Page 163 of Tainted

“I didn’t do it for you or her. I did it for my baby,” Zara groaned, shuffling toward the stairs.

33

Zara

Kenyon accused me of running again as he watched me get dressed, but leaving right now was for the best. Plus Rajah needed help perfecting a new routine she was debuting this weekend. I wasn’t sure if I missed the club or the opportunity to dance that it provided. Either way, I couldn’t get out the door fast enough when Rajah told me she was outside.

“Do I even want to know?” Rajah finally asked, breaking the silence between us.

“No.”

“Unless you want that baby to come out looking just like him, you better fix your face?”

“What?”

“They say whoever you argue with the most is who the baby looks like.”

“Tayshaun looks just like you, so you must’ve been arguing with yourself.”

“And was!” Rajah’s chuckle made me laugh despite still being irritated with Kenyon, “I let that nigga trap me with a baby like Keyes did you.”

“Really bitch?”

“You were smart. He’ll be a much better baby daddy than mine, though.”

I accepted Rajah’s compliment even though I didn’t feel very smart. This was only the tip of the iceberg, and underneath it, there were a host of issues for us to work through. During the car ride, Rajah talked a mile a minute about her new routine, bouncing ideas off me like we used to. I smiled and nodded, but my mind drifted back to everything that happened this morning.

Rajah parked, and the familiar bass spilled from Utopia’s doors, vibrating through the pavement under my feet. I almost felt it in my bones, like the rhythm was calling me back.

“I’m gonna go change real quick,” Rajah said, tossing her keys into her bag as she disappeared into the back.

I sat down near the edge of the stage, reminiscing about the rush of performing and feeling lost in the music. Now, every time I thought about dancing again, my mind would shift to something else—something bigger than just me.

Not working here anymore was the right thing to do, but that didn’t make it easier. A few minutes passed before I heard the door swing open behind me. I thought it was Rajah coming back, but when I looked up, it was Kross.

My fingers curled into a fist as I stared him down. Not because I was scared. I was angry. I was furious because the last time I saw him, he pulled a gun on me. Kross didn’t say anything at first, just gave me that cold, assessing look he always gave around the club.

“Does Keyes know you’re here?” Kross’s sarcastic smirk had to be drenched in guilt.

I clenched my jaw, trying to keep the rage from spilling out. “And risk you putting another gun in my face if he doesn’t?”

“I wouldn’t do that.”

His gaze flickered, but he didn’t press. Instead, he stepped further into the room, suffocating the space between us. I could feel my pulse pounding in my ears, the anger simmering beneath the surface.

“Sorry if I don’t buy that,” I shot back, my tone sharper than I intended. “I’m just here for Rajah.”

“I’m genuinely sorry for what happened, but I won’t apologize for looking out for my brother. That means looking out for you too, so like it or not, we’re all stuck together, Zara.”

“I don’t like it.”

“We used to get along just fine.”

“Did we? Or did I just stay out of your way and do my job?”

“We were cordial,” Kross smiled again, and honestly, it was the most I’d seen him smile since I started working here. “We should get back to that because I’d hate to whoop your baby daddy’s ass standing in your honor.”

My eyebrow shot up because I’d never bet against Kenyon, “Watch your mouth.”

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