Page 66 of Butterfly 6, Phase 1

“Go ahead; I’ll cover for you,” Morgan sighed.

“Thanks, Mo,” Bella replied, relieved. “Can I come up to the hospital to see Yolly when I get back?” Bella shouted after her.

“They don’t let minors in, B, but I’ll see if I can sneak you in,” Morgan replied.

“Is she going to be okay?” Bella asked.

“I don’t know,” Morgan answered truthfully. There was a bleak reality in front of them that was so intimidating that hope felt like a stranger. All Morgan could feel was the tension of impending doom as it bridled her insides. “Y’all be careful on the highway. You got your iPad with you?”

“Yeah, it’s in my bag,” Bella stated, reaching for it to make sure.

“You might want to slide by MSU for real and leave the iPad in my old apartment. Switch your location to there, then turn your location off on your phone. Ethic is going to check it at least once,” Morgan said.

“Can we make that pit stop, Aria?” Bella asked.

“I’m down for a mission on any day of the week, li’l baby,” Aria stated.

“Thanks, Mo,” Bella said.

“I got you, B,” Morgan responded. “If I don’t know how to do nothing else, sneaking out to see a boy Ethic doesn’t want me in the mix with will always be my area of expertise.”

Aria cackled, and Bella snickered.

“Tell Henny I said keep his head up in there and that I’m sorry.”

Bella nodded and then climbed into the passenger side. She was a young girl, a blossoming woman, with a plan and a heart full of determination. Bella Okafor wasn’t one of those girls whom life could put down. No matter how many times she fell or how heavy the burdens became, she would stand back up because her daddy taught her how to shake it off.

Bella recognized how blessed she was. As early as she could remember, whenever she would fall or hurt herself, Ethic would watch her carefully. He would be slow to react, gauging her emotions to determine if she was shocked or injured from the impact. If it were within her capacity to handle it, he would quickly say, “Shake it off, baby girl.” And Bella had done that. Her entire life. Scrapes on the knees when she fell off her bike. The broken collarbone when she had attempted a back flip off the monkey bars in fourth grade. The sprained ankle when she had landed wrong at her summer cheerleading competition. She stood up; she shook it off. Those were all challenges of childhood, but the lesson was transferable for years to come. Anytime she encountered something hard, something that hurt, a failure or a fall from grace, Bella paused to decipher shock from pain, and then she shook it off. Henny’s incarceration had delivered both pain and shock, but she heard Ethic’s voice in her head, “Shake it off, baby girl.” That’s exactly what she planned to do.

Chapter 18

“Carry Me Through the Quiet” by Sienna Rose

The interrogation went well?” Nyair asked as they sat in Ethic’s office.

“They didn’t have enough to hold her, so that’s a good sign,” Ethic advised. “What brings you by?”

Before Nyair could respond, a subtle knock at the office door interrupted them.

“Knock, knock,” Mara sang.

“I don’t mean to interrupt. I thought I’d bring you gentlemen something to snack on.” Mara served a fresh fruit medley, assorted nuts, and a tuna tartare, along with two smoked old fashions.

“Let me know if you need anything else,” Mara offered.

“We’re good, Mara, thank you,” Ethic said.

Nyair’s eyes followed Mara out of the room, and he waited until the door was closed before he said,

“She taking care of you or La?”

“She’s been doing it all, honestly. I’m grateful for her attentive nature because shit been on overdrive over here,” Ethic said.

“G, you don’t keep a piece like that under your roof,” Nyair warned.

“She keeps it professional, and she’s damned good at what she does,” Ethic answered. “And I’m faithful to my wife. I know not to put my hand in the cookie jar, my nigga.”

“Okay,” Nyair’s tone was skeptical and rang with warning. “How’s she doing?” Nyair asked, changing the subject.