Page 121 of Collateral Love
He exhaled slowly, like he’d been holding that breath since they pulled me out of concrete and blood.
“You almost died.”
“No,” I corrected. “I almost lost time.”
That made him sit.
The chair creaked softly beside the bed.
“That Bitch ass Nigga Charles is working with someone who served Chanel,” he said.
I turned my head slowly to look at him.
He watched me closely, like he was measuring whether I was ready to hear the rest.
“And?” I asked.
“They want testimony,” he said. “They want optics.”
He leaned forward. “Kenya?—”
“I know,” I said calmly. “They’ll try again.”
Silence sat between us for a moment. Not awkward. Heavy.
“ADA called,” he added.
I laughed softly, then winced at my ribs. “That fast?”
“They’re coordinated,” he said. “Legal and financial.”
“Then Cameron’s driving,” I said without hesitation.
Zayden stiffened just slightly.
“You already knew,” he said.
“I suspected,” I replied. “I heard someone say her name during transport. But suspicion is just a theory until people get sloppy.”
“And now?”
“Now she’s bored,” I said. “So she’s escalating.”
I shifted carefully, sitting up against the pillows. My body protested, but I ignored it. Pain was background noise when your mind stayed busy.
“They won’t force me to testify,” I continued. “Not now. Not ever.”
Zayden frowned. “Why are you so sure?”
I looked him dead in his face.
“Spousal privilege,” I said.
The word landed heavily.
“You’re my husband. Anything I know is protected.”
His jaw tightened. “That won’t stop them from trying to scare you.”
