Page 25 of The Prodigy

10

Malika

JamieNewsome.

JamiefuckingNewsome.

I almost couldn’t believe what I was seeing.WhoI was seeing.

She looked almost exactly the same other than a little extra weight and her hair, which was to her shoulders now instead of the Toni Braxton cut she used to rock back in high school.

Jakari’s eyes lit up when he saw her. It shouldn’t have mattered, and as his hostage, I shouldn’t have cared, but as his wife—technically—it was a punch to the gut. He looked at me like I was a nuisance. A gnat to be swatted away.

Yeah, I was jealous.Again. Of Jamie Newsome.Again.

Seething, I watched them hug for a little too long and debated with myself…Say nothing? Go say hi to make my presence known? Make a scene and cuss them both out?

Ultimately, I decided to say and do nothing, because I wasn’t actually his wife for real, and therefore had no claims to him. But more importantly, his father was dead. He was grieving, and an old friend was comforting him.

I realized I hadn’t done that at all today.

Then again, why would I?

It was so confusing, trying to figure out my place. Is an on-paper wife—married against her will—supposed to be by her legal husband and kidnapper’s side?

I hated this.

And I hated that I was even debating it with myself, because that let me know I was actually considering a relationship with this man. With thismurderer.

I tore my eyes away from Jakari and Jamie and found myself locking eyes with his mother. Her expression was one of amusement, and it made me uneasy.

I didn’t like the way she stared at me. It was almost like she was studying me. It was creepy.

She and I had yet to say two words to each other, even though we were living in the same house.

Oh, well. A silent mother-in-law is better than a messy one.

Thenextday,aftera rough night of Jakari tossing and turning, I was getting ready to leave for work when he came out of the kitchen and stopped me. He looked scrumptious in all black, and I was so flustered, I didn’t notice the huge man following behind him at first. I’d never seen him before.

“Yo, this is Cyrus,” Jakari said. “He’s gonna drive you over the next few days. Maybe longer.”

I looked from Jakari to the overgrown man in front of me, then back to Jakari.

“Why do I need a driver? I thought you had somebody drive my car here.”

“I did. But this ain’t about that.”

“So what’s it about?”

He stared blankly. “Look, you can either have a driver or a babysitter.”

“Babysitter?”

He made a face like he was already sick of talking to me. “Ifyoudrive, somebody’s gon’ have to follow you to make sure you go where you’re supposed to. If you ride with Cyrus, he’ll just drop you and pick you up. That seems better to me, but it’s your choice.”

Sighing, I put my purse on my shoulder and grabbed my keys, which were useless now.

“When do I get my phone back?”

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