Page 57 of A Toxic Redemption

My phone vibrated in my purse, and I pulled it out to see that Khalil was calling once again. Suddenly, I didn't want to be here anymore. Although hesitant, I accepted the call and placed the phone to my ear.

"Luck, I don't understand why you think this shit is over with us when we just started," he growled as soon as the call connected. Thankfully, Monty excused himself when it rang to give me privacy. "I told you that I fucked up, and I don't understand why you won't let a nigga love on you."

I rolled my eyes as I listened to Khalil rant and rave about me being difficult. I've been annoyed since the conversation with Sasha about possibly loving him. That's all that's been on my mind, and the more I think about it, the more I think it may be true.

"Khalil, I don't want you to love on me, okay?" I spoke just above a whisper. My chest tightened as soon as the words left my lips.

Here I was supposed to be on my hot girl shit with one nigga while I was lying to myself about the one I really wanted. I couldn't afford to get lost in Khalil. He's shown me how easy it was to be distracted, and I didn't need that. When we came back home from visiting my father, he thought sex was all I would need to have him back on my good side. I won't lie. I missed him being inside of me, so I welcomed the feeling. After the love making ended, the way I felt about him hit me like a ton of bricks, and I wanted to distance myself from him.

"Where you at Luck?" He sighed into the phone. "I want to see you."

"I'm busy," I answered as soon as Monty reentered the living room with drinks. "I gotta go." I didn’t wait for him to respond before I disconnected the call.

"Is everything okay?" Monty handed me one as he took a seat beside me. "You want to talk about it?"

"Actually," I stood with my items in my hand, "Can you take me home? I shouldn't have come here."

No longer in the mood to be bothered, I wanted to go home. I needed to think about what was going on with me, and being here with this nigga wasn't the way to go. I didn't even want his ass for real.

"Huh?" He stood in confusion. "What the fuck you mean? I thought we were kickin’ it."

"I changed my mind," I mimicked Whitney Houston as I angled my head and glared at him. "I'm not feeling the agitation in your voice, so relax. Now again, will you come take me home?"

"Man, sit down." He leaned forward from the couch and grabbed my wrist. "We're about to chill and shit."

"Nigga, get off me." I tried to snatch my hand back, but he had a grip on it. "Montel, let me go."

"Bitch—"

Crash!

We both jumped as a brick came crashing through one of the windows. We looked at each other in shock at what had happened. Grabbing his gun, Monty slowly walked over to the window and peeked outside. Once he made it over, the power inside the house went out.

"What the fuck?" I whispered, scared shitless. "What is going on, Monty?"

"Shh. I don't know but be fuckin' quiet."

"Who the fuck—"

"Luck, bring your ass out of that muthafuckin' house!"

Monty and I froze and stared at each other in the moonlit room. The purpose of me not driving tonight was because I didn't know what type of tracking device Khalil had on me and where it was located, and I didn't want him popping up on me. I'll be damned if he didn't find me, anyway. His ass was outside in the middle of the street with a bullhorn as if he were negotiating a hostage situation. If I find out Kira told him where it was, it was a wrap for her ass.

"That nigga followed you here?" Monty hissed as he scrambled away from the window. "You got to get out of here, shorty. That nigga is fuckin' nuts."

"I'm not going out there." I pushed Monty off of me when he tried to pull me toward the door. "He's going to kill me."

"Lucky, a nigga's trying to be patient with you," Khalil blared through the horn. "I know I fucked up when I shut you out, but I can't keep doing this shit with you. Either we're going to be together or together is going to be us because I'm not letting you go. I love you, man."

Love me? He loves me?

I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face at his admission. Thoughts of Khalil loving me came to mind a time or two, and I tried to brush it off, but hearing him admit it was a different type of feeling. With love, though, comes pain, even if it's unintentional. The smile I was sporting slowly disappeared when the reality of it all set in. I loved him, too.

"You have ten seconds to bring your ass out here Lucky before I shoot that bitch up," Khalil sounded off once more. "You better duck, baby girl, because I count by fives."

Scrambling, I damn near tore my ACL trying to get out the front door. I bumped into him once I opened it because he was really on his way in. The look in his eye was murderous, and for the first time, I was nervous around him.

"K-Khalil, it's not what you think," I stammered, placing my hand on his chest. He had a bullhorn in one hand and a gun in the other. This man really was nuts. "I've only been here for a few minutes, and I was about to leave."

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