Page 30 of Juke
“You good?” Mel added, eyes bouncing between the two of us.
He nodded once. “I’m straight.”
Mel stood, arms crossed. “Good. ’Cause if you gone be in her life, then you need to protect her better than the last man she trusted.”
Rashad didn’t flinch… just looked her dead in the eye. “She’s in good hands. Y’all got my word.”
They stared each other down for a beat before Mel nodded slowly, satisfied.
“Alright then.”
The girls hugged me tight before they left.
When the door closed shut behind them, Rashad turned to me. “What exactly did your mama say?”
I exhaled. “She said he came by and asked about me. He told her wanted to talk to me and to make peace or whatever the hell that means. She told him I moved to Cannon Hills. She doesn’t know what he put me through, Rashad. She was just talking, not knowing she just handed me over to the devil.”
“Pack a bag.”
I blinked. “What?”
“You coming to my house.”
I shook my head. “No, Rashad, I can’t—”
“Why not?”
“Because of Nessa,” I said, voice a little sharper than I meant. “I’m not trying to be in nobody’s way.”
His jaw flexed. “Fuck Nessa.”
My eyes widened. “You serious?”
“I don’t give a fuck what she thinks. You need to be somewhere safe. That’s with me. I can’t protect you from across town, Sophi.”
“But—”
“I’ain asking,” he grit with finality. “Pack a bag. You staying with me until this shit is dealt with. I mean that.”
I didn’t say another word… just turned and went to my room, hands shaking as I grabbed a bag and started packing. Because the truth was… I didn’t want to argue. Deep down, I wanted to go. Not just because I was scared, but because being with him felt like the safest place I’d ever been.
***
The ride to his condo was quiet. Not uncomfortable, but weighted… like we were both thinking about everything that just happened. Rashad kept one hand on the wheel, the other draped over his lap, fingers occasionally twitching like he wanted to hit something. When we got there, he let me walk in first. I slipped my shoes off and stood awkwardly for a second, not sure what to do. But then I felt his presence behind me… close but not pressing… just there.
“You good?” he asked low.
I nodded.
He waited until I set my things down and sat on the couch before he joined me… legs wide with his elbows on his knees.
“I wanna ask you something.” His voice echoed through his space.
“Okay.” I swallowed.
“You ready to tell me what happened?” His voice was even, but there was something beneath it. Like he already knew the story, just wanted to hear it from me.
I took a long breath. “His name’s Kamerio. Everybody calls him Rio. We were together for a while. At first, it was good… real good. But then the little things started—jealousy… control. The first time he hit me; I thought it was my fault. The second time, I knew it wasn’t, but I stayed.”
