“Last time I checked, I was grown, Herman. I don’t have to check in with you every time I go somewhere,” she responded with attitude.
Herman huffed at her and turned his attention to Jonathan, who was gripping the steering wheel so hard his hands were cramping. He looked straight ahead to avoid making eye contact with his father.
“Ahhh, if it ain’t big time Jonathan,” he said, looking into the car.
“What’s up, Herman?” Jonathan responded, giving him the peace sign.
“Herman? Oh, so you don’t call me dad anymore?”
“You gotta start acting like one first!” Jonathan shot back without even looking at him.
That statement caught Herman by surprise. “Oh, you think cause you out here living these dope boy dreams like your trifling ass sisters that you can speak to me any kind of way?”
“Herman, don’t go there” Lorraine chimed in.
“Shut up woman. That’s the problem now. You always talking out of place and taking up for these bad ass kids.” Herman screamed, while pointing his finger in her face.
“Yo, cool da fuck out talking to my motha like that. Show some respect for a change!” Jonathan warned his father.
That was just about all Herman could take from Jonathan. He stormed around the car towards the driver side of the Charger and tried to open the door. It was locked, so all he could do was tap on the window to get him to open the door.
“Get out the car tough guy. You bad? Get on out da damn car!” Herman yelled.
“Don’t pay him no mind, baby.” Lorraine said, buckling her seat belt, and locking the door. “Let’s just go.”
“Nah. Pops got me fucked up.” Jonathan responded, reaching under his seat and grabbing the .38 snub nose.
He opened the door and got out of the car with the gun down by his side. Jonathan was still recovering from being shot, so he knew he could not handle a physical confrontation with his old man right now. Herman was such a coward. He knew that Jonathan was not 100% and he could take him out easily. One punch would probably take him down in his current state. Herman was a disrespectful piece of shit. Jonathan had stood by long enough watching him being cruel and mean to the women in his family. He was sick of his shit, and today he was going to shut his punk ass down.
“Oh, you really must have lost ya mind, boy.” Herman said while looking down at the gun in Jonathan’s hand.
Herman took a step forward, but stopped when he saw Jonathan clutch the gun tighter in his hand. The look he had in his eyes told Herman that his son was willing and ready to shoot him.
“I am not the same timid little boy I was five months ago. You can’t talk to me or my mom any kind of way you want. Those days are—”
“I can talk to my wife any kind of fuckin’ way I want!” Herman said as he took a step forward. “That damn bullet must have your mind fucked up, and I am going to remind you of your place, boy!” As he charged towards him, Jonathan grabbed him by his shirt and jammed the .38 into his mouth. The gun broke the thin skin of his inner lip, causing Herman’s mouth to bleed.
“Jonathan, you stop it right now!” Lorraine yelled out.
Herman’s eyes grew wide as a 50-cent piece looking up at the empty stare that his son was giving him. Jonathan blanked out for a moment because he couldn’t hear the pleas from his mom. Lorraine had jumped out the car and forced herself between her husband and son.
“That’s enough, Jonathan.” Lorraine said in a low firm tone.
She turned his face to hers. He blinked his eyes and slowly released Herman’s shirt. As he looked into his eyes, he slowly pulled the gun out of his mouth and grabbed his shirt again. “Hear me clearly… you fuckin coward. You got one more time to come out yo mouth to another female in this family, and I don’t care who’s around… Imma blow you fuckin face off!” Jonathan pushed Herman back and he fell to the ground.
Herman sat on the ground, breathing heavy. He wiped the blood from his chin and slowly stood. He tripped as he walked backwards towards the front door of the house. He was shaking in disbelief that Jonathan had the balls to threaten his life.
Lorraine looked at Jonathan and shook her head. She knew that she needed to go help Herman with his lip because if she didn’t listen to his rant, it could be worse for everyone involved. She knew he would make her evening unbearable if she didn’t baby him and pretend to take his side in regard to being disrespected. She kissed Jonathan on the cheek and began walking towards the door.
“Ma, come on. You got stuff to do. He can take care of himself. It is just a busted lip.” Jonathan said as he opened the passenger door.
“I will call you later, baby.” Lorraine said as she came back and patted his hand. She sighed and continued back up the walkway.
Jonathan did not feel any guilt about what he had done. Ever since he found out about what happened to his sister Charrise, and that Herman was the one to set things in motion, Jonathan no longer viewed him as a father. He had sold both his daughters out, and all for money. He was a hateful, sinister bastard. Although he had liver disease, Jonathan knew the mean old snake probably wouldn’t succumb to it. Jonathan knew that Herman was the type of nigga who did not let things go. He had been defeated by Brianna for the moment, but like a snake, he was just under his rock waiting for another chance to strike. This time, when he came from under that rock, Jonathan was going to be the one to cut his head off with his Glock.
__________
“All rise!” the clerk of the court announced as the judge entered the courtroom from out of his chambers.
Everybody in the courtroom stood. Cowboy had on a dark blue Tom Ford suit, a white oxford shirt, blue tie, and a pair of black Ferragamo’s. He looked better than his lawyer, and probably every other well-dressed man in the room. He sat at the table with his right leg lapped over his left like the O.G. he was. It didn’t appear that he had a worry in the world. One would never guess that he was fighting a triple homicide charge.
Opening arguments commenced, starting with the District Attorney letting the jury have it. He described the heinous nature of the crime in detail, and not leaving out the fact that Cowboy was sitting in the middle of the dead bodies with the murder weapon in his hand. The D.A. had the jury’s undivided attention for over 20 minutes straight. He sounded convincing, so much so, Cowboy got a little nervous himself.
“The testimony you are about to hear is gruesome. Mr. Parsons killed three men in cold blood, and by the end of this trial, I will prove that he is guilty.” the D.A. finished before sitting down at his desk.
Casteno chuckled to himself at how the D.A. had the jury in awe during his opening argument. Cowboy looked over at his lawyer and threw his eyebrow in the air. Casteno leaned over to his client and uttered a few words.
“Now watch me work.” He smiled as he got up from his desk.
Cowboy watched as his lawyer fixed his tie and then walked over to the podium sitting right in front of the jury box. Every one of the jurors looked and waited for Casteno to speak.
“I have to admit that the D.A. sure knows how to put on a good show.” Casteno smiled.
A couple of the jurors smiled with him. “The D.A. gave you graphic details about the murders and how bloody the crime scene was. He told you the kind of gun used in the crime, and how my client was caught with the smoking gun. From the outside looking in, I probably would think that my client was guilty. But the thing that the D.A. failed to establish was a motive. What was the reason for my client to murder three men?” Casteno asked the jury while pointing to Cowboy.
“The D.A. set this case out, wrapped it up, and presented it to you with a bow on top of it. Well, let me be the first to tell you that this District Attorney doesn’t know the half about this case,” Casteno went on. “For instance, do you know that my client was shot by one of the men found dead in the house and was taken to a nearby hospital right after he was arrested? Or did you know that all three men were found with guns
on or near their hands or lying right next to the body?” Casteno asked, slamming his hand on the podium. “No, the District Attorney didn’t share that with you. For whatever reasons, I don’t know. What you can expect during this trial from me, the attorney for Mr. Levi Parsons is to get to the bottom of what went on in that house,” Casteno assured before leaving the podium and walking back to his seat.
Cowboy smiled in satisfaction at the way that Casteno left a look of curiosity on the faces of the jurors. His opening statement took less than 10 minutes, but had the biggest impact on the jurors. The D.A. was even silently commending Casteno for bringing up the two issues concerning the guns and the fact that Cowboy was also shot.
“I see you’re gonna earn every dollar.” Brianna joked from the bench right behind Casteno and Cowboy’s table.
Casteno managed to crack a small grin at Brianna, thinking about the $150,000.00 she had dropped off at his office.
Before anything else was said, the judge took the floor. He gave the jury their instructions for trial and then took the back seat. Everything else was out of his hands, and just like that… the bell rang and the fight was on.
__________
The District Attorney had the different officers describe the crime scene they encountered when they arrived at the blood bath. Cowboy surveyed the juror’s faces as the pictures were put up on the flat screen as the officers described the carnage. Casteno objected throughout some of the testimony, but Cowboy could see that the D.A. had gotten to some of the jurors by the way some of them looked at him.
“We will take a brief recess, and reconvene in twenty minutes,” the judge said as he banged the gavel.
“Dis shit ain’t looking good, baby girl.” Cowboy said as he turned to Brianna. “These crackers is ready to put the noose in the tree right now. No offense, Casteno.”
“None taken, I’m Italian.” Casteno, joked trying to lighten the mood. “Listen, I know it sounds bad right now. They are describing the crime scene to get an emotional reaction out of the jury, and to have them hate whomever could have killed these folks.”
“Yeah and they are hating me right now. I can see it in their faces.” Cowboy said before sipping his water.
“No, all they have done is describe the scene. No one has said you caused the carnage. No witness has said that you did anything. All they did was describe what they found. They only said you were found at the scene, that is all.” Casteno said as he checked his phone. “Look, let me work my magic.” Brianna patted Cowboy’s shoulder, although she had not known him very long, she loved him. He was her father, and in the short time they had gotten to know each other, he had taken her heart and filled the hole that Herman had chipped in it over the years. The hole that needed a father’s love, support, and guidance.
“Hey Bri. Hey Cowboy,” Selena said as she and Charrise sat beside Brianna.
“Hey girls, what took y’all so long?” Brianna asked as she kissed them each on the cheek. Charrise made eye contact with Cowboy. It was the first time since he rescued her that she had seen him. She felt guilty that she had not visited him in jail, but seeing him was painful. Each time she thought about going with Brianna, she would remember that he was one of the men who had kidnapped her in the first place. She could remember that much, and that memory prevented her from visiting him. She had moved past that, because he had saved her and Brianna’s life once he figured out what has going on. She smiled weakly at him, and he nodded. Although no words were exchanged, Cowboy acknowledged her silent gratitude to him.
“So,” Charrise said, reaching into her bag for a piece of gum. “How is it going? The press is painting you as some deranged psycho killer.”
“So is the D.A., but to let Casteno tell it, we are winning.” Cowboy huffed. “It doesn’t matter what they say or how this works out. I know I did the right thing in my heart, and that is all that matters.”
Before Charrise could respond, the bailiff yelled, “All rise!”
Cowboy stood as the judge entered the courtroom. Charrise looked at the man who until a few months ago was a stranger who had risked his life to save her and her sister. Now he was willing to give up his freedom for them.
She leaned forward and whispered to Casteno. “Here.” Charrise said, handing Casteno her number. “Call me after court today.”
Casteno nodded and took the paper.
Charrise got up and exited the courtroom.
Brianna looked at Selena, and then back at the swinging door that Charrise had just walked through. She leaned over to Selena. “What is she doing?”
“I don’t know. Let me go check on her.” Selena said, grabbing her bag.
Brianna wanted to go after them, but the state called the next witness to the stand. She needed to be there for Cowboy, and she didn’t want to miss any testimony.
Chapter 5
Herman sipped the warm tea through a straw as he stared out the window that over looked his backyard. His mouth was killing him. He opened the bottle of 800mg Motrin and popped two in his mouth. What the hell was happening? The tides in the family had changed, and the fucking inmates were running the asylum. Damn kids done lost their damn minds. Lorraine wasn’t listening to him like she was supposed to, and this little nigga gonna make him suck on the barrel of a damn gun? He wasn’t gonna lie to himself, Jonathan looked like he was going to pull that trigger for a minute. He had always told him, don’t draw a gun unless you’re gonna pull the trigger. He was grateful that Lorraine was there to calm the situation down.
“Herman!” Lorraine yelled as she walked into the kitchen. “I need to go downtown. Do you need anything while I’m out?”
Herman waved her away and continued looking at the fountain that stood over the body that was buried in the back yard. That fucking body was the only thing that little bitch Brianna had on him. She was trash, just like her damn daddy, but for the moment, that damn body was keeping him under her control.
“Ungrateful little hoe! I should have fucking used a clothes hanger on Lorraine and aborted the red bitch or taken her ass to one of them orphanages in the country and left her. She hasn’t been nothing but trouble since the fucking day she was conceived.” He thought aloud.
__________
Brianna stood in the mirror and ran her hands over her black two-piece Prada skirt suit. She wore a yellow satin halter, and a pair of black Jimmy Choo peep toe heels. She had her hair pulled in a bun on top of her head, with Chinese bangs.
“Charrise?” Brianna yelled as she came out of her room into the hallway. “Charrise, you ready?” Brianna knocked on the door and then walked into Charrise’s room. Charrise was snoring lightly under the covers. Brianna laughed and shook her gently as she sat down on the bed.
“Hey boo, you coming today?”
Charrise stretched then rose up. She had told herself after breakfast she was just going to lay down for a couple of minutes. She jumped up and walked to the bathroom. Brianna noticed for the first time the thickness in her hips and her waist. The shirt she wore rose up on her belly, exposing stretch marks, and her once toned behind jiggled when she walked. Brianna had never seen Charrise allow herself to fall into this kind of state.
“So how is therapy?” Brianna asked as she walked into the bathroom and sat on the toilet.
“It’s cool.” Charrise said as she brushed her teeth. As she was brushing, her mouth began to fill up with water and she vomited in the sink.
Brianna grabbed a wash cloth out of the linen closet and handed it to her.
“So how far along are you?” Brianna asked as she moved from in front of the toilet to allow Charrise to pee. Charrise wiped her face with the washcloth as she sat on the stool.
Brianna sat on the edge of the tub and crossed her legs.
“Umm Bri… I am trying to use the bathroom, can you leave? I need a moment.”
“Girl please, I done see you shit before.” Brianna said. “So again, how far along are you?”
/> Charrise wiped herself and washed her hands. “Four months, Bri.” she said, trying to fight another round of nausea.
“So why ain’t you tell me?” Brianna said trying to choose her words carefully. She didn’t want to upset her, especially knowing what she had been through. Brianna started counting the months and she felt a chill go through her body as she looked at her baby sister. “Oh Rese, tell me it’s not by one of those animals that raped you?”
Charrise sat back on the toilet, placed both of her hands over her face, and began to cry.
Brianna took her into her arms and held her close. Charrise was trembling and trying to catch her breath between sobs. Listening to her sister moan had taken all the boss out of Brianna. She squeezed her has hard as she could, wishing she could choke the hurt and pain out of Charrise’s body. Brianna pulled her off the toilet, onto the floor. She held her like she did when they were little and Herman had given them one of his signature whippings.
“Bri, I don’t know what to do. I thought about getting an abortion, and I didn’t want to tell you, especially after the hell I gave you about wanting to keep Hakeem’s baby.” Charrise said while driving her face deeper into Brianna’s chest to hide her shame.
“Baby girl,” Brianna whispered, while cupping her face in her hand so that their eyes could meet. “You know I am going to say the same thing to you that you said to me, and you know what that is.”
Charrise shook her head in acknowledgment. Knowing the choice she had to make, she fell back into Brianna’s arms. They held each other tightly. Charrise knew what she needed to do, and that Brianna was going to be right there with her to help her through whatever it was.
__________
Jonathan stood in the mirror, allowing his fingers to outline the scars that were left by the bullets that had pierced his body. Gator had left early for a meeting with some old associate of hers. She was trying to unload the drugs that he and his crew had obtained in their last robbery. Although he was sure she could handle herself, he didn’t like being apart from her. He would feel a searing pain rip through his body and his breath would become trapped in his lungs. His vision would become blurry every time she left. For some reason, he would always get the feeling that she wasn’t coming back. He wasn’t sure if it was because of the age difference, or the fact that she had confided in him that she had always been with men who had money. Whatever it was, he was having one of those insecure moments right now.
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