Page 108 of Own It

This was the hood, and while there were no cameras of any kind around these parts, it was unlikely anyone would go snitching. I was more worried about why some random nigga just tried to snipe me and my fucking brother.

As impromptu as this shit felt, I knew it really wasn’t.

SIX

daylin

ONE WEEK LATER . . .

Entering Russell’s Steakhouse, I smiled at the woman at the hostess stand who’d greeted me.

“Hey, I’m here to see Kasia,” I told her, and she lit up, surveying me a bit.

“Oh, boss lady. Okay. She told me a friend was coming.” The girl dressed in all black clicked around on the computer before gathering a menu and telling me to follow her.

She led me toward the back of the upscale restaurant and into a small private room, probably best for proposals or intimate dates versus the larger one for parties or business dinners.

“Thank you, Cat.” Kasia rose from her seat, smiling at her employee before focusing her eyes on me. “How are you?”

After embracing her, I said, “I’m good. I need to know how you are? You told me I needed to meet you for drinks as soon as you clocked out.”

She watched me sit down, nibbling on her lip just as another girl entered.

“Hey, would you guys like some drinks or food?” she asked, and Kasia gestured for me to speak first.

“Hennessy sidecar, please,” I answered.

“Same for me, and the blue crab dip.” Kasia offered up a somewhat fake smile to her employee. “So remember what I told you at the ranch house. The day I first met you.” She rolled her eyes at herself as her employee exited.

“Of course.”

“Well I did it. I’m done with his ass,” she confessed, shocking me.

I knew Josias had lied to her after seeing him with Tarin on several occasions, but it was still surprising to me that she stuck to her word. The way she’d made shit sound, it was like she was addicted to Josias.

“Damn. What happened?”

Though I’d been privy to Josias and Tarin, I didn’t know what prompted Kasia to leave her baby daddy, so I truly wanted to find out.

She sighed, just before the waitress came in with our drinks and crab dip. Kasia immediately took a sip.

“I found out he was still fucking baby mama number one because the bitch sent me a photo of him in bed.”

Almost spitting my drink out, I asked, “With her?”

“No,” she clarified, shaking her head. “But he was shirtless, so I can do the damn math.” She drank down more of her cocktail. “He swears he was tired after working and being with their kids so he took a nap, but regardless, he shouldn’t be taking naps over there like that.”

“I get it.” I tried some of the dip, using the warm, crispy and buttered bread. “I . . . wanna tell you something because I feel like we are becoming cool and I don’t want you thinking I am disloyal down the line.”

“Okay.” She picked up a piece of bread but had it suspended in air, not yet swiping it through the hot, creamy dip.

“So a couple times while I was with Rah, I saw Josias with Tarin. I didn’t want to tell you because I didn’t know you, and frankly, I have lost a friend over a situation like this. It was in high school, but I never forgot it. You and I weren’t even really cool, so I didn’t want you to think I was being malicious or stir up some shit with the brothers. I just got my man, and I can’t have him thinking I’m messy.”

Kasia stared at me before she started laughing, catching me off guard.

“I definitely feel you on not wanting your new man to think you’re gonna be causing problems.” She bit the bread slathered in crab dip. “I also get why you didn’t say anything, and I can’t really say I would’ve done anything different if I were you. Gotta be careful telling a woman her man is up to no good.”

“Exactly!” I was relieved she didn’t shoot up from the table and storm out. “See, I knew I liked you better than what’s her name.” I drank my cocktail as we let out synchronized giggles.