Page 49 of Set My Soul Ablaze

“He’s my boyfriend. We’ve been dating for a while. He was one of the firefighters who helped me. Really, he’sthefirefighter who saved me. After I visited the station, we talked a lot, and things naturally progressed,” Mali explained in a soft tone.

Her parents studied me. They asked me different questions to get to know me, and I answered them honestly and respectfully. It was easy to talk to them because, just like their daughter, they were funny and witty. Before I knew it, we were all seated in the living room, having a good time.

“I’m really glad y’all like Artez because he’s my emotional support human for this next part.” Mali’s voice filled the silence.

“What’s going on, baby girl?” her father asked.

Mali cleared her throat. “As y’all know, I went to the insurance company today. They gave me an estimate of the money I’ll be getting. They also showed me a compilation from different security cameras of the incident.”

She explained how she’d seen Juda from several angles, sabotaging her home and setting the fire. She got choked up again, but I rubbed her back as she explained to them how foolish and stupid she felt to trust a man who could harm her in such a way.

Her father exuded anger. He stood up and paced the living room floor.

“Daddy, I’m sorry. I don’t want you to be mad at me,” Mali croaked out.

“I would never be upset with you, my blossom. I’m more upset with myself. I watched your light dim with Juda. I watched him suck all of your joy and happiness and stayed quiet. I should have protected you from men like Juda, but I wanted to give you space to figure things out on your own. I’m sorry I failed you, baby girl.”

“Oh, Daddy!” Mali stood up and ran into her father’s arms.

My heart ached as I watched them cry together. Seeing what one man had done to a family pissed me off. Juda had to pay, and I would make it my mission to make sure he did.

The view from the top of my favorite hiking trial was breathtaking. You could see the mountain range in the distance, birds flew above, and the sky was a bright blue. It was one of my favorite hidden gems because it offered the 100 percent privacy, which I needed for what was to come.

As I waited for my contact to arrive, I leaned against the side of my car, deep in thought. Mali’s ex had crossed the line on more than one occasion now.

Her words haunted me: “He almost killed me . . . I don’t want him to hurt you, either. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if someone from my past hurt the man I want to build a future with.”

She wanted to build forever with me, and the feeling was mutual. I wanted Mali to be my wife one day, but we wouldn’t be able to bask in our happily ever after with her bitch ass ex looming in the shadows.

Yes, I had faith in the justice system, but not when the courts were backed up and murderers walked free daily. Juda could walk away with no consequences to his actions, and I didn’t want to take that chance. I had to take matters into my own hands. I had to do what needed to be done for peace of mind.

Not only did he threaten her with STDs, but he also was the reason her house was on fire in the first place. Granted, if it weren’t for the fire, I may not have met Mali, but still. It pissedme off because he never tried shit when I was around her. I wanted to put my hands on that trash-ass nigga so badly, but I knew a crazy mothafucka like that needed special treatment. I needed a professional to handle him.

“Yo, Flame!”

I looked up at the sound of the familiar voice and grinned. “Thank you for meeting me on such short notice.”

Noble Nash reached out to give me a formal handshake. “It’s no problem at all. I told you I owed you a favor after you and your crew saved the day at my baby girl’s birthday party.”

Noble and I grew up on the same side of town. He was a few years older than me, but we didn’t talk until a few months back. The 143 got a bizarre call involving a princess bounce house and a circus performer. When we arrived to help, we became the main attraction, and his daughter got to ride in the fire truck.

“All in a day’s work. How is the family?” I queried.

“The family is good. Nova’s the most popular kid in school after the birthday fiasco. She wants to become a firefighter now, which is a change from the rocket scientist she wanted to be earlier this year.”

I laughed. “You’ve got your hands full.”

He nodded. “Saint’s a carbon copy of me. He has all of my mannerisms and personality traits—and he’s not even a year old yet.”

“It’s crazy how kids can change a man.”

Noble nodded. “Right. It really starts with a good woman. My wife softened me up, and our kids were the cherry on top.”

Noble had fallen in love with a popular Cade’s Cove socialite. Quiet as it was kept, she had a hit put out on her, and her father hired Noble—the best bodyguard in the country—to protect her. I didn’t know the details on how Noble got the hit removed from his lady’s head, but he got shit done, and that was why I needed his help today.

“That’s good shit, for real.”

“What’s up, though? When we spoke on the phone, you made it seem like this was urgent.”