Page 75 of Own It

“I get you, but this⁠—”

“I’m not coming.” He cut me off just as I heard a female in his background as he hung the phone up.

“What he say?” Josias inquired, and I just shook my head while giving him eye contact. He nodded to say he caught my drift.

I dialed Ayan next, but he didn’t answer either of the calls, so I gave up. I already didn’t wanna tell him shit, but at the end of the day, Zaire was his brother, too, and I wasn’t enough of a fucked up individual to keep this information from his bitch ass.

Suddenly, I heard footsteps and looked over to see an older white man in a lab coat, his eyes pinned on us to let us know he was Zaire’s doctor.

“The family of Zaire Godfrey?” he asked, apparently double-checking even though Josias and I were the only people out here.

“That’s us. We his brothers.” Josias spoke up, and the man nodded sorrowfully, making my stomach sink.

“Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to save your brother. He . . .” The doctor’s words trailed off as Josias let out a blood curdling scream, punching a deep ass hole into the wall.

“Fuck you mean you couldn’t save him!” Josias got in the doctor’s face, towering over him and breathing like a raging fucking bull.

“Jojo—” I tugged on his shoulder, and he snatched from me, keeping his eyes bolted on the doctor that looked like he’d shit himself thirty seconds ago. “Aye!” I roared, realizing the calm bother approach wasn’t gon’ work.

“Sir, is there⁠—”

“I got it. Back yo’ ass up,” I told the burly security guard who’d neared us, face balled like he was on go. I knew for a fact Josias would send his ass through a wall.

He did as I’d said just before I yanked Josias back from the doctor’s face. I wanted to punch the muthafucka, too, but at the end of the day, it wasn’t his damn fault. It was Zaire’s fault and shit, mine.

“I—”

“What happened?” I asked the doctor as collectedly as I could, bear hugging Josias from behind.

Exhaling and pushing his white hair back, he replied, “He ingested fentanyl, and it intercepted his breathing. He was dying when they brought him in, and we did everything we could, but he died from asphyxiation.”

Josias’s head dropped as he broke down in my arms sobbing. The doctor’s tenor switched from being terrified to sympathetic. By the looks of Josias, I knew he could tell Zaire was his twin.

I could feel tears form in my eyes but held it together, knowing Josias and I both couldn’t break the fuck down right now.

After being at the hospital for hours, filling out paperwork and shit, Josias and I left.

I took my brother to the ranch house with me, putting him in one of the five other bedrooms before coming out to see Mylo.

“Everything good?” he asked but in a tone that let me know he knew it wasn’t.

“Nah.” I shook my head. “It’s not. Where she at?” I changed the subject, not wanting to talk about this shit right now. I was on edge and needed to get by myself to process my fucking emotions. I couldn’t do that with Mylo, Josias, and especially Daylin watching me.

“She down in the room she usually sleeps in. She woke up, cleaned herself up, then started tidying the whole place including the kitchen. She even made some pancakes.” He patted his stomach.

“Nigga, the fuck you doing eating my gir—her pancakes and shit?” I caught myself, but Mylo had already heard the shit, bucking his eyes. “You can go.”

“They was good too, boss.” He laughed as I shook my head, escorting his ass out.

The smell of pancakes was still in the kitchen as I bypassed it, but a nigga felt too sick to eat. I was still in disbelief that my fucking brother was gone, and the image of him laid on that hospital bed lifeless as Josias cried over him would haunt me for the rest of my fucking days. I was starting to wonder if we were cursed.

Entering Daylin’s bedroom, I saw her reading as an empty plate sat beside her.

“You’re back.” She smiled softly, but it waned as she took in my demeanor.

“I am. You good? Need anything before I go upstairs?” I queried, nearing her and touching her soft ass face.

She was beautiful as is, but I couldn’t wait to see her in her element, free and working on her business.