“You got that, son,” he said, relenting and dropping his shoulders. “Just let me have a word with the marshals, and I’ll get out of here. I’ll meet you all at the lab to ensure you don’t need my assistance.”
Shaking my head at him, I knew he wasn’t going to just go away. It was fine because I knew there was nothing they would find to implicate my brother or me, or proof that Bloss Baby was here. Walking toward the caution tape, I showed the officer my badge before ducking under. I could feel a small smirk forming on my lips as I viewed the carnage. Crouching down, I picked up what I knew to be Damien’s head.
“Hey, buddy.” I smirked as I crouched down. “Nice of you to stick around and wait for me.”
“There you are!” I glanced over my shoulder and met the angry glare of Sheena. “Where the hell have you been? I’ve been calling and texting your phone for days!”
“Shouldn’t you be trying to piece these crispy critter muthafuckas together instead of worrying about what the fuck I been doing?” I picked up Damien’s head, standing to my full height before shoving it in her face. She jumped back in fear, screeching quietly. “Make yourself useful and find the rest of this nigga.”
“You know, I will never understand how you still have a job.” My posture went rigid from the sound of TJ’s voice. “It’s cool, because your time as a medical examiner and a free man will be coming to an end before you know it.”
Still holding Damien’s skull, I turned and met the irritated scowl of my hoe-ass cousin. He looked a little dustier than the last time I saw him, which was an indication that Bloss Baby had been throwing that shit his way, just as I thought. He looked tired, defeated, and I was proud to know that his loss was my gain.
I juggled Damien’s head in my hand as I smirked at TJ. Sheena had yet to go away, so she stood there taking in our interaction. “And how do you figure that, Detective Bitch Boy? Matter of fact, why are you even here? I thought they gave you the boot for that little hand problem you have.” His jaw ticked asI shook my head at him disappointedly. “I hate that happened to her, but had it been my Bloss Baby?—”
“Your who?” Sheena glared at me as she stepped over a disfigured body. “Who the fuck is Bloss Baby?”
With my eyes trained on TJ, he said nothing as he looked at me with disgust. All I could think about was how I was the reason for his mother’s rotten corpse and how I was the one fucking the shit out of his ex when I got home. As he stared at me, it took a moment for realization to kick in. When it did, I couldn’t help but smile.
“You insinuating something about my bitch?” He gritted his teeth as he stepped to me, removing his gun from his holster. “I’ve been itching to put a bullet in you. If I can’t get your father, you’re the next best thing. You think you’re untouchable?” He placed his gun to my temple, ignoring the calls from his superiors. “My bitch?—”
“Has the sweetest pussy I’ve ever tasted.” I grinned, finishing his sentence and unfazed by the fact his shaky-ass hand could set off his gun at any moment. “The way she screamed my name when she came all over my dick for the first time is something I’ll remember until the day I die.” I laughed as the tears welled in the corner of his eyes. “Nigga, you’re a pure bitch. You’ll never have Blossom the way I do. You’ll never feel her shake underneath you as she cries from getting the best andonlydick of her life. I’m locking that down, but you won’t be around long enough to witness it.”
My eyes turned into slits as I stepped to him so only he could hear me. “You think I don’t know about you and Rowan?” His eyes went wide in shock. “Since all of this boils down to you missing your fuckin’ daddy, I’m about to set up a meet and greet. Maybe y’all can sit around in hell and talk about which one of you pussy-ass niggas were the weakest. Enjoy your last days of life, bitch.”
Slamming Damien’s head into his chest, I mugged him once more as his superiors came over to diffuse the situation. I could hear them lighting his ass up, but I wasn’t worried about that scary-ass nigga or what he could have possibly done with his gun. TJ was a bitch, a trainwreck with nothing to live for. I took his girl, his career was over, his mother was dead, and more importantly, he didn’t have shit to incriminate me or my family with. My people closed all of their trap houses down to regroup after the three stooges got that one lick in. This nigga was a flunky just like his pappy.
“JJ, wait!” I heard Sheena calling out behind me. I’d just signed off on the paperwork for all the techs to bag the brisket crew and bring them to the morgue. “Jaseon!”
“Say, man, chill!” I snapped on her ass, causing those in earshot to stop and stare.
Sheena had been nonstop since we started working the scene. The attention was starting to irritate me, and I was liable to embarrass her ass if she didn’t leave a nigga alone. Securing all the bodies from the scene was simply the first step in our night. I was trying to work so we could wrap this shit up and dip. We had bagged around fifty-five people so far, and with only a few left, it was time to head to the lab to conduct the second step.
“You see all this shit we have to do? Don’t come over here asking me about a muthafuckin’ thing if it’s not about loading up these damn bodies and taking them back to the Ice Hotel, Sheena.” Turning toward one of the guys on my team, I tossed him the clipboard. “Load what you can in the van. Mayor Mills has called in reinforcements to help us, and they’ll be here soon. Two of y’all stay back to assist. I drove here, so I’ll meet the rest of the crew back at the morgue.”
“Can I ride with you?” Sheena asked, still following me as I made my way across the grounds. The authorities were going to be here all night, but I wasn’t. If it was left up to me, I would putthe ashes in a pile and tell the families to come scoop and go. “We’re headed to the same place.”
“Did you ride with me to this muthafucka?” I threw over my shoulder as I tossed my bag onto the back seat. “Get your hands off my door handle and get your ass back, Sheena. I’m tired, and I smell like a fuckin’ barbecue. I don’t have time for your shit.”
Looking at me with sad eyes, she dropped her head and stepped away from my truck as I slid inside. She could act all hurt if she wanted, but that would be her choice. When I told her I was done with her, I meant that. I had Blossom now and nothing would come between us.
I may be speaking prematurely about Bloss Baby and me since the last interaction proved that she wasn’t an easy feat. However, I’m a man who knows what he wants. She and I had a lot to hash out, but I was confident when I said she was mine. Peering through my windshield, I could see an irate TJ under the pole lights. I was serious when I told him his days were numbered. Not only would Blossom be picking out an outfit for our first official date, but she’d be picking one out for his funeral too.
“On my mama,I’m killing that nigga!” I stood in the middle of the rubble and watched McKnight drive away. “If I find out he’s fucked my bitch, I’m killing her too.”
For the past week or so, I’d been lying low a couple of towns over, trying to let some of the fire with the McKnights die down. Rowan was supposed to have met me, but he never called or showed up. That pissed me off because if he was trying to hide out and place the blame on me, I was going to have some hot lead for him too.
Looking around at the carnage left from the fire, I blew an exasperated breath. I was on leave from work, but the captain had no choice but to call me in to help out. Although I didn’t want to show my face, I couldn’t tell him no. It had been over aweek since I had been home, spoken to my mother, Blossom, or even Lisa, for that matter. Being back in Milly Grove, it was as good a time as any to pop in on everyone. With what McKnight insinuated about Blossom, she was going to be my first stop.
“Excuse me, but I need to bag that head if you’re done with it.”
Snapping my eyes toward the sound of the forensic examiner’s voice, I rolled my eyes as I looked over the decapitated head. This was the most gruesome crime scene I’d ever been part of, and I could only imagine how the families would feel when they found out the manner in which their loved ones died.
As I held the half-burnt skull up to get a better look at the man, I frowned in confusion. The top half of his head was fully intact, with burnt flesh surrounding his eyes. His nose to his chin was completely skinned, with his jawbone fully exposed. The man’s eyes were open, appearing wide with shock. The more I stared at him, the more familiar he looked.
“Where do I know you from?” I studied his eyes as if I was willing him to answer my question. “Something tells me you didn’t die in this fire.”
Studying him a little longer, it was as if a light bulb went off in my head. Thinking back to when I visited Blossom’s office, he was walking out as I was walking in. I remembered the way he looked at her made me want to shoot him in the face.
