Page 24 of After the Knockout
“That went . . . well,” Lyrius said, turning around.
“For Jaylen? Yeah.” We headed back upstairs while he handled his business. By the time we got back to the sixth floor, Lyrius had set Dakoda down and was grabbing her bag. I started collecting the little shit and blowing out the candles we’d laid out the night before while she made sure she had everything together.
“You got everything?” I asked.
“Yeah.” She nodded.
Dakoda looked up at me. “We leaving?”
“Yeah,” I said. “Uncle Jaylen came to get us out.”
“I got an uncle?” He grinned, and Lyrius let out a little laugh under her breath. That sound did something annoying to my chest. I ignored it.
“Yeah, and a grandpa,” I replied just as Jaylen came up the stairs, adjusting his hoodie.
“Aight. Now, somebody explain to me why I walked into a damn family gathering that I ain’t know shit about.”
I ain’t say shit, because honestly, I didn’t even know where to start.
“You my uncle?” Dakoda asked, making Jaylen look down at him, then back at me as he rubbed his hand over his face. “Damn. This for real?”
“Apparently.” I kept stuffing shit into a bag.
“You got a boat?” Dakoda stepped closer, and Jaylen crouched down a little.
“Yeah, little man. I got a boat,” Jaylen replied. “How old are you?”
“Five.” Dakoda nodded like everything was settled. “Mama, I have an uncle with a boat.” That got a laugh out of Lyrius before she could stop it. I shook my head, and even Jaylen laughed.
“A rented boat.” I corrected, and Jaylen waved me off. “Y’all ready to go?”
“How we getting out? There’s water all the way to the third floor,” she asked, smile disappearing as she looked toward the stairs.
“Boat, obviously,” Jaylen replied before me.
“Shouldn’t we just stay put until the water goes down?”
“You can stay put. Yo’ ass can Uber through floodwater for all I care.” He gave her a look. “I came here for my brother.”
I felt Lyrius shift next to me before she spoke. “Wasn’t nobody asking you to come for me,” she said, rolling her neck. “I’m good either way.”
“Yeah, aight.” Jaylen let out a short laugh, shaking his head like that was cute.
“Jaylen,” I warned, my tone low. He threw his hands up like he wasn’t doing anything, but I could already see it in his face. He didn’t like her, never really did, and after what happened, that shit was set in stone. Jaylen wasn’t the type to play fake with anybody. If he didn’t rock with you, you were going to feel it every time he opened his mouth. And Lyrius? She had been on that list since the day she disappeared and left me bleeding out, looking stupid. Shit, if Jaylen knew everything that had reallygone down? Lyrius probably wouldn’t have been standing here right now.
“Man, both of y’all, chill,” I muttered, stepping in before it went left. “She’s coming with us.” I looked at Jaylen, then back at Lyrius. “And you’re not staying here with my son. We got bigger shit to worry about.”
Jaylen stared at me for a second, then quickly nodded his head like he understood what it was without me having to say too much more.
“There’s dry land over on the west side,” he said, pointing toward the stairwell. “Water ain’t make it that far. My truck is parked over there.”
“Come on,” I said. “Let’s move.” I grabbed Lyrius’s backpack, and Lyrius grabbed Dakoda’s hand as we made our way back downstairs. Jaylen went first, talking the whole damn time.
“As soon as we get out, you’re telling me everything,” he said over his shoulder.
“Nah.”
“The hell you mean, nah?”
