Total pages in book: 128
Estimated words: 125020 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 625(@200wpm)___ 500(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125020 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 625(@200wpm)___ 500(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
“Um, Josh,” True says softly.
“Yeah, buddy?”
“I never did get Vernice and her room clean. Sorry, but can you help me?”
“Wait, you didn’t get her changed? Dude, where is she?”
I look down at my watch. I guess it hasn’t been that long. He must have just run to my place. I bite down on my anger. What if I hadn’t come home? These kids would have been here with a sick mother and a baby.
I follow him to the baby’s room. When I step inside, my eyes go wide. There’s shit everywhere. The whole crib is trashed.
I go to call Skittles for help, but True is right. They will take him and his sisters if anyone finds out about this. I can’t let that happen.
I made him a promise. With a sigh, I take off my cuff links and roll my sleeves up. Vernice is the first thing I attend to. She looks up at me from the crib as if nothing in the world is wrong.
“Come on, my little stinky princess. Let’s get you cleaned up. True, can you show me where her bath is and then check on your mom. Make sure she’s good and see if she needs anything. I’ve got this.”
“Okay, and Josh?”
“What’s up?”
“Thanks. People say things all the time, but they never stick to them. Thanks for doing what you say.”
“Always, kid.”
“Oh, you got help. Thank God,” Cat says as she peeks into the room.
“Just get him the baby tub and anything else he needs. I’m going to take care of Mommy.”
“Okay,” Cat says, her lips trembling.
“Come on, sweetheart. We have a baby to wash. It’s going to be okay from here. I’ve got you guys,” I say to Cat.
She runs over to hug my leg. “Thank you.”
Tears burn the backs of my eyes. Four and six, this is some bullshit. Roger Davis better bring his ass home. If he doesn’t, I’m going to fuck up his existence.
Chapter 22
A Real Man
Shawna
I’ve been trying to reach Joshua all day. I waited until afternoon because I knew his flight was an early morning one. I’m in North Carolina for a few days, not really close to Bridge Lake, but I wanted to let him know we’re in the States.
“Hello,” Josh breathes into the phone.
“Hey, did you get home?”
The sound of glass smashing and panting greets my ears. Right away, I know something is wrong. More smashing and panting ring out.
“I’ll call you back,” he pants and the call cuts off.
I sit, looking down at my phone. My heart starts to race. I hope he’s okay.
Kelex
I keep swinging my bat, fucking this BMW up. Shawna has been calling all day, but I’ve been busy with Mary and the kids. Mary could hardly move.
She spent most of the day over the toilet. I stayed with the kids and fed them while keeping them busy as she tried to rest. I got their lunches for school ready and put their clothes out for the morning before I stepped out.
I’ll check in again before I call it a night and in the morning, I’ll see True and Cat off before I spend the day with Vernice and get Mary to her appointments. I’ll have things under control before the week is out.
The kids will be taken care of and Mary will be able to focus on getting well. This asshole she’s married to left when he found out how aggressive the treatment would be. Now I’m here to show him real aggression. I’m beating the shit out of this car.
True and Cat mentioned how much he loves this thing. I want him to feel this shit in his soul. His wife is fighting for her life and he’s here with some woman. When I’m done with this dude, he’s going to hate breathing.
“Hey, hey,” someone growls.
I turn as Roger Davis runs at me in only his boxers. I rotate my wrist with the bat just before I swing it at his ribs. He gasps and falls back on his ass.
“You son of a bitch. You’re going to pay for this.”
I laugh and walk off, not bothering to look back. He’s the one who will pay. A real man would never pull some bullshit like this. Three kids and a loving wife with cancer, he’s less than shit under Mary’s shoe.
I get to my car a block away and climb inside. “We can go,” I say to the driver.
I pull out my phone as he drives off. I’m not done. This bastard gets no breaks.
“Hello.”
“Fuck his life up. I want her and the kids to get a nice stipend. Everything else, bleed him dry. He gets no comfort.”
“Got it,” Achilles replies.
Shawna
“Hey, Ven. What’s up?”
“Hey, Shawnnie,” she sings. “Where are you? Your phone sounds so much better.”
“I’m in North Carolina.”
“Oh my God, are you coming home?”