I was floating on cloud nine as Copper listed off everything he knew about my son when that vitriol fell out of Joey’s mouth.
I couldn’t believe that Joey had just said that.
“Do you know why they made sidewalks?” I asked him, eerily calm.
Joey looked at me like I’d just spoken in tongues.
“Why?” Joey asked, sounding tough, but looking anything but.
He was literally shaking in his loafers, scared shitless of what he’d just said, and knowing that he was about to get the shit beaten out of him.
“Because the motherfuckin’ streets aren’t for everybody.”
Then I hit him.
I gave it everything I had, balling my fist up and laying it right into his nose.
The cartilage gave with a sickening crunch, and then pain bloomed in my hand and arm.
“Ouch,” I whined, curling my fist and bringing it to my chest.
Joey bent over, blood instantly pouring from his nose.
The woman with him gasped.
I hadn’t learned her name the day she’d walked into my hospital room when I was giving birth, and I didn’t plan on learning it now.
I turned my back on her and walked back over to Copper before saying, “Let’s go inside. I want to see Cerise.”
“Copper.”
I stopped when Apollo called Copper’s name.
Copper turned, and Apollo said something softly enough that I couldn’t hear.
Apollo nodded and headed toward the building.
Surprisingly, when we’d had our altercation, we hadn’t drawn any attention from the people around us or the front door security.
At least, I thought we hadn’t.
When we got to the front and I was asked for my invite, I handed it over.
“This your plus one?” the security guard asked, checking out my hand.
“Yes,” I said. “Copper Clayborne.”
“Don’t start any fights inside or I’ll kick you out,” the security guard ordered before saying, “There’s some ice in the kitchen.”
My lips twitched and I thanked him before grabbing Copper’s hand with my non-injured one.
Copper immediately bypassed everyone and headed for the kitchen where he got me some ice among some frazzled looking kitchen workers who didn’t care one bit he was in their space.
He wrapped it up in a towel and then handed it to me.
I placed it on my fist and grimaced.
“You think it’s broken?” he asked, shoving his hands into his pockets.
