rambled off my account while constantly checking my phone. Rah still hadn’t responded, so I texted my cousin, Kahlani, and promised her gas money to pick up my kids.
“Did the suspects look familiar? Have they been in the bank before?”
I didn’t feel like answering. I was irritated, hungry, and had a pounding headache. Still, I calmed down and tried to cooperate. “They didn’t look familiar. And, to my knowledge, they haven’t been in the bank before.”
“How did they look?”
I scoffed, “Like a gun. I didn’t see anything but the barrel in my face…and hoodies. They had on hoodies. The most I saw was dark skin. I barely saw their faces.”
Officer Riggins asked a few more questions I couldn’t answer before giving me his card and telling me I was free to go, though they might have more questions later.
Within seconds of finishing with the police, I was charging out of the bank, forgetting that Priest was there waiting for me.
Everyone else had already been released, so I was the last employee to leave.
The scene outside was still chaotic. People were standing around watching with their phones, recording the scene.
Squad cars were blocking the street. The flash of red and blue lights reflected off the bank’s glass doors and walls.
I had almost made it to the sidewalk when I felt Priest behind me.
“You okay to drive?” Priest’s deep voice rolled over me, and for a second, it was the only sound I heard.
“I’m fine,” I lied, not slowing down.
I needed to get away from this bank… and away from him, away from the sexy dominance radiating off him.
Before I could take another step, his hand wrapped around my elbow. That simple touch was enough to freeze me mid-stride. He tugged me toward him and closed the space between us until my chest nearly brushed his.
Then I smelled him.
God.
It was that rich, intoxicating scent that men only seem to have when they don’t even try. It was something clean, expensive, and threaded with his skin, sweat, and the faint bite of gunpowder from earlier. It filled my head and made my knees feel untrustworthy.
“You sure you’re okay?” His voice was softer now, but it still vibrated through me like it was coming from somewhere inside my body instead of in front of me.
My body betrayed me. It melted into his solid chest like I’d been craving it. His arms locked around me, shutting out the flashing lights, gawking crowd, and sound of radios crackling from nearby squad cars.
When his lips pressed to the top of my head, my legs threatened to give way. “You’re okay,” he murmured, like it was a promise he’d make good on if it killed him.
And for a few stolen seconds, I believed him. I wanted to stay right there, in that little bubble of heat and safety, more than I wanted to breathe.
That’s when the guilt came roaring back. I pried myself out of his arms. My skin missed his warmth the instant it was gone. “I have to go,” I said, but it came out breathy and way too soft.
“Solae—”
“Thank you for being here,” I cut him off, before his voice or his touch could pull me right back in. As I hurried the last few steps to my car, my pulse still tripped over itself.
I jumped in, slammed the door, and gripped the steering wheel, like holding on to it was keeping me from crashing out. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him still watching me.
As I pulled off, my body was still humming from his touch, and I hated myself for it. I loved Rah. So, why the hell did it feel like part of me had just left something I wasn’t ready to let go of?