Page 24 of The Prodigy 2: Rise of a Queen

9

Jakari

Eight years ago

“Harder!”

I fucked her harder, so hard my balls slapped against her ass. She loved that shit.

“Fuck me, Kari! Fuck me like a slut. Give it to me, nigga. Harder! Faster. Yes, daddy. Yes.”

I couldn’t stand fucking Kittora from the back. Made me nut too quick. I was holding my own today, though. Probably cuz I was buzzing off some tequila shots.

My phone rang. My mama’s ringtone.

“Hold up.”

“Nah, don’t stop!” she yelled.

“I’m finna turn that shit off, just gimme a second. I ain’t even gon pull out.”

I reached over to grab my phone off the table. I hit the button to shut the ringer off, but before I could even put the phone back down, she called again. Without thinking, I answered it.

Well, answer is the wrong word, because I didn’t say hello. I couldn’t, because as soon as the call cut in, it was just her. Screaming.

I got off Kittora and jumped to my feet. “Mama! What’s wrong? Mama!”

Kittora sat up and pulled the sheet up over her. “What is it?”

But I couldn’t answer. I was confused. I’d never heard my mama sound like that before. Even worse than that, I could hear my daddy in the background, but he didn’t sound right. The whole thing freaked me the fuck out.

“Mama, calm down! What’s wrong?”

“Get over here!” she said between sobs. “Come home!”

“Okay, I’m on the way. Hang tight.”

I got dressed faster than I ever had. I ain’t even say shit to Kittora, and she didn’t ask. She knew it was serious business.

I sped home with a lead foot and made it to the house in ten minutes. Even though my mama was frantic about whatever was going on inside, the outside of the house looked just like it always did when I pulled up—my parents’ cars in the driveway, porch light on, sprinklers going. It was a normal night.

Until it wasn’t.

I got out cautiously and took my time walking up the driveway. Once I got close to the door, I heard my mama again, hollering and crying. My stomach twisted into a ball. I put my key in the lock and breathed deep.

The door felt like it was made out of lead. So did my feet. I inched forward through the foyer, following the sound of my mother’s voice. Before I could even see anything, I smelled blood. It was so strong, I could taste the metal on my tongue. My stomach churned.

Everything in me was telling me to run, but I pressed forward, one foot, then the other, until I got to the living room. That’s where I saw. My heart dropped. My eyes watered and blurred.

It was my father.

And there was blood everywhere.

I froze right where I stood, paralyzed with fear. I didn’t wanna step in my daddy’s blood, but my mother was yelling at me. When I finally tore my eyes away from my daddy, I realized my mama had a gun, and she was pointing it at him.

“What the fuck is happening?” I yelled to her. “What did you do? Mama, what the fuck did you do?”

My father was laying with his back propped against the couch, holding his stomach, his head rolling around like it was too heavy for his neck.

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