She retreats backwards and doesn’t answer him.

“Get your people and leave,” Braxxon repeats.

Iiana orders her men to pick up the guy that I shot. I honestly don’t care if he dies or not. That is how disgusted I am that they had the audacity to point a gun in my face, as if I was the one who was spewing threats. Sabine rolls her bags towards the gate, and Rap opens it to reveal the black SUVs that Iiana and her men arrived in.

“Don’t come back, and I assure you, Angel won’t be contacting you again.” Braxx reminds her, “You have until the morning to get the fuck outta my town.”

I wouldn’t have given her that much time.

“If my daughter wants to create a family with white trash, then she can,” Iiana spits out, adding fuel to the already steaming hot fire blazing in the compound.

Oh, why couldn’t she leave when she was asked? Why would she run her mouth more, only to feed the already burning situation? People don’t learn. She’s been ordered to leave, and now she runs her mouth? It’s like she loves to push other’s buttons so hard that there is no going back.

“OUT!” my dad screams. “Your bitch of a daughter talked my son into going into a mess, and he got fuckin’ killed. You’re lucky I didn’t put a fuckin’ bullet into her skull. If you’re not out of here in the next thirty seconds, all of your motherfucking brains are gonna be splattered on this cement,” he roars, aiming his gun directly at her head.

Shadow’s free hand moves to my stomach so that he can get a better handle over me. I stop trying to fight and lean into his body. I don’t give a fuck anymore. This is my life, this is what I know, and I have to accept this is how it is always going to be.

***

Shadow

Tatiana has given up. I felt it when she shot that guy in the gut. It was the strangest thing. It was as if all the sweet in her turned sour. She isn’t sorry she shot the guy. She knew what she was doing, and she knew what the result would be from the action she chose. All I can do is hold her until these people are gone, because if someone so much as lays a finger on her, I will kill them.

When Rap hits the button to close the gate, everyone lets out a breath. We don’t want to lose anyone else. In my opinion, everyone is still in damn shock over Mace Jr.’s death. It was a fast one. He came out of nowhere.

“Tatiana, I’m not sugarcoatin’ this shit. You most likely killed that guy,” ZZ tells her.

She shrugs against my body before she answers back. “He pointed his gun at me. I’m tired of guns being pointed around here. At least he won’t be able to point a gun at another innocent woman.”

I chuckle and squeeze her closer to me as I tuck my gun back in the holster. ZZ hands me the one he took from her, and I tuck it back in my waistband. I’ll have to dispose of it later. I’ll be damned if I take the risk of Winter’s mom turning the dead guy over to the cops, and the possibility of the bullet and gun being traced back to Tea.

“Tatiana, go inside. I have to talk with Shadow,” ZZ orders her and everyone scatters.

Prez took off as soon as the gate closed, no doubt to bitch at Winter for getting out of bed and risking her and the baby’s health.

I watch her retreat inside before I turn back to ZZ. “I can’t believe she fuckin’ did that,” I hiss and let my frustration finally show.

“She’s gone cold. My daughter has gone fuckin’ cold. Losing my son hit her harder than she’s letting on,” he says with a beat down tone.

“ZZ, brother, I gotta get outta here for a while. Danick called. He has a shit ton of leads on his wife’s murder.” I hate that I am bringing this up, but he needs to know I won’t be here. My friend needs my help, and I can’t go back on my word.

“Your mentor, Danick?” ZZ rubs his nose between his fingers.

I give a jerk of my head to answer his question.

“And you gave him your word?”

“I did.” I pull out my smokes, light one, and offer him one, too.

No brother goes back on their word.

“Shit, man, I’ve got to go to my son’s parents, and she can’t be left here without one of us. Storm refuses to let me do this on my own. Tatiana’ll need you.”

I already know that she does. I don’t know what to do. I take a puff of my cig and inhale the biggest hit of nicotine.

“Take her with you.”

He’s got to be joking. I’m heading straight into shit worse than this, and he wants me to take her with me? He’s fucking lost his ever loving mind!

“I’m dealin with the Italian mob, brother. It’s safe here, and she won’t be safe with me if she goes.”

She can’t go. She’s fucked up enough over her brother dying, and now shooting this fucker. She thinks she isn’t showing it, but she is. The pain laced in her words and her movement assures us of that.

“She can’t,” I argue.

ZZ takes a hit off of the cigarette and blows out some smoke. “Take her. Keep her safe, but let her see how dangerous shit actually is out there. It’s easy here, but she thinks it isn’t. This is not even one percent of the fucked up shit in this world.”

He’s right, but why the hell does he want me to take her with me and show her that? I do not understand his logic on this one.

“She shot a fucker! Take her with you, and see if she’s really hardened or if it’s a show. Do you think I would insist that my daughter go with you after losing my son? I trust you with her life. She’ll see that this is peaches and cream compared to the shit you’re about to get into. If you have problems and you have to send her back, I’ll come get her if it gets serious.”