Kalilah follows, her footsteps light. She’s still dressed in that god-awful outfit, but at least she smells better now.
“Pancakes, dear,” Nancy chirps, and I shake my head at her. She already has my egg whites and fruit laid out for me. I sit down at the same time Kalilah enters the kitchen. She steps up to Nancy and throws her arms around her. I raise a brow at Nancy, who just hugs her back before Kalilah steps away and comes to the table.
“If I cooked, you think you would suck my cock?” I ask Kalilah.
She isn’t shocked by my comment. Instead, she picks up a spoon and throws it at me from across the table while muttering, “Pig.” I manage to dodge it and shrug my shoulders before I start eating.
“What am I expected to do today?” she asks.
“Stay here. If you run, I’ll hunt you down.”
Nancy places two coffees down before she retreats.
“Why do you have Nancy when she should be off living her best life?”
“I killed her husband,” I answer truthfully.
Kalilah’s mouth falls open, and her hands freeze halfway to her coffee cup. “You what?”
“I killed her husband,” I repeat. She looks over her shoulder to see Nancy humming as she cooks. She does love to cook.
“Aren’t you afraid she’ll, like…try to poison you?” she whispers.
Raising a brow at her, I ask, “You think Nancy would poison me?”
“Well, no, but…you did kill her husband.”
“Eat before your pancakes get cold. I have to go clean up your damn mess.” Looking back down at my food, I’ve suddenly lost my appetite. Standing, I walk into the kitchen with my plate and put it on the counter.
Nancy glances at it before she raises her eyes. “You aren’t hungry?”
“You aren’t trying to poison me, are you?” I ask Nancy.
I hear Kalilah almost choke on whatever she’s eating.
“Well, if I were, would I admit to it?” I watch a slow smile cross Nancy’s face.
Nodding my head, I grab my shit and leave.
“You took her to your house?” Zuko says, shaking his head in disbelief.
“Can I meet her?” Alaska asks. She’s changed the color of her hair again—she tells us it depends on her mood. Today it’s red because she feels like fire.
“Why on earth would you want to meet her?” I ask.
“Seems like she’s around to stay.” We both look at her, confused. “You’ll get it soon. Just wait.”
“No, I will not.”
Alaska leans over my shoulder and says, “Pass me your keys and tell me your passcode. I’m going to visit her.” She holds out her hand in front of my face.
“You allowing this?” I ask my brother. He shrugs. Clearly, he’s whipped by all things Alaska.
“Fucking hell.” I pass her the keys and tell her the code. Alaska smiles and walks out the door. “Don’t corrupt her.” Zuko hides his laugh at my words. “I don’t know what to do with Kalilah.”
“Well, for starters… Try not dropping her on her face again.”
“Now, that’s some great advice. Not,” I say.
“You should ask Kenzo for advice,” he tells me.
“He’s always busy.”
“We all are. Ask him,” he orders me.
“Maybe tomorrow,” I reply as I head out.
“Don’t kill her…yet,” he calls out.
“I make no promises,” I yell back before closing the door.
Eight
Kalilah
She has red hair and is loud.
And bossy.
She storms in like she owns the place but also seems to have never been here. I’m not sure what to make of it. Or what to say. She eyes me like she’s trying to work me out, and not in a good way. At least, I don’t think so.
“I’m Alaska, and you are not what I was expecting. How old are you?” she asks, eyeing me.
“Twenty-three,” I answer.
“Well, okay, I assumed younger. It’s good to know you’re at least legal, and I don’t have to go and beat his ass.”
“You could do that? Beat his ass?” I ask, surprised.
Alaska’s hand lands on her hip, and she smiles at me. “I’m dating his older brother, so of course I can.” She smirks. “I kick his ass when he annoys me too.”
She walks to the living room, drops onto the couch, and turns the television on. “So, why are you here?” she asks.
I stand there awkwardly for a moment before I join her in the living room.
“He forced me to be here,” I inform her.
“Hmm…” Alaska eyes me. “I didn’t take you for his type, but I could be wrong.”
“I am not his type. I’ve seen his ex… We look nothing alike.” I push my brown hair behind my ear before I take a seat. “Plus, he’s an absolute ass to me,” I add.
“Yeah, I have a feeling that’s how Kyson is.” Alaska smiles as she tucks her legs under her ass and puts on some reality television. I briefly wonder how Kyson will feel about Alaska’s shoes being on the cream sofa, but then hide a smirk, thinking he’ll probably have a heart attack if there are any stains on the fabric.
We sit here for a good hour or two before Kyson arrives home. He takes one look at us and shakes his head before he walks over and grabs the remote from Alaska. She hits him on the back of the head after she gets up, tells me goodbye, and leaves.
Disappointingly, there’s not a single remark about shoes being on the furniture.
“You getting people to watch me now?” I ask Kyson as he changes the channel. He puts on a movie—an action-adventure—and doesn’t even spare me another glance.
Nancy has been floating around all day, but I didn’t bother her while Alaska was here. Now, I get up and leave him to his movie, walking into the kitchen to find Nancy humming as she cooks. She smiles when she sees me and offers me a cupcake she baked.
“Can I ask you something?” I question in a quiet tone, running my fingers along the stone island. Nancy nods her head. “Why do you work here if he killed your husband?”
“My husband hired the boys to kill me.” She smirks as she continues, “I met Kyson when he was scoping out my place. I walked outside… No, hobbled would be more accurate, and he saw my black, swollen eyes. I didn’t want to tell him the truth, but I did anyway for some reason. I told him I got them when I didn’t cook the steak right for my husband.
“Now, usually, I keep that locked up tight. I was accustomed to the abuse by then, as we were married for almost forty years. But that day, I was tired, and a nice young man was showing concern and asking me how it happened.
“I knew my husband was seeing someone else and had been for many years. He started coming home less and less. And when he did show up, it was only to beat me. So I was at my wit’s end. And I blurted all this out to Kyson.
“He looked…well, like he knew. Not shocked, which was what I had expected. Then he got angry and left. The next day, my husband was found dead.” She shrugs, turns over whatever it is she’s cooking, and softly smiles.