Jordyn’s return to Miami stirs up more than old memories—it forces her to confront Mega and the dangerous ties she’s tried to leave behind. But with pressure from Layton and unresolved feelings for Roman, Jordyn’s caught between her past and the future she’s desperate to build. Will facing Mega’s wrath be the price she has to pay for freedom?
Kaylani’s luxury apartment in Coconut Grove was still a vibe. Jordyn walked inside and claimed the room she always took without a care in the world. Layton was on her heels, pressuring her to call Mega and tell him about the feds, but Jordyn was nervous.
After four years of fighting to get over him and the lost baby, she didn’t want to reopen that wound again. She didn’t want to hear his voice again or see his face. Moving on with her life and her mother’s freedom was the only thing she wanted out of Miami.
“You need to make that call,” Layton said, leaning against the doorframe of Jordyn’s room. “And sooner rather than later. Whatever baby mama drama y’all got going on in y’all personal life can take a backseat to this fed shit.”
Jordyn didn’t budge. She stood near the window looking down from Kaylani’s fifth-floor apartment, wondering what would happen if she jumped because surely she would have rather died than call Mega.
“I’m not Kaylani,” Jordyn spoke without shifting her gaze. “You don’t run me. When I’m ready to make that call, I’ll make that call. Until then, keep your mouth shut and let me handle what I need to handle.”
Layton’s eyes went wide. She wasn’t used to people talking to her crazy. Especially not women. She was a woman herself but when it came to dominance and authority, Layton was no better than a man. She laid down the law and what she said went.
“We ain’t gon have no problems, right?” She kept her voice low as she stepped closer to Jordyn. “My relationship with Kaylani is between me and her. And this shit with Pauline, it’s gon be handled, right?”
A lump formed in Jordyn’s throat as she turned to face Layton. She wasn’t afraid of her and felt like she could hold her own if they got into a fight. It was Mega she was afraid of. She knew that if Pauline said a single thing against him to defend herself, he would have her killed.
“I’ll call Mega and let him know,” Jordyn said. “Until then, I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to be seen anywhere near me.”
Her statement was meant to be taken two ways instead of one, and Layton picked up what she put down. One, it was risky business to be together while the feds were snooping after Mega, and two, she was pissed about what she did to Kaylani.
“Yeah,” Layton said, giving Jordyn a sinister look. “I’m heading out anyway. I got some shit to take care of myself.”
Jordyn watched Layton leave without saying a word to Kaylani. In the back of her mind, she kind of wished she did. Just so she’d have a reason to let off some steam and relieve some of the pressure of being in Miami.
“I’m so fucking happy she’s gone.”
Kaylani’s voice entered the room and startled Jordyn. But she was happy Layton was gone too.
“You need to break up with her. I don’t know who the fuck she think she is or when she decided to turn into whoever that is, but it’s not cool. You don’t need to be putting up with that shit, Kay.”
“I’ve tried breaking up with her,” Kaylani griped as she plopped down on the bed. “Every time I leave her alone, she just pops back up. Hell, she even broke up with me a few times and the minute she thinks I’m messing with somebody else, she starts her shit again.”
Jordyn sat next to Kaylani and wrapped her arm around her. The thought of her best friend being beaten and controlled by someone who couldn’t control their own temper made her cringe.
She thought back to the days she spent fighting Polo off—how afraid she was and how broken and bruised her body appeared to the world. Jordyn vowed to never let another man put his hands on her ever again. And it damn sure wouldn’t have been another woman. She didn’t care how manly Layton was.
“Anyway,” Kaylani sighed. “When are you planning on calling Mega?”
Jordyn groaned and removed her arm from Kaylani’s shoulder when the reality shifted back to the importance of her trip. She didn’t want to call Mega at all to tell him anything. Every time she thought about him and Mila in New York or the fact that they were still playing house, she wanted to say to hell with him and let him find out about the feds on his own.
But then she thought about her mother.
“I don’t wanna call him,” Jordyn huffed. “Why me? Why does everything bad happen to me?”
“Shit, me too,” Kaylani sighed again. “I feel like no matter how good of a person I try to be, I always end up in the shittiest situations. Ugh! I should have never took my ass over there that night.”
“And I should’ve never went to that damn ball with Mega.”
The girls sat quietly for a moment, retracing the steps that led them to where they were. If it weren’t for Pauline sitting behind bars and Kaylani tip-toeing the line of leaving Miami, they both would have fled the city without a single word to anyone.
“I guess let me call this man and tell him what I know,” Jordyn said, getting up to get her phone. “And tonight, we’re going out. I need a few drinks and some time with my girl to catch up and decompress. I don’t give a fuck what Layton says.”
Jordyn stepped onto the balcony of the bedroom Kaylani kept sacred for her and prepared to call Mega. His number was still in her phone—she didn’t know why when she planned to never speak to him again. But somewhere in the back of her mind she figured a day would come when they had to hash it out.
“Hello?”
His voice flowed smoothly into Jordyn’s ear, disrupting her breathing. It took her a moment to catch her breath before she was able to speak, but by then, Mega had already taken the floor.
“Layton told me you were here.”
“I figured she would have,” Jordyn replied. “Did she tell you everything else?”
“Nah. She said she’d leave that up to you. So what’s up? I’m a lil tired of waiting to hear the news. Did you have the baby and just now telling me?”
Mentioning the baby brought back flashbacks of MJ. Jordyn hadn’t seen her since their trip to New York. She missed her sometimes and wanted to reach out just to check on her, but with Mega and Mila still playing house, she decided to let them be.
“No baby,” Jordyn said. “This is really a conversation we need to have face to face, so let me know when you’re free to meet up.”
Mega’s end of the call grew silent. Jordyn was almost positive that it was because Mila was there with him. And she was right.
“I can meet up with you tomorrow night,” he said. “I’ll let you know where and what time. I really wish somebody would tell me what the fuck is going on though. I don’t like surprises.”
Jordyn thought it was ironic—him not liking surprises. She didn’t like surprises either, but she got the biggest surprise of her life when she found out he fucked Mila while she was keeping their baby safe.
“That makes two of us,” she said. “Tomorrow works fine. Just let me know when and where. I wanna get this over as soon as possible so I can get back to my own life.”
Her tone was sharp and unpleasant, something Mega wasn’t familiar with. She sounded like she hated the ground he walked on and wished he would drop dead as they spoke.
As badly as he wanted to patch things up with her and tell her how much he loved her and made a mistake getting into bed with Mila again, he didn’t want to cause Jordyn any more harm than he already had.
“How is that life?” he asked, his voice soft and full of wonder.
“It’s good. Better than here.”
Jordyn’s sharp tongue sliced through Mega’s heart, almost hurting his feelings. So, instead of trying to drag a conversation out of her and slither his way back into her life, he took the hint and put the call to an end.
“I’ll give you a call tomorrow about that meeting,” he said. “I’ll let you go and get back to the good life.”
Jordyn was the first to press end. Just the sound of his voice made her weak in all the places she didn’t want to be for him. Or any other man, for that matter. She was sworn off love, sworn off Mega trying to reel her back in. All she wanted to do was get her mother out of jail and get back to Chicago before she found herself pulled into the deep end by life in Miami.
There was one man she gave a hidden pass to, though. Roman. Even though she swore they were just friends and would never be anything more, she found herself drawn to him for comfort, love, and support. All the things she wanted from Mega.
So when her call ended and she felt like her heart would explode with temptation and anxiety, she dialed Roman and waited to hear what she knew he would say.
“What up, Jay Baby?”
Jordyn closed her eyes and smiled the minute she heard his voice. He was like her knight in shining armor, coming to save her from herself all over again.
“Just calling to let you know I made it.”
“Oh yeah?” Roman asked, his voice dripping with lust. “How’s it looking out there? You met up with your lover yet”?
Jordyn sucked her teeth, rolled her eyes, and pretended to be annoyed every time he mentioned Mega, but deep down inside, she liked that Roman was jealous. It was a guilty pleasure she used late at night in the privacy of her own bedroom with her rose on the highest setting.
“Not yet,” she sighed. “You plan on spending more time with your lover now that I’m gone?” she asked sarcastically.
“My lover?” Roman chuckled. “Who might that be?”
“Don’t act like you don’t know who I’m talking about,” Jordyn laughed. “I saw her coming to bring you lunch last week. She’s pretty.”
Roman had a friend with benefits that he didn’t think Jordyn knew about. Though he only wanted one woman in his life, a man had needs. Needs that Jordyn had only filled a couple of times, then left him hanging, heavy and blue.
“She iight,” he said. “Just a friend. Nothing too serious.”
“Mhm,” Jordyn mocked. “You don’t have to keep her on the backburner for me. I want you to be happy, Roman.”
He was happy with Jordyn.
Despite her running from his love and pretending not to care about his flings, Roman told himself he would wait for her as long as he needed to. As long as she gave him hope and stayed away from Mega, he was willing to wait for her to fall in love with him.
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