Page 24 of Back in Blood

“Sure.” I wondered what Bianca wanted to say to me that she didn’t want Jaylen to hear. “You’re off.”

“Has Robin contacted you about the police contacting her?”

My brows immediately furrowed. “No. Why would the police be contacting her?”

“I saw on the news that some guy, Sintonio, apparently, went to the police station and confessed to killing Caprice. There’s no way they aired it on the news and didn’t contact her parents.”

I was stumped. I guess I had tortured the nigga to the point that he’d rather be in jail than out on the streets to keep running into me. Disappointment coursed through my veins that I wouldn’t be able to watch him take his last breath, but at least he hadn’t gotten away with what he did. The fuck nigga would rather be locked up than be dead I assumed. The police probably had been in contact with Robin, and she didn’t even share the information with me. I was regretting the fact that I gave in and took her some of Caprice’s things.

“Fuckin’ bitch,” I mumbled.

“That’s a bad word, Uncle Capri. Don’t say that,” Jaylen chastised me. I had mumbled, but his nosey ass had Super Sonic hearing.

“My bad man.”

I just kept thinking about the fact that Sintonio had confessed to Caprice’s murder, and the punk ass nigga went to jail to remain safe. Wasn’t that some shit.

CHAPTER 14

LISA

I couldn’t takethe way my parents, Gwen, and Malik were all staring at me. They were shocked to find out Sintonio was the one that pulled the trigger that took a child’s life. He turned himself in, and now they were all looking at me like they’d swallowed rocks.

“Is this why you and he weren’t seeing eye to eye?” my father questioned, and I simply nodded.

“Oh my God,” my mother whispered with her hand flat on her chest. “This is terrible.”

“This makes what he was out here doing even worse,” Malik scowled. “So, not only is he the reason that an innocent child was taken from her parents, but when you were pregnant and missing, this man was out in bars like he didn’t have a care in the world.”

“The information is new to you all, but it’s old to me. I honestly don’t even want to relive it. Sintonio is far from my favorite person, but I know he didn’t do what he did on purpose. It was careless and irresponsible but not intentional. Yes, he could have handled the after very differently, but it won’t bring that little girl back. I’m actually glad he turned himself in. Accident or not, her parents deserve the same justice I’d want formy child.” Although something was telling me that Sin being in jail wasn’t the justice that Capri had in mind for him.

I still had things in the house when it was set on fire, and we had homeowner’s insurance, so I was just waiting on a check to be reimbursed for my things. I had already started looking at some condos and townhouses to get an idea of where I might want to live. My savings was nowhere near what it was when I started planning my wedding that didn’t happen, but I had been working my ass off, and I could definitely afford to move out in the next two or three paychecks.

My parents were just the beginning. I knew anybody that knew of my affiliation with Sintonio would be looking at me crazy behind what he’d done, and I wasn’t looking forward to it. All the twelve hour shifts I’d been working had me mentally and physically exhausted. When I got off work, I showered, ate, and got right in the bed. I hadn’t even been going to any bars or lounges, but I damn sure needed a drink in this moment. Diamond Cove had numerous bars to choose from, and I could go to any of them. I didn’t have to go to Sage’s lounge. Even though I enjoyed getting dick from Capri immensely, I didn’t want to run into him either.

“I have a lash appointment to get to,” I stated as I stood up.

I had a new lash tech, but she worked out of the same building as Robin. I couldn’t even drive there and walk in without thinking about her. I had an up close and somewhat personal view of Capri’s grieving, but I often thought of Robin too. When I walked in and saw her, it felt as if a rock was lodged in my throat, but I managed a smile.

“Hey. I didn’t know you were back at work.”

She nodded. “Yeah, I have bills to pay. There’s a lot going on right now, and I can’t afford to not be at work.”

“I completely understand. It’s nice seeing you. I’ve been thinking about you.” Sintonio had been scrubbed from all of mysocial media pages. Robin was my lash tech, but I wouldn’t call her my friend. I had no clue if she would ever be able to link me to Sintonio or not but if she did, I’d feel horrible. Shit, I’d feel horrible if she ever found out I had sex with Capri. I felt fake and phony as hell standing in her face.

“Thank you. And I completely understand if you want Wendi to keep doing your lashes but if you do want to book with me again, my site is back up. I just found out I have ovarian cancer, and I start chemo soon, but I’m going to work as much as I can.”

“Oh my God, Robin, I’m so sorry.” My knees buckled. She was being put through the ringer. All the times I sat back and felt sorry for myself and wondered if God hated me. I could now see that everybody went through shit. Some went through worse things than others, but none of us were exempt from hard times and turmoil.

She waved my comment off. “It’s life, right? I’ll be okay.” She gave me a small smile, and I admired her strength.

“Hey boo,” Wendi walked out of her suite and greeted me. “I’m ready for you.”

“Okay. It was nice seeing you, Robin. I’m praying for you,” I told her, and I was. I had prayed for Robin and Capri since I found out what happened to their child.

Wendi was making conversation as she did my lashes, but I couldn’t fully concentrate on what she was saying when my heart was bleeding for Robin. Life could be cruel and unfair. The shit wasn’t even funny. When Wendi was done with my lashes, I went to a bar not too far from the shop but on the opposite side of town as Sage’s lounge. Gemini’s invitation to Tennessee crossed my mind, and I started to think that maybe I could use a little get away. As long as Sage and I had different rooms, it wouldn’t bother me that he was there. He had shown his interest in me, but he wasn’t overbearing or a creep with it. With all the doubles I’d been working, I knew me taking a few days offwouldn’t be an issue at all. As much as I wanted to grind and stack my money back up, I had to admit that my body needed a break. I’d been going full throttle, and my black ass was tired.

I knew Gemini would be elated when I let her know that I had changed my mind and was coming to the cabin with her and Scott.

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