The rest of break we spent gossiping about coworkers, comparing notes on patients, and laughing at TikToks until our alarms went off and we headed back to the floor.
By the end of my twelve-hour shift, my feet ached, but my mood was light. I said goodbye to my team, grabbed my bag, and headed towards the parking lot.
That's when I saw her--Bri--walking towards a familiar car. I slowed my steps without even thinking.
A grey scatpack Charger sat at the curb, engine humming. A figure leaned against the passenger door holding a bouquet of flowers.
My eyes narrowed.
"Killa?" I whispered to myself.
Sure enough, it was him, grinning hard as fuck, holding those flowers out as Bri reached him. They hugged--tight--and she kissed him on the cheek before sliding into the car.
I stood frozen for a second. Killa. The same Killa who had a different girl every other week, the one we all clowned for being a walking headline.
And he had flowers.
Now that I thought about it, he hadn't been running his mouth about girls lately. No wild stories, no bragging.
Huh.
I shook my head, chuckling to myself, and walked to my own car. Some things really do change when you aren't looking.
Sakani Alan Wright
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I didn't really know what I expected when Uncle Kyle asked if I wanted to roll with him today. But walking into his law firm? That caught me off guard.
The office was sleek--glass walls, leather chairs, the kind of view of downtown that made you feel like you were in a movie. He guided me through the lobby, nodding to a few associated who greeted him with respect.
"This is where the magic happens," Kyle said, gesturing around as we stepped into his corner office.
I sank into a chair across from his desk. "Magic, huh?"
He chuckled, loosening his tie. "You'd be surprised what good lawyering can do. Look--your pops case? It ain't hopeless. It's messy as hell, but not hopeless."
He leaned forward, pulling out a thick folder from his drawer. Papers, notes, photocopies. Evidence reports. "We've been digging. Some of the stuff in his file don't add up. Chain of custody on certain pieces is all over the place. That's leverage."
I ran a hand down my face. "You think you can get him out?"
Kyle nodded slowly. "With the right team? Yeah. But we need to make sure every step is airtight. One slip, and the state will bury him deeper."
I didn't trust the lawyer he'd introduced me to earlier. The dude looked like he sold dreams for a living. I nodded and smiled in the meeting, but in my head, I was already plotting. King would look through this evidence. King always saw through the bullshit.
Kyle leaned back, watching me think. "Ever think about getting out?"
That caught me off guard. "Out?"
"Out of the streets, Sakani, " he said plainly. "You're sharp. You can do anything you put your mind to. It just doesn't have to be...that."
I just stared at him. My whole life, hustling was the plan. That's what Pops did. What I knew.
"You don't gotta answer me right now." Kyle said, reading my silence. "But think about it. You like being your own boss, right?"
"Hell yeah."
"There are legal ways to do that. Better ways. Safer. You're too damn smart to end up like--" He stopped himself, shaking his head. "Just think about it, nephew."
I nodded, even though my mind was spinning. I couldn't picture myself clocking in anywhere. Couldn't picture myself in a suit like him either. But his words stuck.
We spent the rest of the afternoon walking through the firm, him explaining things--how cases were built, how evidence could be thrown out, how deals were negotiated. And even though I wouldn't admit it out loud, I was listening.
Really listening.
Because for the first time in a long time, I wondered if there was more for me than what I'd always known.
