Page 85 of A Kingpin's Weakness
And in those moments, I saw him. Not Seth the street legend. Not Seth the son of a man with enemies. But Seth the man. The one who kissed my shoulder when I was half-asleep. The one who rubbed my feet without me asking. The one who ran his fingers through my hair like he was afraid I’d disappear if he let go.
Gentle. Loyal. Protective in ways that made me feel safe, not controlled.
Soft with me, but still holding the weight of the world on his back.
But now… We were back, and grief was waiting at the door. Today was Lia’s funeral. And no matter how much peace Greece gave me, this shit was heavy.
I stared at myself in the mirror before we left. All black. Long-sleeved, v-cut, knee-high dress. Hair pinned back, but not too tight. Makeup soft but my eyes looked tired. Not just from the flight. From the reality.
It hit me like a punch to the chest. That could’ve been me. Hell, it still couldbe. Lia didn’t sign up to die. She signed up to love a man with street loyalty. And it cost her everything.
“You okay?” I whispered low into S3’s ear, close enough that no one else could hear but soft enough that he didn’t feel like I was babying him.
He looked up, smiled that little boy smile the one that didn’t match all the pain around us and gave a small nod. Then, just like that, his attention floated back to whatever game was glowing on his iPad.
My heart cracked a little. He was too young to be sitting in a funeral line. Too young to know this kind of loss. But grief had a way of coming for the innocent.
We were all packed into the third car in the funeral procession Seth on my right, S3 between us, Ms. Serena across from me. Southside and his girl Kiera rode in the very back, both dressed sharp and too quiet for their usual selves.
Up ahead in the first car was Rich, Lia’s mom, her sister, and her best friend. Even though I never got the chance to meet Lia, I could feel her presence through the weight of her family’s pain. Through the silence. Through the pink rose each of us woreon our right side her favorite color, Rich had said. It was soft, feminine, full of life. How I expected she was or had been.
And it hit me again; a sharp and coldthis could’ve been my funeralfeeling. Ronnie was in my room not even a full day before her murder. He had that look in his eye.
That wild, broken kind of hate. The kind that doesn’t bluff when it says, “I’ll kill you.” I shivered, even though the AC wasn’t that high.
People talk about being with a man like Seth like it’s champagne and Chanel bags. But what they don’t see Is funerals like this. The truth is, the deeper a man like him loves you, the bigger the target you wear. The more you shine in his world, the more dangerous it becomes to stay lit.
Lia didn’t ask for any of this. She was at a damn library. Trying to get her life right. Trying to elevate. And Ronnie stole all that from her. Just like he almost did from me.
Seth never gave me the full breakdown on what happened. His words were simple, sharp, final:
“It’s handled. You’ll never have to worry about that nigga again.”
And I believed him. Because his eyes said everything his mouth didn’t. But being here, riding to a church with a dead girl’s name on a program, I couldn’t help but wonder. How much longer can I survive this life?
The cars slowed, rolling up in front of a big stone church. White pillars. Wide steps. Heavy doors. Funeral workers moved like clockwork, stepping out, opening doors one by one like we were arriving at some grim red carpet.
Ms. Serena slid out first, then Kiera, then Southside, his hand gently resting on her lower back. Then came us. Seth stepped out and reached back for S3, steadying him like always. Then he held out his other hand for me. I took it without hesitation, curling my fingers into his. We moved in sync, a quiet line of two. Hedidn’t speak. Neither did I, but I looped my arm into his, let my body press just a little closer, because the silence between us carried more than any words could. I needed to feel his warmth to remind myself I was still alive.
Because this church was full of ghosts And I was scared I was falling in love with another one. Seth kissed my forehead as we stepped into the church, walking just behind Rich and Lia’s family. The scent of white lilies hit me first. It was clean, soft, but heavy. Like even the flowers knew this wasn’t the place for joy.
My heels echoed against the floor, and I took a deep breath, steadying myself as we moved closer to the casket. I hadn’t been to a funeral since Sweetie.
And this this felt too close. Too real.
My stomach twisted the closer we got, but Seth held me tighter his hand firm on my waist. He didn’t say a word, but his body wrapped around mine like a shield, like he could protect me from the grief rising in my throat.
He stepped in front of me when we reached the casket, pulling me with him like he already knew I was holding back tears.
Lia looked like she was just sleeping. Still. Peaceful. Beautiful. Like this wasn’t supposed to be the end of her story. Her hair was laid. Her lips painted soft pink. Her dress looked like something she would’ve worn out on a date night, not her last day on earth. My eyes burned, but I kept them open.
“Get your rest, Lia,” Seth said, voice thick. “I got Rich.” He kissed his fingers, touched her hand, and my heart damn near cracked in two.
That moment right there? That’s the kind of loyalty you can’t buy. We slowly stepped away, and just like that, Seth moved in on Rich pulled him into a tight, wordless hug. They didn’t speak. Didn’t need to. Two men carrying the same kind of hurt, just trying to breathe through it.
Watching them… Seeing Seth hold it together for his brother, even though I could feel his own pain pressing against me like thunder, I fell in love with him a little more. And that scared the hell out of me.
Because loving a man like Seth? That came with loss, with funerals like this.
