Page 39 of Judgments of Fire and Desire

“You will do no such thing.”

“So getting Genesis back isn’t an emergency?”

“No, it’s not. That girl ain’t going nowhere. You willing to risk your life for her?”

“I don’t have a life without her.”

“Well, shit! You better say that then! My granddaughter hit the jackpot!”

I slowly shook my head as I took a bite of my sandwich. This woman, along with my mother, had been my sanity. She spoke life into me and kept me laughing as well. I couldn’t let another moment pass without getting to Genesis. Once I finished my sandwich, I was about to contact Detective Johnson to let her know I was leaving when my phone was vibrating with a call from her.

I was surprised that shit still worked as hard as I slammed it to the floor. I frowned slightly then answered. “Hello?”

“Judge Patrick,” she whispered.

I frowned harder. Why in the hell was she whispering? “What’s going on?”

“I have reason to believe the lieutenant is in on this… proof.”

“Yeah, me too.”

“So my guess is you still aren’t safe at the safe house. I hate this shit. I have to go. I’ll call you when I leave the office.”

She ended the call, and I slid my hand down my face. All this was becoming a lot, but it only made me more determined to get my life in order before I didn’t have a life to worry about. Before going to Genesis, I needed to get to my mama and let her know what was going on. I looked over at Grandma Jean and said, “Listen to me. I need you to get out of here. Go to Miss Gabriella’s house. It’s not safe here.”

“What? Why wouldn’t it be safe here?”

“Grandma Jean, I don’t have time to answer questions. Please just go. Okay?”

“O-okay, baby.”

She grabbed her sandwich and wrapped it back in the wrapper it came in then got her purse and keys. I went to the room I was sleeping in and went to get my keys as well. We quickly made our way outside. “What are you going to do, Kyrie?”

“I don’t know yet, but I have to get to my mama.”

“Okay. Please be careful,” she said as she surveyed her surroundings.

I got in the black Explorer they provided me with and used the control Grandma Jean had given me the first week I was here to open the garage door. When I pulled out, I could see her sitting at the end of the driveway. I supposed she was waiting to make sure I would be able to get out, because she took off afterward. I made my way to MLK Parkway to get to my mama’s house. This was getting so deep, and I could already see it would be a tangled web Johnson and I would have to figure out. We’d discovered a crucial part though. I didn’t know what type of evidence she’d found, but it had to be more damning.

I turned left on MLK, and as I approached the intersection with Calder, I saw a large SUV speeding in my direction. I washoping with my life that they’d adhere to the traffic signal. Since I had the green light, I kept going, but that red light didn’t deter them. They slammed into the back of my vehicle, causing me to spin out of control and flip a few times.

My heart was racing as the Explorer continued to flip. I thought this would be it. My entire life had flashed before my eyes. I now knew what that statement meant. Visions of my father leaving for the airport to me banging my gavel at Darlene Doll’s trial had crossed my mental rolodex. When the vehicle stopped flipping, my middle ached with a pain that was nearly unbearable. It hurt to breathe. It didn’t help that the vehicle decided to stop flipping upside down. I unbuckled the seat belt and fell from the seat, causing me to groan in pain.

“Sir, are you okay?” someone yelled out.

“Call… an ambulance.”

They stooped next to the window where I was and continued to talk to me. “We did. We dialed nine-one-one. The police and paramedics are on their way. The other SUV kept going. Someone took off behind them to try to get their plate number.”

“Thank you.”

I was doing my best to breathe normally, but that hurt like hell. I had to take short, shallow breaths. When I heard the fire truck siren, I was somewhat relieved. Just like Detective Johnson had said, Grandma Jean’s wasn’t safe. They were watching me. For me to leave the house, they had to know that I knew something.How though?

This was getting more and more dangerous. I would have to get my mama out of here. She didn’t need to remain out here and get caught up in the crossfire.

“Get away from the SUV!” someone yelled, causing the good Samaritan to flee.

Right after, I started to feel a little heat.Dear Jesus.The vehicle was on fire. Someone else appeared in the window, andwhen I saw Genesis, I started shaking my head. “Get away… from here, Genesis!”

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