“If you’re done…” The tech cleared his throat as he held open a plastic bag. “As you can see, we have a lot of ground to cover here, and I need to get going.”
I said nothing as I dropped the head into the plastic bag. I watched him write something on the outside before he walked off and left me alone with my thoughts. I knew the marshals were ruling this as an accidental mishap, but my gut was telling me that wasn’t the case.
“Hines, what the hell was that with you and McKnight?” Captain Young gripped my shoulder and turned me around. “I should have your fuckin’ badge! You must think before you act! Your ass is on thin ice since the domestic violence claim.” He stabbed his pointer finger into my chest, and I almost forgot where I was. “So you better pray to the heavens McKnight doesn’t file a report on your stupid ass! Go home.”
“Captain—”
“I said go home!” He stepped into my face, spit threatening to drip from his clenched teeth. I could see the fire in his eyes, and this time, I may have gone too far. “You’re a ticking time bomb and a liability that I can’t have on my team. Don’t bring your hot-headed ass back to work until I call you and tell you to.”
Pointing toward the parking lot, he stared at me with finality. Dropping my shoulders, I said nothing as I tucked my tail and did as he commanded. I’d been on the force for years, and I had never been in as much trouble as I’d been in as of late.
Walking through the smog as it continued to settle, I heard someone calling out to me. I wasn’t in the mood to make small talk, so I didn’t bother to turn around. Once I felt the hand placed on my shoulder, my own went to my waist out of instinct.
“Whoa, cowboy! Don’t shoot! I just wanted to talk to you.”
Scowling deeply, I glared at Sheena like the bird that she was. For years, I’d tried to fuck on her, but she wouldn’t give me the time of day because she had her head so far up JJ’s ass. What could she possibly want with me now?
“Sheena, I ain’t in the mood for whatever the fuck you’re selling… unless it’s pussy.” I smirked, stuffing my hands in my slacks. “Let me guess, your little boyfriend isn’t satisfying you, so you want a real nigga to stretch you out?”
“Nigga, please.” She stuck her nose up and waved me off. “From what the girls in the hood say, that dick isn’t anything to brag about. JJ does a mighty fine job keeping my pussy pleased.”She nibbled her bottom lip with a faraway look in her eyes as if she was picturing it. “Anyway…” She shook her head, clearing her thoughts. “I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation with him. He said he was fucking your girl, and?—”
“That nigga ain’t fucking shit!” I roared, causing the government personnel around us to stop and stare. “If I thought for one second he was fucking my girl…” I clamped my lips shut and took a deep breath. Pinching the bridge of my nose, I sighed heavily before stepping to Sheena. Her breath caught in her chest, pushing her breasts up, as I hovered over her menacingly. “I’m not in the mood, Sheena. If you ain’t trying to let me suck on them titties, then tell me what the fuck you want so I can go home.”
Scared out of her mind, she shook before me like a wet leaf. She was starting to piss me off, and I was on the verge of catching another assault charge if she didn’t say what the fuck was on her mind.
“I-I saw JJ with her when we were on vacation, and I think something is going on with them.” She looked around frantically before pulling her phone out. “Can I get your number and call you later? I can’t talk right now, and I need to get back to the lab to start analysis reports. If they’re messing around, I want them to stop. I love JJ, and I’ve been around too long to watch him live happily ever after with another bitch.”
“If that nigga has even breathed on Blossom, he won’t be living at all.”
Glaring at her, I snatched her phone and typed my number into it before slamming it back into her chest. The smog was giving me a headache, and if I was no longer wanted on the scene, I was going the fuck home.
I didn’t say anything else to Sheena as I turned to finish walking through the sea of people to get back to my car. Mayor Mills was still on the scene, and he’d brought half the city outwith him, it seemed. Dodging between nosy people and water puddles on the ground from the random string of storms Milly Grove had had the last few weeks aggravated me even more than Sheena did. News crews and flashing lights were everywhere, and part of me was happy I had been dismissed. I didn’t want to be a part of this shit show, whether it was accidental or intentional.
Getting into my car, I took a deep breath before bringing my baby to life. It was a little after five in the morning, and I was going to head home for a shower and a nap. As much as I’d missed my own bed and wanted to sleep the day away, I was going to head over to Blossom’s to have a heart-to-heart once I woke up. She had been mad long enough, and it was time to come home. If I found out some shit happened between her and JJ, she might as well pick out her casket.
Instead of coming straight home when I left the scene of the fire like I originally thought I would, I decided to hit up this broad from around the way. She wasn’t as needy as Lisa, so I’d slide in from time to time to empty my nutsack. I knew when I went to see Blossom later, my dick would be longer than a stick if I didn’t pre-release. Seeing Blossom always had me ready to slide in between her thighs, but I knew she wasn’t going for that. No matter what JJ said, I knew what kind of lady I had, and I knew she wouldn’t just give my pussy away.
“Damn, I miss my bed.” I groaned as I got out of my car, locking it behind me. “Empty nuts and a hot shower are going to have me sleeping like a fuckin’ baby.”
Climbing the steps of my porch, my eyes squinted when I noticed the door was slightly ajar. As I climbed to the top step,I pulled my service weapon from my waist, aiming it as I slowly pushed the front door open.
“What the fuck?” I said in a low voice as I pushed open the door to my house. “Who the fuck been in my shit?”
Boiling with rage, I stepped further into my home and listened as the sound of broken glass echoed with each step I took. It looked as if someone had unleashed a wild animal inside my crib. From the walls to the floors, and even the windows, everything was damaged.
The more I walked through the lower level of the house, the more fucked up it was. All the pictures were broken, my television was smashed, and food from my kitchen was thrown all over the place. Rushing back to my living room, I trekked over toward the closet, yanking it open in search of the duffel bag that stashed the cash we’d stolen from the McKnights.
JJ.
My heart dropped as I thought about the possibility of him being the one who’d done this. It made the most sense because he said he knew we had stolen the drugs and cash from his father, but how? We wore masks, covered our tracks, and stayed low.
“I got to get the fuck out of here.”
Taking the stairs two at a time, I stumbled as my mouth hit the floor when I reached the top. Doors were swung off the hinges and dressers were overturned with clothes scattered everywhere. The strong smell of bleach caused me to gag as I noticed that every piece of clothing I had had been destroyed.
Wham!
Hearing my front door slam, I jumped for fear of who it could be. My hands shook nervously as I clutched the handle of my gun, finger on the trigger, ready to shoot whoever came to my house, looking for an issue.
