Page 60 of Risking it All

I rushed out of the house, unlocking the car as I approached it. Once I was inside, I tossed the phone in the passenger seat. Once I was in the car, my mind was made up for sure. As I backed out of Sawyer’s driveway, the phone rang so loud it made me jump. I looked over at it but shook my head. I already knew who it was.

There were only two people that I knew for sure had that number. I didn’t want to talk to Sawyer. I knew he would just try to talk me out of doing what I had to do. I was slightly relieved when the phone stopped ringing, but my anxiety only heightened when the ringing immediately started back.

I was barely a mile away from the house the third time the phone rang. There was a lump in my throat as I reached over and picked up the phone. I accepted the call and put the phone to my ear, but I couldn’t bring myself to say anything.

“Baby, what are you doing?” Sawyer asked gently.

“I have to go, Sawyer. I’m sorry.”

“Zenia, no. Don’t do that. You promised me.”

“They have my sister, Sawyer. The one who ran away. They have her, and they are saying that if I don’t come back willingly, they’re taking the twins to make up for me being gone. They were never supposed to be in this shit. I fucked up, baby. I have to make it right.”

“Zenia, go back home. Let me worry about making this right.”

“I can’t, Sawyer. They’re just gonna kill you, and then I’ll have to hide out in a foreign country for the rest of my life, knowing that my sisters had to suffer because of me.”

“Mama, you promised. You said you trusted me. Let me do this.”

“Where are you?” I asked him.

“I came to see my father. Please go home, baby. Don’t do anything crazy.”

“Getting you involved was crazy. Leaving in the first place was crazy. I have to right my wrongs, Sawyer. I know you get that.”

“I get it, baby. I really do, but I can’t risk losing you. You know you can’t trust them not to do anything to hurt you, even if you do go back willingly. I’m not letting you walk into that.”

“You can’t stop me, Sawyer. I love you, but I have to do this, baby. Goodbye.”

“Zenia!”

I heard his voice right before I ended the call, but I couldn’t stay on the phone. I was only going to let him talk me out of trying to save my sisters. As the oldest, they were my responsibility. After ending the call with Sawyer, I called my father’s office.

“Morgan Manor,” our maid Rosa answered.

“Rosa, let me speak to Zahad.”

16

Sawyer

After Zenia hung up the phone, I called her right back.

“Come on, baby,” I muttered.

When it went to voicemail, I threw my head back. Just for the hell of it, I called her again. This time, it went straight to voicemail. I was so pissed that I almost threw my phone out of the window, but I needed her to be able to contact me.

There was no way she thought I would just let her walk into there and sacrifice herself without putting up a fight. I was just a few minutes away from my parents’ house, but now I was too fucking far away from where I needed to be.

“Damn it, Z!” I snarled, punching the steering wheel.

It felt oddly nostalgic to pull up to my parents’ house after all these years. I’d spent the latter part of my twenties and all my thirties avoiding the place I called home for so long. I wanted out of the family business. With my father’s reluctant blessing and seed money that I’d repaid ten times over, I left to pursue my own path.

Since the day we opened Cashville, I hadn’t asked my family for anything other than their support of me not wanting anything to do with the Black Family Cartel. I even used my mom’s maiden name to distance me from their notoriety. Now I was back home, but for good reason.

The giant wrought iron gates creaked open without me even having to stop my truck. Of course, they could see me. My father was always on top of everything. He probably even knew what I wanted at this point.

I pulled right in front of the door and hopped out of the truck. I only had to knock once before my mom opened the door. As I walked inside, I closed the door behind me. My mom blessed me with a beautiful smile, but I couldn’t even enjoy it because as soon as she saw my face, her smile faded.