Page 86 of Widow Mayker

“Stanley,” I reiterated. “Where is he?”

I walked up behind Katrice, then slowly circled her. Her eyes danced over my face, quizzically. She looked so fucking innocent and pretended to be so naïve.

“Is there something the matter?” she questioned.

“I like that ring,” I mumbled.

She brought the ring up and peered at it. Her eyes flew back to me, and she still looked confused. Hm. The night was about to get crazier.

“It’s one of my favorite pieces of jewelry,” Katrice remarked.

Smirking, I gently touched her fingers, then lifted her hand to get a better view of the custom diamond band.

“You know what’s funny?” I asked her.

Nervously, she chuckled and shook her head. “No, what?”

Carefully, I slid the ring off her finger to locate what I was looking for. There, in tiny script, was the message.

“What’s funny is, I was with my father the day he purchased this ring. We were in deep discussion about moving K. M. Liquors out of the country. Peru to be exact.” Chuckling, I added, “Peru was a second home to my father. That’s how you met my mama, right? On a trip she and my father took to Peru. Y’all bumped into each other at a resort, right?”

Katrice’s gaze flashed to my mama’s questioning gaze. Charnice’s heart was too pure to see where the hell I was going with this. Her heart would break further once everything was laid out for her.

“If I remember correctly, you and Stanley were just dating at the time. He took you out of the country for your birthday, and you bumped into my mama. That’s ya story, right?”

She blinked at me stupidly.

“Over the years, the two of you became close. So close that when my father died, you and Stanley uprooted ya lives from Miami and moved here. You were adamant about helping my mama through her grieving process.” Katrice nervously fidgeted as I continued to inspect the ring. “Only one love,” I stated. “That’s what’s written on the inside of this ring. Care to explain how you got this?”

“Katrice,” my mama prompted when Katrice remained silent.

“And here I thought this ring was for my mama,” I said. “You want to know what I think? I think my father invited you to Peru, and you purposely bumped into my mama. I believe you intentionally befriended her. As long as you didn’t say shit, neither did my father. His puss’ ass was having his cake and eating it too.” I snarled at this wicked ho. “Am I right?”

KODY

Katrice’s eyes watered as she shook her head with resignation. She glanced at my mama and shrugged. “You’d never understand how much I loved Dub. More than you ever did. So many times, I tried to make him leave you. He said he couldn’t. He said that his family would never respect him as a leader if he divorced you. Dubose loved you so much that he put it in his will that if Dub ever left you, Dub would lose everything.”

“Katrice...” My mama’s voice broke with a pain I’d never heard before. I was already past the point of anger, but hearing the emotions in my mama’s voice, I was ready to burn Katrice alive.

“Don’t Katrice me! Thirty-six fucking years I’ve been sharing a man who never even loved you! He tolerated you because of Dubose! I took care of you after Dub died! That alone should dry those tears up! If I didn’t care about you, I wouldn’t have given a shit!” Katrice blasted.

Mama growled and charged at Katrice. Kim did too, but Alli snatched her up. Briefly, I regarded the way his hands cupped my sister’s waist, and the way she clung to him. I tucked that away for a later date.

I held my hands up, signaling everyone to stay back while my mama beat the silk press out of Katrice’s ass. Katrice was no match for the woman who gave birth to me. Me and everyone else watched while my mama slung Katrice against every wall inside the living room. Finally stepping in, Stacy grabbed my mama and yanked her up like she was his woman.

I grabbed a bloody and knotted up Katrice and tossed her onto the couch. “Thirty-six years, huh?”

She wiped her bloody lip and shouted, “Yes! I was more woman than you would ever be, Charnice! I stuck beside Dub and never turned my back on him! The minute he was in the ground, you went on about your life as if nothing happened. You never loved him! That’s why I made sure to bring him up every single time I had the opportunity to. I wanted you to suffer and be ashamed of the piece of shit son you raised. I gave Dub everything he wanted, and I never would’ve stood by and watched anyone take his life!” she shouted even louder. Now, tears were streaming down her face.

“You gave Dub everything?” I quizzed. “Including children? A son, maybe?” By now, everyone stood there looking at Katrice with death in their eyes.

Katrice’s bravado dimmed slightly. However, my answer was written all over her face.

“No!” my mama yelled, but I already had Katrice by the throat. Fuck that she was a woman. I hemmed her up against the nearest wall while her fingernails clawed at the skin on my hand.

Brandishing my gun, I put it to Katrice’s head. Her eyes widened with fear.

“Who the fuck is he?” I demanded, lowly. She dug her nails into my skin. That shit didn’t move me. I let a shot off into the wall, then put the gun back to her head. The heat seared her skin. She cried out in pain, but I shouted over her. “Who the fuck is he?” I let her fall to the floor, and I let another shot off, this one grazing her right shoulder.