Chapter 18 #2
Silence hung between me and G for a while. Both of us sat there like we always did when shit was heavy. I reached into the cabinet behind me, pulled out two glasses, and filled them with D’Usse. We sipped slowly—both of us in our heads.
“This Black Crow and Shadow shit. They’re not just targeting the names on the list; they’re targeting spouses. They blew up Dev’s ballet studio last month.” My chest tightened from the fear of losing her.
“I know. Vivi told me. She was there with Devyn that day. I’ve been in contact with my sources. Shadow has taken control of Black Crow himself, uniting the cells. They needed a leader, and now they have one.”
I shook my head, smirking. “I know. But the good thing about it is, when there’s only one leader, they get comfortable. He’ll slip up, and when he does, I’ll catch him.”
“Chairman Stone, you make me proud. Take me to see Devyn. I want to ask her if you’re really treating her like a queen. And if she’s still angry with me,” he said and chuckled.
I just laughed as we got up from our seats. For a moment, I wanted to forget my responsibilities. Just be in the moment and enjoy the little peace I had in my own home. When I stepped back outside, I was on Asad and Shadow’s ass.
G walked close behind me, looking for Devyn. It didn’t take long because I could hear her, Parker, and Savannah laughing loud as hell in the kitchen. When I stepped into the kitchen, Dev’s eyes traveled to me, then straight to G.
She was giving G the death stare. They hadn’t seen each other since he ran into her at Honey Buns, so I knew she was ready to get on his ass. Parker and Savannah turned around, looking between Dev and G.
“We gon’ head out, Dev. Is our ride ready, Azani?” Savannah giggled like she knew Dev was ready to turn up.
“Yeah, Vic gon’ take y’all home.”
“Vic,” Parker said, tossing her head over her shoulder and grabbing her purse. “Dev, Ima call you, boo.”
They kissed Dev’s cheeks and waved at G on the way out. The tension was so thick in the kitchen that I wanted to back out and let them handle this shit on their own. Dev was sitting on the counter, feet swinging, with her arms folded across her chest.
“Hi, G. Welcome to my home,” Dev said, cutting her eye at me like I did something.
“Hello, Devyn. It’s a beautiful home. Still angry with me?” He chuckled, walking closer to her.
I grabbed my food off the stove, then sat on one of the stools and watched them.
“A little.” Dev pouted like her regular bratty self.
“You should be,” G said, smiling.
“Did you tell Zani? About Nanna and Geneva?” she asked.
“I did. He was just as shocked as Vivi told me you were,” he said, leaning against the counter beside her.
“You know, Nanna cried when she told me,” she quietly told him.
The way G looked at Dev, I saw how much he still loved Vivian. “Was she okay?”
“Honestly, I don’t know. She’s supposed to be coming back from London in a few days. I’ll get a chance to talk to her soon. You still love her, don’t you?”
“Every day I walk this earth,” he confessed.
Dev looked up at G, and she finally started to loosen up. “That’s a long time to love someone. I don’t know how y’all stayed away from each other.”
“It’s a privilege to love someone that long, Devyn—in whatever capacity you can. I pray that you are blessed enough to have it, too.”
“We’ll see about that… won’t we, Zani?” She giggled, cutting her eyes at me.
“You got me, baby. You know that,” I said, biting into one of the crab balls on my plate.
G stood there, watching us stare at each other. He looked relieved and content, like he’d been waiting his whole life to see us together.
“If Vivi and I were able to be together, I wouldn’t get the pleasure of seeing this. We’ve both made peace with what we couldn’t have. Cherish this,” he said, grabbing Devyn’s hand gently, looking down at her ring, and smiling. “Take care of each other and love like every day is your last.”
“We will,” Devyn whispered.
G kissed her hand, then held his arms out to hug her, and she leaned into him. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her head.
“Anti ghaliya ala galbi, ya hafidti. Don’t ever doubt that,” he said, holding her close.
“Uhm, you and Azani know I don’t speak Arabic, right?”
G and I both laughed, shaking our heads. “You are dear to my heart,” he said softly. “Tell Ibni to teach you.”
Then, he let her go, looking between us. “I’ll be in town, Azani. Maybe an hour or so from here. I want to be on the water. You and Devyn should come visit.”
I wiped my hands, then stood and walked around the island. G pulled me into a hug, kissed my head, then gripped my shoulders.
“I’ll see you two soon,” he said, looking between us.
When he walked away, I walked over to Dev and stood between her legs, rubbing her thighs. She knew I was about to say something she didn’t want to hear because she was already pouting with her arms folded over her chest.
“You have to leave, don’t you?” she said softly.
“Yeah, in the morning. Jet leaves at 8:30, but I won’t be gone long, baby. Unfold your arms and hug your man, Dev. I ain’t gone yet.”
She wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me once. “How long this time?”
“Four days… five tops.”
She sighed, burying her face in my neck. “I don’t want you to leave,” she whispered.
Truth was, I didn’t want to leave either.
Being on missions back-to-back was cool when I had no one waiting for me.
Now, I had her, and every time I thought about her when I was away, it made me want to make it back home as fast as I could.
Dev was living a life she wasn’t used to.
Security everywhere she went, people watching her, not able to move around like she wanted.
I knew it was hard, but to keep her safe, I’d do anything, even if she was mad about it.