Page 3 of Follow Me to Your Heart
Lee and Nigel stole glances. They knew if anyone would find it, it would be Pain. Pain had been working the house for years, so he knew it inside and out. It didn’t take long before he returned with Nigel’s old high school sports bag and dumped the money out in front of them.
I clicked my tongue and pulled the trigger. Lee’s body fell over just as Red popped Nigel.
“Have someone come clean this shit up. Pain, count the money in front of Red while I hit up O’Shea.”
“Heard you.”
I headed to the bathroom to clean myself up and inform O’Shea on what happened. That was the part of the game that was the hardest for me. Taking a life was never easy. It would haunt me for days, but I would continue as if the shit wasn’teating at me on the inside. My mother and Korren were the two people who could read me like a book and would allow me to shut down how I needed to.
Once I got off the phone with O’Shea, I checked Korren’s location to see she’d made it to class safely. I sent her a text, knowing she wouldn’t reply. It was all good. After what happened, I needed my best friend and refused to let her give me the silent treatment.
The door swung open, and Korren’s stormy irises flitted upward toward her brows as she popped one hand on her hip. I held out the bouquet of white lilies, watermelon Sour Patch Kids, and red sweet Moscato as a peace offering. She looked me up and down before staring into my eyes. Her expression softened as she stood to the side to allow me entrance into her small apartment.
For her apartment to be small, it was cozy. The vibe she had made it feel like home, which was one reason I often preferred to be there instead of at mine. The sweet scent of her favorite butterscotch candle greeted me along with the low R&B music playing in the background. Her kitchen and living room were connected, so I set the offerings on the counter and turned around to face her.
“I apologize about earlier, KoKo. Real shit. You know I would’ve been here if I could. Money wasn’t right at one of the houses and . . .” I paused and raced my hands down my face. “Just know I’m sorry.”
Korren twisted her plump, pink lips with her arms crossed. “You really fucked my morning up, Cage.”
“I know. I know. You don’t think it didn’t mess mine up either?”
“Then why did you go?”
I blew through my nostrils, hard. It was tough not to get frustrated with Korren when she was one of the people who knew how demanding my lifestyle was.
“You think I had a choice?”
“Life is all about choices. I should be used to you choosing the streets over everything, right?”
“Fuck this.” I threw my hands in the air and started toward the door.
Korren was stubborn. The last thing I wanted to do was argue with my best friend when I needed her. It was probably the same way she felt about earlier, so I paused and gathered myself before I made things any worse than they already were.
All the ill feelings I felt were released the second Korren’s arms wrapped around my torso. She laid her head on my upper back and gave me a light squeeze. I craned my neck back to where the back of my head rested on the top of hers. Korren was only about four inches shorter than me, standing at five feet nine. Despite her height, she always fit perfectly against my frame.
“I’m pissed at you, Cage. I am because I needed you, but it’s obvious you need me right now too,” Korren softly spoke.
“I do, KoKo. I do.”
Korren released me and walked over to her black sectional. I trailed behind her, watching the way her ass jiggled with each step she took. The only thing covering her body was an oversized T-shirt I had given her long ago. She’d never been a fan of clothes whenever she was in the comfort of her home. Some things never changed.
She plopped down and patted her thighs. I kicked my shoes off and lay across the sectional, resting my head on her lap. My eyes closed as I inhaled her natural scent mixed with herfresh shower one. Korren’s hands skillfully massaged my scalp, running down my locs occasionally.
If I never felt safe in my life, I always did in her presence.
“What does he want?”I grumbled to myself after seeing a text from my ex, Marquis. We’d been broken up for six months, so for him to reach out annoyed me. I wasn’t in the mood for whatever games he was trying to play. He was left on read.
I stretched my body and texted Cage back before getting out the bed to get ready for the day. My mind and body were exhausted from the first week of class, but it was time to make some money. I had four clients booked for the day. My first one would arrive in thirty minutes, so I needed to put some pep in my step.
As I was brushing my teeth, I received a call from my mother, Alana. I watched it ring, debating on whether I wanted to answerit or not. Not knowing what type of time she was on, I said a quick prayer before sliding my finger across the screen.
“Good morning, Mom.”
“Good morning, Korren. Listen, I need you to cancel whatever plans you have later. I made us a reservation at Titan’s at seven.”
I inwardly groaned. “Did you forget it was my first week of class? What if I need to study?”
“Oh, girl. Hush. You forgot I went to college. The first week is nothing but syllabus quizzes and short discussion posts about yourself. I’m sure you already got all that done, so you can make some time for your mother.”
