Throwing my head back against the seat, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm down as I kept the fresh tears at bay. Turning to face her, I locked eyes with her and answered honestly.
“I fell in love with a maniac, and something tells me he isn’t going to let me go.”
“Good Afternoon,townsfolk of Milly Grove. I’m not going to hold you all long. As the mayor of this beautiful city, I believe it is my responsibility to loop you all in on the recent events that have plagued our community.
“It’s been three years since I’ve been elected to serve as your mayor, and with hard work, community partnership, and a goal to make Milly Grove a safe place to live for all, we’ve met the metrics set. From revenue to safety, we’ve seen the positive growth needed to continue to expand and make improvements to our city so that our residents are proud to call Milly Grove their home.
“Unfortunately, the past several weeks have tested all of the progress we’ve made. Tragedy has struck us back-to-back with the gas explosion that claimed the lives of sixty of our community members. Then the massacre that took place at Lifeline Wellness and Recovery Rehabilitation Center. Lastly, the death of multiple people that have recently been connected, which is why I stand before you all today. The gas explosion has been investigated thoroughly and officially ruled accidental. Our thoughts and prayers are still with the family and friends of those lost in that casualty.
“The shooting at Lifeline Wellness Rehab facility was a deliberate and violent act carried out by a disgruntled man. Former Detective Tyreek Hines Jr. has been identified as the prime suspect in that attack, where multiple lives were lost, injured, and traumatized. The charges he faces include, but are not limited to, multiple counts of murder, attempted murder, and assault with a deadly weapon. In addition, newly revealed evidence and eyewitness testimony have identified him as a prime suspect in the murders of Jamal Cummings, Lisa Smoke, and his own mother, Mika Smith.
“At this time, I urge every resident of Milly Grove to consider Mr. Hines armed and extremely dangerous. If you see him or have any information regarding his whereabouts, do not approach him. Contact law enforcement immediately.
“I’ve strived to protect and serve this town to the best of my ability. I took an oath to put the needs of this city first, and those who disrupt our home in any type of way will be dealt with to the fullest extent of the law. Trust me, I am going to see to it that the families of these heinous crimes get justice. Thank you.”
Turning off the radio, I rode in silence as I tapped the steering wheel nervously. Listening to Mayor Mills wasn’t helping to settle my nerves, not one bit. I was already anxious about being in the city, knowing the McKnights were looking for me, and hearing him speak about the back-to-back deaths didn’tease my mind at all. When the mayor stated that TJ was the prime suspect in all those deaths, I almost ran off the road. He had been calling me for weeks, but I hadn’t answered out of fear. It was because of him that the McKnights were after me, and it was because of Blossom that I had lost everything I had. They all could rot in hell for all I cared.
Watching the rain fall onto my windshield, I couldn’t help but think about the fact that Dame was really dead. Was it an accident? Did TJ find out about our arrangement? More importantly, was Blossom dead as well?
“Fuck!” I hissed, trying my best to see through the heavy rainfall. I’d been lying low in Willow Springs for weeks, but now that I’d run out of money, I had to tuck my tail and visit my parents. The thought of facing them made me cuss again under my breath. “What the hell have you gotten yourself into Rowan?”
The night I sold Blossom to Dame was the best night of my life. Not only was my debt wiped free, but he’d put an extra two hundred grand in my pocket for me to get the hell out of dodge. My business had gone down the drain, and my family had turned their backs on me. Selling Blossom was their karma, but her dying wasn’t something I’d expected. I wasn’t mad about it more than I was worried about TJ finding me. He might not have known that I had anything to do with her demise, but I wasn’t going to take my chances trying to find out what he knew. If he were indeed responsible for the deaths of those people as the mayor said, I would be next if he found out what I did to his precious Blossom.
“Please don’t let my parents piss me off today,” I grumbled as I pulled up to the gate of the governor’s mansion. It was a Sunday, and if I knew my father like I thought I did, he would be sitting in the living room with his whore of a wife, reading the paper and acting like the perfect couple.
“Where’s the rest of my cocaine?” I asked no one after I parked behind an Audi A5 in their driveway.
I’d never seen the car before, and I frowned at how my parents were continuing to live their lives as if I wasn’t missing in action. If my father had money to buy a new car, he had money to give me, and I wasn’t taking no for an answer.
Lifting the armrest, I retrieved the last of my small baggie of coke. Between the motel, hookers, and drugs, I ran through all the money Dame had given me. I didn’t have but twenty dollars to my name now, and I was pissed because I had no income with my business not up and running. I took a hard sniff, and it wasn’t long before I was floating in the clouds. I needed to be way up there to deal with the Reids today. The rain was coming down something serious, and I would rather be snorting an eightball off a stripper’s ass crack than be here with my hand out.
“Master Rowan?” Connie’s eyes were wide as saucers when she opened the door and saw me standing there. “What’s going on?”
“Nice to see you, too, Connie.” I simpered lazily as I pushed past her. My high was kicking in, and I refused to let her ruin it. “Where is the old man?”
Not waiting for her to answer, I made my way toward the front of the house. Just like months prior, it still looked the same. The only difference was the smelled of freshly baked bread filling the air. My stomach growled right as I remembered I hadn’t had anything to eat all day. Seeing as though they weren’t in the living room lounging like the fake Cosby’s, I bypassed it and entered the kitchen. Stopping mid stride, my nose flared at the sight. Clarice was stirring a spoon in a pot on the stove as my father swayed with her in his arms.
“Wow, all it took for me was to disappear for a few weeks for you to get in the kitchen and cook?” I startled them both,causing them to jump. “Since when do you know how to operate a stove?”
“Rowan, you son of a bitch! I’ll kill you!” my father shouted as he pounced at me, grabbing me by the collar of my shirt. “How dare you show your fuckin’ face inmy homeafter what you’ve done to this family!”
Pow!
He punched me in the face, causing my nose to bleed instantaneously, as he continued to yell. “I don’t want to hear that mental health shit! I’m going to kill you!”
Slinging me to the ground, my father threw blow after blow all over my face and body. I tried my best to maneuver and shake him off me, but he seemed to have the strength of ten men today. Balled into the fetal position, I tried to block his licks, but it was no use. He was pissed, and I didn’t even know why.
“Dad! What is going—Rowan?”
No! It couldn’t be!
Still hovering over me like a raging bull, my father panted as he stopped hitting me. Pushing me aggressively, he lifted from my battered body. I pried my eyes open slowly and locked them on Blossom. She was here in the flesh, alive and well.
Damn.
“Well, hello, brother.” My eyes followed her as she placed her purse onto the kitchen island. “You don’t look so happy to see me?”
“Blossom, I’m not here for your shit?—”
