Page 33 of Breeze and Melodie

“Breeze, please let the police handle it. I don’t want you risking your freedom. He’s not worth it,” I pleaded.

“Nah, I—” he began.

“Breeze, Mel is right. You have a lot more to lose than you did two years ago. Let the police do their job,” Raine said.

“He will be handled. Breeze, can I talk to you in the hallway?” Officer Downing requested.

“Please talk some sense into him,” I said as they left my room.

“I told you Breeze couldn’t be stopped,” Raine reminded me.

I considered her words as I vaguely heard my parents talking. If I knew Breeze could kill Sean without getting caught, I wouldn’t stop him. Unfortunately, the world didn’t work like that.

“I toldyou he’d be taken care of. You need to calm down,” Officer Downing said in a low voice.

“I don’t trust cops, so your words don’t mean shit to me.”

“I understand, but you need to get over it. If you handle him yourself, I won’t be able to protect you.”

“I won’t be caught, but if I am, I don’t give a fuck. I want that nigga dead, and if I have to do it myself, so be it.”

He looked at his watch before looking at me again. “You got an hour or two to spare?”

“Depends on what it’s for.”

“I want to introduce you to someone.”

“I’m not trying to meet any of your people. Being around you this long is causing me to itch.”

“He’s not a cop.”

“Okay. Let me make sure her people can stay until I get back.”

I reentered Melodie’s room and went to her bedside. “I need to make a run.”

“Where to?” she asked.

“Don’t worry about all that. Will y’all be here for a while?” I asked her father.

“As long as we need to be, but if you’re going to look for Sean, I want to go too.”

“Hudson Norwood, I don’t know what Breeze is about to do, but you’re not going with him,” Mrs. Norwood said.

“But baby?—”

“I said what I said, baby. End of discussion.”

“We’ll be here until you get back,” he told me instead of arguing with his wife.

I leaned down to kiss Melodie’s forehead and lips again before hugging Raine, Harmonee, and Mrs. Norwood, then shaking Mr. Norwood’s hand. Officer Downing was on the phone when I returned to the hallway.

“Let’s go. I’ll follow you,” I told him.

“Cool.”

I followed him to the Rush Brothers Youth & Recreation Center. I’d heard good things about the center but hadn’t had a reason to visit because I didn’t have children.

When we met at the sidewalk leading to the entrance, I asked, “A youth center?”

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