Page 39 of Set My Soul Ablaze

“Get out of my shop, now.”

“But Mali?—”

“NOW!” The scream rattled the walls and my throat. Juda knew not to test me anymore. He stood up and walked toward the door.

“You should probably get tested. Who knows, I might have left a parting gift.” He winked at me and left the store.

I felt sick to my stomach. I ran to the bathroom and emptied the contents of my stomach. Just when I thought everything was getting better, my past came back to haunt me.

“I might have left a parting gift.”

My life was a joke to him. I had to go get tested for STDs because the man I spent nine years with was unfaithful that whole time. Syphilis wasn’t a fucking joke either. It did irreparable damage.

Was my life over?

I couldn’t face Flame until I had answers.

As I threw up, the tears poured down my face. The happy relationship I was starting to build with Flame would be over before it ever fucking began for real.

Fuck my life.

“Am I crazy?”I asked Juliet on the phone as I pulled up to Mali’s parents’ house. We’d shared locations after our third friend date, but I still felt apprehensive about my decision because it tittered the lines of concerned boyfriend and stalker.

“No. You’re not crazy at all. It’s been almost a week since you’ve physically seen her and over three days since she’s replied to a text. It’s only right to pull up and see what’s going on.”

“Cool. I didn’t come empty-handed either. I brought her favorite tacos from the food truck we went to on our first date. I’m trying not to freak out, but man, she’s got my nerves bad.”

“I understand. Keep us updated. Mali’s a part of the 143 now. We care about her.”

“Will do.”

We ended the call. I pulled out my phone for a final Hail Mary.

ME:

Hey. I haven’t heard from you in a couple of days. Are you good?

I waited a few minutes. No response. I turned the car off and got out. I had the bag of food in one hand and my phone in the other as I followed the stone path to the front door.

ME:

I’m outside. Open the door before I break it down.

The response came almost immediately.

Mali :

???

ME:

You’ve got forty-five seconds to open the door, or it’s coming down.

Once the message was sent, I put the phone in my back pocket and waited patiently. I wouldn’t actually break her parent’s front door down, but I needed to get her moving with urgency. It didn’t take long for the door to open.

She was slightly out of breath, but that didn’t matter. What mattered was the tear stains on her cheeks and the redness in her eyes.

“What happened? Did someone hurt you?” My protective mode kicked in immediately.