Page 65 of Juke
We walked off the floor with MJ trailing close behind. I pushed the door open and stepped inside, leaning against the desk.
Nessa stopped at the threshold and glanced at MJ. “I wanted to talk to you in private.”
“Nah… say what you gotta say right here, or you can get the fuck out,” MJ sneered.
Her lips curved into a smirk as she eyed me. “What… you’on trust yourself around me?”
My eyes narrowed. “Bi?you know what? Get the fuck out.”
“Okay… okay. I’m sorry.” She lifted her hands like she was surrendering. “This ain’t about me and you. This is serious.”
I said nothing.
She took a breath before she finally spilled it. “Boom and Rio linked up. Rio approached him a while back at the mall. He said he was gonna take you out to get Sophi back. That’s what he wants. That’s all he talks about.”
I stayed quiet for a beat, taking the time to process her words. It seemed like she was leaving some shit out because how would Rio know to hook with Boom with this shit?
“What did he say exactly?” My voice was calm, but there was nothing calm about me at that moment.
Nessa swallowed. “That he’s gonna take you out. He said that’s the only way he can get Sophi back. I don’t know how serious he is, but…”
“This nigga bold as hell,” MJ voiced.
“That nigga ’bout to be dead as hell.” I leaned forward off the desk; eyes locked on her. “The fuck you telling me this shit now for? I’m pretty sure you’ve gotten something out of this shit, even if it is dick. Why the sudden change of heart?” I folded my arms across my chest and waited for her to answer.
“I didn’t know what else to do, Juke. You think I trust Boom or Rio? Hell no, but I ain’t trying to get caught in the middle of whatever this is. You needed to know.”
I dragged my hand down my face, exhaling slow. The fury in me was steady, reckless, and deliberate.
“Good,” I countered. “Now I know, and that means he just signed his fuckin’ death certificate.”
MJ leaned against the wall, arms folded. “So what’s the play?”
I cut my eyes at him, then back at Nessa. “The play is simple. I’m killing that nigga. I promised Sophi that he wasn’t gone get close to her again, and I meant that shit.”
I stepped closer to Nessa, barely leaving any space between us. “You did the right thing coming here, but don’t get it twisted… if I find out that you were on any plans to harm Sophi, I’ll forget how good you suck dick and kill you myself.”
Her lips parted like she wanted to argue but knew better. She just nodded.
“Get out.”
She hesitated, then left quick, shutting the door behind her.
I turned to MJ, my chest still tight. “Call Deion. Tell him to track Nessa’s phone so we can find out where this nigga is so I can get this shit over with.”
“Already on it,” he responded.
I dropped back into the chair, resting my elbows on my knees. My chest burned, not from the workout earlier, but from the fire settling deeper every second. Rio thought he was hunting me, but he had no idea the type of monster I could be.
19
Janessa ‘Nessa’ Marshall
Sometimes I wondered if I was the stupid one. If maybe I was crazy for still thinking about a man who made it clear, over and over, that I was never gone be more than a nut to him. Rashad Lawson had a way of making you feel like the only woman in the room. Strong hands on your waist, voice low in your ear, and eyes so sharp you swore he was cutting straight through your soul. He gave me that more than once, left me breathless and thinking maybe I was different, but then he’d send me home before the sun came up, or roll over and tell me to lock the door on my way out. Never once did he handle me the way I’ve seen him handle Sophi. He gave her a softness I thought he didn’t have. The kind of attention I used to dream about, so yeah, it burned. Burned bad enough to make me hate her ass, but hate wasn’t enough to let him walk blind into a setup. Not when it was my brother plotting with Rio to take him out. That’s why I went to the gym, swallowed my pride, and told Juke what I knew. Whatever feelings I had… whatever jealousy still sat heavyin my chest didn’t mean I wanted to see him dead. He told me to get out when I finished talking, like I was the dirt under his shoe, and maybe I was, but still, I walked out with my head high, because I knew I did the right thing… even if it meant watching him keep giving to another woman everything he’d never give to me.
I went against my blood brother for Juke. Me and Boom grew up in the same house, same chaos, same drunk ass mama yelling at us when she was drunk. He’d been the one to make sure I ate, the one to square up with anybody at school that tried me, and the one who told me I was worth more than what I saw every day, but blood ain’t that simple. At least not with him. Boom was stubborn as hell, hot-headed, and reckless. He moved through the world like it owed him something, and he never thought about who got burned in the crossfire. That’s the part of him I hated. And now? He was in too deep with Rio.
Rio wasn’t just another street nigga flexing. He had a mean streak. I’ve seen and felt it when he got mad at me for even mentioning Juke’s name. The look in his eyes told me he wasn’t playing when he said he wanted Sophi back and he’d kill anybody in the way. That anybody was Juke. I couldn’t be a part of that. No matter how much I wanted to deny it, Juke wasn’t just some random fling I could erase. He was the one I wanted, even if he never wanted me back. The thought of seeing him laid out because my brother backed the wrong nigga? That wasn’t something I could live with. Boom wouldn’t see it that way, though. He’ll see me as a traitor. He’d accuse me choosing another man over family… and maybe I was, but what was I supposed to do? Pretend I didn’t hear Rio plotting? Sit quiet while Boom nodded along like it was all good? That wasn’t loyalty… that was suicide, so I made my choice. Even if it meant losing my brother. That’s why I was on my way to see him, and hopefully I could talk him out of this shit. He was already in overhis head with this rematch, especially since Juke already beat his ass for free.
