Kaylani’s Friday night at the casino takes a turn when a mysterious call from Jordyn—the best friend she hasn’t heard from in four years—shakes up her world. Jordyn’s coming back to Miami, and the past she’s been running from is about to catch up with her. But with tensions rising in her own life, can she face the truth and the people who still have a hold on her?
The Hardrock Casino was one of Kaylani’s favorite pastimes on a Friday night. The slot machines were her weakness. She sat in front of those bright, loud, chiming computers for hours, putting in bet after bet until she got a headache.
Some nights she walked out richer than she was when she entered, and other nights she walked out with absolutely nothing. But on any night, she always had a good time.
She was so caught up in the slots that night, she didn’t realize her phone had gone off a dozen times.
Layton hated when she got wrapped up at the casino, because she forgot all about her phone and answering calls.
Kaylani hated how clingy Layton became once they made their relationship official. Since Jordyn left, she thought about leaving Miami too—moving to a new state to start a new life of her own. But over the years, she had grown to love Layton, and moving on got harder to do.
When she finally checked her phone, she saw texts and calls from Layton, talking shit and accusing her of cheating. But the most pressing notifications were from a number she didn’t recognize.
Whoever it was had called three times and left an urgent text for Kaylani to call back. She thought her kidnapping scandal had finally caught up with her and it was time to pay for her crimes, but when she heard Jordyn’s voice on the other end of the call, a sigh of relief was all she could let out.
“How are you?” Jordyn asked. “I know it’s been a long time.”
“Yeah. Nice of you to finally call.” Kaylani wasted no time expressing her frustration.
“Come on, Kaylani. You know how fucked up I was after everything. I just needed some time to myself to figure out my life.”
Kaylani was pissed at Jordyn for disappearing from the world for four years. She thought after everything they’d been through, Jordyn would have at least kept in touch with her.
“I’m coming to Miami,” Jordyn said, cutting into the silence.
“Great. Maybe the stench of this Miami air will help you remember who your best friend is,” Kaylani replied sharply. “And then you're calling like it's nothing. Like everything's cool,” she scoffed.
After four years of no contact, Kaylani wasn’t sure if she and Jordyn were still friends. She felt like she didn’t know how to have a conversation with her or laugh the way they used to. However, in the midst of it all, she was happy that Jordyn had finally reached out.
“You’re my best friend for life, Kay. I’m sorry I haven’t reached out. I just had to get myself together first. Trust me, when I get there, I’m gonna make up for my lack of communication, and we’ll be exactly how we used to be.”
Kaylani fought hard to contain her feelings of happiness and keep up her angry facade, but it was no match for the love she had for Jordyn.
They’d been best friends since they were teens, and no matter how far either of them went or how much time passed, they were always going to be best friends.
“You lucky I love you,” Kaylani said, finally letting her guard down. “How’s the new life treating you?”
Jordyn let out a heavy sigh as she toggled the self driving mode on her Tesla. She was on her way home to prepare for her trip and wanted someone familiar to talk to before catching a flight to hell.
“The new life is everything I wanted it to be. Everything I deserve it to be.” Jordyn smiled as she took it all in. “I have my business. My home. Got over my PTSD and depression. Everything’s good. What about you?”
Life wasn’t all peaches and cream for Kaylani after Jordyn left. She was so energetically misplaced that she hated to even talk about her life. All she did was work, be a girlfriend to Layton, and play the slots. It was the same boring routine every day.
“Shit, maybe I need to move to Chicago,” Kaylani said. “Shit ain’t been the same since you left.”
“What’s been going on? It ain’t like you to be having bad days.”
“I know, right?” Kaylani sighed. “Things just changed. Layton turned into a jealous control freak who’s always breathing down my neck about some shit and accusing me of cheating. I’m just tired and ready for something new, you know? I hate that I actually grew to care about her ass.”
Jordyn knew heartbreak and betrayal all too well. It was the main reason she never wanted to go back to Miami in the first place.
Mega. Polo. Pauline.
Layton was the last person she expected to switch up on anyone. Then again, she thought Mega was the best man in the world at one point.
“Damn,” she shook her head. “I’m sorry to hear that. Shit always ends up being different the minute you start loving someone.”
“Anyways!” Kaylani quickly changed the subject. “What’s bringing you back home? You and Mega getting back together or something?”
“Girl, hell no. I have something to take care of that I really don’t wanna discuss over the phone. I’m booking my flight tonight. Can you pick me up from the airport tomorrow?”
Kaylani thought about the reaction she would get from Layton and wanted to say she couldn’t. But Jordyn was her girl and nothing had ever come between them. Not relationships, not arguments. So she refused to let her fear of Layton’s jealous rage be the line that finally divided them.
“You know I got you,” she said. “Layton probably gon’ trip when she finds out you’re back and we gon’ be hanging out, but whatever.”
All of Jordyn’s thoughts and energy went into preparing for her trip when she got home that night. Of course, she was worried and disappointed about Kaylani’s relationship with Layton, but she had bigger fish to fry.
Once she was all packed, showered and ready to catch a few Z’s before her flight, she decided to call Roman.
Knowing that he’d done time in the feds and knew the system inside and out, she wanted to know what to expect when she got to Miami.
Being that her entire life was tied to drug money and her mother was on her way to being a queenpin again, she wanted to make sure she would be safe if the shit that hit the fan started to scatter around the room.
“What up, J Baby?”
He answered his phone the same way every time, and always on the first ring. If it weren’t for his background and Jordyn’s fear of falling in love again, she would have locked him down the minute she laid eyes on him.
“Why do you always call me that?” She blushed. “Jordyn works just fine.”
“Jordyn is plain,” he replied. “You need a lil spice in your life.”
“Yeah, well, I’m about to get all the spice I can handle dealing with my mama and this feds shit.”
The thought of taking Roman to Miami as her personal lookout crossed her mind, but she knew how he felt about Mega. And the last thing she wanted was for Roman to see them together, get jealous, and do something that landed him back in prison.
“How you plan on handling it?” Roman asked.
“Do you really think they’ll want her to snitch?” Jordyn winced.
She was nervous to talk over the phone, in case her phone was tapped, but Roman made her feel comfortable enough to ask questions. Even if the feds were listening in.
“Come on, J Baby. You know what time it is. Once they grab you, they’ll have their way with you until you give them what they want. Even if you don’t know anything.”
Roman made it sound like her mother’s fate was already sealed. Jordyn knew how straight-to-the-point he was, but she thought he could have at least broken the news to her in a softer way.
“Do you always have to be so rough with me?” she asked. “I know this is serious shit but damn. I’m already scared of what’s gonna happen to her.”
There were a lot of things Roman wanted to do to Jordyn, but being rough wasn’t one of them. He just didn’t know how to be soft and gentle after doing so much time, and being rejected by her because of it.
“I just want you to be prepared. That’s all.”
“You’re making me more paranoid than anything,” Jordyn replied. “This whole shit is fucked up. Every time I think I’m on the right track and nothing can go wrong in my life, somebody else’s bullshit always spins the block.”
“You don’t have to go. You know that, don’t you?” Roman asked. “I know she’s your mother and you love her, but at some point you gotta put yourself first. It’s either you do it, or the universe will do it for you. That’s the funny thing about life. You can’t interrupt someone else's karma, no matter who they are or how much you love them.”
Jordyn was no spiritualist, but she did have an open mind and she loved to listen to Roman talk about the universe and karma and being aligned with one's higher self.
His voice was as smooth as silk and he had a way with words like no man she had ever met, so even when what he said rubbed her the wrong way or hurt her feelings, she took it in and wanted more.
“I can come with you, if you want,” he said. “Be there for moral support when they start digging into who you are.”
“You and me in Miami?” Jordyn chuckled. “Yeah right. I can see you getting into more trouble than a lil bit already.”
“I’m a changed man,” Roman replied. “I don’t get in trouble unless it comes to me. That’s when I get in that ass.”
As badly as Jordyn wanted him to be with her, it was a risk she didn’t want to take. Her problems were hers and hers alone. Dragging him into her mix didn’t sit right with her. Besides, she wanted to have someone on the outside who knew what it was like on the inside if anything happened and she was the next one to be picked up by the feds.
“On that note, I’m gonna go to bed so I can get up and make this flight in the morning,” Jordyn said. “I’ll call you and let you know when I land.”
“Alright. Try not to stress yourself out. Everything will work out the way it’s supposed to.”
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