Page 37

Gino was very careful with what he said. I could tell there was more he wanted to say, but in the presence of so many police officers, he kept it vague.

“Fuck you, Gino.” Aniya wailed. She tried to lunge for him, but the officer held her firmly in place.

Gino chuckled, but it was one of those menacing laughs that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Aniya must have felt it, too, because she stopped fighting and went limp again.

“Sign the papers, and I’ll think about helping you. If you don’t, then shit is only going to get harder for you. I promise you that, and you know I always make good on my promises. Prison really ain’t the place to be if you wanna buck against me, feel me? And trust me, . . . you’re gonna wanna be comfortable in there. You’ll be there for a very long time, it sounds like.” Gino grinned, and a chill went up my spine. I would hate to be on the receiving end of Gino’s words at this very moment.

After a couple of seconds, Aniya snatched the pen from him. With tears streaming down her face, she signed the papers.

He slowly stood with a triumphant smirk. He handed the papers to a man standing in the corner with a business suit and a serious expression. The man took the papers, looked them over, and then signed them. “I’ll have copies sent to you and to Aniya’s lawyer, should she choose to gain legal counsel.”

“Well look at that, boys. I’m divorced, which means I can testify against Aniya. Look at God.” Gino grinned, and my eyes ballooned. The man in the corner must have been a judge. He really did it. He really meant it when he said his divorce would be final today. My mind was blown, and it seemed I wasn’t the only one.

“You bastard!” Aniya shrieked. “You said you would help!”

Aniya bucked against the officer, prompting another officer to help hold her in place.

Gino ignored Aniya and said, “Y’all can take her funky ass away. I can’t stand to look at her.”

I was in awe at how the officers let Gino run the program. They hadn’t rushed him. They hadn’t said a word to him. They simply waited for his command. It made me wonder just how powerful Gino was. And when he finally gave it, they moved.

They ushered Aniya out of the office. Just as quickly as they came, they were gone.

In the hallway, I saw a few employees taking the scene in with confusion written all over their faces. That would have been me had Gino not clued me in last night.

Paris rushed into Aniya’s office and grabbed my arm. “Girl, what the fuck? What the fuck? What the fuck?”

I shook my head in disbelief. I had never really doubted Gino, but to see all this play out in real time was a lot.

“I’ll . . . I’ll have to fill you in later, Paris,” I finally managed to say.

Gino stepped forward. “For now, Paris, can you please send out a company-wide email and let everyone know that you all have the next week off, paid? I will send an email filling everyone in within the next week on next steps, but for now, take some time off.

Paris glanced at me and then at Gino before her eyes settled on me again. “Are you good?”

I nodded. “I promise I’ll call you.”

Paris stared at me for a beat longer before she nodded. “Fine, but don’t forget.”

I squeezed her hand. She nodded and marched out of the room. “Show’s over, everyone. Pack it up and leave for today. Paid day off,” she called out to the employees loitering in the hall.

They all scattered, knowing that if Gino had to come out and tell them to leave, it wouldn’t be so nice.

Once we were finally alone, I asked, “That’s it?”

He grinned. I could tell a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He looked lighter and freer than I had ever seen him. It was all in his aura. “That’s it, fave. That’s it.”

“They don’t have to question you? What about me? She’s going to tell them that I beat her up. She’s going to tell them that we were having an affair. I⁠—”

“Baby, stop.” Gino pulled me back into him, and I breathed deeply. I felt a stomachache coming on, and that was the last thing I needed. “I’ll have to go in for questioning tomorrow. I already have it worked out with the DA. And nobody will question you. I’ll make sure of it. You have nothing to worry about. The hardest part is over.”

“Can we . . . can we leave?” It wasn’t until that moment, when he said the hardest part was over, that I realized I wanted to be anywhere but here. This place had become a place of torment over the past year, but it was also the best paying job and vital for my survival. I hadn’t realized until this moment how stuck I had felt and how miserable I was because of this job. Now that Aniya wouldn’t step foot back in this building, I felt like I could actually enjoy my job, but the last few days had been a lot, and I wanted nothing more than to decompress.

“Long as we can leave together,” Gino said as he stepped toward me.

“Can we go to my house?” I asked. I yearned for my bed and my heating pad. All I wanted was a nice long nap.

“We can go anywhere you’d like, Yara. The world is officially yours.”