Page 46 of All In

Kormia:You took my oil????

Jackie:And did. You’re welcome.

Jackie:Find Cal. Najee asked him to take you home.

Kormia’s heart raced, as she scanned the club for Calvin. A few minutes later she spotted Newdy airlifting his drunk ass out the club with one shoe on. “Fuck,” she muttered under her breath.

She looked over at Cleo, who was already eyeing her like a rack of ribs. All that cool, older-man energy he normally exuded? Had melted away. Now, he was drunk, sweaty, horny, and a little pissy too. Kormia was about her paper, but she was realizing in real time she wasn’t aboutthatlife. Because the thought of fucking this warlock had her shook. That was when she started plotting her escape.

The plan was real simple, slide out the section when his ass wasn’t looking. Problem was, he hadn’t taken his eyes off her for the last twenty minutes. Luckily for her, he and his homeboy were caught up in a conversation with one of the girls she had invited over. So right now, was as good a time as any. Kormia pulled her clutch close, sliding forward on the couch, ready to make her move.

But just as she stood, Cleo’s hand dropped heavy on her thigh, his grip firm as he pulled her right back down. “Don’t even think about it, lil’ bitch,” he muttered, his voice slurred but hard. His breath reeked of Henny and garlic butter. Kormia forced a smile, trying to lace it sweet.

“Relax, Cleo. I just gotta swing home real quick, freshen up, then I’m gone meet you at the telly.” He leaned closer, his grip tightening. “Nah. You said that last time, then disappeared. Not tonight. I spent too much fucking money on your ass.” He looked her dead in the face. “You gonna give me what I paid for.” Kormia’s heart slammed against her ribs when she looked around and realized the club was empty. For a second, she thought about reaching in her purse and macing this old nigga. But then she remembered she had tucked her mace in the bushes outside so the bouncers wouldn’t take it. Her heartbeat fast, as Cleo’s grip tightened around her arm, hard enough to make her wince.

She tried to keep her face calm, but his grip on her arm was so tight she could barely move. Kormia was scared, and for once in her life, she didn’t know how she was going to get herself out of this.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

PARISH “NEWDY” TOUSSAINT

Parrish hadn’t been outside in the city this late since coming home.

Truth was, he was never the outside type to begin with. He didn’t like the mix, didn’t like crowds, didn’t like people all in his face. Parrish was a homebody by nature, an introvert with a reputation loud enough that he never had to say much. When he did show up somewhere, he stayed quiet and to himself. He didn’t do the mixy shit, it wasn’t his twist. That was part of the reason folks called him theevil twin.The city loved his brother, Parris. Outside washisdomain.

Parris lived for attention, for noise, for fast bikes and big crowds. In Philly’s bike-life scene he was damn near a legend, which gave him access to places and people he had no business being around. Places that fed his ego… and ultimately led to his demise. Parish wasn’t built like that.

He never needed the spotlight. Never wanted it. But somehow, he was always the one picking up the pieces Parris left behind. Tonight, wasn’t supposed to be one of those nights.

It was damn near three-thirty in the morning, and Parrish had just finished dealing with Cal, who got so fucked up he had to throw him over his shoulder and carry him out the club. Then he had to go back inside because the fool only had one shoe on. By the time Parrish finally dumped Cal in the backseat, snoring and useless, he was over it. His night was done. He wanted silence, his bed, and to disappear back into the versionof himself that didn’t have to be outside. He didn’t want to be responsible for anybody. He should’ve known the night wasn’t finished with him yet when he saw the missed calls from Najee. Parrish was halfway back to the car when another incoming call from Najee lit up his screen. He started to ignore it, but Najee had already called him twice in the last 15 minutes.

“Yo bro, Where you at?” Najee asked, voice clipped. “OutsideLimitless.”

“Bet. Do me a favor. Find Kormia. Jackie wanted me to make sure she got home. I tried to call Cal but his phone is dead. Handle it for me.” Parrish rubbed a hand down his jaw and exhaled slow. He didn’t want to go near Kormia’s messy ass with a ten-foot pole. She had been flexing the entire night, in the section across from them, with these 3 old niggas, and a bunch of bad bitches. Kormia’s section was so lit the chicks were leaving Jamil’s section, to party with her instead.

Meanwhile Parish watched her, and in the small moments when she wasn’t standing on sofas and blowing hookah smoke into front cameras, she looked just as out of place as he felt. Prior to tonight, the last time he saw Kormia was at the hospital, in the waiting room after Syxe fell and even then, she seemed off. That day she didn’t even look in his direction. He hated that he even noticed that. Hated that he noticedher. Parrish started to say no, but Najee rarely asked him for favors.

“Bro, you burning me the fuck out right now,” Parrish said.

“I already got Cal drunk ass in my back seat, and I don’t even see her.”

He said as he surveyed the let out and there she was, on the opposite side of the street, with the same old niggas she was partying with all night. Najee spoke again.

“Newdy, please do me this solid. I promised Jackie I would get her home.” Parrish frowned. “Jackie?” There was silence on Najee’s end. Parrish’s eyes narrowed.

“Najee. I hope we ain’t talking about the same Jackie, Cash just crashed out on Zambia and her friends about at the club tonight?” Still silence. Then a long exhale. Parrish shook his head. Knowing this would not end well. “Najee, I don’t normally get in y’all shit, cause y’all both my niggas.

But respectfully bro…you playing with fire.”

“Yeah,” Najee said. “Which is why I need you to make sure Kormia gets home safe.”

Parrish let it go. He knew Najee well enough to know what he said stuck, even if he was trying to change the subject. Parrish’s eyes found Kormia again, this time he saw something his eyes didn’t register the first time. The old head’s hand was clamped hard around her arm. She was trying to save face, but she was in distress. He didn’t even hang up the phone with Najee when he started crossing the street. He was moving faster than he realized, hands loose at his sides, but ready.

The old head jerked her again, voice raised and ugly. “You the second young bitch, that thought she was gonna use me for my paper and not give me nothing in return. Your home girl Jamila should’ve told you what I did to her friend when that bitch tried to run a similar game.”

Kormia tried to pull away, “Cleo, relax. I said I was meeting you—”

“You not going nowhere. You owe me bitch.” Parrish’s chest tightened. Not because she was in some messy shitagain. But because she lookedafraid. And that did something to him. “Ayo,” he said, voice low. “Let her go.” The old man turned, face twisted, speech slurring from the liquor.