Page 5 of Mistaken Identity
He caught me around the shoulders and pulled me into a hug the way only dads could.
“What happened?” he rasped.
I broke down and cried, spewing every horrid detail.
CREOLE
I sat, silent, as I stared at the chaos across the street.
Something had happened to Audric Ingram’s mom.
My one-time best friend was hurting, and I couldn’t stop myself from walking outside and moving toward him.
Every ingrained instinct urged me on, telling me that I could forgive him a little bit. For now.
Six months ago, he’d left me on a bed in the middle of a party while the quarterback of our high school football team had taken my virginity…against my will.
He had walked in on the deed, and he’d laughed at the scene and closed the door.
Laughed.
He had seen the tears in my eyes, and he’d laughed.
I couldn’t ever get over him leaving me there.
What I could do, however, was make sure that he was all right.
I could go over there and see what was happening.
Even though I had a feeling it had to do with Audric’s mom.
I’d seen both Audric and his dad talking out on the lawn, so I knew that they were both okay.
Audric’s mom was a raging bitch, though.
I wasn’t too upset that it was her that was hurt.
If there was anyone on this planet that deserved to die, it would be her.
And that wasn’t just my anger at Audric talking.
I didn’t want him to have to suffer or anything.
However, Audric’s mom, Ellis, had done the unthinkable and had hidden in a corner instead of saving Audric’s little sister, Paisley, from a robbery.
Paisley and Ellis had been at the grocery store when two armed, masked robbers had walked into the building and demanded everyone empty their drawers and their pockets.
Ellis had run and hid, leaving Paisley all alone in the middle of a supermarket, scared out of her mind and paralyzed with fear.
Things had gone horribly wrong when a man had tried to intervene and had ended up getting shot for his attempts to help. The bullet had entered the man’s body, exited his body, and then found a home in Paisley’s chest.
The worst thing was, Audric’s dad had run that call, too.
Poor Carter.
He had the worst luck.
I wrung my hands together as I made my way out of the house down the street.
