Justin didn’t want to see Colt’s face right now, but he looked anyway and was shocked that instead of the disappointment directed at him, Colt was glaring at Victor as though he wanted to tear him limb from limb.
Victor laughed. “Not even your brother has that kind of cash lying around.”
“His brother may not have that kind of cash, but his sister does.”
If he hadn’t seen it himself, Justin would not have believed it possible. Imani was suddenly standing beside him, seeming to have appeared out of thin air.
“Imani, you’re not here right now!” Colt roared.
“Honey, chill. I can easily pay the debt for Justin.”
“How did you get in here?” Victor spun his head in every direction of the room, trying to understand how she came into the room without them seeing her.
“You’re deliberately misunderstanding me,” Colt gritted out. “I guarantee that your ass won’t misunderstand when I’m done with you later.”
“God, I love it when he talks dirty like that.” Imani cheerfully looked up at Justin as though they were sharing a joke.
Justin frowned down at her. He was still trying to process what was happening. He needed to get his shit together fast. “Sis, you shouldn’t be here. This is no time to strut your stubborn ass. These motherfuckers would do anything to get their hands on you.”
“Pst, you think your brother would ever let them have me?”
“Imani!”
Justin inched closer to her. “Colt, let’s just get the fuck outta here. If he wants to call the debt in, let ’em. I’m not playing his fuckin’ games.”
“You’re not going anywhere! Not until I get the weapons I need from your sister-in-law,” Victor shouted.
“Why don’t they ever realize that I don’t make weapons under duress?” Imani asked her question to the room. “Dumbasses, all of them,” she muttered in a loud whisper.
“Are you forgetting that I have guns pointed at your wife and her friends’ heads?” Looking agitated and frustrated, Victor waved his gun around for emphasis. “Don’t make the mistake of thinking that I won’t kill one of them.”
“Why don’t you give them what they want, Justin? I’m sick of this damn place,” Melissa told them peevishly. “I knew you’d pick your brother over me. You always did!”
Justin ignored her pampered ass because he was so close to losing his shit. He clenched his teeth to remain silent, although he knew that none of what he was feeling would be visible on his face. He’d learned to perfect a cool disinterested expression years ago.
“Be a man, Justin.”
Her whining had him clenching his fists next.
“I’ve been in this damn dress for almost twenty-four hours. It’s only a few guns Imani must give them, for Christ’s sake. I don’t understand what the damn fuss is about.”
“I’ve never hit a woman in my life, but my God, if you don’t shut the fuck up, that’s one code I’ll gladly break.” Justin was still clenching his teeth so hard he was surprised that the words passed through them.
Colt looked as though he’d explode at any moment. “I might just be willing to join you.”
Justin had no doubt that if Colt could’ve gotten away with it, Melissa would be dead right now. “You did this shit to hurt me? To hurt my family?” He glared at her.
“Last time I checked, I am your family,” she told him unrepentantly. “You don’t love me! You love him! It’s always you and Colt! Everyone in the family knows that. You and Colt act like the rest of us don’t matter. Well, you’d better take notice now!”
Justin smiled as he made a decision that he should have made months ago. “After tonight, you’re nothing to me,” he told her coldly.
“It’s that whore you’ve been sniffing around, isn’t it? You think I’m stupid? Just because your brother went slumming with the ‘sistas,’ you had to go find yourself one too! You’re just proving my point!”
“Melissa, you really need to shut the fuck up now, because if Justin doesn’t beat the shit outta you, I most certainly will.” Imani smiled sweetly.
“Bring it, bitch! I’m not afraid of you!”
“Shut up!” Victor yelled. “I’m not interest in your fuckin’ family drama. I want the customized high-tech weapons you promised that your sister-in-law will make for us.”
Justin glared at Melissa and wondered how she knew anything about Imani. He’d certainly never told her. “If what you say about my debts is true, you can keep the house and the property that is attached to the mortgage. I don’t need them.”
“You bastard!” Melissa screamed. “That’s my house!”
“You shoulda thought of that before you pulled this bullshit!”
“You can’t do this!”
Justin ignored her and turned to Victor again. “I’ll raise the rest of the money and pay you.” He had a trust fund that his maternal grandmother had left for him. Colt was the only person, other than his grandmother’s lawyer, who knew of its existence. Colt had been the trustee of the fund for more than ten years now, and Justin had never regretted the decision to put him in charge of his finances. Thank God he’d never told Melissa about it or ever made it part of his marital assets. “Victor, you and whoever the ‘we’ are will get no weapons from this family.”
“You’ll regret denying us,” Victor hissed and pointed his gun at Imani. “You don’t know who the fuck you’re dealing with, no idea of what my bosses can do to you. I can just take her now, and no one can stop me!”
“Please try, motherfucker. I haven’t dropped a body in fuckin’ months,” Colt told him coldly. “Justin, you remember that gift my wife gave you last Christmas?”
Justin looked to Colt, puzzled at the swift change in topic, and why was Imani grinning at him so hard and appearing so relaxed when an idiot was pointing a gun at her? “Yeah, I remember.”
“You can remember the instructions I gave you, right?”
Imani’s carefully worded question made him still as he tried to remember every word she told him about the stylish watch she’d given him. She’d told him to always wear the watch, press the button on the band only under extreme emergency, and relax. It was supposed to be something Imani had built specifically for him. He couldn’t believe that he’d never thought to explore what Imani had given him. She’d built Colt a specialized gun and a protective shield. Given how much she’d geek out on everything, he was shocked that he’d never considered that the watch she gave him was anything special. “I’ve got it,” he assured her.
“Good,” Imani said cryptically before throwing something metal into his hand and then doing the same to Colt. “Today just seems an emergency kinda day.” The grin on Imani’s face was the only signal he needed.
Justin had seconds to find the button on his watch and press it before he noted both Imani and Colt pressing their buttons and disappearing. As soon as he pressed his, they came back into focus.