“Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of it. Now, let’s get you up. You need a shower. Get the police station grime off you. You’ll feel better.”
I rise and pull her with me, and she locks her arms around me.
“Thank you,” she whispers.
Staring down at her dark hair, I press a kiss to the top of her head. “You don’t need to thank me for anything.”
“Yeah, I do,” she says with a hiccup, gazing up at me. “I don’t know what would be happening right now if you weren’t here. I’d be handling this shit myself because I’m no good at asking for help. But I’m really, really glad I’m not alone right now, Moses.”
I tighten my hold around her. “You’re never gonna be alone again, mama. Whatever comes, we handle it together. That’s how it works from here on out. We’re a team, and I’m not letting anything happen to you. I waited too damn long for my second chance to risk throwing it all away.”
She lays her cheek against my chest, and we stand there for a moment, saying nothing. When she finally pulls back, I catch a single tear on the pad of my thumb.
“What’s next?” she asks.
“I’ll go check on Trey’s progress and hope he’s got an address for our guy, and then we’ll put together a plan to take him out. I’m sick of him being two steps ahead of us. It’s time we catch the fuck up.”
Twenty-Five
Magnolia
After my shower, Moses goes in search of Trey, but I stay in the room, the vision of the blood-encrusted stiletto seared into my head.
Once my hair is dry, I venture out to the living room, feeling at a loss for what to do with myself. With my girls away and business on hold, there’s not much for me to work on. I can’t remember the last time I had this much free time on my hands. The hustle I’m so used to has come to a complete standstill because of the asshole who attacked me in the elevator.
I wander to the chess board, trailing my fingers over the pieces. Other women might wonder how different their life would have been if they’d gone with Moses or if Moses had stayed, but I don’t waste any time on that.
There’s no going back.
You get one chance to make a decision, and then you have to live with the consequences of it.
But what I said to Moses earlier is completely true. I don’t know how I’d be handling this without him. I’m a strong woman. That’s a fact. But I’m also smart enough to realize this could have gone a hell of a lot differently if Moses’s timing to return to me had been off by just a day or two.
A knock at the door distracts me from my thoughts, and I’m grateful for it. Melancholy ain’t my thing.
I cross the room and pull the door open to find Keira. Her expression radiates empathy.
“Are you okay?”
Shrugging, I answer, “Okay enough.”
Keira throws her arms around my shoulders and hugs me, and I accept the comfort she offers. Right now, I’ll take what relief I can get.
“I hate that you’re going through this. I want it over.”
“You and me both, girl. You and me both.” I give her a hard squeeze before she pulls back.
“So, what now?”
I release a long breath. “Hell if I know. I don’t even know what to do with myself right this minute. Can’t say I’ve ever been in this situation before.”
Knowingly, she gives me a rueful smile. “Lockdown is no fun. Trust me, this is something I’m all too familiar with.”
I think of the man my best friend is married to, how it came to be, and again hope I made the right moves where that was concerned.
Keira must read something on my face because her features sharpen. “I wouldn’t trade this for the world, Mags. So stop with whatever you’re thinking.”
“Oh, you read minds now, Ke-ke?”