I’m ready to be with someone, I’ll let you contact those guys, all right?”
“Deal. In the meantime…” my brother waggled his brows.
“Oh hell. What did you bring?”
“Enough firepower for the zombie apocalypse. You in?”
“When am I not?”
~*~
I let out a whoop as my target exploded. Going to the firing range with my brother always helped me think. Was I weird that way? Probably. I had gowns and could clean up nicely, but put me out in the desert with my brother and I turned into GI Jane. My brother let out a shout as he fired at the ramshackle building a few yards away. Luckily, this firing range was mere miles from my mother’s house and a lot of people came out here to shoot.
I placed my now empty gun on the tailgate of his truck and opened a bottle of water. My brother emptied the entire magazine from his automatic weapon and came to stand next to me. I handed him a bottle of water and he waved it off, grabbing a beer from the cooler.
“So now what?” he asked.
“What?”
“Are you going to fight for this guy?”
“I don’t know. I have to talk to Tata Ann Marie first. I walked away from him and told him I was done. I should stand by that, don’t you think?”
My brother’s brows furrowed and his nose wrinkled, which meant he was about to get serious on me.
“Look, Serena, if you love this man, and you think he loves you too, shouldn’t you fight for him?”
“Using what? My charm?” I snorted. “I’m not like other women, Robbie. I’m independent—”
“You’re fiercely loyal, one hell of a shot, a great cook, and in sweat pants or an evening gown, the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”
I stared at my brother with my mouth hanging open. Even now, he still managed to surprise me.
“I’m so fucking proud of you. Look at us, the black sheep of the family, making a mark in this world.”
“I’m proud to be the black sheep. Dirt doesn’t show on us as much,” I chuckled.
“No shit, huh?” Robbie laughed. He sobered and cupped my cheek. “If he’s smart, he will come to you.”
“I don’t know if I want him. How can he hurt me so much?”
“I don’t know, Dorkus. But you had him first.”
I smiled.
Why yes, yes I had.
Chapter 12
I left my parents’ house in the early afternoon and headed for my god mother’s. She wanted to read my cards again after the whole Jensen fiasco. My phone rang and I looked at the caller I.D. My cousin, Christine, was calling. Well, I called her my cousin. Her mother and my mother went WAY back, like Algeria back. I grew up with Christine and her family, so they were my family too.
“Yo, Cuzzo!” I laughed.
“What’s up, girl? Where the fuck are you?”
“Headed towards your part of town. I’m seeing Tata Ann Marie.”
“I’m off tomorrow. We need to hang out in the old neighborhood.”
“I’m there. Text me.”
I hung up and watched the traffic on I-10 in front of me. As always, it was moving freely and I thought about how many times I cursed driving in New York or L.A. I swung by the house I was living in when I met Jensen. It looked so small. I got out and took a walk around the cul-de-sac. The first guy I ever kissed lived kitty-corner from me back then. I was twelve and I think he was fourteen. I smiled thinking about it, his name was Joel. Life was so much simpler back then.
My godmother was waiting for me out front when I pulled up. I got out of the car and she hugged me immediately. She palmed my face, took my hand, and led me inside. The dining room table was already set up, the cards were wrapped in their silk swath and a bowl of water was off to the side.
“The bowl of water?” I asked.
“Keeps the bad spirits away.”
She went about setting the cards down and closed her eyes. I didn’t know if I really wanted to know what was coming my way. What I did know was that I was not going to be one of those sniveling women who whined about a man. Fuck that shit. My godmother began
“Deal. In the meantime…” my brother waggled his brows.
“Oh hell. What did you bring?”
“Enough firepower for the zombie apocalypse. You in?”
“When am I not?”
~*~
I let out a whoop as my target exploded. Going to the firing range with my brother always helped me think. Was I weird that way? Probably. I had gowns and could clean up nicely, but put me out in the desert with my brother and I turned into GI Jane. My brother let out a shout as he fired at the ramshackle building a few yards away. Luckily, this firing range was mere miles from my mother’s house and a lot of people came out here to shoot.
I placed my now empty gun on the tailgate of his truck and opened a bottle of water. My brother emptied the entire magazine from his automatic weapon and came to stand next to me. I handed him a bottle of water and he waved it off, grabbing a beer from the cooler.
“So now what?” he asked.
“What?”
“Are you going to fight for this guy?”
“I don’t know. I have to talk to Tata Ann Marie first. I walked away from him and told him I was done. I should stand by that, don’t you think?”
My brother’s brows furrowed and his nose wrinkled, which meant he was about to get serious on me.
“Look, Serena, if you love this man, and you think he loves you too, shouldn’t you fight for him?”
“Using what? My charm?” I snorted. “I’m not like other women, Robbie. I’m independent—”
“You’re fiercely loyal, one hell of a shot, a great cook, and in sweat pants or an evening gown, the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”
I stared at my brother with my mouth hanging open. Even now, he still managed to surprise me.
“I’m so fucking proud of you. Look at us, the black sheep of the family, making a mark in this world.”
“I’m proud to be the black sheep. Dirt doesn’t show on us as much,” I chuckled.
“No shit, huh?” Robbie laughed. He sobered and cupped my cheek. “If he’s smart, he will come to you.”
“I don’t know if I want him. How can he hurt me so much?”
“I don’t know, Dorkus. But you had him first.”
I smiled.
Why yes, yes I had.
Chapter 12
I left my parents’ house in the early afternoon and headed for my god mother’s. She wanted to read my cards again after the whole Jensen fiasco. My phone rang and I looked at the caller I.D. My cousin, Christine, was calling. Well, I called her my cousin. Her mother and my mother went WAY back, like Algeria back. I grew up with Christine and her family, so they were my family too.
“Yo, Cuzzo!” I laughed.
“What’s up, girl? Where the fuck are you?”
“Headed towards your part of town. I’m seeing Tata Ann Marie.”
“I’m off tomorrow. We need to hang out in the old neighborhood.”
“I’m there. Text me.”
I hung up and watched the traffic on I-10 in front of me. As always, it was moving freely and I thought about how many times I cursed driving in New York or L.A. I swung by the house I was living in when I met Jensen. It looked so small. I got out and took a walk around the cul-de-sac. The first guy I ever kissed lived kitty-corner from me back then. I was twelve and I think he was fourteen. I smiled thinking about it, his name was Joel. Life was so much simpler back then.
My godmother was waiting for me out front when I pulled up. I got out of the car and she hugged me immediately. She palmed my face, took my hand, and led me inside. The dining room table was already set up, the cards were wrapped in their silk swath and a bowl of water was off to the side.
“The bowl of water?” I asked.
“Keeps the bad spirits away.”
She went about setting the cards down and closed her eyes. I didn’t know if I really wanted to know what was coming my way. What I did know was that I was not going to be one of those sniveling women who whined about a man. Fuck that shit. My godmother began
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