Page 80 of Quasim III: King Inferno

A tear slipped down her cheek, but she didn’t brush it away. Her hand, with the ring I had put on it, remained rested on my face as our eye contact remained. I took her hand and kissed the palm softly, then rested my forehead against hers. Her face was warm, but her hands and legs were cold.

“My love, there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you. I know it took a minute for us to get here, but we are here, and you are my wife. I would give this life if that meant you and our baby would live. They tried to take me from you, Anjo, and I can’t sit back and allow that.”

“You being here… still breathing, alive, that’s enough for me. Simmy, I don’t want to lose you. We need you, baby.”

I could tell that everything was finally settling with her. She was feeling all the emotions she had been forced to tuck away forthe sake of being strong for me. She took a deep breath, as she continued to hold onto me.

“I thought you were going to die, Quasim.” She whispered. “I prayed that he would send you back to me… for a brief moment, I had to come to terms that I might have to do this without you and that’s something I never want to do.”

I pulled back as I softly pecked her lips while the tears fell down both of our faces. “You won’t ever have to find out what doing life without me is… my love, I’m here. Never going anywhere.”

“You cannot promise me that.”

I kissed her lips once more. “When it comes to you and Elijah, I’m always going to come through on my promises. We’re going to move away for a little bit so you can have my baby, and I can recover. Allow Elijah a normal life… hmm?”

She slowly nodded her head as she came closer to me, wanting to be in my skin. “Yes.”

“Give me some time, Anjo… then that pussy is mine.” I kissed her ear and grabbed a handful of her ass. “This shit getting thicker and thicker, my love.”

Anjo had all her teeth on display as she stared up at me. “Since I was gonna have to look for a new husband, I been eating.”

I pinched her ass, and she squealed. “Stop fucking with me… I may be unstable on my feet, but that finger still works fine on a trigger, my love.”

Junkie: You up?

She grabbed her phone as it buzzed and turned the screen to show me. “Speaking of…”

I raised my eyebrow as I looked at the conversation between the both of them. “You bringing him to me, my love?”

Anjo smirked and kissed my lips. “As my king wishes.”

.

Lucia

My blood boiledas I clicked the ball point pen obsessively. I wanted to scream and knock everything off my desk; I was so angry. I knew everyone would look at me crazy, so I was reduced to clicking this damn pen like a maniac. I had to pretend to be shocked and oblivious when an FBI agent walked into the gala and arrested Mercer. It was bad enough that DA Fern insisted that I be there. This gala was an event that I wouldn’t have normally been invited to. It was for the high-ups and important people.

I was just a smaller fish in this massive pond, and I knew my role. Not even Red could help me now, not like he cared. He got what he wanted by killing his nephew, so why else would he care about me and what I had going on?

I sent him a few messages and even called and hadn’t heard back from him. It was typical of men to get what they wanted and then abandon you.

As I stared at the picture of me and Rich, I wished he was here. Our relationship, even though we were married, wasn’t the best. We had a difference of opinions, but he was there when it mattered. I was nervous about Mercer opening his mouth.

He wouldn’t give the big people up; he would start with us at the bottom. We were disposable, and to save his own ass, he didn’t give a hell what happened with mine. Mercer wasn’t meant for prison, and he wouldn’t sit there long with the people he had in his corner.

I did what I had to do, and now I was going to be punished while a bunch of sick white men got a slap on the wrist. That was what it was when it came to people like us. I became a cop because I wanted to make a difference, and I realized that I changed right with them. I tossed my morals out the door and continued to do things that weren’t right.

“Captain says that he wants to talk to you,” Irie said, as she ate a bowl of grass and leaned against the desk. “He didn’t sound so happy about it either… well with you, not me. He says I’m doing amazing.”

I rolled my eyes and pushed away from my desk to go and see what the captain wanted to be up my ass about today. Tapping on his door, he waved for me to come in and I closed the door behind me, looping my fingers through my belt hoops and standing to see what he wanted.

“Detective Parker, what the fuck is going on with you?” Mitch asked as he leaned on his desk, looking me up and down.

Mitch was a straight shooter and never held back. Everyone knew the minute he had something to say, he was going to tear you a new one, and I couldn’t do anything except sit and accept it.

“I have a lot going on right now, Captain.”

He raised his brow. “So much that you cannot do your fucking job? Is this what you teaching the rookie? To slack off and not do her damn job.”

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