Page 71 of The Way We Dance

"I really like her. A lot. I know she is way out of my league and sometimes, I worry she really does have a stick up her ass. But even that side of her is something I crave."

"I’m fucking happy for you. Honestly. I am sad for me," he joked and winked at me. "But happy for you."

As much as I loved catching up with Mike, I promised Giselle I wouldn't take too long and it was already longer than I wanted. An idea popped in my mind, though.

"I gotta go get Giselle and walk her home. How about you hang here for a minute while I get her. You can meet her and walk with us."

"Shit. Meeting the family? Must be serious." Mike put his hand behind his neck and started rubbing, unsure about what he wanted to say. "You think it is a good idea letting her meet the low life brother?"

"Come on man. It doesn't have to be like that," I shook my head and smirked at him, daring him to argue with me.

"Yeah, it does," he got serious and straightened his shoulders out. "Because that bitch has a hundred thousand dollars worth of my drugs and if I don't get them back, Princess won’t be doing much twirling."

"Whoa!" I held my hand up to stop him, praying he was joking. In fact, I knew he was joking. Because there was no way my brother was that demented. No way he was that cruel.

Drugs? Yeah I saw that.

But hurting Giselle? No way.

Threatening someone I was in love with? He wouldn't.

But if he wasn't joking, and he was dead serious, then that would mean this entire conversation was a…. setup.

With that last thought, I started to back away and run toward the door to Brisé. I was going to get to her and take her home. Keep her safe.

I needed to make peace with the fact that I may end up calling the cops on Mike. If he was serious about his threats, then I could no longer turn a blind eye. I loved him and I let him get away with too much shit. But now that Giselle was in my life, I had something to be better for, something to keep me on the right side of the tracks.

As I took off toward the door, I reached for my phone in my pocket but realized it wasn't with me. It was inside, sitting on the counter where I forgot to get it when I walked out to confront my brother.

I pulled on the door, urging it open but she must have secured the lock after I left. So I banged and called for her, "Open up baby, it's me."

Silence.

"Giselle, open the door. Let's go home."

"You know what the best part is?" My brother yelled from across the street. I looked back and he was watching me with a smile on his face, laughter in his features. His hands were still tucked in his pockets and he looked like he was watching ducks scurry across the road with how calm he was.

I turned to face him, letting him laugh at me and tell me I was nuts. That he was joking. He probably would never forgive me for believing him so easily, but fuck him for even pretending he would hurt her.

"The best part is," he continued, "was that you saw me and sent that fucking cop away. You made this so fucking easy. Honestly, I couldn't have even planned something this smooth."

"What the fuck, Mike? What do you want?"

"I told you, she has my stash," he seethed. "But since you love her and all, I promise I won't hurt her if she gives it to me peacefully.”

"Bro, she doesn't have any drugs."

"Bro," he mocked me. "I put them in there myself when I head butted her a few weeks ago. When I went back, the bitch was hiding and the only reason I didn't press was because I realized you were the fool in there with her. I gave you time to get out of her pussy and away from the line of fire. I gave you that chance."

"That was you?" It made sense now. Why Giselle screamed when she first saw me. Mike and I looked a lot alike in skin tone and height. Some of our features were similar. We definitely looked related.

Then when I heard his voice as I hid with Giselle behind the counter, I knew it was familiar. Although it sounded muffled and I couldn't place it at the time.

It would also explain his true intentions for trying to enter Brisé that morning I saw him, and why he eyed me so vehemently.

"Wait, are you the one that took the drugs?" He asked me, like a bulb just went off in his head as well. "You know how to run drugs just as well as I do. Did you take them in case you tanked your football career?"

"You motherfucker," I wasn't going to run toward him, I wasn't leaving that door. I looked around for someone, anyone, that was passing through so I could yell at them to call the cops.

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