Page 130 of Restless
“Cee Cee, please stop,” Sharper cried. “You’ve made your point.”
“No, I don’t think I have,cousin,” Daddy spat, the situation so fluid Bash could barely keep up.
He ripped Logan’s shirt away as Daddy reheated the poker.
He stalked to Logan, whose screams had quieted to sniffles and prayers. “You invited me up here for either a fucking ambush or to fuck with me. I only came because I found out Joe and K-P were coming. You fuckheads would stab me in the back, but they wouldn’t as much beef as we have. They have fucking honor.”
He laid the poker on Logan’s back. At his bloodcurdling scream, something shifted and twisted inside Bash. Logan’s look of pain and the sound of agony sent a wave of lust through Bash.
“Cee Cee, please, let him live. Please!”
“If I ever see this motherfucker again, I will kill him,” Daddy said, snatching the poker from Logan’s back, much to Bash’s disappointment. “You stole my sister, I want reparations. Your kid.”
“Vivian—”
“Not the little motherfuckers you parade in front the press to suit your respectability,” Cee Cee barked, stalking to the minister. “Roddie. Cleaner. Whatever the fuck his name is. He comes with me.”
Sharper’s tears turned into sobs. “Cee Cee—”
Daddy grabbed the switch from his pocket and aimed it at Logan. “I’m counting to three. Your kid or your cocksucker, but you’re not leaving here with both.”
“What will I tell Morgan? She let me take our son—”
Daddy kicked the chair. “As if I give a fuck what you tell that cunt,” he screamed, spit flying from his mouth with each word he yelled. “Tell her he drowned. Bears ate him—”
“Bears?” Bash squeaked.
“He was lost in the woods,” Daddy went on, ignoring Bash.
“Tell her you fucking lost him for being a stupid motherfucker. He’ll be alive, Sharper. My sister’s dead.”
“I’m sorry. God! I’m so sorry. Joe loved her…bitches weaken strong men. It wasn’t that she was your sister,” he sobbed. “She was a fucking handicap. A man should never love a woman.”
“She wasn’t a woman!” Daddy said, completely unhinged. “She was my fucking sister.” He kicked Sharper. “She was happy. Joe made her happy. Joe was happy, motherfucker.”
“Logan tried to talk him out of it, Cee Cee. He thought she was too close to you for them to have a relationship. But Joe was enamored of her and…and…he thought she’d understood him better since she was associated with the biker life through you.”
“I don’t give a fuck, Sharper,” Daddy said, suddenly so calm Bash wasn’t sure if he should run. “Your fucking schemes cost me Kimber. Bitch was the only gentle thing in my life. Now, it’s time to fucking pay, motherfucker.”
Act Three – Respect – Roxanne
Roxanne Doucette’s feet ached in the new pumps her mother purchased specifically for the church trip. Pearlene hadn’t allowed her to take the heels out of the box. She’d even packed themintheir Payless box. That’s how serious it was.
At least when she’d made her debut into New Orleans’ society during Mardi Gras last year, Roxy had a chance to practice in her shoes.
The congregation sat and she followed suit, ready for the end of the event. She’d never met Reverend Sharper Banks and wouldn’t have made the trip to Los Angeles with other members of her church, including her pastor, if her mother didn’t think it was a good opportunity for her.
Reverend Banks was internationally known and respected. Invitations to his tenth anniversary as minister of Light of the World Church werethething.
“Do you feel it?” the Mistress of Ceremonies demanded. “Do you feel the spirit of Jesus in the building? Swooping in and wrapping His loving arms around you? We didn’t come here to look cute—”
Frowning, Roxy rested her elbow on the pew arm, glad she’d secured an end spot. Otherwise, she would’ve been sardined amongst the overwhelming crowd.
The church resembled a stadium with a dozen rows of pews half-mooning the stage, er pulpit, and stacked stadium seating ascending into the shadows, where the dim track lights didn’t reach or were purposely turned off.
“My brothers and sisters, excuse me,” the MC cried, snatching a church fan from the podium on the floor in front of the stage and fanning herself.
A deaconess rushed over and handed her a glass of water.
