Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 74450 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 372(@200wpm)___ 298(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74450 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 372(@200wpm)___ 298(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
“DON’T KILL ME, SON! CASPIAN, YES, I’M YOUR FATHER! I LOVE YOU! I’M YOUR DADDY! GOD AS MY WITNESS I LOVE YA! DON’T KILL YOUR OWN—”
Caspian began firing into the man that he loathed most in this big, rotten world. He lit him up like the fourth of July, pummeling him with bullets until the clip was empty. Then, he reloaded and did it all over again. He grabbed a machete from his kill kit, and cut the fucker’s head half off. It lulled there; the tendons exposed.
He stood there for a few minutes, looking at his dead father sprawled in the chair. Eyes open. Partially rolled back. Then, he calmly placed every item, including the rope and spent shell casings, into the kill kit. When he was done, he grabbed his burner phone and made a call.
“It’s done.” His heart kept thumping hard in his chest. Not for Uncle Bobby, but for Mama, the adrenaline rush merging with intense anguish that ripped him apart.
“Okay. I just dropped Noah off at the house. I’ll be over to clean up the scene. Just like we discussed. Leave everything there. You don’t have to do a thing. Everything is okay now… He’s gone. I love you, brother. Welcome back home.”
“I love you too, Axel. It’s good to be here…”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Azure stirred the pot roast gravy with the ladle and set the cornbread aside to cool. She glanced at the old-fashioned cat clock on her wall, a gift to herself from an antique shop, and sucked her teeth. Mama was running late. At least she called to tell me this time… Daddy was sitting in her living room, flipping through one of her art magazines and tossing lazy glances at the television over the rim of his navy blue thin-framed glasses. Daddy was a tall, deep chocolate, handsome man with salt and pepper waves. Clean shaven. Successful.
“Daddy, would you like some more wine?” She held up the bottle of red, enticing him to take another taste.
He shook his head. “Naw, baby. I’m fine. Got plenty left.” He held up his glass, then set it back down on the coffee table.
She nodded and refreshed her own glass instead. As she moved around the kitchen, grabbing plates and yellow linen napkins, she stole several glances at Daddy. He was tapping his foot and rubbing his knee far too much. He hadn’t seen Mama in many years. They hadn’t been in the same state, let alone the same room for a mighty long time. Azure had arranged this meet and greet as she planned her wedding, figuring it wouldn’t be a good idea to wait until her nuptials next year to make such an introduction.
With Mama, these visits were plentiful and easy. She was in town. With Daddy being in Texas and all, a get together like this would require more planning. Then, one day, she took Caspian’s advice. She wrote her father a letter, expressing how much she missed him and wanted him more present in her life. Although she was grown, she was forever his child. She didn’t expect much of a response from him, but gratefully discovered she was wrong…
Several weeks later, the man called to let her know he needed to head to Indiana for a business trip and wanted to swing through. This was something he rarely did, so she knew her letter had prompted that. Even though she had to be so vulnerable, it had worked.
As she stood there sipping her wine, deep in her thoughts, the doorbell rang. She moved to answer it, but Daddy had already popped up like a bedspring.
“I’ll get it.” He stretched his arms, yawned, straightened out his suit jacket, and made his way to the door.
Azure watched like a hawk, prepared to see him eyeball Mama for the first time in eons. She hated herself for finding the situation funny, as if she were on the sidelines watching a live reality TV show. Daddy looked out the peephole, then back at her. His lips crimped and his eyes hooded as if he were disappointed in the world.
“You expectin’ a package?”
“No. Well, yeah, but they don’t deliver here on Sunday. I had ordered some dresses off Amazon. Why? Are there boxes outside?”
“Naw, but it’s some White guy standing out here with a bouquet of flowers and shit. Must be UPS or FedEx.”
“Daddy! Stop playin’!” She giggled, snapping a dish towel on the counter.
The man burst out laughing, unlocked the door, and opened it wide. Caspian looked so dapper in a button-down taupe shirt, black pants, and some amazing The Jack Shoe in Eden print dress shoes from Taft. She knew exactly where they’d come from because she’d gifted them to him for his birthday.
“Hi, Caspian,” Daddy greeted with a smile while outstretching his hand. “I’m Azure’s father. Willie Quill. Of course, I’m sure you know that after we FaceTimed and all.”