“Leave me the hell alone.”
“Oh, so you can talk to me when you need something but not when I want to talk to you?”
“Exactly, and seeing as I’m in this situation because of you, I dare you to have a problem with that.”
“Aight, baby. You got that.”
Iman motioned for me to sit down across from him, but all that wasn’t necessary. “Did you really need guards to meet me at a coffee shop?”
Iman smiled. “How was I supposed to know this wasn’t a way for you and Marz to set me up?”
Ignoring his question, I leaned against the table as I checked the time on my phone. “I need for this thing between us to be resolved. Now. I need to get back to my life.”
“I made my terms clear, Heir. I think this is a conversation you need to be having with your husband.”
“This started because of me. Technically my ex, but me. I’ve decided that I will work on your files and keep your account in exchange for peace. It will take me a while to clean everything up and make it look legit, and you’re going to use that time to prove Marz and I can trust you. If during the initial ninety days of me working with you you do anything crazy or try to take our lives, I’ve already forwarded your files to someone out of the state who will forward them to my boss, the police, and the IRS if something happens to me or Marz. And do not try to find out who it is, because it’s not a family member or friend that you can track through my daily life.”
“What happens at the end of the ninety days?” Iman asked.
“I’ll be done with your account, and I will also have set up your fake ass portal system by then. At that point, you will have to work with someone else. I know a shady accountant who would love to work with you and make some extra money under the table. He’s not as good as me but he’ll do.”
Shrugging, I pulled my phone out of my pocket again. “You will not go after Marz or try to get him to work as your enforcer now or once the ninety days are up. If you do, I will immediately revoke your access to the payroll software I’m going to set up for you. And trust me, you will not want me to do that, because not only will it stop you from being able to do your illegal ass shit, but every dime that you have in the accounts attached to it will be deposited into mine. I will bleed you dry, motherfucka. Do we have an understanding?”
Iman released a bark of laughter and looked up at Jay. “I see why you liked her.” He extended his hand for me to shake, but I rejected the gesture.
“Just your word will do.”
“I give you my word. If you work on my account and get it cleaned up, I’ll release you in ninety days. And for the bonus of the payroll setup and accounts, I will not go after Marz unless he comes after me.”
“Good. I’ll reach out Monday morning and send you access to my account portal. You’ll be able to see what I’m doing and track my progress. With that, please do not reach out to me unless it is an absolute emergency. I may be working for you, but I donotwant to talk to you.”
As I headed out of the coffee shop, I fought back tears of relief. Jay said Iman was grimy and an antagonist but that he was a man of his word. I prayed that was the case and that he’d leave us alone. Once I made it to the bakery next door, I called Onesty and told her to pick me up so I could get my car and then go and see Granny.
Chapter
Seventeen
Marz
As soon asI woke up, I felt the lack of Heir’s presence. Refusing to believe she’d left, I checked the house from top to bottom and the cameras. I watched as she packed, wrote a note, and left it on the kitchen island before kissing me and leaving. Downstairs, I snatched the note off the island and had to keep myself from ripping it up.
Babe,
Don’t be mad! Okay? I know you probably want to strangle me. I decided to handle this situation with Iman myself. You wouldn’t be in this predicament if you weren’t protecting me. This was my chance to protect you too. And I know you’re going to say you don’t need me to but still. I’m going to work for him for a brief period of time andend this war before it really starts. That way we won’t be cooped up in the safehouse, we can return to our lives, and no one has to risk losing theirs for me. When I’m done with his account, I’m quitting my job and going back to school. As horrible as it may be to have to do this for him, it’ll be worth it to close this chapter of my life. When it’s over, I’ll have no connection to him or Jay, and I’ll be free to be with you. Please understand this is for the best. The two of you are in no condition to come to an agreement, so it’s on me.
Thank you doesn’t seem adequate enough to express my gratitude. I hope this choice doesn’t lead to the end of us, but if it does, I’ll forever cherish every day we were able to spend together.
I balledthe letter up and tossed it into the trash before taking the stairs by two to get dressed. If she thought she could write a damn letter and not tell me this shit face to face, Heir had me all the way fucked up.
Two hours later,I was at the hospital, in my car, calming myself down before I faced Heir. When I called her, she let me know where she was, but before she could go into detail abouther meeting with Iman, I ended the call. That wasn’t something I wanted to talk to her about over the phone. Plus, I was sure there was a chance she was going to irritate me all over again, and I’d been working hard as hell to calm down all morning. As much as I wanted to hit a blunt, I didn’t want to smell like weed around her family. This would be the second time I was around her parents, and the first time was weird enough.
Slowly, I made my way through the hallway and up to the second floor. I lightly tapped on the open door before stepping inside. Her parents greeted me then introduced me to her aunt, uncle, and cousin while Heir shyly avoided my eyes as she held her grandmother’s hand. She looked a hell of a lot like the sickly woman lying in the bed, and that was the only thing that cooled my temperature a bit more. I was close to both sets of my grandparents, particularly close to my pops’ parents, and I hated watching them age and seeing Ma’s parents transition.
Heir stood and excused herself before taking my hand and leading me out of the room. As much as I wanted to pull away, I waited until we were in the hallway to do so and cross my arms over my chest.
“I know you’re angry,” she said softly, voice shaking. “I can literally feel the rays vibrating off of you, but if you would just let me explain?—”
“The time to explain was before you left, Heir.”