Page 38 of Blood & Honey
“You’re not my problem anymore.”
“Shut up.”Momma Tee punches her in the jaw.“Do you have my money?”
I hoist the sack of cash onto my shoulder, giving it a little shake.“Where are Candyce and Ash?”
“That’s not how this works, sweetheart.”Her voice drips with false sweetness, but I know she’s far from nice.She keeps her gun trained on Shelby with one hand while outstretching her other one for the bag of money.“Come on.Pay up.”
“Where are they?”
“Safe enough.For now.”I grit my teeth but sling the bag toward her.It lands near her feet.
“Pick it up,” she snaps at Shelby.She does as Momma Tee asks, and the greedy woman snatches the bag from her and looks inside while an evil smirk spreads across her face.
“All there?”I ask, my mind racing.
“It seems so,” she says, still smiling.
“Now let Candyce and Ash go,” I demand, itching to pull one of my guns.
“Not yet, Blood,” Momma Tee drawls, her smile sinister now.“You see, I’ve been thinking.What’s stopping you from coming after us once you have them back?”
“Nothing,” I say.“But if you don’t let them go, there will be nowhere on this Earth you can hide from me.”
She laughs maniacally.“You can have Shelby in good faith.When I get to a safe location, then I’ll deliver them to you.”
“That’s not what we agreed on.”
She shrugs.“Hate the player, not the game.”
This whole situation is about to go even further south.Once she gets somewhere to count the money, she’s going to know I’ve fucked her over.
“Tick-tock, Blood,” she says with a sneer, moving backward slowly, Shelby held tight in front of her like a shield.I step forward, and Momma Tee lifts the gun to Shelby’s temple in warning.“No sudden moves, tough guy.”
Shelby’s eyes meet mine, and I see terror swimming in their depths, but something else too.Resolve.She suddenly lashes out, elbowing Momma Tee in the stomach.The two of them fall to the ground, wrestling for the gun.I can’t see who has it in their grip.The gun goes off, the sound echoes off the stone walls of the fort, and my stomach sinks.
Shelby is up first.
I lunge forward to go after Momma Tee but she recovers from their scuffle faster than anticipated, shoving Shelby towards me.The force sends us both sprawling.During the chaos, Momma Tee flees with the bag of money, disappearing into the woods.
I scramble to Shelby’s side.My hands already slick with the warmth of her blood.She gasps, clutching at her side where she took the bullet.“Fucking hell.”
I try to put pressure on the wound to staunch the bleeding, but that bitch must have loaded her gun hollow point bullets.There’s no way I can stop Shelby from bleeding out.
She grabs my arm and squeezes.I stare down at her and I don’t see the woman I hate.I see the strawberry blonde-haired girl I feel in love with as a kid.
“Make sure my boy knows I wanted to be his mom, and that I wasn’t always a bad person.”
“You can tell him yourself,” I lie.We both know she’s going to bleed out before I can get her any help.
“Tell Ashley.I’m sorry I wasn’t a better sister, and I love her,” she croaks out.
I nod.“I promise.”The lump in my throat makes it hard to speak.“Just hold on for a while longer and you can tell both of them.”
“Promise me you’ll take care of him.Promise me you won’t let him grow up hating me.”Her teeth chatter, and her eyes roll back as she goes into shock.
“I’ll tell him.”
“Th-th-thank you,” she murmurs, letting out a shaky breath.And then she’s gone.Just like that.
