“She had access to everything. That’s how they’ve stayed two steps ahead. You never upgraded anything after her death.”
The room felt colder and heavier. I couldn’t fuckin’ breathe thinking about how I had been daydreaming about a bitch that could have destroyed my world. I was so stuck in my head I hadn’t even heard Blue leave the room. This was on me and now I would have to face Nova.
I sat with Pops before the sun rose. He handed me a glass of bourbon without saying a word.
“She’s alive,” I said.
“Sabrina?” he asked.
I nodded.
He grunted. “Knew it. That girl never made sense as a ghost.”
“She’s not just alive. She’s deep in all this shit with Kyle and Valdez. All of it.”
“She a victim?” he asked.
“Maybe at first. But now? I don’t know.”
Pops studied me over the rim of his glass.
“You feel like you failed her, don’t you?”
I nodded. “I did.”
“But you also built a whole new life since.”
“I’m scared I’m gonna fuck it up chasing the truth.”
“You might,” he said honestly. “But if you don’t deal with it, it’s gonna fuck you up anyway.”
He pointed toward the ceiling.
“That woman upstairs. That’s love, don’t confuse it. If what you had with Sabrina was real, she wouldn’t have left you blind about what she was into. But she didn't, she hid it from you, and it cost her everything.”
I leaned back and sipped my drink.
“I just want to make this right.”
“Then make it right with Nova. Sabrina already chose her path. She ain't yours to fix anymore.”
Nova
I knew Crew wasn’t telling me something. He had a tale, his jaw tightened when he was holding in the world. And tonight, his whole damn body was locked up. He came outside and sat next to me on the swing, a bottle of water in his hand. But he didn’t drink any, just held it in his hand.
“What is it?” I asked softly.
He didn’t answer at first. Just watched Timberly inside the window, dancing with Tati to some TikTok remix.
“They’re movin’,” he said finally. “Kyle and someone sent in by the Valdez family.”
I nodded. “I figured.”
“And there’s a name floatin’ around.” His voice cracked. “Sabrina.”
My chest went still.
“She’s alive?” I asked. Surprised my past wasn’t the only one coming back to wreak havoc on our lives.
