"Tell me who you loyal to
Do it start with your woman or your man?
Do it end with your family and friends?
Are you loyal to yourself in advance?
I said, tell me who you loyal to
Is it anybody that you would lie for?
Anybody you would slide for?
Anybody you would die for?"
- Rihanna & Kendrick Lamar

"I miss you so damn much. Aren't you about finished with your work?" Jerrell questioned over the phone as I made my way towards my dorm. It's been a couple months since I been back to school and I'm still trying to decide what I'm going to do for thanksgiving.

Only thing is that thanksgiving is an American holiday, so it's not like I'll get any time off for it. Here in the UK we have a traditional Harvest Festival, but that usually occurs on a Sunday. Jerrell wants to celebrate Thanksgiving, but I don't want to miss any time from school since it'll throw off my graduation timeline.

"I miss you too, and I actually just have a paper that I have to finish up. I'm going to take a shower and do my night routine after I get off the phone with you and I'll either finish up the paper tonight or in the morning before my first class." I told Jerrell while putting my phone into my bag and fishing out my key to unlock my dorm. Cam is going to a party tonight so she'll likely be out all night. I adjusted the AirPod in my ear and opened the door.

"Do it in the morning. I don't want you up all night and then tired in the morning in your classes."

"You're jus- what are you doing here?" My eyes narrowed in on the figure sitting on my bed with a gun sitting in his lap. He picked it up with a smirk while twisting a silencer on it.

"Who the fuck is in your shit, Bailey?" Jerrell's voice boomed in my ear.

"I'm here to do what my son failed to do. You must have something good in between your legs to have my son disobeying a direct order from me. Maybe I'll try some of it out before I kill you." He held up the gun, immediately firing a shot at my left shoulder.

"Shit! Jerrell!" I hissed, my body immediately collapsing down to the floor from the impact.

"I'm sending someone up to you right now!" Jerrell's voice yelled into my ear, but at this point I don't know if he's apart of this or not. How does he even have someone to send up? I tried my best to slide off my charm bracelet since it's the only thing I can use as a weapon right now to protect myself.

"You're calling out for my son like he isn't in on this. He doesn't give a fuck about your young ass past the free pussy and money that you're giving him. Hell, you probably have that same good shit your mama have. Turn your ass over bitch!"

"Aahhh!" I screamed out as his boot connected with my spine. It felt like my voice was caught in my throat from how hard the impact was. I completely tuned out Jerrell's voice and could see a clear image of my father's disappointed face and it was the only thing that gave me the strength to not give up. I laid completely still, waiting on him to make his next move.

"You giving up already? You're about to make this easier than I thought." He flipped my body over and I stared up blankly at him, allowing him to feel like he had full control.

"When I leave, it's all on you baby girl. My name, my legacy, my reputation. You have to uphold that. You have to keep fighting. Don't let this love shit blind you. Don't trust a mutherfucking soul. Do you hear me? All of these niggas will kill to take your spot." My father's words replayed in my head as I watched Mr. Price get comfortable in between my legs. As soon as he had gone to unzip his pants, I slipped my charm bracelet off completely and used the sharp serrated end of the cross charm to slice his face from his ear down to his mouth, making sure to dig as deep as the charm would go.

"Fuck!" He screamed out while delivering a blow to my face so powerful, everything around me went black.

"Fuck!" I yelled out, sending my fist into the wall. I would have thrown my phone if I wasn't waiting to get a call with an update on Bailey. I don't know details of what my dad did to her. All my guards could tell me was that she wasn't conscious and she didn't look good at all. This is why I'm grateful that I didn't call off the guards I sent out there to watch her. If they weren't there for a quick response I don't know what could have happened to Bailey.

"Rell, flight leaves in two and a half hours. I'm texting you the boarding pass now." Jade spoke while walking into my office. Ju walked in behind her with a backpack over his shoulder.

"You ready, bro?" I nodded my head and snatched my bag off the chair. Only thing on my mind is getting to Bailey and making sure she's okay. I don't know how I'm going to handle my father right now, and I don't even want to think about that right now. I'm way too pissed right now to address him, and I need to see how Bailey looks so I know how to move. The sounds of Bailey's screams are still repeating in my head and it's making me physically sick right now.

My phone started ringing as soon as we were in the car. I answered it before it could even finish the first ring, I closed my eyes while listening to them give me the rundown on Bailey's injuries. A fractured jaw, broken nose, dislocated wrist. The bullet only left a flesh wound, and she has yet to regain consciousness. I gave the doctor the okay to place her in a medicated state to complete an emergency procedure to fix her nose and treat her other injuries.

"Where's my father?" I forced myself to ask once the doctor handed the phone back to my guard. I'm going to have to deal with him later. I need to have a clear head before I can even think about what I should do to him. Him wanting Bailey dead is one thing. To fly out to the UK and wait in her dorm, cause physical harm to her, and attempt to sexually assault her is a different level.

"Vell, is babysitting. Waiting on your word."

"Give me a couple days with my wife and I'll let you know when I'm ready to talk to him. I need you to have a car waiting at the airport to take me to the hospital." I told him my arrival time and ended the call.

"How is she?" Ju questioned and all I could do was shake my head. There's no way I can repeat everything that's happened to her right now.

"She's not good at all. His ass told her I was in on this fuck shit!" I know Bailey is going to wake up and not want to see me at all. I already went through enough of trying to convince her that I didn't agree with his plan to kill her. The only thing that helped was having her dad out of her ear. Now it's my dad that's causing all the trouble.

"Y'all gone be good. You just have to assure her how much you love her and don't say anything that will even seem like you're defending or protecting your dad. It doesn't matter how conflicted you may feel, as soon as you get around your wife you hate his ass and you're taking care of it. Don't even let her sense that you're conflicted." I tilted my head back, staring up through the car's sunroof.

"I just need to see her." I spoke mainly to myself, but loud enough for Ju to hear.

I sat beside Bailey's bed, staring intently at her swollen face. She has a splint on her nose which the doctor confirmed that they fixed. He says they'll have a plastic surgeon come in a couple days to analyze the structure of her nose and ensure it wont cause her any on going problems breathing. The anesthesia they had her under should have already worn off, so now it's all a waiting game for her to wake up.

I pulled out my phone and checked for a text from Ju. He was supposed to be going to see my dad to see what his current status is. I seen a picture message from him and opened to see a picture of my dad's face. I cringed at the sight of the cut that ran from his ear to the side of his mouth. It's a deep cut too, so I know it's not going to heal nicely. It's what his ass deserves for what he did to Bailey. Sick ass.

I heard slight moaning and quickly sat up, grabbing a hold of Bailey's hand. Her eyes landed on me and I could see the panic set in as she tried snatching her hand out of mine. I tightened my grip on her hand while trying to get her to make eye contact with me. Her heart monitor started to go crazy and I scrambled my brain of what to say to her to keep her from going into a panic attack.

"Baby, it's me. I'm not going to hurt you. I promise. Look at me." She shook her head no as the tears began falling down the sides of her face. "Bailey, you have to calm down." She continued trying to tug her hand out of mine and her monitor was going crazy. Two of the nurses rushed in and began checking her vitals.

"Mrs. Price, we're going to need you to calm down or we're going to have to sedate you." One of the nurses spoke in a calm tone while prepping the syringe.

"H-h-h-he" She tried speaking, more tears falling out of her eyes. The nurse looked over to me for approval and I reluctantly nodded my head. I want to hear what she has to say, but I know at this rate she's never going to get it out since she's so worked up. I watched as the nurse injected the sedative into Bailey's IV, immediately putting her back to sleep.

"How long is she going to be out?"

"At least a couple hours. We'll continue to monitor her to ensure that she's stable. I thanked them and immediately sent a text to Cam with Bailey's room number so she can come sit with her for a few hours while I go see my father. I know I shouldn't be going to see him with the way I'm feeling right now, but seeing the panic and fear in Bailey's eyes at the sight at me has me ready to kill his ass. I waited about half an hour for Cam to show up before letting her know I'd be back as soon as I can.

Ju was waiting for me as soon as I walked outside. I hopped into the passenger side of the car and sat quietly as he took us over to where my father is being held at. The image of Bailey's panicked face, as well as the sounds of her screams over the phone, continued replaying in my head.

"What are you trying to do?" Ju's voice cut through the air.

"I want to kill his ass, but I know that's going to devastate my mom. At this point I need to do something that'll assure my wife that I'm not going to hurt her, and that I have her back. I've been playing the field on this shit for too long."

"Nah, you need to move smart with this shit. He's not making these moves by himself. Contact that bitch in Jamaica and get control over the situation. You're the man in charge right now, Rell. It's your word or nothing, and it's time you start demanding everyone to fall in line. Family or not, we need to start making examples out of niggas." I nodded, fully agreeing with Ju. This is exactly why he's my right hand. Ju thinks of shit that doesn't even come to mind for me, and I appreciate that about him.

"You're right, you're right. See if Jade can get us full information on Bailey's mother. She seems to be the one calling the shots and it's about time I pull her card. I feel like Bailey already has plans for her." Bailey has already made plans for us to go down to Jamaica after her graduation, and I already know that's going to be drama, but she's excited about it. I believe whatever she has planned for Jamaica has to do with whatever plan her and her dad keep referring to.

Pulling Bailey's phone out of my pocket, I went straight to her messages to see if anything unusual stood out. I know she only communicates with her dad through a burner phone so I'm not even looking for anything from him. I know she's grown close to my mom, so that's the first thing I'm looking for. I would hope my mom wouldn't be on anything shady, but judging by her lack of reaction to the news of my father's affair during Bailey and I's housewarming dinner, I can't put anything past her either. I don't know how much of what my dad's into that she knows about, but she knows something.

MIL: I'm so sorry sweetie
MIL: I didn't know he was going down there
MIL: Are you okay?
MIL: please message me back!

I released a sigh and called her from Bailey's phone, putting it on speaker. The phone barely rung once before she answered and I could hear her sniffling on the other end. It actually annoyed me, because it doesn't seem genuine. To me, it seems like she's doing this to gain Bailey's sympathy.

"Mom," I spoke up, cutting off her sniffles. "Be honest with me. You knew." I said it more as a statement then a question. Just by how silent the other line got let me know that she was well aware of what he had planned.

"Did he kill her?" She questioned in a monotone voice. I took a deep breath and ended the call, blocking her number from Bailey's phone and deleting the text thread. At this point, Bailey doesn't need to be in contact with anyone who isn't apart of the crew. I don't trust anyone around her right now, and I blame myself for taking my dad too lightly on the shit he's been threatening against her.

Ju is right about starting to make examples out of people. I feel like things are going to start crumbling if I don't put my foot down and take control of the situation then it's going to take control of me and I can't have that. I can't keep thinking people are looking out for me when I'm the one in the position of power.

It sucks seeing how fast everyone is turning on me, but I know I'm unable to take everyone to the top with me. I've already chosen who will be on this journey with me. I don't owe shit to anyone else. My dad set up this marriage with Bailey, thinking that he was going to be able to use me as a pawn and now he's about to be hit with the harsh reality of who I've chosen to be down for.

"I'm telling you, Bailey holds way more power than we know of. If her mama is used to having control then I'm sure the sudden news of Bailey's existence is throwing her off. Bailey has no loyalty to that lady. Hell, she's probably trying to come after Bailey before Bailey comes after her. Who knows what all Ronald has trained her to do. She still hasn't let you in on that?"

"I honestly dropped the subject, and I doubt I'll get much out of her after what happened with my dad." I spoke honestly.

"Well you're going to have to find a way to get it out of her. That attempt most likely is the first of many that will be made on her life. You two need to get on the same page regarding everything to establish full trust. You're also never going to be able to fully protect her if you don't know what all you're up against. You need to make sure she's loyal to you the same way in which you're trying to prove your loyalty to her. This isn't a situation either of you can just walk away from."  He stressed the last part, reminding me about the contract.

"I'm aware. I plan on talking to her. This shit just set us back majorly. You didn't see the look on her face when she seen me at the hospital. She thinks I was plotting on killing her."

"You were initially. At least that's what it comes off as. You never outright told your dad you weren't going to kill her, and you've never bothered to correct or check him when he talked about taking her out. You rode both sides of this shit and now that it's finally hit the fan you're going to look bad no matter which way it's turned." I nodded my head, choosing not to respond.

There's nothing that I can really say, because he's right. Bailey and I were married before even giving each other a proper greeting. I didn't know her to trust her. It wasn't until the end of summer where I finally made the decision that I fully trust her, and not only do I trust her, I'm in love with her.

I don't believe that I've ever been dishonest with Bailey about my feelings. I've always been transparent with her, same as she's been with me. I can only hope that that will be enough for her to realize that I would never be in on the shit my dad did to her. I've never agreed with any harm being brought Bailey's way, and my dad knows that shit.

What are your thoughts on what Ronald did to Bailey? What do you think about him telling Bailey that Jerrell was in on it?

Do you think Bailey should trust Jerrell?

Do you think Jerrell will make the right move when it comes to his dad?

AN: this chapter was super challenging for me to write, but I'm glad I didn't scrap it because it's important for the storyline.