Page 25 of Own It

“What’s the update?” I got right to it, uninterested in any formalities or anything else other than a refresher on my cousin’s condition.

“Well as you know, one surgery was completed, but the second one will be this morning,” he explained, making me nod as I leaned back in my office chair while staring out into the barren land surrounding the large home.

“Cool. Hit me when it’s done⁠—”

“Please, . . . can I please speak to Day?”

“Nah, nigga.”

“I need to go into this surgery with a clear mind. I-I am not threatening you or your cousin in any way, but I don’t like doing surgery with stressors on my mind. I hope you understand that.”

As much as I wanted to hang up on the nigga, I knew what he was saying was partially true. Not to mention, it wouldn’t hurt anything to allow him to say two words to his fucking daughter. At the end of the day, my goal was saving my cousin. I couldn’t care less about Daylin and her father’s relationship.

“Aight.” I rose to my feet and tread out of my office and into the downstairs bedroom harboring Daylin.

Upon entering, she sat up but slowly so she wouldn’t injure the wrist cuffed to the bed or her fucked up ankle. Low-key I felt bad for her ass since she didn’t have shit to do with this, but it was what it was. If my cousin had to suffer, so would she. Plus, I liked her and wanted her here.

Despite my thoughts, I kept a stern expression as I neared her, doing my best to appear to be unmoved by how pretty she was, especially up close. I’d noticed it at Ayan’s party and in the file I’d been given, but Daylin in the flesh—even sans makeup—was some other shit for a nigga. I couldn’t rid my mind of how soft her skin looked, or even how pretty her toes were, something I’d noticed while tending to her ankle.

“Who is⁠—”

“Daylin? Daylin, baby, are you alright?” Her father cut off her question, answering her.

“Hi, Daddy. I am. I’m fine,” she answered, dropping her head some and toying with her shirt which I watched.

I couldn’t keep my eyes off her, and luckily for me, I could pretend it was so she wouldn’t make any sudden moves. Even from a few spaces away, I could smell the scent of her hair, causing me to run a hand down the bottom half of my face.

“Good. Good. Uh⁠—”

“Aight, nigga, you got what the fuck you wanted.” I took the phone, giving Daylin my back.

“Yes uh, the surgery should take me about five hours to complete if you want to reach out to me then since I can’t ever reach you,” Dr. Conrad explained.

“I’ll hit you with a number. You’ll see it in ya missed calls. And remember, no funny shit, my nigga.” I ended the call and immediately began disassembling the phone like always.

“Aren’t you worried he can trace the call? My dad is rich as hell and has connections,” Daylin announced, pulling my attention from what I was doing and forcing a nigga to take her pretty ass in.

“I’m not. Other than the fact that ya pops is a smart man and wouldn’t risk his family or his own life, he can’t track this phone. I swap ’em out regardless, but still.”

“I see.” She nodded as I trashed everything. “How did you know what size tights to get me?”

“I had some help,” I responded curtly, not wanting to have too much conversation.

Daylin was too pretty and got my dick hard just from the way she pushed her long hair behind her ears before she’d braided it up. In other words, a nigga wasn’t safe. I’d been doing well not engaging in or falling into anything serious since LaMia, and getting to know or even kicking it with Daylin on any level was a dangerous territory I wasn’t interested in treading.

“Help like a girlfriend?” she queried, saying the word girlfriend as if it tasted of shit.

I smirked inwardly at her tone, laced with disapproval and a hint of jealousy.

“Nah, I haven’t had one of those in a long ass time.” I dumped what used to be a phone into a wastebasket and started toward the bedroom door to leave.

“I’m bored down here. Do you have any books?”

Commotion upstairs interrupted what would’ve been my response, impelling me to dart out from the room while simultaneously removing my gun.

Rushing upstairs, I found Josias in the living room, sunken down while hyper focused on rolling a blunt.

“Nigga, what the fuck,” I mumbled, walking off to fetch a book for Daylin to read. I would have to handle my brother in a second.