Page 61 of Certified Pressure 4
He said nothing. His mouth twitched slightly, but he didn’t have the strength to argue anymore. He looked like he wanted to sit, but his pride wouldn’t let him. I almost admired that.
I gave him one last glance, letting him feel the weight of my presence. “You should try to rest,” I said. “The chef will send up dinner in an hour. Try to eat this time.”
I turned toward the door, my heels clicking lightly across the marble. Before I reached it, I stopped and looked back at him. “Oh, and Mr. Charm,” I said softly, my voice sweet but edged with sharpness. “I’ll be paying your wife, Silky, a visit soon.”
His shoulders stiffened. That was the only reaction I needed.
I walked out, unbothered, leaving the guards to close the door behind me. As I passed them in the hall, I gave a single nod of instruction. They would continue watching him around the clock. Sterling was a man who had finally learned that freedom was never real when someone like me held the keys.
Inside the elevator, I adjusted the sleeve of my suit and glanced at my reflection in the polished steel.
Sterling was a broken man, and his daughter’s fate hung in my hands, and I felt no guilt about it. Some people believed in redemption. I believed in consequence.
Halo Key
Iwas four months pregnant and ready to find out if I was having a little princess or a young prince. Sitting in the dimly lit room, I stared at the screen while the doctor moved the ultrasound stick across my stomach. The gel was cold, but my nerves made it easy to ignore. My heart was beating fast as I held Lyrick’s hand, watching the blurry black and white images shift on the monitor. The sound of the baby’s heartbeat was strong, and for a moment it felt like everything I had been running from no longer existed.
Lyrick squeezed my hand gently and gave me that look he always did when he wanted me to calm down. His thumb rubbed slow circles against my palm, and I could feel the tension leaving my shoulders as the doctor smiled at us.
“Are you ready to know what you’re having?” she asked.
I nodded, too anxious to speak.
She turned the monitor toward us and smiled. “Congratulations, you’re having a boy.”
A laugh slipped from my lips before I even realized it. My hands went to my mouth, and I felt tears sting my eyes. Lyrick leaned closer and smiled.
The doctor wiped the gel from my belly and handed me a small printed picture of the ultrasound. I stared at it like it was gold. “He’s healthy,” she said with a warm smile. “Everything looks perfect. I’ll see you both again in a few weeks.”
When she left the room, I turned to Lyrick, still smiling. I couldn’t stop. “A boy,” I said softly. “We’re having a boy.”
He smiled back at me with a slow grin that always made me weak. “You happy?”
“More than happy,” I said. “I feel like I can finally breathe.”
That was the truth. The past few months had been chaos, but somehow Lyrick had brought calm into my life. After everything that happened with Pressure, I never thought I’d find peace again, but here I was, sitting next to a man who made me feel safe.
When I left Trill-Land, I didn’t think I would ever stop running, but somehow, Lyrick made me stop. After he finally left Nooré, things between us got serious fast. We got a house together, a small but beautiful three-bedroom home sitting on the quiet side of Halo Key. I paid for it in cash using the money I had stolen from Pressure, but I told Lyrick it came from an inheritance. I even made up stories about my grandmother’s death and how she left me a fortune. He didn’t question it much. I think he wanted to believe it because it made things easier.
Lyrick introduced me to a woman he knew who could get me new paperwork, fake IDs, and social security cards. She was good at what she did, and within a few weeks, I had everythingI needed to disappear for good. I became Jayla again, but this time the name came with a new life. A paid-off house, a car in the garage, and a man who called me his peace.
His parents were nothing like Pressure’s. They were down to earth, kind, and genuine. His mother, Alina would call me sweetheart and bring me fruit bowls when she visited, and his father, Omari cracked jokes that made Lyrick shake his head. They accepted me, and it felt good to be around a family that didn’t look at me like I was a problem. For once, I felt like I belonged somewhere.
As we left the clinic, I held the ultrasound picture close. Lyrick’s hand was resting on my thigh as he drove, and every few minutes, he’d glance over at me and smile. He wasn’t saying much, but I could tell he was proud. I could see it in the way his eyes softened when he looked at me.
“I can’t believe we’re having a boy,” I said, still staring at the picture.
He chuckled. “You wanted a girl, didn’t you?”
“Maybe,” I said with a smile. “But a boy feels right.”
He reached over and rested his hand on my belly. “He gon’ be handsome like his daddy.”
I laughed and placed my hand over his.
When we got home, the sun was starting to set. I kicked off my shoes and went straight to the bedroom. My body felt heavy from excitement and exhaustion. I changed into something loose and comfortable, rubbing my growing belly as I sat on the edge of the bed. My reflection in the mirror caught my eye, and for the first time, I could really see the curve forming. My baby boy was really growing inside me.
As I sat there, the quiet of the house made my thoughts wander. I thought about my father. I hadn’t seen him in months, and even though I tried to block him out, the guilt always crept back in. I remembered the last time I called him andhow it wasn’t even him who answered. Just thinking about her made my stomach turn. That was one crazy ass bitch. I still remembered the sound of her voice, calm but cold, when she told me my father couldn’t come to the phone. I knew then that something wasn’t right. I knew she had him, and deep down I knew I should’ve tried harder to get him help, but I need help too. I chose to move on and focus on surviving.
