AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"N-no."
"Another lie." He clicks his tongue. "Or else you wouldn't have stolen something to get my attention. What is it, then? Jewelry? Shoes?"
Another step backward.
With a dark chuckle, he watches her movements with a predatory gaze. "I'd buy all those things for you, baby. I'm sure a smart girl like yourself knows a few ways to convince me."
Fists clenching, Mama wills strength into her voice. "I didn't want to have to do this here."
"Show me."
As he inches forward, she reaches into her bag...
"That's it," he coos, his voice like gravel.
... and pulls out the camcorder.
He stops dead in his tracks, that wicked smile falling flat.
"It's over, Warren."
He blinks slowly... then blinks again... as the gears grind inside his brain. Ominous shadows form along his features. "You know the first thing that would happen if you released those tapes."
"You're right—I do. Sylvia would divorce you. She'd take you to the cleaners. I'm sure of that. And I can't imagine the shitstorm the media would make of it."
His jaw ticks. "How much?"
"What?"
"Money. How much money do you want?"
She laughs a wretched sound. "Are you serious? You think this is about money? You're delusional."
"Am I?" He nods toward our car. "Looks like you need some. I'm sure you're hardly making ends meet with that teacher's salary. Raising them all on your own, too, after what happened to poor D—"
"Fuck. You," Mama spits, churning my stomach. "You don't have the right to speak his name. He was ten times the man you'll ever be, and I couldn't care less about your money. Care to know what I really want? No—what I demand? You're going to stay the hell out of my life and away from my family. Or else I'll ensure we make headlines."
"Enough with the empty threats, Amber. You wouldn't do it. You don't have the gall. Besides, there's probably nothing on that camera."
"Try me."
Uncertainty flickers in his lethal gaze. Taking a considerable step, his voice lowers. "I'll never allow such a tape to exist."
Shying away, Mama buries the camera into her bag. Adrenaline spikes through my blood, tears welling in my eyes as I spot the fear emerging in hers.
"Hand it over, girl. If you know what's good for you."
He closes in faster, rolling up his sleeves, flashing muscled forearms and the sheer size he has over her. When she freezes in terror, a tear gliding down her cheek, he smirks and goes to grab the bag—
In a flash, Mama whips her hand from the tote, revealing a bright-green tube.
"Ahh!" Mr. Kingston cries out, stumbling backwards as liquid squirts across his eyes in a plume of mist. He hits the pavement—hard—before Mama races to the driver's seat.
Jer gasps beside me, cranking the window shut. We rush back to our seats, buckling ourselves in, and plaster bored expressions on our faces. Whether our act is believable doesn't seem to matter, because Mama bursts into the car on a crazed whirlwind, not uttering a single word. In seconds, we're speeding down the driveway.
And then I'm staring out the window with that inexplicable feeling in my gut. Thinking of Hayden—and his promise about next time. Wondering if this means I'll have to wait longer to visit the Kingstons again...
But there was never a next time.
