Page 4 of Only You

“Shit,” I spoke out into the car. I’d let time get away from me. I clamored around, pulling the visor to check my appearance. I looked tired because I was. I tried my best to cover the present bags under my eyes with a light coat of concealer. I hoped it didn’t reflect today. I started the car, threw it in reverse, and pressed the gas. I quickly mashed the brakes when a matte blacked-out Porsche Taycan pulled into the parking lot. I waited for it to park before backing out.

The car's owner got out, one leg at a time, to stand to his full height. He wore a perfectly tailored designer suit and an unbuttoned shirt sans the tie. He turned his head towards my car while he buttoned his suit jacket, and I took in his chiseled jawline covered in a thick, close-cut beard. His perusal stopped when he reached my car. He slightly adjusted his glasses as he gazed. It was Devin Haven. I knew because I’d researched them all before moving from California.

Aside from Jourdan already living here. I remembered a man named Devin visiting Brice on campus when he was in medical school. I just so happened to be there when he arrived at his apartment. I was always with Brice, and I may as well have lived with him. The day he showed up, I listened to him call the man Devin before quickly yelling towards my room that he was about to slide, and then he closed the door. I never saw him, and it didn’t mean anything to me at the time, but I quickly connected the dots when I searched for Devin and Cypress, North Carolina, on a search engine.

Damn, his ass is fine! The pictures don’t do him justice.

Entirely out of his car, he stood by his before entering A Child’s Haven. I’m sure he was trying to see if he could identify mine. I nodded at him as I drove and continued until I left the lot. I was sure I would see more of him; I was counting on it. Although they weren’t looking for me, I’d located them. I knew precisely where Brice, Jourdan, and her new husband were, as well as everyone they associated with. I was hurt when I found out she’d hidden a whole relationship with the personal protection specialist, whom she’d briefly mentioned intruding on one of her missions. I wasn’t privy to it before my search. And according to what I’d overheard with that woman and man, he was also my brother.

Them and their fucking trust issues. Ugh! This has to work!

First, I needed to find the woman who gave birth to me. The days of calling her my mother were long gone. Three days after I’d sanctioned that hit, Jourdan had completed the task. Threemonths after that, my life had taken one. I should have just shot that bitch that day then I wouldn’t even be in this situation. They still wouldn’t have believed me, though. I needed proof.

I’m coming for you, Nina Nine.

CHAPTER 2

Brice

It was summertime in LA, and the streets never slept. The constant whir of the ghetto birds was a testament to that. I glanced at the time, seeing that I needed to make my rounds. I’d been alone on the porch of one of our stash houses for the past thirty minutes. The corner boys would come in and out as needed, but no one was here. I stood, threw on my hood, and began to walk. The night air in LA usually dropped to around sixty, so I typically kept a hoodie on. It was also easier to conceal the gun tucked in my back. I was lethal with it, but was also just as deadly in hand-to-hand combat. It was part of my father's requirementswhen my sister and I chose the streets.

I’d been on autopilot after my father died. Once a king at the top of the jungle my father had built, I’d again found myself at the bottom. All the motherfuckers that my father had put on quickly turned their backs on me before his casket even dropped. Outside of my sister, I couldn’t trust a soul.

I was currently working for a nigga named Cash at night and fulfilling my father’s promise of being a doctor during the day. Cash didn’t know half the shit he thought he did and it pissed me off. I could do it better, hell, he was practically taking orders from me and calling them his own. So, here I was walking the dark streets of LA well after midnight wishing a motherfucker would try me. Block after block, I walked, checking in on the other dumb ass niggas that Cash had appointed to work the corners.

How in the fuck did I end up back here?

After seeing that everything was copacetic, I headed to the corner store. The bell rang above my head as I walked through the door. I had no intention of removing my hood, so the store owner followed my every move as I selected a bag of chips and a soda. This particular store got robbed every other day, and I was sure he had his hands on a piece under the counter. If he pulled, so would I, but I wouldn’t miss.

I placed my items on the counter while he totaled me up and paid after he’d given me a price. I popped the soda open and took a swig as I headed out the door. When I stepped out, the back of someone’s hand landed on my chest. I attempted to reach for my gun before I looked up to see who had violated me.

“Don’t do that,” he said. I finally followed the voice to see a man in all black and a ski mask. I’d heard about the three but had never interacted with them. I didn’t even know who I was in the presence of One, Two, or Three. I exhaled and held his gaze, waiting to see what this was about.

“Do you know who we are?” He asked.

“Yeah,” I simply answered.

“Good, take a walk with me,” he said, leading us back to the house I’d just come from. I studied him as we walked past the corner boys vying for his attention. He nodded but never said a word. We’d finally reached the house. I stood cautiously behind as he opened the rod iron screen door and led us inside. The house was old, dingy, and still had wood paneling lining the walls. The furniture was worn well past its years, and so was the carpet. I glanced around and listened for voices to find that there still wasn’t anyone here.

I followed him to the back of the house and into a room I had always assumed was a closet. He entered a code on a keypad that was slightly concealed. A door inside opened, illuminating a staircase. My mind was racing, trying to think of anything that I’d done to get on his radar because we’d all heard the rumors about these rooms they had.

Shit, I’m about to die.

It was a daunting thought as I followed him down the staircase, and as the door sealed behind us. I couldn’t leave JoJo alone, so I decided I wasn’t going down without a fight. He also hadn't taken my gun, and I wanted to know why. Finally reaching the landing, the room I entered was entirely made of stainless steel, including the table and chairs.

“Have a seat,” he said. I did as I was told.

“I’m One,” he said as he also sat. He removed his mask, reached into his pockets, and threw on a pair of glasses. I didn’t know what the hell was happening because the three never revealedthemselves. They were rumored even to have proxies. No one really knew.

“You will know me as One with the mask. When you see me like this, call me Devin. I know you’re not stupid enough to run your mouth about it, so I don’t have to tell you that if you tell anyone of my identity, you’re dead. That goes for anyone else you tell, too. Right?” He spoke with a scrutinizing gaze.

“Right.” I had no idea why I was chosen to see his face, but it piqued my curiosity.

“I’ve been watching you for some time now,” he said and paused, studying me the same way I was him.

“What’s the deal?” I returned, urging him to continue.

“I want you to be my understudy,” he said. I couldn’t tell you why, as I sat on the edge of my bed, my mind had returned to the day I would never forget. Perhaps it was because I was on autopilot, with my mind and body right back where they were that day. I couldn’t dwell on it now, or I would be late for work. I stood and walked around my sister’s old house, which was now mine, trying to gather everything I needed before heading into my long shift at the hospital. What once looked like a soft representation of my sister had been transformed into my bachelor pad. Replacing her sienna couch with a plush gray one. I used her throw pillows to mix in with my navy and Ivory ones. I’d made a few more changes throughout the house, putting what I didn’t want into storage.

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