Page 52 of Kingpin

Preparation I didn’t know how to enact.

A light caught the corner of my eye, and I looked down. My cousin had gone from calling me and flooding me with voice messages to texting me. I sighed as I opened my phone. I canceled out all of the notifications and even thought about blocking her. Until one of her texts caught my eye.

Brianna: If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were in love with that hellish brute of a man. And it sounds like you’d rather stay and fight to keep him instead of doing what Dad asked you to do. I hope that’s not true. I hope you remember everything my family’s done for you.

I didn’t know whether I wanted to strangle her or cry in her lap. One thing was for certain. I’d never forget what her father had done to me.

Especially since he had put me in the position in the first fucking place.

22

Bonnie

My phone rang and rang,but I refused to pick it up.

Israel hadn’t been home for several days. I lost count after eight. I was drunk more days than not. I slept on the couch because it was too painful to sleep in any of the beds. Wine sustained me from sunup to sundown, and every time I thought about leaving, I also thought about him.

Would he hunt me down if I left?

Would he come after me?

Would he even care?

After listening to my phone ring for the eighth time that morning, I snatched it up. I didn’t bother to see who it was as I answered. All I knew was that they were about to get a drunken earful of my anger.

I was shocked to find Brianna on the other end of the line.

“Bonnie, before you say anything, just listen. I’m so glad you picked up.”

Her voice sounded distressed. “What is it?”

She paused. “Are you drunk?”

I hiccupped. “What do you want?”

“Where’s Israel?”

I shrugged. “Dunno.”

“You need to find out. I just got off the phone with Daddy, and he sounded crazy.”

The hairs on the nape of my neck prickled. “Why?”

“He said something about a fire and a last resort. I don't know what’s going on, but I know Daddy. I think he’s going to set fire to something of his today. All he kept doing was going on and on about how he can end Israel for good and how he was disappointed in you. How he’d wrap this up, then he mentioned something about a fire and was gone.”

“You’re a lifesaver. Thank you. I’m heading out the door now.”

“Bonnie, wait!”

I reached for my purse. “What?”

“You love him, don’t you?”

I paused. “I don’t think it matters much who I love and who I don’t anymore.”

“It does to me.”

I slid my purse up my shoulder. “Thanks. I gotta go.”

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