Page 111 of One Good Reason

Grabbing my purse up from the table, I tossed it over my shoulder and stood. “If I figure out anything else, I’ll let you know. I’m going to go home and stop by the bank so I can go through the safe deposit box.”

“Great. You two be safe.”

“We will.”

When we walked out of Corrine’s office, I stood with my back against the truck. “I’m gonna go home and pack a bag. I’ll probably get on the road in a few hours.”

Grabbing my face in his hands, Law stared into my eyes. “Talitha, you are out of your mind if you think I’m letting you go down there alone.”

“What about your business? You’ve taken enough time off already, dealing with me and my shit. I’ll be fine alone, Law.”

“I don’t give a fuck what you say,” he scoffed. “I’m not letting you go alone and that’s just that. God forbid you get down there and they do something to you. I will fuck the city of Warner Robins up. I mean, wipe it clean off the fucking map.”

“Oh God,” I groaned. “It’s not that serious, Harvey.”

“When it comes to you, Talitha. It’s gonnaalwaysbe that fucking serious.”

I don’t know but something about his declaration made my kitty purr. Possession. That’s a feeling I don’t think I’d ever had the pleasure of receiving. Sucking my bottom lip into my mouth, I fought back a smile. “Okay. Well, let’s go home so we can get changed and get on the road.”

“Thought you’d fucking see it my way.” Placing a hard kiss on my lips, he let my face go and held the door open for me. I guess he meant it when he said he wasn’t going to play about me either.

Because we were in such a rush to get down here, I hadn’t had the chance to reserve a hotel room. I would do that later; my first stop once we crossed into town was by my mama house. When we pulled up and neither vehicle was parked out front, I drove to Willearl house.

When I whipped down the dirt road that led to his house, I could vaguely make out two bodies sitting on the front porch.The sun had begun to set, but to us country folk, that ain’t matter.

We would sit outside on the porch well into the night. Rolling my car to a stop, I threw it in park and got out.

“Tali, that’s you?” he asked and placed his hand over his eyes to get a good look.

“Yes sir,” I confirmed. “Uncle Willearl, you seen my Mama?”

“Her and Mama came by here earlier. When they left, she said she was going to sit by Louise house. Everything alright?”

“Yes sir, it is. I came to see Gema. I been calling her since yo’ sister snatched her up out of my house.”

“Litha said you couldn’t talk to Mama or you was gon’ go to jail.”

“She lied Willearl. I done told y’all stop listening to her so much. All she do is tell damn lies. My attorney said nowhere in the paperwork does it prevent me from being around Gema. She just can’t be at the house until the investigation is complete.”

“That got damn Litha. It don’t make no sense how evil she is,” he fussed. I couldn’t do anything but shake my head. Willearl was standing on the porch in a pair of dusty black jeans that he had cut up to shorts, a dingy white t-shirt, and a pair of those God awful Hey Dudes. In his hand was his favorite Yeticup that I’m almost positive was filled to the brim with some moonshine or something.

Meanwhile, Bonnie was sitting beside him in her dusty housecoat and hair all matted to her damn scalp. The sight of the two of them would’ve disgusted me had I not been fucking used to it.

“Aight Willearl. I’m bout to run by Louise and see if I can catch her over there.”

“How long ya’ gon’ be down here Tali?” he asked.

“For a couple of hours,” I lied just in case he tried to get on the phone with my mama and tell her I was staying in town. Herass was so unpredictable, she probably would’ve packed up her and Gema shit and dipped out of town.

The second I was seated back in the car, I laid my head against the headrest.

“You okay?”

“Yeah. Sorry you gotta see all of this.” I waved my hand around the junky yard.

“It’s nothing.” Law shrugged.

He was saying that now, just wait until he saw the hotel I was planning on staying in. This small ass town didn’t have much to offer. The closest thing we had to luxury was the Home 2 Suite off the highway.

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