Page 135 of Restless
“Forgive me, babe,” K-P said, for her ears alone.
Fear and agitation settled into her and she wanted to know what he meant, but she didn’t have the chance before Reverend Banks reached them. His perusal bordered on insulting.
He was a handsome man with meticulously styled waves in his hair, a smooth brown complexion, high cheekbones, and full lips. Tall and regal, he could’ve been royalty or a movie star, though his polished veneer gave him the air of a politician.
But his eyes,his eyes, frightened the fuck out of her.
“Sister Doucette,” he greeted, holding out his hand to her.
She stared, praying for rescue. She wanted the safety of her bedroom in her momma’s house and the familiarity of her neighborhood. Her freshmen semester at SUNO began in August and—
“Don’t be afraid,” Reverend Banks said, dropping his hand. The diamond on his pinky ring caught a ray of light and it sparkled. “You’re amongst friends. Deramey mentions you often. Says you’re quite well-spoken.”
“Sharper, we were about to dust your party to fuck,” K-P said lazily. “I’ve heard New Orleans girls are wild bitches in bed.”
Mortification rushed through Roxy in hot waves.
“You were getting pussy from her?” Reverend Banks asked, unashamedly crude. He gave her a severe look. “I thought you were a virgin.”
She trembled.
“Speak!”
At his roar, she jumped.
Cigarette in hand, Joe placed himself next to Reverend Banks and faced her.
“Put it out,” Reverend Banks ordered.
Joe blew smoke in his face and smiled. “Make me.”
“One of these days—”
“One of these days, fuck all, Sharper,” Brother Caldwell said coldly. “Fuck with Joe and Kaleb and you fucking die.”
A sob escaped Roxy. K-P squeezed her hand. She wanted to snatch it away from him, but she had nowhere to go.
Drawing on his cigarette again, Joe gazed at her, his blue eyes inscrutable. “We all know how much you respect balls, Sharper.”
Brother Caldwell hooted with laughter while K-P and Joe snickered. Reverend Banks wasn’t so amused.
“Very fucking funny, motherfucker.”
Joe smirked, taking another drag of his cigarette. “Figuratively, Sharper,” he said innocently. “You respect women who stand up for themselves.” Abandoning his humor, he gave Roxanne a pointed look. “Those that know they’re every bit as good as you and can tell you to fuck off fifty fucking ways to Sunday.” He snatched an ashtray from a nearby table and tamped out his cigarette. “Tell us how you really feel, babe, and don’t ever let a motherfucker stifle you. Least of all,thismotherfucker.” He pointed to Reverend Banks.
“You’re going to kill me.”
“You’d already be dead,” Brother Caldwell said.
“Even if that’s the case,” Joe added, throwing the other man a dark look, “don’t die a coward. Defend yourself and your beliefs to your death.”
Her mother would. Pearlene would’ve cursed all of them out by now.
Heart pounding, Roxy pressed closer to K-P, in spite of herself. “I want to go back to my hotel.”
“We’re not ready to release you,” Reverend Banks stated. “But Joe’s right. I’m interested in hearing how much you enjoyed my church anniversary.”
“It was nice,” she said as cordially as possible.
