Page 30 of All Out of Love

Toya wanted to roll her eyes, but she was never going to disrespect her mother that way. Even though her mother had no problem disrespecting her every single chance she got. So Toya said yes ma’am to shut her up, and then she and Grayson got out of that house. Toya couldn’t get out fast enough.

Just as they walked downstairs with her suitcase and garment bag, Keisha finally spoke up. “I need to ask you something, Toya.”

Toya knew it was going to be more nonsense because it always was with her sister, but she looked at Grayson anyway. “I’ll be there.”

Grayson didn’t like the look on her sister’s face. She was teeming for a fight he could tell. But Toya didn’t seem intimidated by her in the least. That was the only reason why he left, with her luggage, and headed for his limousine.

Toya folded her arms. “What’s your question?”

“Where Bam at? How you get out and Bam still in?”

“My charges were dropped.”

Keisha was shocked. “Why would they drop your charges?”

“Because I didn’t do anything wrong. Why do you think?”

“Then where Bam at? He didn’t do nothing wrong either.”

“Girl bye,” Toya said dismissively as she turned to leave.

But before she could make a full step away, Keisha jumped down from those steps and snatched Toya by the catch of her hair, throwing her to the ground backwards and then dragging her. “Don’t you talk to me like that!” Keisha said as she tried to jump down on Toya. “Don’t your ass ever talk to me like that!”

Grayson’s heart fell through his shoe when he saw that woman knock Toya down. He had just handed that suitcase and garment bag to his driver, and his driver was putting them in the trunk, when they both saw Keisha, who was larger than Toya, sling Toya to the ground and start dragging her.

But just as he was about to run to her rescue, and just as Keisha got down to start beating on her sister, Toya pushed Keisha off of her, and flipped that script with gusto.

To Grayson’s shock, Toya began beating her sister down. It was as if Toya had had it with all of the abusiveness and was beating her sister, not because of that one push, but because of a ton of pushes. Because of a lifetime of pushes. And the guys on that stoop were on their feet, not to stop the sisters from battling, but to enjoy the show.

But it wasn’t a show to Grayson. As much as he didn’t want to believe it, his reaction to seeing Toya get dragged that way almost gave him a heart attack. It was as if there was an invisible string that was binding him to her, and it was too strong to cut.

Grayson ran over to those two ladies and angrily pulled Toya away from Keisha.

But Toya was still seeing red and all she wanted to do was continue to beat her sister’s ass. She’d taken all she was going to take from that woman and everybody else that kept messing with her. She just wanted them to leave her alone. All her life she just wanted them to leave her alone. Now it was her time to kick ass and take names. Now she was out for blood too!

But she didn’t get it that night. Grayson grabbed her and lifted her off her feet, even as she was still trying to kick at her sister, and he carried her to his limousine.

His driver hurriedly opened the door. He didn’t know what those folks on that stoop were capable of. Did they have a weapon? He didn’t like this scene at all!

But the only weapon appeared to be Grayson’s temper as he all but threw Latoya into the back of his limousine and got in after her. His driver closed the door and got in behind the wheel of that limo and sped away.

But Grayson was beside himself with anger. “Are you out of your gotdamn mind?” he yelled at Toya.

But Toya matched his energy. “What are you talking about? She came at me!”

“She’s not the one who’s freedom is in question. Your ass just got out of jail, yet you’re behaving as if you’re hellbent on going right back in!”

Toya knew she had overreacted. She knew she had thrown all caution to the wind, including her freedom, and just wanted to fight back. She knew she was wrong. “I’m sorry,” she said.

But Grayson wasn’t having it. “Save it,” he responded. Then he leaned his head back. “Why am I putting myself through all of this bullshit? What am I doing?!”

It was a rhetorical question that felt like the heart of the matter to Toya. Because she was wondering the same thing. His driver was wondering the same thing, too, as he glanced at the boss through the rearview mirror.

But for Toya, it was proof that Grayson was already tired of being in her corner. For all of her life, nobody lasted in her corner for long anyway. “You can drop me off right here,” she said forcefully. “I’ll walk back home.”

“No.”

“What do you mean no? Stop this car and drop me off.”