Page 55 of Blind Spot
“They searched me and not only did I have the gun on me but also Ramon’s weed. I never spoke out against him. I took that to the chin. I sat down for two years looking out for my brother. The only thing I ever asked him to do was protect my girl for me. I couldn’t be here to give Charly the protection that she needed, and I asked him to have my back. Not only did he not do that, he got with her to spite me.”
“Ramon, where did you get a gun from?” Mamá asked.
“Daddy,” Ramon answered. “I took it while he was out.”
“My old nine?” Daddy asked.
Ramon and I both nodded.
“I couldn’t figure out for the life of me why it went missing. I knew I hadn’t misplaced it. I thought someone had stolen it.”
“You didn’t think that it was the gun that Dom had when he got charged?” my mother asked.
“No. Dom had his own guns, and he was particular about those,” Daddy replied. “I still don’t understand what all this has to do with Charly.”
“Ramon point-blank asked me if I loved that girl before I went away. I told him exactly how I felt about her, and how Iloved her, but didn’t want to drag her into my shit. So when he got with her, yeah, he knew what he was doing. When he put his hands on her throughout their relationship, he not only said fuck her, but he said fuck me too. But that’s your golden boy. That’s the one y’all always hold up to me to measure myself against. The one y’all praise. Mamá, he’s been hitting women for years,” I declared as I pushed my way out of the room.
“Dominic! Wait up, yo!” I heard Joaquin running after me.
I didn’t stop until I got to my car. He caught up with me and grabbed me by the shoulder before I climbed inside.
“Man, I’m sorry. That’s a lot of weight to carry around for the last few years. I had no idea.”
“I know. I tried to protect him too.”
“You didn’t have to carry that shit by yourself, man. You could’ve come and talked to me.”
I shrugged. “I thought I had it.”
“Not when he’s using that against you. That’s my brother, too, but that’s fucked up. Ramon was wrong for what he’s done.”
“And all this time he’s been going around like I’m the one who’s tripping, and everyone buys into that shit.”
“Well, you know I don’t. I grew up with both your bad asses.”
We laughed for a few seconds.
“I’m just tired, Quin.”
“I know you are. Go home. Chill out. Take a few days for yourself before you talk to anyone again, me included. You need time to clear your head.”
“Yeah, a’ight.”
He clapped me on the shoulder and headed back inside the house, while I hopped in my car and pulled off. I was finally ready to go home and rest my head.
Chapter 18
Charly
“Are you awake?” Dominic asked in the darkened room.
“Yeah,” I replied as I rolled over onto my side. The clock said it was a quarter to seven. “Where’ve you been?” I asked, eyeing him in his sweatpants and no shirt.
Dominic was so fine, and I loved his build. He was muscular, but not overly so. His tattoos only added to his overall attractiveness.
“In the living room all night thinking.”
“What time did you get in?”
