“You don’t understand,” she said again, weaker. “Trell’s been hurting for years. Pain festering, all directed at you. He wanted to kill you; he told me he would stop if I helped him. If I gave him one thing.”
My chest tightened. “One thing? She’s not a thing, Gillian. She’s… she’severything.”
“I thought giving him Farrah would… would satisfy him. And then he’d let her go.”
I stared at her in disbelief. My own mother. My own blood. Talking about my woman like she was a bargaining chip.
“You thought he’d let her go?” I whispered. “Do you know what that man does to women? Do you really think he was just gon’ scare her?”
She covered her mouth. “I didn’t, I didn’t think?—”
“Stop lying,” I snarled. “Youalwaysthink, always calculating what will gain you the most. Bitch!”
Her tears flowed freely now. “He said he wouldn’t hurt her!”
“He lied,” I said. “That’s what he does. You of all people should understand. You gave him what he wanted and now he’s gon’ take it out on her. Onme.”
She started really crying then, sobbing messy, ugly tears against the counter. I felt nothing for her. Like she’d felt for Farrah.
“I’m sorry,” she cried. “I’m so sorry, baby. I thought—I thought I could fix it. I thought if I gave him what he wanted, he would stop?—”
I grabbed her chin, forced her to look at me. “You gave him me,” I said. “And you didn’t even know it.”
She shook her head, sobbing harder. “Please… Mekhi… I didn’t mean?—”
I let her go.
She crumpled to the floor, hands covering her face, shaking as she wailed. I didn’t move. I stood there, cold all over, my chest hurting. I didn’t believe the theatrics. I’d never believe her again. After a long moment, I spoke.
“Tell me where they took her.”
Her crying slowed. She wiped her face with her sleeve.
“Mekhi… I don’t know. He didn’t tell me the location,” she whispered. “He just told me to bring her to the car. He said he’d handle the rest.”
Emotion returned immediately after she spoke. Rage, pure and white hot, exploded inside me.
“You just handed her over and hoped he’d keep his word?”
She nodded miserably. Lying, because she didn’t give a damn if he kept his word.
“That was the last lie,” I vowed.
“What?”
“That was the last lie you ever get to tell me.” I stepped back toward the living room, then paused when I realized she was following me. “Did you even know I actually was in an accident tonight?
She frowned, rushed toward me until I put up a hand to stop her.
“No! Baby, what happened? Are you okay?”
Shaking my head, I laughed. Bitch had hit the lottery on luck tonight. It was like fate conspired to bring everything together for her. That was okay; I was going to tear it all apart. I opened the door.
She called after me, voice trembling. “Where are you going?”
I looked over my shoulder and gave her a small smile. “To do what I always have to do; deal with the fall out of your ‘mistakes,’” I said.
Then I walked out, leaving her crying against her kitchen counter.
