Page 33 of Only You

“JoJo, when she leaves the parking lot, we need to get the fuck out of here. That voice belongs to Costa,” I whispered. Once we saw her car pull off the lot, we took one last sip of our drinks and left a hefty tip on the table. We gathered our babies and made our way to our cars, quickly getting the kids in.

“Tay, what in the hell is going on?” JoJo gritted out.

“I don’t know, but we’re going to figure it out!”

CHAPTER 19

Brice

“What’s the deal?” I said as I answered the phone. It was Steph. He called as soon as he knew I’d end my shift.

“Jourdan and Tay’s ass are up to some shit,” I took in a deep breath and sighed it out heavily.

“What in the hell is going on now?”

“Meet me at the spot in thirty.”

“Alright,” I said, hanging up. I looked down at my watch and saw I only had a few minutes. I logged back in and scanned the charts, ensuring all my notes were ready for the next shift. Once satisfied, I logged out and headed towards the locker room.

This was the second time since Tay had been living with me that I wasn’t going directly home. The first thing that came to mind was how we were both still lying to each other. I knew why I was doing it, but why in the hell was she?

Fucking trust issues.

I knew I would have to call her at some point, but first I needed to shower. I walked into the locker room and scanned around. There wasn’t anyone in here, and just like earlier, I locked the door. I didn’t have to worry about Ivy; her shift ended shortly after Tay left. I grabbed my bag from the locker and carried it inside the small adjoining bathroom. As a precaution, I also locked that door. If someone walked in on me this time, I wasn’t sure if I would still have the same restraint, because I was teetering on the edge.

I adjusted the shower’s temperature, undressed, and tucked my work clothes into a sani-bag. Once the temperature was right, I adjusted the spray so that it would hit my neck and cascade down my back. It was a temporary fix to ease the stress coursing through my mind. I kept telling myself that it was all good and that they knew what they were doing, because they did. However, I had PTSD from Tay getting shot and all the shit Jourdan had put me through the last two years. I thought it was bad with Jourdan, but the both of them together had a nigga about to pull his hair out.

I got back on task before I could work myself up any further. I gave myself two thorough washes and a rinse before drying. My mocha Jordans, black Essentials sweat shorts, and a wood-colored Essentials oversized tee were inside my bag. After throwing on deodorant and lotion, I dressed and headed out. I walked past the nurses’ station and all the cat calls, only throwing a head nod.

Once inside the Tahoe, I let Nipsey Hussle’s Victory Lap bump through the speakers. I backed out of the spot and headed towards midtown. When Steph said, “the spot,” I knew he was talking about Three. Three was Demitri’s upscale cigar bar andlounge. It was where we all went to wind down. When I stopped at the light, I zeroed in on the car that was two cars behind me. It had also left the hospital parking lot when I did. I took two more turns that would lead me nowhere near the lounge, and the car I was sure was tailing me did the same. Those last two turns were confirmation. I’d taken us to a part of downtown that wasn’t heavily populated. It was the warehouse district and the same place where Tayla had gotten shot. I took out my encrypted phone and texted Rock before I made a move.

I’m about to need cleanup.

Rock

??

Just dropped the location. Get the cameras.

Rock

Done

After Rock confirmed that he’d cut all the cameras, I dipped into the first dark alleyway I saw. I quickly reached under the seat for my Glock, loaded the chamber, and then jumped out of the truck. I rushed to the edge of the building and stood waiting for the car to pass. As it slowly crept, I stepped out behind it, aimed my gun, and let off two shots. The rear glass shattered with their impact, piercing the driver and the passenger. The car slowed until it banked off the curb and came to a stop.

I stood in the middle of the street, waiting to see if I’d taken them out or just hit them. The passenger door opened, and a Beretta ARX 160 fired straight at me, letting off multiple rounds.

Shit!

I took off in a full sprint, running and ducking beside a work van parked on the opposite side of the street as the bullets followed me until I took cover. Heaving deep breaths, I listened to see if he would shoot anymore, but he’d lost me. After a moment, I heard the man’s hard-bottom shoes hit the pavement. I peeked around the van to see him loading another magazine into the clip.

Dumb motherfucker.

I whistled to get his attention, and when he looked, I fired three shots, one to the head and two to the chest. As his body hit the street, I aimed my gun and placed my finger on the trigger as I began a slow walk towards the car. I wasn’t taking any chances. As I suspected, I’d hit the driver in the back of the head. Both men had olive-toned skin and slick black hair. I looked down at his right arm and saw the tattoo I didn’t want to see. I quickly stood and walked over to the other man, and there it was again, the same tattoo.

Fuck!

Just then, I heard a vehicle approaching. I didn’t need to turn to know it was Rock’s Ford Raptor, because the heavy growl of the engine was indistinguishable.

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