Power Book II: Good Girl

chapter 13

Cane was looking at the girl with so much concern. She was drenched in sweat, her hair sticking to her face, and she had a gash on her forehead he managed to clean and bandage himself. He thought about taking her to the hospital, but he also thought about who could take better care of her than him. So, instead, he carried her to her dorm and stayed with her until she woke up.

Even though Ryan still looked bad, she had significantly improved. Her skin had regained color, and she was no longer breathing heavily. Cane spent most of the night watching her, memorizing her face.

It wasn't until morning that Ryan finally woke up with a gasp. Ryan brought her hands to her eyeline and saw they were covered in wrist abrasions from the cuffs. Memories of last night began to cloud her mind.

"Fuck." I sighed as I stood up with a grunt and looked around. The sound of the water shutting off in my bathroom surprised me. As I was about to investigate, the door immediately opened, startling me and making me almost trip over my feet backward.

"Uhmm...What do you think you are doing?" My voice comes out as more of a squeak than I intended. My eyes quickly darted down to Cane's half-naked body. He had the towel wrapped around his waist loosely, and I couldn't help but stare.

Reality finally set in, and I immediately turned around, giving him my back. My face was hot, and I was slightly embarrassed at how I reacted.

"Y-you took a shower in my bathroom?" I repeat, trying to hide my nervousness.

"Yeah. Is there a problem?" I could hear the smug look on his face. Why would he take a shower in my bathroom? Doesn't he have his own place? I bite my tongue, trying to keep my rude comments to myself.

"You know what, never mind. Can you please put on some clothes so we can talk?"

I could hear Cane's movements behind me before a wet towel was thrown on the top of my head.

"Caneeee!!" I squealed before ripping the dirty, damp towel off of me. I turned to see he was now dressed in his usual all-black attire. And for the first time, I saw him laughing. His smile was genuine and-

I immediately snapped out of my trance and went to my bed with Cane following me. When he flopped down, I gave him some space, still slightly embarrassed from earlier.

"I can't believe everything that happened last night." I breathed out, trying to start the conversation.

"Shit, I can. I always knew that motherfucka was crazy. The good thing is, we ain't got to worry about his ass anymore." Cane confirms my thinking, but I still wanted more clarity.

"So... you're 100% sure his body isn't coming back?" I questioned slowly.

"Yeah, I'm sure. That motherfucker's body ain't comin' back. And I don't need you telling anybody what happened, not the cops, Monet, or even your scrawny little boyfriend Tariq. This is between me and you. That's it." I could tell by the tone of his voice he was serious. The way his eyes were trained on mine, he meant every word.

I knew I couldn't tell Tariq about what happened last night. If he knew about an ounce of the danger I was in, he would never let me near the Tedjadas again.

"I promise I won't say anything to anyone," I confirmed, giving him my honest word.

"Good. It will be our little secret." He says, winking at me, causing a rush of heat to fill my cheeks. I roll my eyes at him. "Now let's go see Dru," He suggests, getting up from my bed.

"I don't think Dru is fucking with you right now." I reminded him.

"That's why you're going to help me get in." He said, and I looked at him in shock. Me? Monet just had a gun to my head. If she found out I was helping Cane, she would kill me for real this time.