Imani didn't know what was said, but the look on Cookie's face was devastating. She looked at Imani and Jamal, tears forming in her eyes.
"Mama?" Imani asked. "Mama, what's wrong?"
Cookie shook her head. "We-we gotta go," she said. Imani and Jamal still stood there. "Come on! We gotta go!"
Fallon sat on the couch next to Anika, knees up to her chest. Her eyes and nose were red, and she just couldn't seem to keep herself from sobbing. She'd known Bunkie her whole life. She was so close to Bunkie in childhood, she thought he was her father up until she was seven years old. She just saw him a week ago when V was in the studio, singing her song. Now she'd never see him again.
Cookie sat in a chair, face hiding behind her hands. She hadn't said a thing since she arrived at the Lyon mansion. Imani sat on the floor next to her, hugging Cookie's legs. Andre and Vernon stood on either side of Cookie's chair, hands in the pockets of their suits, expressionless. Jamal sat in the chair across from Cookie, watching over Fallon. Hakeem was sitting diagonally across from Cookie. Even though he had designer shades on, they couldn't hide the red eyes both Fallon and Imani knew he had.
"They don't have any leads," Lucious told them at the front of the room, rubbing his hands together. He could barely look at his family for more than five seconds at a time. Tears welled up in his eyes. "But I'm gonna find the person that did this to my friend, and when I do, I'm--"
"Don't do anything silly, Dad," Andre told him.
Lucious took a moment to regain his composure. "They gon' be found." He walked over to the couch, sitting down next to Anika and Fallon. Fallon moved to lay in Lucious's lap. The gestured took Lucious by surprise, but he immediately rubbed her back. He couldn't even remember the last time any of his daughters cuddled in his lap.
"Bunkie wouldn't hurt nobody," Hakeem spoke up, glasses removed from his face.
"I understand, baby," Cookie told him. "He was like a father to you." Cookie walked over to him with her arms outstretched in an attempt to comfort him with a hug.
"Don't touch me!" Hakeem snapped, standing up. "Don't you ever touch me again."
"Keem," Jamal called his name.
Hakeem walked off to Vernon. "Don't disrespect your mother," he told him.
Cookie sat down in Hakeem's chair, holding her head in her hand. Jamal walked over to his mother to check on her. Cookie waved him away, telling him she was fine.
"Hakeem," Jamal called, walking after his little brother.
Andre sat down in the seat Jamal was sitting in. Imani looked at him, asking if he was okay. She could see him rubbing his fingers on his palm, a thing he often did when he would try to hide his emotions.
Imani sat outside by the pool of the Lyon mansion, nothing but a blanket keeping her company. She was lying on a pool chair closest to the water, letting her hand make ripples. She'd been out there all day, only leaving to go to the bathroom. She hadn't eaten, she barely slept. All she did was sit and watch the sky go from orange to blue, from blue to pink, and from pink to black.
"Imani, what are you still doing out here?" a voice asked. She was expecting it to be Fallon or her father, but when she looked over, Anika was standing in her robe, arms close by her sides to battle the cool breeze.
Imani didn't answer, she just turned away from the woman. She instead focused on her hand in the water. "I don't want to talk. Especially not to you." She curled in on herself, the blanket no longer able to keep her warm. She heard Anika go back inside and continued wiggling her fingers in the water.
Seconds later, she could hear the patio door slide open again. She didn't even bother to see who walked out this time. A warmer blanket was draped across her body and she relaxed at the newfound warmth. A steaming mug was held in front of her face.
Imani looked up, seeing Anika holding the mug out for her to take. "It's tea," Anika told her, noticing Imani's suspicious face. Imani sat up, taking the mug. Anika stood for a second longer, as if waiting for something. She cleared her throat before she turned around, starting to walk back inside.
"Anika," Imani called to the woman, making her turn around. Imani stayed facing the water. "Thank you." Anika didn't respond.
Anika had a slight smile on her face as she walked back inside.
AUTHOR'S NOTE
Well, this is long overdue, and at the time of me writing this, Ungodly Hour has surpassed 2,000 reads!! It's been a long time since I've seen a number that high on one of my works, and I just want to thank all of y'all for reading this crazy story!!
