Page 61 of His Noble Heart
“I don’t have any enemies because no one knows I’m the one hitting up the stash houses.”
“You can’t be sure. Savannah ain’t but a few hours away and the Riders are well connected.”
“I was never connected to any of those hits in Savannah. All they can ever do is speculate.”
“Talking to you is like talking to a brick wall. It’s your life, Rowdy. I’ve said all I can say, and so has your mother. It’s up to you now.”
“I told you I’m done.”
“Good. Hopefully, it’s not too late.”
He turned to leave with a solemn look on his face.
“Unc!” He paused with his hand on the door, but didn’t turn to face me. “Can they stay with you until I figure this shit out?”
He nodded and continued out the door. Zelle would never be more than the low-level drug dealer he was, and everyone knew it but him. I’d embarrassed him in private and in public, and he had too much ego and pride to let it go. It was clear that he was determined to get revenge, but I had no idea how far he would go. For the first time in my life, I didn’t know what to do, but I had to figure out something quick to keep my loved ones safe.
Rowdy could only havethree visitors at a time, so of course, his immediate family saw him first. While I waited, I was anxious as hell. On one hand, I was concerned about his health and safety because it wasn’t every day you received a call saying your man was shot.
On the other hand, I was pissed because my gut told me this had something to do with the last conversation we had. He was involved in something that was either illegal, dangerous, or both. I didn’t know if I’d kiss him or punch him when I saw him, but I desperately needed to lay eyes on him.
When Ramina and Ms. Dawn returned to the waiting room, they displayed different emotions. Ms. Dawn was pissed, but when my mother and I questioned her, she wasn’t forthcomingas to why. Ramina was crying, but like her mother, didn’t share why.
By the time Rowdy’s uncle returned to the waiting room, I was ready to tackle him and force him to tell me what the hell was happening. Instead, I remained calm and went directly to the source of all this confusion and chaos. I didn’t bother knocking on the door, and based on his expression, Rocky wasn’t expecting me.
“Baby,” he whispered as he extended his good arm and beckoned me toward him.
My anger disappeared the moment I laid eyes on him, and I rushed to his bedside. When we kissed, I released a breath that I felt like I’d been holding for hours. He wrapped his arm around my waist as his lips moved to my cheek, then my neck, before he buried his face in my chest.
“You had me scared to death. I’m so glad you’re okay.”
“I couldn’t check out until I made things right between us.”
“Rowdy, don’t talk like that. I’ve been on pins and needles since Ramina called me with the news.”
“I’m sorry I made you worry. I missed you.”
His arm tightened around my waist, and he sighed. We were silent for a while, with only the sound of the machines filling the room.
“I wasn’t sure we’d find our way back to each other,” I finally said.
“I shouldn’t have let twelve days, eight hours, and twenty minutes go by without coming to you. I promise to never do that again.”
“Good, but if there is a next time, you can lose my number. As a matter of fact, I still want to know what you’re into. I deserve to know everything about the man I fell in love with. The good, the bad, and the illegal.”
“I was on my way to tell you everything.”
“I’m here now, and you have my full attention.”
He released me and asked me to lower the bedrail. Once that was done, he lifted the blankets and nodded toward the tiny spot next to him.
“That bed isn’t big enough for both of us.”
“I haven’t felt your body against mine in twelve days, eight?—”
“All right, all right. Scoot over.”
“Nah. You can straddle me.”
