Page 104 of Invisible Bars
“Okay… I’m at?—”
“I wouldn’ttellthat if I were you.”
I froze like somebody pressed pause on my life.
I turned slowly, heartbeat jackhammering in my chest. Chi was leaned against the refrigerator, one hand holding a green apple, the other casually swirling a lit blunt between his fingers.
My throat clenched.
“Ohhh… shhh—shhh—shhh—Satan’s niece! Shady-ass surveillance! Muthafreakin’—lemon-sniffin’—backdoor boogeyman!”
I was unraveling… fully. The words just kept tumbling out like popcorn in a microwave.
Chi bit into his apple and chewed slowly, raising a brow. “Now see… this right here is why you need a helmet… and maybe a support group.”
He strolled over like we were about to bake cookies, snatched the phone from my hand mid-shiver, and lifted it to his ear.
“Hey, Cousin Daphnee,” he said smoothly. “Wrong number. This Naji don’t exist no more. She dead.”
My mouth dropped open.
He winked at me, then added. “She rebirthed into a responsible housewife with a nasty lil’ attitude and some amazing tea preferences. You understand?”
And then—click.
He hung up.
My tic fired off hard. "Shit-Christmas-mac-and-cheese!"
Chi snorted. "Glitchy, you gotta stop announcing holiday menus every time you get scared.”
“You… you don’t understand.”
“Trust me, I do. I’ve been friends with that nigga since Kindergarten. I’ve seen him eat glue, beat a teacher with a pencil box, and charm his way out of it. You thinkyou’retraumatized? I got more flashbacks than a veteran watching fireworks.”
Chi sobered a little, then crossed his arms.
“Look, I get that you feel like a guest in yo’ own life. You had your chance to run before you put that ring on. But now?” Heleaned in, voice low but not unkind. “Now you married to the devil, and his assistant just caught you trying to break the lease.”
I had a full-blown tic right then—my words spat out like a broken speaker.
“Lease this d-demonic dick contract, Lord, cancel the payment plan!”
Chi burst out laughing.
“See? That’s exactly why I ain’t letting you go nowhere. You’re too entertaining.”
Nana Li’s bear stuck out of my bag, like it too was disappointed that I couldn’t get away.
I shut my eyes, fists trembling. My whole body was hot with shame and cracked down the middle—part humiliated, part defeated, part wondering what the hell kind of contract I really signed.
I opened my eyes. “Are… are you going to tell Imanio?”
“Nah, I’m not gonna tell him… not unless you try some real wild shit again. A little word of advice, though. The next time you call for backup, maybe don’t do it on the landline that’s literally plugged into his server. That man sees and hears everything.”
“Cameras, mics, and nosey-ass walls! F–f–feds with fancy furniture!” I blurted out in a frantic tic, my voice pitching high like I was being interrogated on a game show.
Chi chuckled, then nodded like he understood more than I expected.
