Page 12 of Only You

“Brice, my baby is not bad,” she said.

“I don’t know, Chanel; I heard he got it from his daddy,” I said with my hands, palms facing forward. Devin jumped up quickly from the chair where he had been sitting. I laughed and promptly turned to head to attend to my next patient.

I couldn’t believe that, once again, Tay’s name was brought up.

I need to find her.

CHAPTER 7

Tayla

The overcast sky wasn’t doing anything to help my mood. I hated the days when the sun only peeked through the clouds. I needed the Sun’s full rays to reinvigorate me each day. I could stay outside all day if the weather were right. It didn’t help that it was so dark that it looked like it would storm any minute.

I was driving my Mercedes EV today because I didn’t want the roar of my Chevelle SS’s engine to alert anyone I’d arrived. I’d taken another lunch hour trying to pin down Nina. After the scare last week with Drue, I walked around on eggshells at A Child’s Haven. My first month had gone smoothly, except for that incident. I didn’t want to do anything that could jeopardize everything that I had in play, which is why I was adamant about finding her.

The docks had put me one step closer. I couldn’t believe that the man wearing a mask was Brice. I wasn’t one hundred percent sure until his distinctive deep baritone belted out fuck into the small walls of that container. Back in California, he never wore amask when he conducted street business. That was reserved for the Tops. Once The Cartel saw the success of One, Two, and Three remaining unknown, anonymity was a requirement. I stood back in the shadows and watched him open two crates that contained military-grade artillery. I knew Brice didn’t tell me everything he did in the streets because he didn’t trust me. It was another fact that cut deep whenever I thought about it. Even so, I knew they would never deal with guns. Finding them had pissed him off.

After he closed the container and jogged off, I finally entered the warehouse. If I could help him with this problem, it would give me an in. All I needed was the opportunity to tell him everything I needed to say. With that newfound encouragement, I walked down several corridors until a name on a door stopped me. Sincere Wright. I remembered that he used to work for Brice in Cali before he asked for a transfer. His name was listed on the door as the dock manager.

I slipped inside the office unnoticed and began my search. I looked through the false bottom in the desk, the file cabinets, and under the actual drawers of each. I was sure Brice had seen all the information I found earlier when he was here. That was until I ran across an address Sincere scribbled on a sticky note. I hadn’t left an inch of that office untouched, which is how I found it balled up and thrown inside the trash. Along with the address, the word ‘meeting’ was there, along with a time. I took the piece of crumpled paper and left the docks.

“Now, arriving at your destination,” the robotic female voice said, interrupting my thoughts. I glanced at the clock to see that Ihad twenty minutes before the time of the meeting. I’d never been to this part of town. It was primarily industrial brick buildings that looked like warehouses. Their façades were each fitted with old metal doors and tattered wood-framed windows. As I drove, I saw two men loading a work van. A couple more lined the street, but they were empty. I went around the block twice to ensure that Sin and whoever he was meeting with hadn’t arrived early. Once satisfied that I was the first here, I parked a block away.

I picked up my phone from inside the cup holder. Unlocking it, I searched my short list of contacts until I found his name. I clicked on it, staring at the impersonal profile picture I’d pulled from his company website months ago.

Just do it, Tayla. Call him.

Before I could talk myself out of it, I’d pressed my finger down on the button. My heart raced a mile a minute until he picked up.

“Yerr!” I froze. We both silently held the line until I heard him shuffling the phone.

“Stephon, please, don’t hang up! It’s Tayla,” I gently begged into the phone.

“I’m sorry that the first time you’ve heard from me is under these circumstances. I know you don’t believe I didn’t have anything to do with Nina, but I didn’t. I didn’t even know who that man was, and had never heard of him. I want you to know that I’m going to fix it. If something happens to me, promise you’ll take care of him.

“We need to talk,” Stephon finally spoke.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have called. I have to go,” I rushed out, quickly taking the phone from my ear and ending the call. I placed the phone on silent mode, then reached inside my glove box for my gun and pocket knife. Brice had given it to me under the stipulation that I’d never know when I needed it until I needed it. That man swore he was Suge Knight from Straight Outta Compton.

I leaned forward, tucking my gun into my slacks and the knife into my pocket before exiting. I got out and pushed the door closed enough for the soft-close feature to take over. I didn’t want to make a sound. I glanced around again before starting the quick walk to the warehouse. I noticed how quiet the area was. No one would help me if I found myself in some shit.

I need to be careful. It’s not just me anymore.

Once I arrived, I stood out of sight at the edge of the adjacent building and scanned the side and roof of the other for cameras. There were none. I looked further until I found a point of entry. There was a window at the top of the fire escape; I would go that way.

I ran over to the escape, grabbed the ladder, and quietly pulled it down to the ground. I swiftly made my way up. Once I reached the window, I tried to push it open, but could not. The tattered window was covered in years of paint and sealed shut. I mocked Brice’s deep voice silently in my head.

You don’t know what you’ll need until you need it! Ugh, I hate it when he’s right.

I took out the knife, flipped it open, and began to slide it around the perimeter of the window until the seal was broken. Igrunted as I used all my force to push the window open enough for me to enter. The building was currently dark. What little light I had was coming through the small windows that wrapped around the building like the one I’d crawled through. I let my eyes adjust and looked around. I was on what appeared to be a mezzanine. It was full of crates stacked to the ceiling. They were the same crates I’d seen Brice open inside the shipping container.

Suddenly, the lights came on. Fluorescent lights lit up the room, and I heard a familiar voice. It was Nina. I maneuvered through the empty crates until I was close enough to see and listen to what was happening below without being seen.

When I got a clear view, I saw Nina and Sincere.

“How is it coming with your link? Is she making any headway?” Nina asked Sincere and snickered.

“She’s doing her best but says he won’t give her an in.”

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