Page 25 of Breaking the Rules
“First of all, watch your mouth talking to me. Where is Zay?” Savanhi quipped. Her tired mind put the pieces of the puzzle together. Her irritation quickly morphed into her worst fear. “Where is Zayden, Manny?”
He pulled in a deep breath. “He was shot this morning by the police. He’s fine and alive, but he’s in the hospital and you need to get down there before they move him.”
“Why didn’t you start with that!” Savanhi fussed and spun around. She kicked her slippers off, ran down the hall, slammed her bedroom door, and haphazardly got dressed. No underwear or bra, but an oversized shirt and leggings would have to do.
She snatched her keys off the counter, and Manny halted her. “No, he told me to drive you. We don’t need you running no one off the road.”
“Manny, shut up talking to me,” Savanhi huffed, stomping past him. “Come on, if we going!”
“I’m going to chalk it up to you being in a state of panic,” Manny huffed, making her stop and glare at him. For a moment, Manny remembered that Savanhi could knock him out in one punch. Choosing to shut up, he preceded Savanhi out as she secured the door and started toward her car. Within seconds, her car was screeching through the parking lot and out of the complex.
The hospital was a thirty-minute ride, and Savanhi got there in twenty minutes flat. No regard for who was cut off, who was blowing at her, or if the police were behind her. She only stopped moving to find out which room her brother was in. Once she discovered that, she took the stairs to the fourth floor and rushed down the hall. She was stopped by the lone police officer. She immediately recognized him from Tempt.
“I can’t let you go in there,” the officer said, not recognizing Savanhi in her current state.
“We can handle this one or two ways; you’ll either move around and let me in, or when I go get my hair done, I’ll show your wife what you do every other Thursday with your check. It’s solely up to you.”
The officer looked closely and huffed. “You got three minutes.”
“I only need two. Go take a walk.”
The officer hesitated, but Savanhi gave him a pointed glare. He turned and walked away, allowing her to go into the room where Zayden was cuffed to the bed.
“I got two minutes,” Savanhi stated, prepping herself for this day. “What do I need to do?”
“There’s a woman named Kymber. Find her lawyer. Tell her lawyer it was me.”
Savanhi squinted. “Was it?”
“Doesn’t matter, she has a kid. Tell them that.”
“And what else?”
“Go to our spot, take everything. Use it to open your space and stack the rest. It’ll keep you afloat while I’m gone.”
“How long?”
“Long enough. I was moving major weight. So for however long I’m gone, I’m gone. Do not come visit me. If you write or email, I’ll return it. I want you to go live your life and don’t go back to the club. You understand me?”
Savanhi nodded with a quivering lip. “I do.”
“Don’t cry. Chin up. Just do what I asked you to do aight?”
“Alright. Can I at least have a hug?”
“Twenty seconds,” Zayden spoke, holding out his arms. “Be careful, they barely missed all my important organs and shit. They’re moving me to the county hospital soon.”
Savanhi hugged her brother and kissed his face. “I love you, big bro.”
“I love you too. I need you to remember all the shit I taught you and apply it. Don’t let these niggas or these bitches play with you. No more midnight ballerina shit. Do what you were put here to do, aight?”
Savanhi nodded and swiped the tear from her face. “When you get home, I got you.”
“I know. Make me proud in the time I’m gone. Two minutes is up, get out of here.”
Savanhi saved her tears for when she was alone in her car. A knock on the window startled her. Lawryn. Savanhi unlocked the door and watched her open it.
“Manny called. Let me drive you home. When we get there, we can cry and we can eat ice cream and make a plan, okay?”
