“I’ll crash in the guest room tonight,” I said low. “Give you some space.”
It took everything in me not to stay in there with her, but I knew she needed her space. I shut the door behind me, leaned back against it, and let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding.
This wasn’t how the night was supposed to end. Wasn’t how any of this was supposed to go.
Mel was hurting. And I knew I was the reason. But how the fuck was I supposed to fix it when I wasn’t even sure what I was dealing with yet? When all I had was a maybe?
Liberty.
That little girl’s name was starting to haunt me.
And Mel. Shit, the way she looked at me now… like I was a stranger she couldn’t trust? That cut deeper than any blade evercould. I ran a hand down my face and sat on the edge of the bed. Elbows on my knees. Head low.
Mel hated me. My brothers were on edge. And I had a possible daughter out there that I missed out on for nine years.
This shit was spiraling, and if I didn’t figure it out soon… I was gonna lose everything.
15
Chapter Fifteen
Shayna
“You sound stupid as hell, Sean.”
I slammed the dishwasher shut, spinning on my heel as my brother lounged at the kitchen table like he wasn’t talking about robbing Kilo.
“I’m talking strategy,” he said, calm as ever. “Ain’t nobody gone get hurt. We in, we out, and we get what we need.”
I crossed my arms. “You mean steal from Kilo.”
“I mean, get what’s owed. You were the one taking care his seed all them years. You were the one who held it down solo while he sat up in a cell. He owes you.”
“You don’t know shit about what he owes me and taking it won’t make the situation better.”
He pushed back in the chair, arms folded behind his head, looking like a devil in sweatpants. “I know he got cash, properties, a whole damn empire. And you sitting here waiting on him to figure out if he wanna claim his kid.”
“He just found out,” I snapped.
“It’s been long enough.” Sean said smugly.
“You gone let him take his sweet time while we sit around hoping he’ll step up?” he said. “That’s wild, Shay. You better than that.”
My nails dug into my arms. “You don’t get to push me into this mess just because you’re broke and lazy.”
He stood slow, posture sharp. “You forget who was buying diapers when Liberty was a baby? You forget who was there, taking her back and forth and picking her up from school and shit?”
I glared. “Don’t act like you saved me. She’s your niece. You should want to do those things for her. Everything you did me had a string attached.”
“And it still does,” he snapped. “I need this. We need this. If Kilo won’t step up, then we snatch what we can and move.”
“You rob him, Sean, and it’s over. There won’t be any chance at nothing. He’ll come for you. He ain’t the type to let shit slide.”
Sean took a step closer, lowering his voice. “You think I’m scared of that nigga or his brothers? Fuck them niggas.”
“You should be,” I said coldly. “You don’t know what you’re walking into.”
He paused for a second, just long enough for the tension to stretch.
