Page 4 of Hawk

“I’m so sorry, baby. What can I do for you?”

I sighed and leaned into him. Luckily, Lloyd was in a good mood and I was going to soak up as much as I could. I never knew what kind of mood he was going to be in. He was a ticking time bomb.

“Just hold me tonight. I know she’s in a better place, but it still hurts so much. The cancer was just wrecking her body.”

Lloyd helped me to bed and brought me a cup of tea. As I finished drinking it, I handed it back to him with a smile.

“Thank you, Lloyd. I really-”

My head whipped back and bounced off the headboard, shocked from the force of the punch I never saw coming. I looked to see Lloyd standing above me with that furious look again. I knew it was too good to be true. The devil had returned and in full force. I had no idea what he would do next, but I didn’t have to wait too long to find out.

“Don’t you ever fucking leave the house without telling me. A simple phone call would have done the job. And you go out in cleaning clothes? For fuck’s sake, Savannah. You have a closet full of high end dresses and yet you chose jean shorts and sneakers? What the fuck is wrong with you? Do you know what people are saying about you?”

Lloyd grabbed my hair and pulled me out of bed, dragging me down the steps.

“Do you see the fucking house? A mess! A fucking mess, Savannah! Clean it up and then you can go to bed. You don’t have anyone but me now, Savannah. You better start fucking appreciating me a little more before I kick you out on your ass with nothing. Without me, you're nobody. Don’t forget, I made you what you are today.”

Lloyd walked back up the steps as I collapsed to the floor. Hot salty tears ran down my face as I scrubbed and cleaned. Tonight, I had lost my mother, the only family I had left. I also lost myself and the battle of holding on by creating a life together with the Devil himself. Numbly, I finally realized this wasn't a life; this was a death sentence.

He was right. Lloyd was the only person I had left in this world. I was trapped as his slave and at his mercy until he tired of me.

My life was over…

Hawk

This was the end of my fucking life. Everything I knew was gone in the blink of an eye. Twelve years of hard work... fucking over.

I packed the last of my things from my condo and headed out the door. Neighbors peeked out with the look of disgrace, gladly removing myself, and leaving. They all had shunned me in the neighborhood for what I did.

I stepped into the elevator and leaned against the cold steel wall. I knew deep down I had done the right thing, but the shame I brought my family and friends was unbearable. The cool metal made me feelsomethingas the elevator doors closed. It was almost like an out-of-body experience walking away from my home. I felt numb, empty, lifeless. I would never look out over New York City ever again. The thought propelled me into a fit of anger. I growled as I punched the wall as the elevator went down.

The clubs, the bars, the women. My beautiful view of Central Park was fucking gone. I had worked twelve long years to get where I was and lost it all because I messed with the wrong family. My family disowned me, my friends turned their backs, I learned a hard fucking lesson; trust nobody.

The elevator dinged, and the doors opened to the ground floor. The doorman gave me a sympathetic look as I walked out to the yellow taxi waiting for me. I climbed into the back seat and leaned my head back.

Sighing, I closed my eyes as the cabbie took off. We crossed the Willis Avenue Bridge, and I looked out, wishing I could go back in time and just stay fucking quiet. I was on my way to my new shitty apartment in the fucking horrible neighborhood of Hunts Point.

From penthouse to crack-house. This was my fucking life now. As the cabbie reached the dingy grey building, I groaned as I got out and stared up at the rundown place. Turning around, I grabbed my one and only box out of the trunk and headed up to the door.

How did I hit rock bottom so fast? One minute I was on top of the world and the next minute I was sitting in a jail cell. And now, now I was here in Hunts fucking Point. Jail was fucking better than this shithole of an apartment I was moving into.

I dug out the key and made my way inside. The smell hit me like a ton of bricks, and I dropped the box on the floor.

Sounds of a couple arguing above me echoed around the small studio. Next door, I could hear the heavy thumping of music and a bed banging against the wall.

Looking around, I knew I wouldn’t last here.I was better than this...

“Fuck this. Fuck all of this.”

I turned back around and stood outside, phone in hand.

“This is Wyatt Sullivan. Apartment Two. Look, man. This isn’t gonna fucking work. Keep the money but I’m not gonna live here. I just fucking can’t.”

The landlord sighed on the other end. “Alright. Leave the key under the welcome mat.”

The line went dead, and I made another call to the taxi company. Five minutes later, another yellow cab showed up, and I hopped in.

“Get me to the closest Harley dealer in the area.”

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