Page 39 of Smoke

The woman grabbed me and led me out the back door. Roughly, she led me through the backyard and out the back gate that led to the street behind the house. The entire time, she was silent as she shoved me into the back seat of Patrick’s car and got in with me. Patrick jumped in the driver’s seat, cranked up, and pulled onto the street.

I sat there quietly, rubbing my belly in a soothing manner. The need to keep calm and not stress my baby was vital. I hated that muthafucka with a passion. He just felt like he could do whatever he wanted with me. If he was making money from selling illicit drugs, why couldn’t he get a place of his own to trap out of? What was so special about mine?

We got to my shop, and Patrick parked around back. There was a delivery van sitting in the parking lot with the lights on. He got out, and so did the girl, who all but jerked me out of the car.

“I can fucking walk!” I snapped, shoving her.

“Bring yo’ ass then!” Patrick snapped.

He tossed me my keys and motioned for me to open the back door. Begrudgingly, I opened the door to let them in. I watched as the driver brought in several boxes. There was no way I could keep this here without my staff going through it, thinking it was stuff for the shop.

“Patrick, I can’t keep all of this here,” I said.

“You can and you will. Just close the shop until we can pack it all up.”

“I have clients! I can’t do that?—”

Another slap to my face caused me to fall backward against the wall. Patrick grabbed me by my neck, squeezing tightly.

“I’m about tired of you telling me what you can and can’t do. You gon’ do whatever the fuck I say. You want me to beat this fucking baby outta you?”

I frantically shook my head.

“I thought not. I don’t care what you have to do. Don’t bring them bitches in here until I get this shit out.”

He released me, pushing my head into the wall. I tried my hardest not to cry. I was going to have to pay my people out of pocket for this. I couldn’t let them suffer for the shit I’d gotten myself into, fucking around with this man. Slowly, I walked to my office and took a seat behind my desk. Pulling up the appointment log, I got to work, canceling every appointment for the rest of the week. Judging by the number of clients we had on the schedule, I was going to come up off a good bit of money.

When I was done, I sent a mass text to my team, letting them know we were closed for the week due to unforeseen circumstances. Once I hit that send button, I dropped my head into my hands and cried profusely. This couldn’t have been the plan God had for my life. It just couldn’t be. What did I do to deserve this shit?

I cried my eyes out for a good twenty minutes before I had nothing left in me. Gathering myself, I went back out to see if Patrick was done. All I wanted to do was go home, shower, and climb in my bed to wallow in self-pity. I noticed how quiet it was when I stepped into the hallway. The door to the basement was closed, and I didn’t see anybody. Walking to the back door,I looked out to see that both the delivery truck and Patrick’s car were gone.

“What the hell…” I muttered.

He’d left me. He’d really left me here. Fighting back more tears, I went to the front and called my sister.

“Romi? Why are you calling me from the shop?”

“Can you come get me?”

“What—”

“Please, Renay. I’ll tell you everything when you get here, just… please. Come get me.”

“I’m on my way.”

“Thank you.”

As I hung up, I felt like the weight of the world was on my shoulders. This was never going to fucking stop.

“Your girl must be coming backtoday,” Kaylynn said, watching as I busied myself with cleaning the guns in the training room.

“She’s not my girl, and yes, she is.”

I chuckled to myself. My mind had been so preoccupied with thoughts of Romi that I hadn’t even thought about another woman. I didn’t know what it was about her, but it was like she’d bewitched my ass. The pull she had on me was crazy as fuck. I was beginning to see what happened to Deuce when he met Salima. Now, I wouldn’t act like that nigga, but I understood.

“You really like this girl, huh?” Kaylynn asked.

“You stay in my business.”

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