Page 19 of Trading In A Broken Heart

Stepping to the camera, she looked up and said, “Since you’re forcing me to stay here, can you at least go to my house and grab a few of my things?”

I thought she would’ve had everything she needed once I brought her here. I tried my best to look around and get everything that she used the most. Maybe this wasn’t such a huge request that I couldn’t grant. Turning on the speaker, I said, “Write down everything that you want me to grab, and I’ll send someone to get it.”

“No! It has to be you. I don’t trust anyone inside my home. You have to be the one to go get it.”

“A’ight.”

I turned off the microphone and got up from the desk. By the time I made it to Solei’s room, she had written down everything that she wanted me to grab. The list was longer than a mufucka. I should’ve changed my mind once I saw everything she was asking for, but I was a man of my word, so I took the paper from her and left.

“And my phone! I need my phone! I have customers!” she yelled behind me.

I’d been contemplating giving her back her phone. Since we had an agreement, I wasn’t gon’ hold her hostage like that anymore. Once I brought her, her things, I’d let her know that she was free to roam as she’d like, but she had to make sure that she came back home every single night. We were husband and wife, and it was vital that everyone saw that.

I left the house and went straight to Solei’s apartment. When I entered the building, everyone walked around the bitch as normal. There was only one person out of place in there, and that was Chuck. I placed him on Solei’s crib to keep an eye on it, to make sure nothing happened to her things and to make sure that no one uninvited showed up. He hit me with a nod as I approached the elevator and then went back to whatever he was doing on his phone.

I went to enter the elevator when the doors opened but stepped back when I saw this older guy getting off. “Hey, how you doing?” he asked as he passed me.

I didn’t even bother to say anything back. Just got on the elevator and took it up to her floor. Using my key, I let myself inside and shut the door behind me. Solei’s house was spotless. I’d seen her on the surveillance cleaning her place twice a week. That was one thing about her: She loved to have her house clean and smelling good.

There was a load of laundry sitting next to the couch that she didn’t even get the chance to fold and put up. That was probably what she was gon’ do once she made it back from the store, but she never got here. On the stove was a glass pan. Her sink was empty.

Strawberries tickled my nostrils as I made my way down the hallway to Solei’s bedroom to grab her duffel out of the closet and put everything in there that she wanted. All of Solei’s clothes were color coordinated, including her jewelry and bags. This girl must have had a bad case of OCD.

As I stepped out of the closet with the duffel, I was grabbed and slung on top of the bed. I stared back at Grim, whose nostrils flared as he glared at me.

“I was expecting Wicked or Maniac,” I spoke with a smirk. Grim didn’t utter a single word. His locs hung down in his face, almost to mine. “I’on like dreads dangling in my face.” His jaw twitched. I take it that he didn’t find me amusing. “I’m assuming that you’re looking for your sister?” His breathing grew heavy, and jaw muscles clenched. “Don’t worry. She’s safe.” I patted his cheek, and he smacked my hand down. In one swift motion, I had a gun against my temple.

“She’s exactly where she belongs . . . with me. You can kill me, and you’ll never see her again. I don’t care about dying, but if I don’t make it back, she’ll die, and then both of our families will be wearing black. Is that really what you want, lil Grim? You want to be the reason that your sister dies?”

Grim squeezed his eyes shut and then slowly backed off me. I shot up on the bed and grinned at him. “Solei belongs to me now. Whether y’all like it or not, she’s carrying my last name. Welcome to the family.” I got up and tapped him in the chest with the tip of my fingers. Grim gripped me by the wrist and rammed my face into the wall.

“I’on give a fuck who you is. You harm any hair on Solei’s head, and I promise I’ll break yo’ ass limb from limb and shove all of them down yo’ mama’s throat.”

“Now, why would I want to hurt Solei? She’s my wife.”

He pulled me from the wall and slammed me back against it. “I don’t repeat myself.”

“A’ight.”

Grim released me and slid his strap back into his waistline. “You know where I can find her panties?” The corner of my mouth quirked. Grim’s fist slammed into the wall. “I’on think your sister will like you putting holes in her wall. It might be fine, though. I think she’ll put this place up for sale now that she’s living with me.”

Brushing his locs back out his face, he stormed out of the room. It was always a good day to get underneath a Saint-Mercier’s skin.

* * *

When I made it back to the house, I took Solei’s duffel to her room. I knocked before entering and didn’t see her in there but heard the water running in the bathroom. The water cut off, and I heard humming coming from there. Seconds later, Solei exited with a towel wrapped around her frame. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw me standing there.

“I can’t get any privacy?”

“It’s nothing I ain’t seen before.” Her eyes expanded and mouth touched the floor. “Here’s your stuff.” The duffel dropped against the bed. “Your family is looking for you. You should give them a call and let them know that you’re okay.”

“And how would you know that?” Her brow arched to her hairline.

“Grim.”

A devious smirk crept onto Solei’s face. “He got your ass good, too, didn’t he?”

“Nothing I couldn’t handle.”