The Blood Debt

Chapter 25

Rejab

I'm in the Pulp cellar sorting through a shipment that's arrived when Roman walks in with a confused looking Mateo behind him. I'm not expecting him back after City Hall, or at least that's what I thought he said when he left, but before I can ask him why he's back, he tells Mateo to take over and tells me to follow him upstairs. I turn to Mateo, but he shrugs looking about as confused as I am, before he silently puts his hand out for the clipboard I'm holding.

"Close the door," Roman tells me as I walk into the office behind him.

"Everything okay? You run into a problem at City Hall?" I ask, wondering what kind of problem could have him so worked up.

"What did you find about Ayla after she left?" he asks.

I should've guessed this was about her.

We're here again? Unfreakingbelievable.

"What's this about Roman?" I say doing my level best to stay calm.

"You go to City Hall and come back looking like you've seen a ghost. What the fuck happened?"

"What did you find out Rejab?" he says sounding all the more determined.

"It's been four fucking years Roman, what's it matter what I found out about her. I thought we moved on from this... remember we agreed we were letting her get on with her life," I say like I'm spelling it out for a kid.

"What if there was a reason not to move on?"

"Ok. Right now you're sounding fuckin' crazy. What the hell happened that got you so shook? You go to City Hall and have a fuckin' epiphany or somethin'? You left talkin' about a deed restriction, you're back askin' about Ayla Moore?"

"I saw her today. Outside City Hall," he says. His voice is level but his eyes are wildin'.

"And?" I throw my hands up in frustration before I lock them behind my head. I need a fuckin' Xanax before I open my mouth.

"You need to stop this," I tell him. "She left. She's gone," I tell him, brushing my palms together. Ordinarily I'd never be so disrespectful but enough already.

"She's not the blood debt Roman. You know you got no claim on her. She owes us nothing," I tell him, my eyes lingering on him so he understands me. "Four years ago when you let her walk outta here, you did the right thing. Today, the right thing is to bury your pain in your heart and not look back. And don't even start with the I didn't love her. I was there, no cap.You gotta let her go Roman, because the minute you start wondering what woulda, what coulda, what shoulda, you're going back down that black hole."

It's the first time I voice what I know to be the truth. We've tip-toped around it for years, never speaking about what happened between them or afterward. I half expect him to deny it and tell me it's not about love, but he doesn't. Today, we ain't pretending.

"She's has a kid Rejab," he tells me.

I don't connect the dots. I mean what's the probability of that? Like seriously. I'm thinking the crazy look in his eye is because he's jealous that she's moved on.

"All the more reason you need to let her go," I tell him. "She's moved on... you can't be messin' with that. She's probably married. It ain't right. C'mon," I say, running a frustrated hand through my hair, "I know you're hurting, don't make me spell it out..."

"The kid looks about three, maybe four," he says, interrupting me.

My brows furrow in confusion.