Page 11 of Mafia Kings & Wedding Rings 2: The Finale
“Let’s go!” he yelled, tapping his door with his hand.
Brick flung the back door open to the truck and scooped me up so I could get inside. He was right behind me, and from behind the wheel, Staten pressed his foot to the gas. Shaking in the back seat, I glanced over my shoulder to see other cars and headlights flickering behind us as people pulled off.
“You OK?” Brick asked, grabbing my face and searching it frantically.
I could only nod while trying to catch my breath. Looking down at my hands and clothes, I was covered in Saleh’s blood.
“C’mere.” He pulled me into his chest and held me there.
I listened to his heart rate slow down the longer he held me, bringing a sense of calm as his cologne seeped into me. His tight embrace and the gentle strokes he delivered to my back soothedme. Knowing that I was safe, I clung to him. My eyelids only grew heavier the longer we sped along until I sank into a deep slumber.
Cambrie Rhodes
“Ican’t be here right now, Sol.” Running my fingers through my hair and pacing the driveway, I realized I didn’t have anything with me when I just stormed out. Not my purse or phone. I gripped the keys to the BMW in my hand paused with my arms tucked across my chest.
“Okay. Tell me what you need.” She didn’t budge, just stood there, letting me come unglued.
“I need to rewind what I just heard so I can stop feeling like my heart just got ripped out of my chest!” I screamed.
Staring down at myself in just my pajamas, I didn’t know where the hell I thought I was going. Suddenly, I felt out of place, like I didn’t belong here as I took in the grand house and well-manicured lawn and hedges. I had started to consider this place home in just the last week, and now the only thing I wanted was to get as far away as possible. I wasn’t even sure I could trust her, and she caught the hesitance when I looked her up and down.
“Nope. Don’t do that.” She held up a finger. “I didn’t know any of that, OK. I am your friend. At least I thought that’s what we were becoming here. So, don’t shut me out. Yes, Staten is my nephew, and Rossi is my sister and I love them, but I care aboutyou too, Cam,” she assured me as more tears gathered in my eyes and my throat tightened.
I knew exactly where I needed to go.
“Take me back to my place.”
“Okay,” she agreed. “Let’s go.”
It was late, but Plum worked crazy hours anyway. I didn’t even text her to let her know I was on the way since I still had my key. She said to keep it for emergencies, and right now I needed a safe space. I was immediately hit with a cloud of smoke and the illumination of the TV bouncing off the living room walls. With her bonnet over her head, Plum sat up with a bowl of chips in her lap as her face shifted into a frown. She was watchingMean Girls, which was one of her favorite throwbacks.
“Brie? What you doing here?”
“Do you mind if I chill for a minute?” I checked with her, lingering in the doorway with Sol behind me.
“Girl, you don’t even have to ask. Who is that with you?” She peeked past me.
“This is Sol, Staten’s auntie,” I introduced them. “She knew I was upset, and I didn’t want to drive.”
“Uh-oh.” My bestie tossed her covers to the side and stood. “Sounds like we need a few shots and another blunt.”
“I’ll match you,” Sol offered with a shrug.
“You come right on in then, Sol.” Plum strut over to the station in the corner where she set up our little bar equipped with a Bartesian on top.
Wine glasses and different bottles of our favorite wines and hard liquor were arranged at the bottom. Neither of us were heavy drinkers, but when we had our girls’ nights or went out, we usually pre-gamed. It was nothing for us to grab a bottle just because it was on sale so we could have it on deck.
“What y’all in the mood for?”
“Whiskey,” Sol and I voiced together as we settled around on the sofas.
“Brie, since when are you a whiskey drinker?” Plum questioned as she grabbed a few glasses and the whiskey sour capsules for the Bartesian.
Immediately, Staten came to mind, and I grabbed one of the throw pillows and hugged it against my chest. Sol went into her purse and pulled out her own sack of weed and blunts.
“I’m guessing since Staten introduced her to that Marek Reserve,” Sol simpered.
Cutting my eyes at her, my mind immediately drifted to the events of tonight. Plum brought a glass over to me, which I gladly took and gulped down quickly. I’d been trying not to think of that man and all the ways he made me tingle, and here she was speaking his name. I didn’t see malice in his eyes tonight when I looked at him. He knew he fucked up. That didn’t mean I could just walk back in there like shit was sweet. I didn’t like that he kept it from me.
