Page 6 of All In

Kormia said, yawning as she swung her purse strap over her shoulder.

“I can take him with me if you want and bring him back in the morning. It’s already late.”

“I thought you weren’t going home tonight,” Jackie asked. “I did too,” Kormia replied.

“But my dad just texted me and said he’s going to Atlantic City for a couple of days. So I’m taking my ass home while I got the place to myself.”

“And what’s going on with that?” Jackie asked.

“I thought Uncle Ant was staying with you for a few weeks. It’s going on six months, Kormia.”

“Well, what would you have me do? Throw him out? He still my daddy. He just down on his dick right now. I can’t abandon him.”

“Mia, respectfully, your daddy big grown. And it ain’t your fault he can’t keep his old ass out of jail. Not to mention he talk to a million bitches. Why can’t he stay with one of them?”

Kormia went quiet because she knew Jackie was right. Her daddy was getting over.

Kormia’s father used to be a big stepper in the city. He had nice cars, big houses and a bitch for every day of the week. He was a wolf through and through. Big Ant was like an urban legend in the city. He made most of his bones doing B&E and pulling off heists. He had a reputation for being ruthless and untouchable.Jackie hated that nigga.He spent most of Kormia’s childhood either in a cell or in the street.But this last case was federal, and they seized everything.That’s how he ended up overstaying his welcome. Jackie knew Kormia was probably too scared to ask him to leave—afraid he’d cut her off again.Which was fucked up.Because he was her only living parent.

“Mia, I watched you hustle your ass off to buy that condo. It’s been your lock screen for years, and your daddy done completely took it over. You need to tell his bum ass to bounce.”

“I will… just not right now,” Kormia said.Jackie shook her head, knowing there was nothing she could say to make hercousin see the light when it came to her no-good ass daddy.“But nah, Max is going home with me,” Jackie said, shifting the conversation. “He needs to get his ass in the tub. Real bad.”

“You sure? He look heavy as hell.”Jackie smirked.

“He is heavy as hell. But I got it. Thank you for offering, though, baby cousin.”

“Always.” Kormia gave her a tired little salute and headed out.One by one, Jackie’s crew peeled off.By eleven, On Bended Bean was back to its original condition.Exposed brick. Hardwood floors. The faint smell of vanilla, now laced with something heavier.Nostalgia or grief.Jackie couldn’t tell anymore.She set the alarm, locked the doors, did one last walkthrough, and stepped outside.

That’s when she saw it.An all-black car idling across the street.Her chest tightened for a second until recognition settled in. It was Him.Cassius.The driver’s door opened, and without a word, he crossed the street and scooped Max into his arms.Jackie didn’t argue.She knew better.

Fat Daddy barely stirred, his head falling against Cash’s shoulder, chocolate-streaked fingers curling into the lapel of his Tom Ford.Jackie followed as Cash eased Max into the backseat, adjusting him so he wouldn’t slump too hard.Then he swung the passenger door open for her.“You gon’ make sure my car get back to me?” she asked, voice low—tired but still sharp.Cash nodded, sliding her seat back slightly, before Jackie climbed in. The door shut with a soft click.Inside, the world quieted.Soft leather. Dim lighting.Meek Mill 1942 flows playing low through the speakers.

The ride was quiet, just Max’s soft snores and the music humming in the background as they hit the e-way.North Philly crept closer as the city blurred past.Jackie cracked the window, letting the night air brush her skin—cool, with the last trace of summer clinging to it.And what a summer it had been.Betweenplanning Syxe’s wedding and everything else, she’d executed. For the first time, it felt like her event planning might actually be something. Before it was just a hobby, and a few one-off gigs. Now it was shaping up to be something tangible, that she could possibly make a living off.

Her eyes drifted to Cash.He looked tired.His shirt was open at the collar now. The shades he wore earlier were gone, replaced with his glasses.Jackie noticed he was taking the long way home.She almost said something—but didn’t.Instead, she let herself sit in it.Because something told her this might be the last time, they were ever this close again.And that thought settled heavy in her chest.Jackie leaned her head against the window.Her feet hurt and her heart did too.But she was used to that.Tonight, had been long. Beautiful in some ways. Bitter in others.Watching Syxe say “I do” to Montana felt like witnessing an answered prayer.Syxe had been burned by love, trapped in a marriage that nearly broke her.But somehow, she still found the courage to try again.And God still met her there.Still gave her something real and lasting. So maybe…just maybe—there was hope for Jackie too.

CHAPTER FOUR

CASH

Jackie’s block made Cash’s skin itch.

He had seen worse shit in North Philly. Still, the shit pissed him off. That she lived here, that Max lived here. That someone like Jackie, who had pulled elegance and magic out of thin air tonight, had to come home to a dilapidated row house on a trap block riddled with fiends. Sure, the inside of her place was cozy and thoughtful, nothing like the block it sat on. But the house was old and clearly needed repairs. And even though she had people on the block who looked out for her, this was no place for a family. Let alone a single mother and her son. Cassius knew Jackie could handle herself but that wasn’t the point. The point was she shouldn’t have had to. Half the block consisted of boarded-up rowhomes where fiends and dealers gathered. Jackie lived on the end where people still occupied the houses, but even that side wasn’t much better. The streetlights barely worked. The pavement was cracked. Trash piled along the curb. Seeing it all made Cashangry. He thought about Max and hated that he had to breathe this air—or sleep in a room where gunshots were not rare background noise.

The Amin-Rashid family-owned hundreds of residential properties throughout Philadelphia. Cash had his own portfolio too. Moving Jackie somewhere safer would be nothing. But knowing Jackie, she’d rather die than accept help she didn’t earn. Cash glanced into the back seat. Max was still out cold,mouth open, chest rising steady. His once-white button-down was now a road map of stains. That boy had the whole party on his shirt, and maybe even a little mac and cheese near the collar.

The kid looked like he’d had the time of his life. Jackie was spent though, she had knocked out before he even hit Broad Street. Now she was leaned against the window, lips parted in sleep.Peaceful. Her shoes were kicked off somewhere under the seat, her fingers curled loosely in her lap. Her lashes looked too soft for someone who carried so much weight behind her eyes when she was awake. Cash exhaled slowly. He thought about what she told him outside the venue. About how he judged her without knowing the full story. That stuck with him and got under his skin because that wasn’t him. Cash was always strategic, disciplined, and intentional. But when it came to Jackie? Everything that governed him slipped and for the first time in twenty-nine years, he felt out of control.

Cash knew all the reasons he shouldn’t want her. He knew what she came with, and by definition Jackie Brown should’ve beenoff-limits. Yet, he wanted her anyway. The Wraith eased to a stop in front of her house. He let her sleep a moment longer, watching her, and committing the image to memory. Eventually, he reached over and brushed her shoulder. “Jack,” he said quietly, the nickname softer than he intended. “Gimme the keys.” She stirred, eyes fluttering open. “Huh?”

“Your keys, mama. I gotta get y’all inside.” She didn’t argue. Just handed them over like muscle memory. Cash stepped out, moving around to the back first. He lifted Max easily, carrying him inside without waking him. He knew exactly where to go—what door, what room. He laid him down gently.

Max shifted, curled tighter, and kept snoring. When Cash finally returned, Jackie was knocked out for real this time. She wasn’t snoring, but her eyes were closed, and she was clearly rocked.

He opened the door, bent down, and slid one arm under her legs and lifted her smoothly. She stirred, voice thick with sleep when she finally spoke, “Cassius… I can walk.” Cash liked the way his name sounded in her mouth. She made it sound dangerous and warm at the same time. “Go back to sleep,” he murmured. This time she didn’t fight him or question it. Instead, she let him carry her inside like it was natural. He set her down gently on the couch, careful not to wake her fully. But her eyes opened anyway.

“Thank you,” she whispered. Cash stood there, not ready to leave.