Page 170 of Save Room for Us

“Jacinta, unless you plan to shoot him like I did, then I suggest you just pack up with your baby and run. Only it’s easier now because the nigga can’t walk. He can’t do half of the shit he could’ve done when I was with him.” I felt my forehead crease as I asked, “Why haven’t you left? Why are you allowing this?”

“I guess I was thinking he would get over being so angry once the trial was over, and I wouldn’t have to lose my family.” She fidgeted.

“You know he won’t. I gave you a full report on how that nigga was and you still went after him. And I don’t care what you say, Jacinta. You knew I wasn’t lying. Women’s intuition is real.”

She nodded before she started to cry.

“I just believed you were maybe doing something to upset him. All you did was complain about him. Then you worked long hours, so I just figured he was neglected and lashing out. I told myself I would do better than you when I got him.”

I huffed, looking away from her for a minute.

“It doesn’t matter if I was neglectful. A grown man shouldn’t be lashing out because his woman works a lot. He can easily move onto the next.”

“Yeah.” She picked at her jacket.

Sighing, I said, “I say you run, and when it comes time for the trial, come back here so you can testify on our behalf against him. If there are other witnesses, he can be put in jail.”

“How, Stazi?” She whimpered. “I’ve been on every TV show and station saying the opposite and how you were a liar. How credible will I be if I now say he’s abusive?”

“Take pictures of yourself right now and any other injuries before you leave him and have them with you when you testify.”

She was quiet for a second and then said, “I will think about it.”

I couldn’t do anything but bob my head. I had my own issues, I couldn’t be focused on helping a woman that didn’t wanna be helped.

“Ah, fuck!” Low hollered as Asif’s men laid him on the table in the medical room.

Blood was basically pouring from his side as he clenched his teeth in pain.

“What happened?” I asked as I started to wash my hands and forearms.

As many times as I’d seen stuff like this, it was always alarming.

“Rolled up on that husband, and before Low smoked him, he got his ass too.” Asif shook his head before waving his arm out the door.

As I walked toward where Low was, I saw a few men carrying the man from the club’s dead body past the medical room. Asifand I made eye contact before he nodded for me to focus on Low and exited.

“Sif was right, a pretty face while dealing with shit like this is helpful.” Low winced through the smirk he was giving me as I connected him to an IV.

“Yep. Count to twenty for me,” I told him just before I put the mask over his nose and mouth to put him to sleep.

The bullet had gone straight through Low, thankfully, so I was able to clean out the wound, stop the bleeding, and sew him up with no issues. He hadn’t lost a significant amount of blood, so once he woke up, he’d be just fine, save for a little bit of tightness and pain due to the wound and stitches.

While Low slept in one of the three hospital beds I worked with, I went in search of Asif, who I found sitting out back of the warehouse. It was set up like an outside barbecue would be, with benches connected to tables everywhere. Most of the men came out here to smoke or get fresh air and would sometimes eat.

“So did Low kill the husband or did someone else?” I sat in his lap.

Smirking, Asif put his hand on my thigh to slowly rub up and down.

“You way too fucking nosy, Anastazia.” He kissed my arm.

“Well?”

“Low did it all himself. He just hit me to come get the body for him.” He shook his head. “He too reckless.”

“He’ll grow out of it, like you said.”

“I hope it’s before some shit happens to him. He got potential, and he got muthafuckas that depend on him. I would hate to see him get locked up or murked.”

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