Page 161 of Call Me Mrs. Taylor

I need one last thing. One last touch.

I haul off and slap him so hard, his head rolls to the side.

“Bye, you broke down bitch.”

There.

That’s that.

Onward and upward.

47

Ace

I park three houses down, cutting the engine so I can roll to the curb in silence.

3 a.m. in East Point.

It’s dark and still. The air is crisp, the wind whispering ominously through the trees. My heart is pounding as I walk up the block, but my hands are steady.

I cross the yard and go around the side, just like I’ve done twice before. I take the pane out again, then hoist myself through the first-floor window. I’ve done more breaking and entering in six months than I have in all my thirty-two years.

I land softly on the balls of my feet, feeling my way through the unfamiliar space as best I can.

I wait until I hit the hallway to turn on a light. It flickers above my head, almost like a warning, casting flashes of my shadow across the hallway floor.

I creep toward his room, briefly wondering how the fuck I got here. It’s another one of those surreal moments where it feels like I’m watching somebody else’s life. I’ve had a lot of those since I met Raya.

I peek through the crack, and there he is. Raymond Ashford.

I push the door open and step inside. He’s in his bed, asleep, not a care in the fucking world, wheelchair waiting patiently for him when he’s ready to start his day in the morning.

He ain’t seeing daylight.

I stand over him, the syringe burning a hole in my pocket. I could end this shit right now, just slide the needle in, press the plunger, and walk away.

It’s too easy.

I want his ass awake. I want him scared. Just like Raya used to feel.

I lean down and tap his shoulder, hard, but not hard enough to leave a mark. I gotta be careful about that. His eyelids flutter, then open, his pupils blown wide with confusion. For a second, he stares, and I wonder if he remembers me.

Then the fear registers.

I smile. “Yeah. What’s up, fuck nigga?”

He tries to speak, but all that comes out is a wheeze.

My fists clench and unclench at my sides. I wanna hit him. I wanna beat him into the fucking floorboards. I wanna shred him until there’s nothing left but blood and bones. I wanna hurt him like he hurt her.

Instead, I stare down at him in disgust. “You know me, right? I’m Raya’s boyfriend. I’m the man who loves your daughter, motherfucker.”

He’s so scared, he doesn’t even blink.

“How the fuck could you do that to your own child? I can’t even wrap my head around that shit.” I’m shaking from the effort it takes to hold myself back. “You fucked her up. Now, I’ma fuck you up. How’s that sound?”

His lips tremble, his hands gripping the bars at the sides of the bed.

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