Hey yalllll 😭💕
Okay i'm sorry i been gone i'm always wishy washy with these books. lmao but imma try to be more consistent. this year been crazy so i hope y'all all doing well, being safe, and staying healthy.

Lil recap for my old readers:
Jay is trying to move on in his life without Domonique, but his babymomma Sierra is trying to take their son away from him. Raheem is following a lead about Domonique and figuring things out about her death.

Thank y'all for sticking w it and i hope y'all still wanna read 🤍Alright, onto the story...

Jay

"Order in the court! I will not have this kind of behavior in my courtroom, especially concerning the wellbeing of a child."

I almost scoffed at the judge. Clearly, she was getting ready to take Sierra's side on this. I should pull some Law and Order shit and ask her to recuse herself, biased ass.

"I apologize, your honor." I was angry but I couldn't let that get in the way of me seeing Correy.

Sierra was petty, but I had never seen this side of her.

She must have known that I was on a whole ass date with another woman, that I was ready to move on from her for good. So she got her lawyer to come serve me custody papers in the middle of my date. She talked a lot of shit about doing that before I even went out with Nina, but I guess seing me happy just set her off for real.

I ain't even have to open the papers to know what it was about. That was a few weeks ago, and here we are at our first court appearance. When I was younger, I woulda guessed that I would end up in jail for something related to pushing dope. That wasn't my path, and I still ended up here now.

Sierra smirked my way but I didn't even look. How could she be tearing our lives apart like this? She don't have to like me, and I certainly as hell don't like her. But at least for our son we could pretend to get along.

"Your honor, the defendant should be charged with kidnapping in the second degree. He took Ms. Howell's son without her permission to a different city without alerting her. His plan was to kidnap the child and leave the country upon hearing that Ms. Howell was going to relocate for her job. I--"

"Your honor, this is a hearing, not a trial. My client did not do any of these things and this is just a ploy to raise criminal charges. This matter should be settled in family court, not here. This is clearly a custody dispute."

My lawyer was on some Annalise Keating type shit and she wasn't cheap either. So I just shut my mouth and let her do the arguing for me.

"The defendant just had an extreme outburst and has made threats to my client in the past. We ask that he be remanded without bail."

I smacked. Hell no, they were trying to hit me way too hard for no reason. She was trying to guarantee that I wouldn't have custody or any parental rights. My lawyer placed a hand on my shoulder, forcing me to sink back into my chair. Lord knows I was ready to stand up and speak my mind.

The judge cleared his throat. "I'm going to have to agree with the defense. If there is joint custody of the child, and Mr.Green did not leave the state or the country with the child, I do not consider this kidnapping. I will send this case to family court. In the meantime, Mr. Green is not allowed to come into contact with Ms. Howell or their child until the family court judge has heard the case."

He slammed down his gavel and that was that.

Who knew how long it was gonna take for us to get another date? Knowing Sierra, she would choose a date months from now. I can't wait that long to see Correy, I just can't.

"I know that look in your eye. Don't do anything as stupid as going to her house and taking your son back. That's only going to make things worse," she said. "How you know that's what I was gonna do?"

"Because that's what I would do. Your ex, she's getting a new job?" I nodded. "Did she say when she was leaving?"

"I have no idea." I could see something click in her head. "I'm gonna ask that this case be first on the docket. Your ex is a flight risk and could leave with your son at any time for her work. She probably won't, but no judge is gonna see that and not be concerned about her leaving against the court's wishes."

I didn't really get it, but if that meant that they could let me see my son, I was fine with it. I said goodbye to her and finally checked my phone.

Raheem

"No Asha you can't come with daddy." I looked down at my baby girl and sighed. I sure as hell don't wanna leave her ass with Dawn but I don't have a choice. Asha just a little kid, she can't keep her mouth shut about nothing.

She pouted again and reached up for me to carry her. I picked her up and kissed her cheek in an unsuccessful attempt to make her smile. The attitude was all her mama's.

I put my duffle on my shoulder and kept it pushing through the front door, although I should go say bye to Dawn. I'm really not fucking with her though, not right now. Not after I know what I know and I'm finna go do what I'm finna go do.

"But why you going so far, Daddy? I wanna come, please!" Her knockers clacked as she bounced up and down. Not gon lie, she was slowly convincing me to take her along. But she couldn't keep her mouth shut, and this was serious.

No one could know Domonique was still alive.

I brought Asha in for a big hug and then looked at her. "Hold it down for me, aight? Imma be back before you blink. Remember what I promised you?"

"Yeah," she was still pouting. I was resisting the urge to laugh at her but that would be fucked up. Imma respect her feelings but the way she frowned was cracking me up inside.

"Say it."

"Daddy always gon come back for me, come hell or high water," she started showing her lil teeth with a smile.

"Come hell or high water, baby."

--

I landed in Nola around seven, and a nigga was hungry. Like starving starving. They need to start serving meals on airplanes cause that shit is ridiculous, tryna give a nigga like me some crackers and juice to hold me over.

After getting off the plane I was greeted by the nigga I put in charge down here, Joe. Being that I personally saved his life, I felt like he had some loyalty to me. I'm not gon tell him the full plan, but he'll know enough.

"How's everything going so far?" I asked, circling the massive warehouse. Men in black were offloading trucks, holding boxes and random shit that was mainly used to cover up what we were really transporting. Joe nodded, "Shit straight. No problems at all. We move quick, get all this shit out on the streets and flipping it quick."

Them New Orleans folk like to have a good time and I wasn't mad. Just as long as we never got caught or crossed, I was satisfied with the hub we set up here. And it was an easy cover-up for what I really came to do.

"Joe?"

"Wassup?"

I looked at the armed guards around us, letting them know they could back off for a second while I talked to dude.

"We cool and everything, right?"

He nodded, "Fasho. Why you asking me that shit though?"

"Cause I need to know you gon do exactly what I'm finna tell you to do."

After my business meeting at the warehouse, I drove back into the city. Naturally, I'm a pretty paranoid person; being involved in what I'm in ain't no easy task. It's always gon be a hit on your back, whether you see it or not. I spent an hour just driving around the Nola to make sure wasn't nobody following me, until I finally decided to go straight there.

Once I reached the apartment complex, I walked up to the 8th floor, searing around for apartment 851. She must have done so well for herself to be living here: it was right in the middle of downtown, amazing views, and everything you could need. I'm proud of lil sis forreal, I'm gon tell her that when I see her.

Reaching the door, I reluctantly knocked twice. Shit was kinda nerve-wracking, I won't lie. The seconds passed by, and they turned into minutes. I checked my phone three times to make sure this was the right building, the right apartment, the right everything. But twenty minutes passed and I was still standing outside the plain white door, waiting. "This ain't 851 or what? Come on D, don't tell me-"

As the last words left my mouth, the door opened. And there she was.

Domonique Corre Williams, in the flesh. My baby sister.

I've seen a lot of shit, been through even more. But nothing has ever made me cry as much as I did when she opened that door. When I took in those big brown eyes that mirrored mine and all her freckles, it felt like I stopped breathing. It felt like everything in that hallway just stopped moving, and the only things that were real was me and my little sister staring back at me. My sister who was dead.

She pulled me inside her place and sat me down, though everything looked blurry as fuck through the tears spilling out of my eyes.

When Sydney told me that Domo was still alive, I didn't believe her. The hoe took me all the way out of my hood and into a different one, just to tell me what I thought was a lie. But here I am, weeks later, sitting in front of Domo, as if she ain't die five years ago.

"It's okay, Rah." She started wiping my tears with a gentleness that she always had. That was something I never forgot about D, she cared so much about people.

"Please stop crying, Raheem," She soothed, but I couldn't stop the tears from coming. I cried more than I did at her funeral or when Asha was born. I felt everything I was holding in, all the secrets and lies, crashing down on me.

I looked at her again, grabbed her hands, touched her wild hair and her face because I couldn't believe the shit to be real. I thought I was getting scammed or some shit when I came here, I didn't think she was alive. I thought someone was pretending to be here, that Sydney was plotting to kidnap my ass to get some money. "Raheem, please." I saw her trying to keep it together, but stray tears fell on her cheeks. I couldn't help but feel like that was my fault.

Because it was.

I should have seen it all. I knew my Mama ain't like her but I never thought she was angry enough to kill her own daughter. Or have Dawn help her. And for what? Because she was a weakness? I would have protected her if anyone tried to fuck with her. I have the money, the resources. I would have done that shit.

So much fucking betrayal, I wanted to kill them all. My mother. The mother of my child. I didn't give a fuck anymore, something inside me changed.

Domonique must have sensed it. I saw the worry in her eyes, but I pushed all my feelings away. Everyone was going to feel me, I was gonna start killing niggas as soon-

"Raheem, look at me. I see you plotting in there. Get outta your head, come back to me. I'm out here, not in there." She wiped away the last of my tears, and I felt her voice pulling me out.

Fuck. I gotta stop this shit. I gotta be in my right mind so I can fix this, for her.

"D, I am so sorry." Tears threatened to fall my I sucked them back in. Crying for twenty minutes straight was exhausting. "I failed you, man. This one's on me."

She started shaking her head. "Nah, no it ain't. You ain't know. No one ever knows when someone's time is gon be cut short. We here now, we have each other. That's all that matters, Rah."

I stood up and gave her the tightest hug I could give her, wrapping her up in my arms. She seemed stronger than she was before she "died", not just mentally but physically. "This fucking bicep look bout hard as shit. You shoulda just knocked my sad ass out."

She laughed and led me over to the little kitchen area. "Yeah, I should have. Attracting attention with all that hollerin'. I didn't know you missed me that much." She turned around and started digging in the fridge while I sat down.

"Domo.. how are you?" I had made the whole thing about myself without checking to see if she was good first.

She shrugged. "I'm okay. It took me a long time to heal, and to let go of my life. It ended, and I had to move on. I had to start all the way over. I miss my lil family but in some ways, it might have been good for me." I nodded and blew out a breath.

"Oh yeah and if your ass gon be coming to see me often you need to get with the program. Who the hell is Domonique?"

"You," I said confused.

"My name is Robin Dabank. I don't know a Domonique Williams," she shrugged. I bust out laughing. "Is you forreal right now? Robin Dabank? Who the fuck believin' that's yo real name?"

"You'd be suprised. I just say it's French." We laughed so hard until tears came out our eyes. Not sad ones, but happy ones.

"D?"

"Yeah?"

"Remember the promise I made you when we was kids."

She thought for a little bit, "Mhm."

"Say it."

"Raheem always gon come back for me, come hell or high water."

"Come hell or high water, D."

a/n: i hope y'all fw it, it's gon get interesting👀 what y'all think gon happen? vote + comment for me !

-ColeWoorld🦋