Page 239 of 4 Corinthians

"I thought you were joking!"

"Joking? My son wanted a pet. You said no dogs. This ain't a dog."

Judah took the leash from him and dropped it. The mini goat started moving around. Cautious but curious.

"It's a goat!"

“It’s a mini goat!” Judah yelled excitedly.

"You acting as if we ain't got the space," he laughed. We had a bunch of space, way too damn much. The night we got back to KC from killing Robert, Uri drove me to our new house. The one he'd secretly been building since he moved to KC. He called it our home, the place we would live for the rest of our lives. The seven-bedroom, seven-bath home that sat on nearly eight hundred acres was more than enough space for us. For the last two months, we'd been decorating and getting comfortable with living in our new home. "Oreo is going to be fine."

"Uri," I groaned. "You named him?"

I watched as Judah put on his helmet then dropped down to the ground. Oreo reared back on his hind legs then head-butted Judah. The sound of his head hitting Judah's helmet echoed through the yard.

"Oh shit! Judah, let me try!" Krude yelled, then handed his daughter to his wife.

"Uri Strong!"

He laughed, then crossed the yard and pulled me into his arms. "It's going to be fine, Cori," he laughed, then kissed me.

I put my arms around his neck and playfully rolled my eyes. "If something happens to my baby, I'm going to kick your ass, Uri Strong," I scolded him.

"How long have I had your back, Corinthians DeCorte-Strong?" He asked then smiled.

"Forever," I answered, then kissed him again.

Epilogue

Four

Kenbral and I walked through our mama's childhood home. The smell of antiseptic filled my lungs. I wasn't entirely sure where I was going, but I had an idea. The nurse on staff pointed me in the direction before I handed her a duffle bag full of money. She never saw me and would never be back. There would be no reason for her to once I left.

I pushed open the door and stepped into the room. To my left was a TV mounted on the wall. An old black-and-white movie played, but with no sound. Under the TV were books, a coffee table, and a chair. To my right was a bed, and on it was who I was looking for and his two guests.

Benjamin Gregory, father of Sharon Gregory—my grandfather. We'd met him once. Years ago, when we were young. We’d been found by Cori's grandpa and uncle in a basement. They got Kenbral and me out. Took us to their house, and Madea had decided that we needed to go to the hospital and get checked out. The day I met Mary DeCorte, I knew I was looking at someone related to Cori. She looked exactly like Madea. Everyone always said Cross was her twin, but to me it was Cori.

She thought taking us to get checked out was the right decision, and it should've been. Except, Robert had connections everywhere. The nurse assured the DeCortes we would be okay. That our grandfather had been found and we were safe. Benjamin walked into the hospital and was everything that we never had. I thought we were finally safe.

We weren't. He took us back to Robert, who beat us for three days straight as if it was our fault someone found us.

"Took you long enough to get here," Madea said. Her dark eyes locked on Benjamin. In her hand, was a machete. Granddaddy stood next to her, a gun in one hand, dressed in his preaching robe.

I told them I was coming here tonight. They needed the same closure Cori had gotten with killing Robert. They blamed themselves for the shit we went through. This man was no better than Robert and Logan. He didn't deserve to have lived this long, yet he had.

"Cori was still going off about Oreo," I chuckled. "I had to hear her out."

"I can't believe you really bought that boy a mini goat," he chuckled. Kenbral grunted from the door, and I turned back to look at him. He’d said the same thing. Reason hadn’t stopped talking about Oreo since she’d seen him. Now, she wanted one too. He didn’t know it yet, but I’d already bought hers.

I set the bag I was carrying on the coffee table, then opened it and took the heads out. Benjamin watched me. His dark eyes followed my every move. He didn't react to Robert's head, but when he saw Sharon's, he looked away.

"As a parent, I would do anything for my son," I told Benjamin. "Protecting him and his mama are the most important thing to me. It's my job as a man. I'm their protection. Always." I shook my head. "You sold your daughter to a nigga eighteen years older than her. She was a kid. I will never understand that. But then again, I ain't supposed to because I'm a man and you aren't." I approached him. "Ain't shit about to be dramatic about this. You don’t deserve the effort." I hit him in the face. Knocking him out cold, then I used the restraints on the bed to tie him down.

"Corinthians is going to want his head?" Madea asked.

"Cut it off, Mary," Granddaddy said. Madea didn't wait; she cut it off, then handed it to me. "She's wanted to do that since you told us what really happened."

"I don’t think I ever said thank you to y'all," I said. "Y'all thought y'all did the right thing, and in a perfect world y'all did. I just wasn't lucky enough to be born into a family like yours. Y’all thought y’all were doing the right thing."