“You fucked Robin?” Ty screeched, but I could barely hear him over the blood pounding in my ears.
“I just didn’t know how you would handle it. I mean, with her being your favorite sister and all. But I don’t want to wait any longer, man. I know she has some issues right now and I’m going to give her time to work those out. Just know that one day soon I will make her my wife. So, if you want to box it out we can do that now because no one and nothing is going to stop me from being with her. I’ve wasted too many years already.”
Yeah, I wanted to beat the shit out of him. Everyone knew that I was closest to Robin. The fact that he slept with her was enough to push me over the edge. I had always suspected it, but to have it confirmed had my trigger finger feeling mighty itchy. I wanted to kill him but the look in his eyes, the deep longing that was there, stopped me.
Cedric could’ve snuck around like Pierre, but instead he manned up and told me. I could only respect that. He was giving Robin the time and space to figure her shit out. He was a better man than me. If the woman I loved was in trouble the last thing I would be giving her was time and space. I sincerely hoped that Robin would man up otherwise Ced would join Ty in the Lady Bird’s Lonely Hearts Club.
Ced could give Robin the life she had always wanted if she let him. A part of me wanted to know what went wrong before but another part of me just wanted to let sleeping dogs lie.
Scrubbing a hand down my face, I offered my hand to Cedric and he anxiously shook it. I took a seat on the chair in my ratty motel room and lit a square. I needed something to take the edge off.
“So, you and Robin huh?”
A big Kool-Aid smile broke out across his face. “Yeah, man. She’s the one.”
I shook my head. “That makes two of my boys to fall for two of my sisters.”
I regretted the words as soon as they left my mouth. Ced and I both chanced a glance at Ty. We all knew that he had lost Sparrow to Isaiah. That man had Sparrow wrapped around his finger. I hoped that Ty would be able to move on from her and find someone he could open up too. He had his chance with Sparrow but from what little information I had been able to gather it ended rather ugly.
“Enough of this love shit,” Ty grumbled, smoke filling the room with each word.
I nodded my head. “Alright, we’re making Sparrow’s drop tomorrow night. Then the next day, Saturday, we’re taking Dean down. I’ve got Sherry’s address and was able to get my hands on some money to help her disappear. Pierre’s in place with Raven. He’s going to do his best to make her late to her appointment with Dean on Saturday morning.”
“Cool, so tonight we can relax and get ready for tomorrow.” Ced took a deep swig of his drink and propped his feet up on the coffee table, ready to start his relaxation.
Ty pulled his cell from his pocket and softly swore. “Naw, we don’t have time for that shit. Raven just texted me.”
My body jackhammered up. “What’s going on?”
Ty stood and grabbed his jacket from the back of the couch. “Sparrow is on her way to see Sherry now.”
Ced and I scrambled to our feet and followed Ty out the door. We hopped into Ty’s black SUV and the tires screeched as we hurriedly pulled away from the curb. The balmy night air surrounded us and darkness encased us.
My heart thundered in my chest as I sent up a silent prayer for Sparrow’s safety. It would take us forty-five minutes to get to Aurora. A lot could happen in forty-five minutes especially when dealing with someone as unstable as Sherry.
We had an unspoken agreement that no matter what none of the girls would be harmed. We’d all catch a bullet before they got a scratch. If a hair was out of place on Sparrow’s head, I was going to kill Sherry. I would hate to do it, but like I said before there was no way, in situations like these, that everyone could make it out alive.
Chapter 49
RAVEN
I was happy for Robin. She was finally moving on with her life. It didn’t matter that she had ruined a man’s life in the process. All that mattered was that she was finally going to be happy. Hopefully, I would be joining her in the world of happiness in two short days.
Though I was happy for Robin I was worried as hell for me and Sparrow. Sparrow was on her way to see that crazy bitch Sherry. I didn’t want her going alone so I texted Ty to see if he could at least ride past to make sure she was okay. There was no doubt in my mind that he would do more than pass by. That man had it bad for Sparrow. Sighing, I got up from the dining room table. There was no use sitting around worrying about my baby sister since Ty could handle it.
My phone vibrated against my hip and I grabbed it from my skirt pocket. Dean had taken to texting me lately and it was getting on my nerves. He would text me every few minutes about the drop I was supposed to make for him. Of course the only thing I could do was respond. He had me over a barrel. There was nothing I could do. I wanted my life back and this was the only foreseeable way to get it.
That wasn’t to say I wasn’t scared. I would be traveling across the country alone and pregnant. I had finally convinced Pierre that I was going to a conference for interior designers. I hated to lie to him but what other choice did I have? With everything my sisters were going through I knew he wouldn’t bother to confirm anything with them. Plus, he trusted me. Damn, I hated to abuse that trust.
Sparrow said she had this eerie feeling that one of us would be in danger. I hated to tell her that it was probably all three of us but she was convinced it was either her or Robin. I shook my head. How did all three of us end up fucking up our lives? You would think that we would be smarter than that. That just goes to show that even the smartest of women could still have their lives put in the shit hole with a few bad decisions.
Strong arms wrapped around my growing waist and I leaned into them. Pierre placed tiny kisses along my neck as his hands drew circles on my stomach. I felt his erection poking me in the ass and I sighed. Ever since finding out I was pregnant we both were hornier than ever. With everything going on I felt the need to be in control tonight. Lord only knew if I would live beyond Saturday and I wanted to make tonight count.
I pushed out of his embrace and sashayed to the bedroom. I had officially moved out of the home I shared with Dean and into Pierre’s Sycamore home. Since my arrival I had felt completely at peace and had yet to change anything outside of adding my belongings.
I entered the room and stood in front of the bed. Pierre came in soon after. He stood in front of me and looked me in the eyes. “Strip,” I said with my voice full of the confidence he had given me.
I watched in sensuous heat as hints of his honeyed skin became visible for my pleasure. His body was the thing dreams were made of. I wanted to tell him to go faster but the anticipation would be worth it. Just the feel of him against me could drive me over the edge.
When Pierre was completely naked I had him sit in one of the chairs next to the window while I rummaged through an antique chest near the foot of the bed. I knelt before him and tied his arms and legs to the chair with silken ropes. I stood and turned the lights off in the room before disrobing. Opening the drapes covering the window, I allowed the room to be bathed in moonlight and the twinkling of the stars. I kissed him deeply, reveling in his taste. His flavor was decadent, indulgent, and sinful. I luxuriated in the feel and taste of him for a moment longer before I regrettably pulled my lips from his.
Placing my back towards him, I lowered my pulsating body on to his. Inch by glorious inch filled me to bursting. I sat astride him, wallowing in the feel of him buried inside me. Pierre’s hips bucked in vain. I was in control of this show.
Slowly, I raised myself only to quickly lower. Up and down I moved. My breath came in gasps. The sound of my heavy breasts slapping together filled the room. The glow from the night sky gave our naked bodies an ethereal appearance. Pierre’s soft whimpers floated from behind me into my ear canal and exploded i
n a barrage of sexual fireworks.
I was drunk off lust and high off love. My body no longer belonged to me but to the moment. I was Pierre’s and damn if it didn’t feel overwhelmingly good. I wanted to show him in everything I did how much his love was appreciated. This was one of those ways. Up and down I moved.
He had forgiven me when another man would have left. He had given me back the control that Dean had stolen from me. With his ring he had shown the world the depth of his love for me. With his child he had shown the world the depth of his lust for me. For those things I wanted to show him how much he meant to me. Up and down I moved.
No amount of words could express the intensity of my love for Pierre but my cries of pleasure, moans of ecstasy, and screams of climax could come close. It was only in those moments that my entire being could articulate the extent of my feelings. Up and down I moved.
Like two cars headed towards each other on a collision course we were ready to explode. Faster I moved my hips. My thighs burned. My head spun. My breathing became even more labored. My heart pounded in my ears. Tears escaped my eyes. I came in spurts of ecstasy as I fell into forever with Pierre right behind me.
I leaned against him, my hips still circling slowly. My body continued to jerk. I released his hands and they were all over me at once. The feel of his fingertips against my naked flesh had me cumming again. It had always been that way with us. I could cum from his mere touch.
I stood and released his legs. Pulling me close, Pierre stroked my damp hair and kissed me deeply. He backed me up to the bed and we fell atop the soft blankets. We burrowed underneath the comforters. Wrapped in Pierre’s arms, I fell into a peaceful sleep. The worries of the upcoming days were effectively evaporated from my mind.
Chapter 50
SPARROW
I whipped my black on black SUV through the streets of Aurora like I had lived there my entire life. Pass the downtown lights and condos I drove through the real Aurora, the suburban ghetto that had claimed many lives. I prayed mine wouldn’t be added to the list.
Raven had asked me why I didn’t inform the police about Sherry. Why? Because I knew how these things worked. A good friend of mine was stalked and all she got was a piece of paper stating that her stalker couldn’t come within a certain number of feet of her. Yeah, a piece of paper was going to stop people from harming you.
I could have taken Sherry to court, but I knew in my heart that would only fuel her vengeful fire. She made it very clear that she had nothing else to lose. She wouldn’t hesitate to harm me, Isaiah, or my family if she didn’t get what she wanted. So, I was going to give her what she wanted. I had scrambled to get my hands on this cash but it would be well worth it. If I was smart then I could make it all back within a year.
Dressed in black from head to toe, I could easily maneuver through the streets of Aurora on foot if things got too crazy. I had called Raven to tell her where I was going. I knew that she would tell Robin and she would tell Blue but I didn’t care. By the time he got here everything would be settled.
I arrived at my destination and parked the car near the front door. I took a deep breath then another before grabbing the duffel bag full of money and stepping out of the car. I looked up and down the street. There wasn’t a soul in sight. That was a bad sign. These streets were always buzzing. For them to be as deserted as Main Street in an old western at high noon was bad news.
Pushing the thoughts from my mind, I entered the old brick school building. This was one of hundreds of schools around Illinois that had been shut down due to poor test scores and no funding. I made my way to the top floor and looked around for Sherry.
“You’re late, Sparrow.”
I turned towards the voice, but I didn’t see anything in the darkness. “Sorry, I got held up.”
“I don’t like excuses, Sparrow.”
I continued to turn slowly in a circle, trying to figure out where she was. Dust and cobwebs surrounded me along with rotting wood floors and peeling paint. The smell of mold and mildew combined with the feel of dirt, grime, and shattered dreams made me feel extremely uncomfortable. It was crazy but I would have felt a whole lot better if I could have seen Sherry.
Finally, out the corner of the damp room, Sherry stepped into view. A single orangey-yellow light dimly illuminated her frame. The dust caked windows made it impossible for the light from the outside world to penetrate through.
I watched with bated breath as Sherry stepped towards me slowly. She was dressed in all black and her hair was pulled back from her face, allowing me an unimpeded view of her face. Her arms hung to her side. The light reflected off a shiny object in her left hand, a gun. My heart thundered in my chest and my hands repeatedly constricted and relaxed on the handle of the duffel bag. This was a lot more than I expected.
I fought the urge to back up as she continued to move forward. Her cheeks were stained with dry tears and her nose was red from wiping it on the sleeve of her hoodie. Her eyes reflected all the immense loss and contempt that was deep in her soul.
Taking a deep breath, I prepared to speak. “What’s with the gun?”
“Throw the bag towards me.”
I did as she said.
“Good job.”
She pointed the gun directly at me while lowering to the floor. Her greedy laughter filled the air as she rummaged through the bills. Her laughter quickly turned to sobs and my heart plummeted to my stomach.
I took a cautious step towards her, my boots crunching the dirt and debris beneath my feet. Sherry jumped to her feet and swiped at her tears. “What’s wrong, Sherry?”
“I don’t know,” she said, running a hand through her bound locks. “I thought this would make me happy but it didn’t.”
I chanced another step towards her, my arms outstretched. “Money can’t take the pain away. Nothing can ease the pain except acceptance. You can’t run from it. You have to face it head on.”
“I’ve accepted it. I’ve accepted that you have caused me more pain than you can imagine yet you get to live a fantasy life. How fair is that? I lost both of my parents and I was fine with that but then I lost my brother. He was my twin…my other half. I was so depressed that my husband left me and took my children. I’m alone in this world. Everything and everyone I have ever loved is gone and it’s your fault!”
“I don’t know how many times or ways I can apologize. I told your brother how I dealt with things. I didn’t do love then.”
Sherry stepped towards me. This time I did take a step back. “But you do it now, huh? You get to be happy with Isaiah while my brother is rotting in the ground? I don’t think so. If he couldn’t have you then no one will.”
I didn’t have time to assess my level of fear before I was on the move. I wasn’t going down without a fight. Thanks to the dim lighting and Sherry’s crying she missed her first shot. I crouched down and knocked her off her feet, a shot hitting the ceiling before the gun fell from her hand.
Both of our eyes followed its movements and we both scrambled to get to it first. Unfortunately, we reached it at the same time. I used every dirty trick to get that gun before Sherry. I pulled her hair, punched her repeatedly, and kicked her in the stomach. I was not going to die tonight.
We both refused to loosen our grip on the pistol. Lying side by side on the floor with the gun between us, we both tried to reach the trigger. I faintly heard my name being screamed in the background. I ignored it and focused all my energy on getting the barrel of the firearm aimed away from my chest. I tried to push it towards Sherry just as her finger squeezed the trigger. Fire filled my body and a scream left my throat.
I felt the sticky blood coat my body and panic set in. The only thought that kept looping through my mind was that I wouldn’t die tonight.
PART V
Chapter 51
RAVEN
The loud banging on my front door woke me up. The clock
read two in the morning and I prayed that a drunken Dean wasn’t at my front door. Pierre quickly rolled out of bed and grabbed the gun that we kept in the night stand. He made his way down stairs and I threw on some clothes. Loud panicked voices greeted my ears but I stayed put. It wasn’t until Pierre screamed my name that I ran downstairs. The sight before me made me stop dead in my tracks.
In Blue’s arms laid a limp Sparrow. On either side of him were Ty and Ced. All looked like they had been to hell but Sparrow looked like she had been dragged through it. Her clothes and hair were covered in dust and grime. Blood and tears coated her face. Her eyes were dim and bland as if she couldn’t believe what happened to her.
“What the hell happened?” I screamed.
Before anyone could answer a car sped up our driveway. The door slammed and Robin raced up the sidewalk. Upon seeing Sparrow she echoed the same words that had just left my lips.
“Let me lie her down upstairs,” Blue said. He cradled Sparrow to his chest as one would do a small child. As soon as he reached the top of the stairs Robin and I turned our attention to Cedric and Ty.
Cedric spoke first, his gaze trained on Robin. She was in a fragile state of mind and no one wanted to upset her any further, but we all knew she wouldn’t leave until she knew what happened to Sparrow.
“Sparrow went to see Sherry. We don’t know what happened before we got there but when we arrived we heard two shots. We raced up the stairs and Sherry and Sparrow were fighting over the gun on the floor. We tried to get to them but before we could the gun went off. Sparrow screamed. We thought she had been hit but when we reached them it was Sherry that was dead. The bullet went through her chin. That’s why Sparrow is covered in blood.”
I leaned against the wall, trying to gather my emotions. I didn’t know what to say. I could only imagine what Sparrow was going through. How much more could my family take? Unfortunately that was a question that I’d have to wait to answer.
When Blue came back downstairs I motioned for Robin to follow me back up. I didn’t know what the men were about to do but I wasn’t stupid. There was no way they could leave Sherry’s dead body to be discovered. I’d let them take care of that while I took care of Sparrow.
To Love a No Good Nigga Page 17
