Chapter 9
Chapter 9
Dre arrives in town and confronts Javier at Rafael's house. Javier chooses to handle it without violence, but Dre threatens to expose his past to Nia and the boys. The chapter ends with Javier realizing that Dre's presence is only the beginning of a larger reckoning.
The morning came slow and heavy, like the air itself was waiting. Javier hadn't slept. He'd lain beside Nia, listening to her breathe, watching the shadows shift across the ceiling, his mind running laps around the same fear. Dre was coming. Dre was already here. Dre was somewhere between California and this tiny Alabama town, and every mile he drove brought him closer to the life Javier was trying to build.
When the first light crept through the curtains, Javier slipped out of bed. He pulled on his jeans and a clean shirt, moving quietly so he wouldn't wake Nia. She needed rest. They all did.
He found Rafael in the kitchen, a cup of coffee already in his hand.
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