Page 52 of Alpha Bait

Death Toll

INDIE

Iheard the gunshot from a block away. I had prayed that whatever happened at the park, my brother and cousin would remain unharmed. Jamal had messaged me and I had guessed from Rich's hasty departure that something terrible had happened. Or was happening.

I had no clue what to expect but my night had taken a U-turn.

Please, don't do anything stupid, I mumbled to myself as if my brother and cousin could hear me. Any wrong move could start an all-out war, turning this feud into a series of assassination attempts or worse. This sounds dramatic but with millions of dollars at our disposal, it would have been too easy for a battle to involve real lives lost.

My car sidled up to the park where my brother and cousin frequented. I recalled walking over there in the fall with pumpkin spice lattes for both of them. They were too embarrassed to order "girly drinks" and even if I rolled my eyes at them, I'd treat them anyway.

The cops hadn't arrived yet another had the ambulance. The sounds from both rang through the air as they approached, ominous arbiters of the doom that was to follow. The park looked different than it did in the summer. I noticed the scraggly black branches, the shadowy corners and the still silence that contrasted the buzzing in the city.

I stepped out of the car, my legs trembling as I attempted to balance in my heels. This was wrong. This wasn't supposed to be happening. Rich and I should have been well on our way across the country. Instead, I arrived at the park and saw Richard standing, his hands covered in blood. It took a few moments for me to piece the scene together.

My heart thumped so loud, I could barely hear the voices as I approached. Blood pumped adrenaline through my veins as I pieced together the scene.

My brother and cousin stood unharmed. Jamal's hands were in the air but Donnie kneeled on the ground crying out in anguish.

Ames kneeled on the cobblestone earth too. Instead of cries of anguish, he was dead silent. In his arms lay Selena. As soon as I looked at her, I knew she was dead. The gun that remained clutched between Donnie's fingers and I knew that he had been the one to pull the trigger. My stomach churned.

My heart stopped and my head immediately grew woozy. I thought I would faint. The hot smell of a just-fired gun and the iron smell of blood filled the air. Bile rose to the back of my throat.

Before I could say anything, Rich turned away from me. It was as if he couldn't bear to see me. I couldn't bear to look him in the eye either. Our family feud had bubbled up and pierced through our fantasy that we could ever belong together. This is what happens when you put Holloways and Carmichaels together. One way or the other, someone ends up getting screwed.

Ames lay Selena's head on the concrete and then stood with the rage burning behind his eyes. I had only just seen him earlier and he'd betrayed none of this potential for anger.

The gravity of what my family had just done surged through me, but I was in too much shock to make much emotional work of it. I could only watch, astounded, my mind racing as I tried to figure out what to do. What would our mother think, I wondered.

"I'm going to kill you, Jamal. I'm going to kill you right now," Ames threatened.

He wrestled the gun from Selena's now immobile fingers and he pointed it at my brother. I shrieked. Donnie stood pointing his gun at Ames now.

No. There was no way that they believed more bloodshed would solve this.

"Jamal, the cops are almost here," I warned.

"You killed our cousin," Rich growled at Donnie, "someone has to pay for that."

Now I could see why he hadn't looked at me. Rich and Ames had every intention of avenging their dead cousin. Their nemeses were the two people I cared about most in the world.

"All of you stop this!" I shrieked.

The cops and the ambulances were on their way. More bloodshed would only make things worse. It was as if they hardly heard my voice. I felt as if I was screaming into a vast and empty night, my voice billowing over abandoned hills.

The rage that had bubbled up between them had reached a point where it had taken control of any capacity for rational thought.

"You killed her Donnie. You're going to jail. Think about it. Hurting someone else will only make things worse," I cried.

My logical pleas did little to reach him.

"I won't let you get away with this," Ames growled.

He held the gun, but his finger wasn't on the trigger.

Jamal made things worse by taunting them.

"One less Carmichael. He did you all a favor," my brother spat.

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