Page 57 of Girl, We Go Together
My heart started hammering in my chest. I shot off texts back-to-back. My fingers were flying across the screen.
Where you at?
You at the crib?
Where my daughter at?
Still no answer. I searched on Instagram and saw that Zynea was in Atlanta for the Nets and Hawks game that was playing tonight. I knew she didn’t really have the bread for a flight and hotel. I paced the floor, trying to think of where she could have gone. That’s when it clicked. I remembered that old apartment of hers that she never let go of. Over the years, she would complain about how her landlord would tell her that the person she was subleasing to was too noisy. I wasn’t even sure if she would be there, but I had to try. I grabbed my keys. Rage was boiling over as I drove like a demon until I pulled up outside.
And there it was, her Jeep parked out front like she wasn’t hiding. Like she wasn’t running from me. I was out of the car before the engine even cut off. Luckily, someone was coming out of the building when I was walking up, so that was my way in. I stormed up the steps with my fists clenched so tightly that my knuckles cracked. I pounded on the door hard enough to shake it.
“Cayla!” My voice echoed down the hall, “Open this damn door!”
I put my ear to the door and heard nothing, so I hit the door again, harder.
“Don’t play with me! You got my daughter in there, Cayla! OPEN THIS DOOR!”
My chest was heaving, and my blood was running hot. Every second she stayed quiet, every second she thought she could keep Oriana from me, the anger within me dug deeper. How dare she? I knew her ass was in there because of that muthafucking Jeep parked downstairs. Her license plate was customized and unique. 4YOUCAY. Another thing I had put effort into because it was a gift from me to her. I pressed my forehead against the door, breathing hard and whispering to myself through clenched teeth.
“You're not taking my daughter from me, Cayla. You're not gonna do me like this.”
I stepped back, fists still clenched, fighting the urge to kick the door in. One way or another, she was gonna see that I wasn’t letting go that easily. The silence behind that door was eating me alive. My jaw locked, blood boiling until I couldn’t take it anymore. I stepped back, braced myself, and kicked the door with everything in me. The door started to cave in under the pressure of my boot. But one kick didn’t do it. I braced myself again, and the last kick gave me access. The lock gave, and the door flew open against the wall. Cayla was standing in the middle of the living room, clutching Oriana to her chest, eyes wide with fear.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” I barked, storming in, the rage pulsing through my veins. “You think you can run off with my daughter? Huh? Hide from me?”
She tightened her hold on Oriana. Tears didn’t fall down her face yet, but I could see them building in her eyes.
“Get out, Orion! You don’t run me! Not anymore!”
That made something snap. I closed the space in two steps, grabbed her arm, and yanked her closer. She stumbled, almost losing her balance with the baby in her arms.
“Don’t you ever play with me like this again!” I shouted, my face inches from hers. “You think you're taking Oriana from me? You're out of your damn mind!”
She tried to twist away, screaming back.
“You don’t care about her! You don’t care about me! You only care about yourself!”
Her words cut, but the anger drowned out the sting. My eyes darted to the table. Her keys were right there, the ones to that Jeep I had bought her. Without thinking, I snatched them up and shoved them in my pocket.
“This is mine. I paid for it. You're not riding around in shit I bought while you're trying to run from me.”
Tears streamed down her face as Oriana wailed in her arms. Cayla backed up, shaking, but her voice was steady.
“You can take that shit, Orion. You can take everything. But you will not take my baby.”
For the first time, I froze. My fists clenched at my sides, chest heaving, torn between rage and disbelief. But all I could think was… she really thought she could stand up to me. And that? That wasn’t going to fly. My eyes shifted from her face down to Oriana. My daughter. Mine. Instantly, I thought about that night at Christos and how she was trying to play house with the next nigga. I wondered if she thought she was gonna take my daughter and live happily ever after with the next nigga. She was no Ciara, and I was no Future, so I hoped like hell she wasn’t sitting around thinking a Russell Wilson would come along and give her everything she had wanted. That Ciara’s prayer bullshit had these women out here losing their fucking mind. If she thought she was about to have any nigga around my daughter, I would kill that nigga first.
“You really think I’m leaving my baby with you after this?” I growled, reaching out.
Cayla’s grip tightened instantly, her whole body curling around Oriana like a shield. “Don’t you dare, Orion!” she screamed, her voice cracking.
Oriana was screaming her head off, and honestly, I hated that she had been doing this more than ever before. It was because her stupid ass mother always wanted to bring on these dumb ass arguments. I lunged anyway, my fingers gliding over Oriana’s blanket, but Cayla twisted away, clutching her to her chest so tightly I thought she might crush her. Oriana’s cries grew louder. Her screams were filled with panic, and I hated to hear the shit.
“Give her to me!” I roared, grabbing for her again.
Cayla shoved me back with her shoulder as tears streamed down her face.
“You’re not taking her from me! I swear to God, Orion… if you touch her again, I’m calling the police!”
