Page 9 of His to Have
Turning my attention back to the battered man, I asked, “Do you even know who you crossed?” My tone was calm as I motioned between Bash and myself.
The man shook his head, trembling. “I—I swear I didn’t know—”
“That was your first mistake.” I leaned in, my voice dropping to a menacing growl. “The second? Thinking you’d live to see another day. Normally, I would send your body piece by piece to your family. Cut you limb for limb and let you slowly bleed out. Let you think about how even thinking of touching what’s mine is a costly mistake. But luckily for you I got shit to do.”
With that, I lifted my Glock, the cold metal feeling perfectly balanced, and emptied the clip in his ass.
One thing these motherfuckers were going to understand about me is that I don’t play games. I’d spent the last six years of making people fear my name; and fear the power behind it. With me there were no second chances. You’d find yourself at the bottom of the river.
“Clean-up crew is on their way,” Bash stated, pulling me from my thoughts. “Who do you think is behind this? Who’s stupid enough to pull this shit?” He asked the very question that had been running in my mind as we walked out of the warehouse.
“Someone with a death wish, that’s for sure. This was a message.” I glanced at him, still running through the possibilities, as the muggy night air hit me.
Whoever had the balls to make this move knew the risks and didn’t care. That meant one of two things: they were either powerful or incredibly stupid. Either way, they were about to learn a painful lesson.
“Message or not, they tried to touch my sister. And that is a major fuckin’ problem. It’s gonna get handled. Ain’t no way I’m lettin’ this slide,” his lip curled in anger.
I scoffed, letting out a mirthless chuckle. “You think I’m gonna let this shit slide?” I shot back, my voice hard. “She’s my future wife. Someone must think I am a fuckin’ joke.” The muscle in my jaw ticked as I contemplated my next move. “I can’t keep her safe out here. We’re moving the timeline.”
I told him, not giving a damn about what he or her family thought was best. Bash was my boy. We had grown extremely close over the years. But Ayanna was mine… to have and to protect. And I’ll be damned if I left that up to any other nigga. I didn’t care if it was her brother vowing to keep her safe. “You have one day to tell her.”
He shook his head. “She still has one more—”
“Nah, time is up.” I told him cutting him off.
Three hours ago, my world turned upside down. Learning there’d been a hit put out on Ayanna sent me on a rampage. I scrambled to find the person who had the balls to cross me but came up empty. All I found was the nigga dumb enough to do their bidding. His death wasn’t enough. I needed to have my eyes on her. She needed to come home. Even if she didn’t know that home was with me.
Over the years, I’ve allowed her to walk around carefree, under the guise of being separate from street shit, giving her the illusion of freedom, of distance from the life our families led.
The arrangement had always been kept from her, at her parents’ insistence. I thought she should’ve known after that important meeting all those years ago, but her family thought otherwise. I was young then, still making a name for myself, so I didn’t push it. Now I see that was the wrong decision. All it did was leave her vulnerable, wide open to attacks like this.
Now, no nigga puts fear in my heart—not even her father, though I respected him tremendously. Ayanna was moving to New York, and there wasn’t a single soul who could stop me.
“Tomorrow,” I finally told him. “Y’all prepare her, or I’ll handle it myself.”
He sighed. “She’s not going to be happy. She’s gonna fight you on this, you know that, right?”
I didn’t doubt that. In fact, I counted on it. Ayanna had grown into a formidable woman. She was strong-willed, determined, and didn’t take shit from anyone. Not even from me. Those were all qualities I both admired and loved. She might not have been in Reed’s street business, but she was definitely a boss.
“She can fight all she wants. It doesn’t change a thing,” I said, finally sliding into my car. “She’s coming with me whether she wants to or not.”
two
Ayanna Reed
Istood in front of the three-way mirror, hands on my hips, studying the bride in her final fitting. A small smile tugged at my lips as she twirled, the silk gown catching the light just right.
“See?” I said, nodding at the reflection. “Told you that sweetheart neckline would be absolutely perfect on you.” Her eyes sparkled with joy as she took in the beautiful transformation. “You look like an absolute vision,” I continued, adjusting the delicate lace on her train.
Tears filled her eyes as she reached up to touch the silk that pressed against her skin. “Oh my God, Ayanna, this is perfect.” She twirled around facing her bridal party.
“What do you guys think?” She asked, and her mother was practically in tears. While her maid of honor and friends talked about how gorgeous she looked and how her groom, David, would have a fit when he saw her. “He’s going to be absolutely speechless,” her maid of honor gushed, while her friends nodded in agreement. “He may just jump your bones right there atthe altar.” Their faces were filled with admiration and genuine excitement.
Which I was always happy to witness.
In my line of business, sometimes I would get brides in here with friends and family full of jealousy and hate. It was always disheartening, because everyone deserved a supporting circle. And not hating-ass friends. I got into the bridal business because I was a hopeless romantic, wanting to help women fulfill their fairytale dreams, and to witness their joy as they transformed into their most beautiful, confident selves.
This moment, right here, made all my hard work worth it.
