Page 89 of Justice II

“Whatever. I’m gone. I shouldn’t even have gotten in this car.”

“Then why did you?”

“Because I thought we could have a conversation without you attacking me.”

“Get the fuck out,” I hissed.

“Don’t ever contact me again,” she replied.

“I won’t. And maybe when he goes upside your head again, it’ll knock some sense into you,” I responded as she got out and slammed my door shut.

I started the car and sped away, making my way to the mall. I decided to indulge in the perks of being Justice’s woman while I cleared my head.

28

Justice

I waited until the girls’ car cleared the driveway before heading back upstairs. With them off to school I had time to search Storie’s room again. A nigga felt like he was losin’ his mind.

Maybe there would be answers in there this time. Maybe I could find that letter Monica wrote to me. Things were so crazy that I hadn’t even had time to process my feelings about Monica.

Did Kira know she slept with someone else while we were broken up? I wanted to dig Monica’s ass out the grave and shake her. Look at what you brought into my life.

My attachment to Storie was solid and it was going to be painful to break. That is if I couldn’t fix her. There had to be a way to fix her.

I started in the closet. Every box came off the shelf. I checked inside her shoes, then moved to the drawers and the space beneath her bed. I went through the books on her desk, looking between the pages for Monica’s letter.

There was nothing.

I sank on Storie’s bed angry at the woman who had left me raising two daughters while keeping something like that to herself. She should’ve just told me instead of writing me a letter like a coward.

She died leaving me to pick up these pieces. Leaving me to deal with a dangerous child who may not be mine.

I put the books back and opened the nightstand. There was nothing but lip gloss, eye shadow, pens and a few other random things.

There was nothing that explained Midnite’s death. Nor was there anything from Monica, either.

I got up and stood in the middle of the room, looking at the bed I had tucked Storie into so many times. I had sat there through nightmares and complaints about school. Now I was searching for evidence that she had killed her mother.

I rubbed the back of my neck before going into her bathroom.

Her comb was beside the sink. I picked it up and looked at the hair caught between the teeth.

At least I could leave with something.

I pulled the hair off the comb and placed it in some tissue. I’d already bought the paternity test online. Once I had everything together with my own sample, I put the package in my bag to mail after I left the casino.

I still had to get through a meeting.

For a few seconds, I stood beside the bed thinking about the life I’ve had with her. I’ve been answering to Daddy for fifteen years. A report wasn’t going to explain what the fuck I was supposed to do with all of that.

I picked up my keys and headed downstairs.

Priest was waiting outside my office when I got to the Banks Grand. He looked up from his phone as I approached.

“You late.”

“You early.”