Page 36 of The Prodigy 2: Rise of a Queen

She whirled around. “Malika. Wake up! Your husband killed somebody and made you marry him so you wouldn’t snitch on him. You let them suck you into their world, and you’re in it now.Deepin it. So deep, you don’t see the problem with any of this. But I’m on the outside looking in, and I'm telling you…it looks crazy. And dangerous. And I want no parts of it.”

What could I say? Not a damn thing, because she was right. The worst part was that Jakari killing that man wasn’t even the worst part. The truth was even more disturbing than she knew.

Hell, Jakari had given me instructions for if there ever came a day I needed to run. Like, literal, spy movie, your life is in danger, witness protection kinda instructions.

And I didn’t even blink at it.

Chase ran up behind me and grabbed ahold of my legs. I put a hand on his head and smiled down at him.

“I love you, Chasey-poo!”

“Love you too, Titi. When can I sleep over?”

I looked up and into Dionne’s eyes. Her stern expression was a clear indicator of where she stood, and I had to respect that.

“How about I come and sleep over at your place instead? I can bring Nugget, too.”

Dionne nodded. “Cool. Let us know when you’re coming. We’ll plan some fun stuff.”

“Okay.” I crouched down and nudged Nugget away so I could hug Chase one last time. “I’ll see you soon, buddy.”

As they made their way to the elevators, I walked over to the window and looked down so I could see them leave. They emerged a few moments later, and I waved to Chase, even though he couldn’t see me.

Dionne’s words…they hurt. They were uncomfortable.

And common fucking sense.

What the hell was I doing?

“Hey, Eris.”

“What’s up, sis?” He grabbed me in a bear hug, enveloping me in a cloud of cologne. He smelled delicious, and the warmth in his tone put me at ease immediately. Of all the Windermere kids who weren’t Jakari, I liked Eris the most.

Don’t get me wrong; I loved me some Jaz. But Eris was the most genuine. He wasn’t mentoring me to make me better like Jaz, and he didn’t low-key ignore me like Nay. I felt like I could be exactly who I was around him, and he’d treat me exactly the same.

Once we separated, he grinned at me. “Your husband’s out back,” he said teasingly.

I rolled my eyes. “Who said I’m here for him? Maybe I came to see you.”

“Oh, word? Cool. Come on in. We’ll sit and have some tea and talk about life.”

“Shut up.” I laughed in spite of my mood. “Which room is his?”

“Down that hall,” he pointed. “Second door on the right. But I told you, he’s outside.”

“Can you have him meet me in the room?”

That brought a smirk, but thankfully, he kept his thought to himself. “Yeah, I’ll tell him.”

I headed down the hallway, my eyes roaming as I went. Eris’ house was just like him; tasteful, deliberate, stylish, and flashy. But it was also warm, which was nothing like Gab’s house. Thank God I was done with that place.

I don’t know why I came here.

That’s a lie. I knew why I was here. Jakari was quickly becoming an addiction for me. The cause and cure for what ailed me.

My visit with Dionne had left me feeling empty, and now I needed Jakari to fill me back up again. I knew that wasn’t healthy, or sustainable, but I just wanted to feel good again.

Jakari’s room looked like a guest room. No pictures, no personal effects left in view. Just the basics. A bed, a television, a desk, and an abstract painted canvas on the wall.

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