Page 23 of The Impossible

“Okay, I’ll send the jet,” he answered in a matter-of-fact tone.

“It’s not a transportation issue, Hondo. It’s the control thing. Unlike me, she has been no contact with them for years. I just thin⁠—”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll handle it.”

“Meaning?”

“I got it.” His voice was cool, which naturally made me calm down.

A brief pause happened before he told me he’d see me when I got to the house. That was fine because I was drifting into a nap I didn’t know I needed until I got into the car.

CHAPTER 6

Hondo

The Wedding Day

She was simply fucking beautiful, inside and out, a heart of fucking gold. A heart I had every intention of protecting, even if it took every breath in my body. I hadn’t seen her this morning since Moms insisted she sleep in the other room instead of with me last night. I didn’t like that at all because in the last few weeks I got used to sleeping with her in my arms. Mama was talking all that shit about tradition while both Patience and I were on some fuck tradition shit.

“Damn, you really fucking did it, huh?” My brother’s voice behind me had me turning around.

“Did what?”

“Got Patience O’Leary to the altar. That’s what, nigga.”

I laughed. “Yo, you’re stupid. You know that?”

“Yeah, I am, but I’m also grateful that you’re getting married so it’s a lot of available pussy out there for me to lay eyes on.” He winked.

I shook my head because he was serious. Our mother was going to take this event to introduce him to any and every woman she deemed a prospect of helping him slow down. That was Alora and just how she was.

My brother and I talked for a while longer before he left and I was there alone, wondering how I was about to sneak into the room where Nic was. Reaching into my pocket, I pulled my phone out when I heard a door close and footsteps. That immediately put me on alert because I knew for a fact nobody was supposed to be up here… not yet at least.

I was swift, moving into the bathroom that connected the room I was to where Nic was. I didn’t hear anything, which had me moving faster. Once I was in the washroom, I held on to the knob tightly as I twisted it to open the door without making a sound.

I might’ve seemed paranoid, but something didn’t feel right. Usually when I felt this way, I was right. Over the years I had learned to trust my gut because that motherfucker had never steered me wrong.

“Who are you?” I heard Nic’s voice from the other side of the door.

“The last face you’re gonna see, princess, and a man who's about to make some very easy cash.”

I opened the door a little, peeping that whoever he was had his back to me. Dumbass, because if this was a hit, having his back to the door was stupid.

I eased in, positioning myself right behind him.

“What do you mea—” She saw me but paid attention to the front of the hitman. That meant he had a gun.

“Shush, the last thing I need is for him to hear you over here.”

“Too fucking late.” My hand was over his mouth, gripping his chin, and the other was at the back of his head. I broke his neck stealthily and dropped his lifeless body onto the floor. Then I rushed over to Nic, pulling her body into my arms.

She trembled in my arms while I assured her that everything would be okay. What the entire fuck?

It took her a moment to calm down, but I had the body removed and she was escorted to the room I was supposed to be in.

“What was that?” she asked, seated on my lap, looking down at me.

“I don’t know, but I’ma find out. On my soul.” I reached up, gripping her chin so she was looking directly at me when I said my next few words. “I don’t know what the fuck that was and that will be the only time you hear me tell you I don’t know. I got you with everything in me, Nicolette. You just gotta trust me to have you.”