"Never fall in love with the enemy," they say, but what happens when the enemy is way too irresistible?
Harmony thought she had it all under control, but one look from him and everything changed. She knew it was trouble, but his charm and mystery we...
"You want me to carry those inside for you, ma?" Trevon asks as we unload our luggage, having just returned to my apartment from the airport.
I glance at the bags, then back at him. "That would be great, thanks."
He grabs the heavier suitcase while I take the smaller one. As we walk towards the door, I fumble for my keys.
"Here, let me get that," Trevon offers, balancing the suitcase in one hand while reaching for the keys.
"Thanks," I say, handing them over. He unlocks the door effortlessly and holds it open for me.
We step inside and are welcomed by an uninvited guest, chilling on my couch.
"It's about damn time y'all made it back," the lunatic man from the basement says, sprawled out comfortably.
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I freeze, my mind racing. "How did you even get into my apartment?" I manage to ask, my voice shaky.
"Don't worry about all dat bitch, I ask you questions. You don't question me," he says, while he gets up from the couch, his movements deliberate.
"Now, since we are all here..." he says, walking over to me. In a swift motion, he pulls out his gun and points it at my head.
My heart pounds in my chest. Trevon steps forward, his hands raised slightly. "Whoa, nigga, put down da gun."
The man's eyes flick to Trevon, then back to me. "We can discuss some business," he says coldly, keeping the gun steady in his grip.
"You carrying her suitcases and shit, but according to you she means nothing," the lunatic man says while looking over at Trevon.
"Look at the way you are looking at her right now. We've already talked about how it gets lonely at the top 'cause feelings and shit gets chu caught up."
"Dats what got her ass caught up, because she fell for yo ass. I can see it in both of y'alls eyes," the man says bluntly.
"Dats not what type of time we are on for real though," Trevon says, his voice steady, trying to keep the situation calm.
"If that's the case, you won't mind if I pull the trigger then," the lunatic man says, a sinister grin spreading across his face. He looks between me and Trevon a few times, then lowers his gun and returns to the couch. "I now know what I am dealing with," the man says. "Don't let her ass be the reason why you end up dead," he warns Trevon. "Now, let's get back to what I came over here for."
"Starting right now, you've got twenty-four hours to handle business and report back to me," he says seriously while looking directly into my eyes. "I'll swing back by here this time tomorrow to check in," the lunatic man says while finishing his drink and exiting my apartment, leaving it sitting next to the couch on the floor.
*****************
My mind is racing as I drive over to my apartment that I share with Nevaeh. All of this is starting to feel overwhelming. What am I even going to say to her, Ezekiel, and Augustine? They must be worried about me, especially since I never reported back to them after the wedding. I need to gather my thoughts and figure out how to explain everything without saying too much while also being deceptive.
As I park the car in the parking garage and head up to my unit, a wave of anxiety washes over me.
Standing outside our door, I unlock it, and head inside.
To my surprise, the apartment is quiet... too quiet. I call out, but there's no response. Panic starts to set in as I frantically search every room, but there's no sign of Nevaeh, Ezekiel, or Augustine.
Seconds turn into minutes, and minutes into hours, but still, there's no one. Finally, I decide to call Nevaeh.
She picks up, sounding super worried. "Hello!?!? where are you????" she asks.
"Hey, I'm in Atlanta," I reply.
Relief floods her voice as she explains, "Well, we're still in South Padre looking for you. We didn't want to leave until we heard back from you. Why didn't you say something earlier? Why did you wait so long to call?"
"Think of something, think of something good..." is all I can think as I am being confronted.
"I couldn't leave Trevon after what he saw," I confess. "I stayed with him until we flew back here."
There's a pause before Nevaeh responds softly, "I get it. But next time, just let us know you're safe. I'll let the boys know, ma, we will be back soon.
"Love you, girl," Nevaeh coos.
"Love you too," I reply, trying to ignore the knot in my stomach.
"I can't believe we really did it, we really pulled this shit off, crazy, huh?" she says excitedly.
"Crazy," I echo, fully aware of the tangled mess of lies I'm in.
"See you soon, bye," she says.
"I hang up the phone, feeling a heavy weight of guilt settling in my chest. Nevaeh's words linger in my mind as I realize the extent of the worry and stress I've caused."
I quickly gather my thoughts, knowing I need to deliver the news to the Lunatic.
With a determined mindset, I head back to my apartment, driving with a sense of urgency.
*****************
As I pull up, I park and head inside.
"So... what's da news, ma," he asks as I enter my living room finding him seated in the exact spot he sat in earlier on my couch.
I find it wild how he just knows when I need to talk to him. I can't help but wonder if he put a tracker on me or something. It hasn't even been twenty-four hours yet, and he's already here, waiting for me.
"I don't need to be a distraction because they're not even here in Atlanta. They're still out in South Padre searching for me," I explain.
"Music to my ears, ma," he says with a malicious grin.
"Let me ask you something, ma," he continues.
"Yeah?" I respond, feeling a bit uneasy.
"You happen to have Augustine's address?" he questions.
"Yes," I reply, my anxiety growing.
"Good, 'cause I'm gonna need that," he declares.
"But—" I start to protest, but he cuts me off sharply.
"But," ain't no buts bitch," he snaps, giving me a lethal glare.
I fall silent, feeling a chill run down my spine.
"With your help, we're gonna still his drugs and kidnap his daughter," he declares, his expression turning even more evil.
"While you were gone, I was asking around and doing some research. Shit sounds like the perfect plan to me," he continues, his eyes gleaming with a dangerous intensity.
