"Oh, no, is he okay?"
"Yeah, he's been having really high blood pressure. It's regulated now, so they said they were gonna discharge him soon."
"Oh, okay. That's great. I'll get a phone soon to call you."
"You make sure you do that. I've called your phone a million times."
"I know. I'll be coming to see you soon, okay?"
"Okay, baby. You take care of yourself. It was good hearing your voice."
Dallas smiled. "I love you, lady."
"Love you too, Dally." She called Dallas by her childhood name.
Dallas handed the phone back to Tasim who waited patiently. He wasn't worried about Dallas doing anything weird because she was back on her own free will. He knew why she was here, and he was happy for his brother. He hoped like hell Kasim took Dallas to his home, far away from the Dynasty. He wanted them to fall in love, but he wanted to make sure Dallas wasn't going back.
"So you done with the nigga for good?" Tasim asked.
He hated to pry into his brother’s business, but he couldn't risk the nigga losing it again. He had witnessed his brother do some strange things but not the way he was doing so. Shy told Tasim exactly how he murdered Sable, and the shit was sick and twisted.
"No." Dallas replied single wordly, shaking her headno. She had no intentions of going back. "I'm not sure what I'll dofrom here because of . . . you know . . ." She shrugged, looking around the dungeon of a room.
She didn't want to rain on Kasim's parade because they hadn't spoken about any next steps, relationships, or anything that would bond them together. So she wouldn't stake a claim on him until they had some sort of agreement. As stated, she wasn’t gonna sit around, accepting him fucking on women for seven days.
"Don't look like that. He's rocking with you. Trust me, ma, I know my brother. He’s never been like this over no broad, so I know he love you. Yes, you can fall in love in seven days,” Tasim added, thinking ’bout the conversation with Norah.
“How you figure?” Dallas asked while secretly blushing. This was music to her ears because she didn’t wanna look weird.
“Instant attraction. Chemistry. All that don’t matter, just know it’s real.”
They both laughed in unison.
“So what am I supposed to do for money?” She couldn’t help but ask because she knew she wouldn’t be able to make it to work anytime soon.
It had already been nine days—eleven including the New Year, and not to mention she was wounded. Her ribs were fractured, her body ached, she had a deep split, and other injuries that weren’t visible.
“Don't worry about shit because you landed a Kingly, and baby, you'll be set for life. Don’t half step, Dallas, if you gon’ love him because this shit deeper than you think. He has a fat ass crib set up for you; some fly shit too." Tasim chuckled, making Dallas smile. "I'm gonna get out of here."
Tasim's phone began to ring, and he knew it was Kasim. He needed to speak privately, so he excused himself from the room but making sure to hit Dallas with a smile to assure she was good.
Dallas's eyes fell over to the clock that set on Kasim's nightstand, and for some reason she got this eerie feeling. She sat alone in the dimly lit room, her eyes fixed on the clock as the minutes ticked by. A chill ran down her spine as she felt another strange feeling of his whereabouts.
Shit deeper than you think.
She held on to Tasim's words. Something about what he said and the way he said it had Dallas confused and scared.
She tried to shake off the feeling, telling herself he would be back soon, but the knot in her stomach tightened. What was he doing that required such secrecy? She tried to distract her mind by focusing on what would be her next move. Again, she thought of what Tasim had told her, but she needed to speak with Kasim first. He had basically moved her into the man’s home, life, and heart. For a brief moment, she actually laughed to herself.
Suddenly she had that same feeling come dancing throughout her. There was something weird she couldn't put her finger on, but a sudden thought of Kasim's whereabouts flashed across her mind. She rose from her seat, her senses on high alert because shit just wasn't adding up. The uncanny feeling in the pit of her stomach began to worry her. All she could think of was his safety because she was no fool. The way Tasim sounded confirmed bits of her thoughts.
She heard a faint noise on the other side of the door, a footstep perhaps, and her heart skipped a few beats.
Is he back?
She lifted from the bed and moved toward the door. As she reached for the handle, she hesitated, her hand trembling slightly. Before she could attempt to open it, the door creaked open, and he stood before her. His eyes gleamed in the dim light, and for a moment they just looked at each other. Without a word, Kasim stepped forward, his eyes never leaving hers. When he pulled her into his arms, she noticed small specks of blood on his shirt that froze her. The side of his face was a bit swollen, and he had a cut that matched hers just above the eye.
"Kasim, please don't do anything crazy," Dallas voiced still a bit shaken.
