Page 83 of Widow Mayker

He threw his hand up, and I saw the smile on his face. “Of course, not,” he stated.

I rested my head against the headrest and rested my eyes until Dex got me home. My life was finally in a place where I felt at peace.

Dex’s phone rang, causing my ears to perk up.

“Dex,” he answered, then was silent. My eyes popped open because he was too silent. His eyes met mine in the rearview mirror, and I instantly knew that something was wrong. “I got two on me.”

My heartbeat raced in my ears as Dex began giving the caller a description of two vehicles that were in his rearview mirror. I whipped around to see if I could make out the vehicles. Sure enough, there were two large black SUVs on our tail.

“Yes, sir,” Dex added, then disconnected the call. He met my fear-filled eyes again.

“I’ma die before I let anything happen to you, aight,” he said.

Fear sliced through me. “Dex?”

In the next breath I took, the car seemed to explode. Screaming was futile as my heart was in my throat. The sedan swerved and flipped. My hair whipped around my face along with glass that shattered from the windows. The sedan came to rest on its hood. Dizzy, I fought the roaring in my ears. Dex’s groans made it to my ears just as the sound of bullets did.

Heartrate skyrocketing, I burst into tears. Get out of the car! My brain shouted for me to do one thing, but my body couldn’t move. The bullets came closer. That was when I realized that someone was shooting at the car.

Somehow, Dex managed to get himself out of his seatbelt. He kicked the passenger side door out, then climbed out of the car. All this while gunshots rained around us. Dex fired back, and his bullets were so loud that my ears screamed in protest. Seconds later, Dex grunted as his body was hit by a bullet. Still, he kept firing. Then, his body hit the ground.

Gasping in fear, I hated that I didn’t have the energy to move a muscle. Faintly, I heard my phone ringing, and I couldn’t even reach for it. Then, someone pried my door open. Someone, larger than I’d ever seen anyone, dragged me out.

“Please,” I cried, trying to focus on the man’s face. He said nothing and dragged me like a rag doll. Seconds later, I was tossed into the back of a vehicle whose interior was dark. The smell of cologne and a cigar alerted me that I wasn’t alone.

Laying across the seat, I didn’t even have the strength to sit up and fight my way out of here. As the vehicle started moving, I moaned in agony. This wasn’t how I was supposed to end my night. This wasn’t the turn my life was supposed to take. I panicked just as a light flickered on, illuminating the interior just a little.

A man I’d never seen before sat on the opposite side of me. His stoic expression wasn’t welcoming, and neither was it readable. However, his face stopped the breath in my chest.

This man appeared to be more ruthless than anyone I knew. The air surrounding him was devious, heavy, and nearly suffocated me from its toxicity. Thicker tears welled up in my eyes at the pure blankness on his face. Nothing was behind his eyes and that was even scarier than the first time I witnessed Adir killing someone.

“Heir Bell… It’s nice to finally meet you.” His thick accent-filled voice was ripped from someone already amongst the dead. It had to be. It was too gravely and…flat. “I’m Kane McAroy. I think you know my brother, Kody, very well.”

My heart stopped.

His lips twitched in what I could only imagine was an attempt at a smile. “I can see you’re confused, so I’ll oblige. A man fucked a woman, she gave birth to me and left me to be raised by her brothers.” Although his countenance never changed, he chuckled lowly. “To think… I’ve always wanted to come to the States. Who knew it would be under these circumstances?”

I gulped and forced the tears to slow down some. If I didn’t get my mind together, I’d never escape this man. The look in his dark eyes told me that he was going to lose his life before he let me escape him.

MAJA

Bringing in twenty-seven with my man and my family wiped away any sadness I felt about my mother’s absence. Von surprised me in the best way, and he was never without showering me with his affection.

Smiling, I peered around the room, loving the faces that were scattered throughout. Charnice and Katrice were having a drinking match at the bar. Stacy was so busy watching Charnice that he didn’t see me grinning at the frown on his face.

Directly beside Charnice, Zia sat laughing at something Kwamé said. The two of them were a mess together. Their husbands weren’t far. I was still cackling over Percy naming Zia’s son Perseus. Well, Perseus was Percy’s son. No one would ever tell that he didn’t father Perseus.

Then, there was Mama and Poppa. The way Poppa held her in his arms…their love was so loud I felt it clear across the room. I had all these examples of love surrounding me. And now, I had my own.

An eerie feeling crept up my spine, causing the smile on my face to slowly fade. Glancing across the room, I made eye contact with Von, who smoothly broke free from the fellows and made his way toward me. Within seconds, he had me in his arms.

“Everything okay, baby?” he questioned.

“I’m not sure,” I answered truthfully. “I’m not feeling well.”

“Aight, let’s get you home,” he said. Just then, I noticed Poppa and Adir rushing through the venue. Security followed behind them, heightening my senses.

“What’s going on?” I asked.