Page 7 of Stolen Moments with a Bad Boy

“Argh!” he bellowed.

Music to my ears. Hastily, I went between puncturing his sides and stomach until his big ass dropped to his knees and groaned. I gave him a finishing jab right in the neck. He fell on the tiled floor, resting in a pool of blood. I wiped my knife on him then grabbed onto the young girl’s hand. We raced out the back door and shot into the woods. I fired off a few more shots as we continued to run.

I made my way back to my car, and we burned rubber out of there. My hands and feet helped me to switch and hit corners until I made my way to the nearest bus station. I handed her a duffel bag of money.

“Take this cash and buy a ticket there. Go live anywhere you want. Be free of him and all men like him. Now, go.”

Her tiny arms wrapped around me and held me tightly. “Thank you, Mister.”

The young girl made her exit and sprinted into the station. I peeled away and made my way from the station and straight to the private airstrip. Once I made it there, Navy was there to escort me inside.

“Nice work, Janeiro. We’re taking off now.”

I made my way to my seat and finally exhaled. Another monster down, many more to go. I closed my eyes and said a prayer to God. Sleep came easily, and I dreamed of my Bella.

Four

Erie

It was Monday, and my heart beat out of my chest. I stood in front of my full-length mirror. I admired my simple olive-green maxi dress with thin spaghetti straps and an open back. There were pockets on the sides, and that made me even happier. I loved dresses that had pockets.

Pockets on a dress to me were like a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. My dress was so long it pooled over my gold flat sandals adorned with pearls all over the top and a cute peep toe. There was no way I planned on tripping in front of Janeiro.

To prevent this, I tied a cute knot at the end of my dress so I could move around freely without the fear of falling. It was the perfect dress for the first week of summer. Chicago’s winters may have been freezing, but the summers were just as brutal because of the dry heat, especially for us natural hair girlies.

I wanted no smoke with that damn heat. My hair was up in a big, high bun. I laid my edges with my flaxseed gel and made a few swoops of baby hair with my edge control and brush. I saturated my lips with a nude gloss before I gave myself a once-over.

Content with my look, I released another deep breath, then headed down my hidden stairs from my apartment to the café. Each step I took, my heart seemed to thump loudly in my ears. All of a sudden, fear clouded my brain, and I was scared to push open the double doors to enter the dining room.

Shape up, girl. You can do this. Janeiro is just a man.I took a couple of deep breaths before I pushed open the doors.

I was only in the dining room for seconds before my stomach did back flips. My eyes fluttered to him. There he was. Janeiro sat in the same spot with his tropical berry tea and turkey panini like he did last week. Damn, he looked good enough to eat. Janeiro looked up at me mid bite. I swear all the air from inside the café had evaporated.

My eyes trailed from his cool, blue eyes to his blemish free skin. The summer-white dress shirt he wore contrasted against his skin and dazzling eyes. It gave Janeiro an otherworldly look. Ankle-length, olive-green dress slacks and designer black loafers completed his look.

There was just something about a man that could dress. I smiled broadly and held up one finger to him. I walked behind the register and leaned against the counter, waiting patiently while Londen finished up with her last customer.

When she turned to face me, I saw the sadness in her eyes. I was pretty sure it had everything to do with my nothing ass wanna-be-tough brother.

“What’s wrong, honey?” I asked her sweetly.

“Nothing, girl, just tired from these summer classes,” Londen lied.

“Try again, boo. We’re best friends, and our friendship is tight. It’s been four years now. You know you can talk to me about anything.” I took her hands in mine and waited until she felt safe enough to speak.

“What I have to tell you would really hurt you and your dad. If I tell you, you have to promise me you won’t say anything?” she probed.

“Yes. I do, but—”

“No buts. You have to promise,” Londen voiced more sternly.

“Alright. I promise, boo. Now, spill,” I urged her.

Londen exhaled loudly. “You know every Thursday I take Troy’s no-good ass lunch so we can have office sex and talk.”

She revealed that tidbit of information, and I cringed, but I nodded after because I was aware of their little office hookups.

“Last week when I went, Troy and Trix was fucking like wild animals. He was whispering to her all his sweet nothings while they shared I love yous with one another. They were ass naked on top of his desk, and the door wasn’t even locked. Before logic could kick in, I beat Trix’s ho ass, and I stabbed Troy in the thigh.” Londen dropped her head because her tears came down like a rainstorm.

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