Page 22 of Back in Blood

When I approached, he was gargling with mouthwash. I took a step back as he spit it onto the pavement. “You good?” I asked with furrowed brows.

He nodded and wiped his mouth with a napkin. “My stomach has been fucked up all day. I tried to come put something light on it, but that didn’t work. I must have a bug or something.”

“There’s definitely one going around. Get some water with electrolytes in it. Take Tylenol and rest. If your stomach can take it, drink broth and eat foods like Jell-O. Clear liquids like Sprite and Ginger ale are good too.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Capri looked weak.

“Do you have those things at home? I can run by a store and get them for you. I don’t mind. You look like you need to lie down, ASAP.”

“You don’t have to do all that. I’m a big boy. I can make it.”

“Capri, you really don’t look good. I’m a medical professional, so trust what I’m telling you. You look clammy and weak. Go home. I don’t even have to come in. I can leave the items on your porch.”

I was surprised when he nodded. He had given in without putting up too much of a fight, so he must have felt bad for real. I actually didn’t mind helping Capri. There was something about him. For as anti-social, mean, and passive as he appeared, I knew he had a good reason to be the way he was, and I didn’t blame him or judge him for it. Most days, I felt the exact same way, but I had to put on a fake smile and pretend. That shit was exhausting. I went to the nearest store and got all of the items that I felt would be useful for Capri to nurse himself back to health.

I remembered where he lived from following him from the lounge. Plus, he’d given me his address in the event that I got lost. When I arrived at his house, I did exactly what I said I would, and I began placing the bags on the porch. Before I could finish, the door opened. Capri stood there in all of his sexiness without his shirt on donning a six-pack. The print that was on display in his sweats had my mouth watering so bad that I was ashamed of myself.

“This looks like a lot of stuff,” he observed before picking the bags up.

“Unfortunately, bugs and viruses have to run their course. All you can do is try to stay hydrated and wait it out. I got you some anti-diarrhea meds in case that becomes a problem. Some Gatorade, water, soup, chicken broth, Ginger ale, Tylenol, and Jell-O.

“Thank you. You can come in. Let me put these bags in the kitchen, and then I’ll reimburse you.”

I waved his comment off. “You paid for my food and drinks. I’d say we’re even. Don’t worry about it. I hope you feel better,” I told him and meant it. My eyes landed on a picture of Caprice in Capri’s living room, and my gut churned.

“What’s your number?” he asked causing my heart to skip a beat or two.

I cleared my throat and rattled my number off to him after he pulled his phone from his pocket. I had no clue what was transpiring between Capri and I, but I was going to wait it out.

CHAPTER 13

CAPRI

The stomach virusthat I had kicked my ass for three days. I didn’t have an appetite and when I wasn’t shitting, I was throwing up. I felt like shit and was weak, but I was sure that my body still appreciated that I didn’t smoke weed or drink alcohol for four days. Finally, I felt better. The fact that I was in the bathroom every twenty minutes kept me from leaving the house while I was sick. As soon as I felt better, I was ready to get back to business. I slept most of my time at home but the times that I was awake, I laid in bed or on the couch and thought about Caprice and the life that she was robbed of. Me being sick was the only thing that stopped me from fucking with Sintonio’s trucks, but I was back on my best bullshit. Since I felt better, I was going to continue my reign of terror on his bitch ass.

If Sintonio was smart, the lot where he kept his trucks had cameras. Since I didn’t know whether the area was under surveillance or not, I paid a crackhead $400 to go on the lot and vandalize Sintonio’s trucks. For $400, he gave zero fucks about possibly being recorded. He spray painted each one of Sintonio’s trucks, but that wasn’t good enough. He also slashed all of the tires and removed the alternators and batteries from each vehicle. Paint jobs, new tires, new batteries, and new alternatorson four trucks would be quite the headache especially after the man’s house had just burned to the ground.

There wasn’t much I enjoyed these days, but making Sintonio’s bitch ass suffer was the highlight of my life. For at least a day or two, Sintonio’s trucks wouldn’t be moving which would cost him money. I wasn’t done yet. I wanted to torture him a bit more before I took his life. If I was a different kind of person, I would have gone through with the plan to hurt someone close to him. If it wasn’t Lisa, it could have been his mother or father, but I decided against that. I was filled with rage, hatred, and bitterness, but I still couldn’t bring myself to do certain things. I wanted to strip Sintonio of everything he loved, but me taking innocent lives wouldn’t suffice. He was the only one that pulled the trigger, so he was the only one that would suffer.

After Cleo did what I asked him to do to Sintonio’s trucks, I went home and took a shower. As I turned the water off, I noticed that my dick was harder than steel and standing at attention. I. needed a release, and I wasn’t in the mood to jack off. Calling Lisa crossed my mind as I walked to my bar with a towel wrapped around my waist. What the fuck was I doing with shorty? Was it really just no strings attached sex? It threw me for a loop when Sage spoke about having a crush on her, and I felt something stir in my gut that felt like envy. Why should I care if he wanted to get at her? I chuckled at the remembrance of his brows hiking when I paid for her food and drinks. Of course, I didn’t go into details, but I let Sage know that I was cordial with Lisa. He didn’t ask any questions but even if he did, I wouldn’t have given answers.

After tossing back a shot, I poured another and trekked into my bedroom to get dressed for bed. Afterwards, I sat in the living room and rolled a blunt. Halfway through, the desire to call Lisa was so intense that my dick was painfully erect. Fuck it. If shecame she did and if she didn’t, that’s what it was. Getting pussy wasn’t something that had ever been hard for me. I stalled as I pulled from the blunt a few more times. I was either going to change my mind or get higher and call her with ease. Whenever I went out, I didn’t have the desire to be friendly and hold conversations with people. Despite the fact that I was handsome, well known, and looked like I had a little something, I wasn’t sure I had it like that to be able to simply snap my fingers and have a woman follow me home. I would have to speak at least a few words to her and most days, I didn’t even feel like doing that. Lisa and I understood one another, however, so calling her was the easier way to go about things. Being that my dumb ass had never cheated on Robin, it wasn’t like I had a roster lined up. I would have to get over my disdain for conversation and add a few more women to my call log because only having one option was nasty work.

My desire to release was strong, so I stopped second guessing myself and called Lisa. When she answered, I could tell that she was in a car. “Hello?” she asked hesitantly.

I hesitated as well. Fuck was I doing? She repeated herself, and I cleared my throat. “It’s Capri,” I grumbled as I snatched my glass of cognac off the coffee table.

“Hi, Capri. How are you?” The skepticism was still there. I was sure that Lisa was just as unsure about our dealings as I was.

“I’m better. Much better. And I’m in the mood for company. If you don’t want to come by that’s fine.”

Silence. If she didn’t come, I’d throw some clothes on, go out and find a bad bitch, and take her to a hotel. “Um, I’m out getting food. I can be there in about thirty minutes.”

“See you then.”

I ended the call and put her number in the Cash App search to see if she would pop up. She did, and I sent her $200. I wasn’t sure why I was an asshole to almost everybody except Lisa.I’d never trust another bitch, and I damn sure wasn’t looking to fall in love. Despite having a shitty father that didn’t know how to treat his kids or the mother of his kids, I’d always been respectful towards women. In relationships, I didn’t cheat. I wasn’t verbally abusive, and I’d never put my hands on a female. But since Robin crossed me the way that she did, all of that nice guy shit was out the window. With everyone except for Lisa it seemed…

A commercial came on that Caprice used to love and just that fast, my mood soured. I could hear her singing along with the jingle, and my chest tightened. I missed that little girl so much it was insane. “Fuckkk,” I groaned as I scrubbed a hand down my face. I’d never felt a pain so intense. I’d take physical pain over the anguish that I was enduring any day.

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