Chapter 18
Eighteen
Anxiety had wreaked havoc on Cali’s body so much that she couldn’t inhale a deep breath without looking over her shoulder.
She was shaken as she pushed out a breath filled with defeat and angst. Today, she sat at a table with her two sisters, preparing to tell them the horrible secret she had learned a week ago.
The women hadn’t been together in so long that having lunch felt foreign.
They had grown apart. Unfortunately, Bria and Enya had gone their separate ways, only opting to speak when they were at family gatherings.
Cali had been trapped in the middle, trying to keep her relationship intact with both sisters.
“So, what’s the emergency?” Enya popped her lips. “I have a spa appointment at three, so let’s get this going.”
Cali rolled her eyes. Enya, the older sister, always had that bossy nature.
“Yeah, Cali, what’s going on? You made it sound like you're dying or something,” Bria joked.
“It feels that way,” she mumbled, looking down at her empty plate.
These days, her appetite had vanished without a trace. Eating was impossible and her sleep had been on an Amber alert.
Bria reached for her hand, wearing a creased forehead. “What’s wrong?”
Cali swallowed, hoping to lubricate the words that were sure to cut her lips once she confessed them.
“I fucked up.”
Enya’s eyes narrowed. “I hope you didn’t go back to that man you were cheating on Rio with. If you did, you're an idiot.”
Cali ignored her dig and said, “What I’m about to say stays between us. That means you, Enya.”
She gasped, planting her hand over her chest. “Why are you directing that towards me?”
“Because you like to go run your mouth to Daddy. Did you forget how you told him my business?” Bria sneered.
Enya popped her lips. “Excuse me for thinking you were in danger. Next time, I’ll let your husband torture your ass in peace.”
“Please, y’all,” Cali interrupted. “I didn’t call you here to rehash your issues. My problems are way bigger than that shit y’all went through.”
“Then, tell us what it is,” Enya griped before taking a sip of her lemon water.
“Okay… I found out that Braye is the reason Rio got into the car accident.”
Cali looked at both of her sisters, awaiting their responses. However, they were too stunned to speak.
“Y’all say something.”
Bria slowly shook her head. “I’m honestly speechless.”
“I second that,” Enya added.
“I was too when he told me.” Cali leaned in closer and whispered, “He said he cut his brake line. Y’all, the guy I was cheating on Rio with tried to take him out. How the fuck am I supposed to live with that?”
“I mean what did you expect?” Enya replied flippantly.
Bria’s brows pinched instantly. “Come on, Enya. No one expected this man to turn into a lunatic and try to take out her husband.”
Enya grabbed some bread from the basket and chuckled. “That’s why you don't step out on your husband. Marriage isn’t just some relationship. It’s a covenant between you, your spouse, and God. Did you really expect not to reap what you’ve sown, Cali?”
Enya’s words cut her so deeply that Cali felt like she was drowning from internal bleeding. She deserved every word because it was her actions that started this snowball of problems. She’d played with her marriage, and the price was more than what she’d bargained for.
“You know, you really know how to make a person feel low,” Bria snarled. “You think she wants to hear this now?”
“Who cares what she wants to hear ‘cause she needs to hear it,” Enya hissed. “That man could’ve died because she wanted to share her pussy with a fuck nigga who don't know how to move on.”
“It’s cool, Bria,” Cali assured. “I needed to hear that.”
“See”—Enya pointed at her—“she gets it. You're the only one who wants to be spoon-fed like a baby.”
Bria waved her hand dismissively then peered at Cali. “How did you find this out?”
“He told me when we were on the phone.”
“Why were you even talking to him?” Enya quizzed.
“Because he had started harassing me by threatening to call Rio if I didn’t call him. So, I did and that’s when he told me. He’s hurt and I get it, but he went too far trying to kill my fucking husband.”
“You need to call the police,” Enya ordered. “He needs to go to jail.”
“If I do that, then my affair will be exposed to Rio, and I can’t afford that.”
Enya shrugged. “I mean, that’ll be your consequence for your actions.”
“Well, that’s a shitty thing to say,” Bria added sarcastically.
“It’s the truth. Look at it as a sacrifice. You’ll probably be losing your husband but at least you’ll be putting the man who tried to kill him behind bars.”
Enya made that sound so simple. As if getting Braye locked up would eliminate the wrath that Rio would have for her. He loved her now, but that adoration would waver the minute he found out that she had cheated on him.
“As badly as I want to see Braye locked up, I can’t do it. Me and Rio finally found our sweet spot. I’m so in love with him. The accident changed my ways, and I can’t afford to lose him.”
“Then, what are you going to do?” Bria questioned.
She sighed and said, “I think I’m going to meet up with Braye.”
“Are you crazy?” Enya fumed. “You don't need to be nowhere near that unstable mothafucker.”
“Yeah, I agree with Enya.” Bria shook her head. “Don't do it. You don't know what he’s capable of.”
“Look, I know this sounds like a bad idea, but we need to talk, face to face.”
“Face to face!” Bria and Enya said in unison.
“Yes.”
“So, you're going to reward him with your presence for trying to kill your husband?” Bria question, sporting a look of disgust.
“It’s not a reward; it’s a conversation that will lead to him going on with his life and leaving me the fuck alone.”
“Girl.” Enya laughed condescendingly. “You sound crazy as fuck. That nigga would get spit on. The fuck you look like meeting up with him after he tried to murder your husband?”
Cali suddenly felt stupid. She figured a face-to-face conversation would suffice. It sounded like a good plan until her sisters snatched the veil off of her eyes.
“Then, what should I do?” Her voice trembled with emotion because she wasn’t sure of how to navigate this situation.
“You need to set his ass up. Walk him into an ambush or something,” Bria suggested.
“An ambush?” Enya scoffed. “No, that nigga need to be buried alive so he can deal with the ramifications of his actions. Fuck an ambush.”
“Honestly, I think Braye wants my attention. He wants a heartfelt apology and for me to truly acknowledge what I did to him. That’s all he was saying over the phone. Maybe if I did that, he would leave me alone for good.”
“I think you're being na?ve. If that man was willing to try and kill Rio, there’s no reasoning with him. I don't know, sis. This might blow up in your face.” Bria sighed.
“Yeah, meeting up with him is a terrible idea. I would make up an elaborate story about this man becoming a stalker and tell Rio about it. I would erase any evidence of y’all being together and if he came with some shit, I would blame AI.”
Bria chortled. “Girl, what?”
Enya simpered. “It’s better than saying ‘Hey, I fucked this man, and he tried to kill you.’ Shit, blame everyone but don't tell the truth. You're liable to get killed either from Braye or Rio.”
Cali assumed the meeting with her sisters would help her sort through the emotions plaguing her. Yet, all it did was confuse her even more.
“So, what you gon’ do?”
“I don’t know…” She rubbed her forehead, clearly in distress.
“Well, whatever you decide, you need to do it quick before his crazy ass finish the job,” Enya warned.
Cali wished she could disappear and leave her problems for everyone else to figure out. However, this was her mess and like a grown woman, it was time for her to step up and clean up her own shit.
“You been holding shit down?”
“What you think?” Noble snorted, looking at Tuck.
He managed to come see Tuck when time permitted it. They rarely talked over the phone since he wasn’t a phone person.
He laughed. “You still a snooty bitch, huh?”
Noble chuckled and shook his head. “No, I’m a free bitch unlike you, nigga.”
“Damn.” Tuck chortled hard. “You ain’t have to kill me like that.”
“Then stop playing with me.”
“Naw for real, what’s been up? Shit been smooth?”
Nodding, Noble replied, “Yeah everything on the business side been good. My personal shit done got chaotic.”
Tuck’s thin brows rumpled. “Like what?”
Noble ran his hand down his face, contemplating if he wanted to confide in Tuck. Normally, he kept his business to himself but at this point, he could use some sound reasoning.
“A’ight so, I fucked around and fell for somebody who I wasn’t supposed to fuck with.”
“Who? Daysha?”
Noble scowled right away. “Man, hell no.”
“My bad. I thought y’all got back together.”
“That shit ain’t never happening.”
Noble was so disgusted with the way Daysha had showed her ass at the restaurant that the thought of them reconciling made him sick.
“A’ight so, who is it, nigga?”
Noble licked his lips before looking Tuck square in the eyes. “It’s Jovanis’ wife.”
Tuck’s brows rose as his eyes bucked from the sockets. “Nigga what? You pulled Irish’s bad ass?”
Bobbing his head, Noble confirmed, “Yeah.”
“Oooh wee. I can’t tell you how many times I envisioned fucking her red-headed ass from the back. I know that pussy hittin’.”
Noble cut his eyes at his cousin. “Aye, nigga, chill out.”
Laughing, Tuck covered his mouth with his fist. “Aw, I know yo’ tender ass don’t call yourself being sweet on her.”
“Cuz, I’m more than sweet on her. I want her for real and don’t give a fuck about her being married.”
“Word?” Tuck was so enthralled in Noble’s secret that his eyes glowed.
“Yeah, and it’s fucking me up because I know I’m going to bring drama to TLM.”
Tuck nodded. “Yeah, this gon’ get ugly ‘cause Jovanis love her ass. You might start a war.”