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Joy wasn’t pleased with cops showing up, either, but she maintained her cool. Just as long as they didn’t act stupid, it was okay with her. But she had a terrible history with cops.

But by the way the two white officers got out of their patrol car and came up on the porch as if they owned it, she had a feeling she was going to have a bad history with them too.

“Hello officers,” Juanita said with her big, fake smile.

The officers gave her a snarky look. “Why if it ain’t Juanita Lacey, the town whore. Don’t you have a corner you need to be gettin’ to?” the younger cop asked her.

Juanita hit back hard. “I sure do. But I’m waitin’ for yo’ mama to get there first.”

Joy and Cory couldn’t believe she said that as that same cop rushed over and grabbed Juanita by her t-shirt and flung her out of her chair.

Joy’s heart dropped. She couldn’t stand her mother, but she was still her mother. “What are you doing?” she yelled as she jumped up too. Elise nervously went inside the house. She was too old for this confusion!

“Keep Gramps inside,” Joy yelled after Elise as Elise rushed into the house.

Cory wanted to go inside, too, because he knew what those cops would do to a black gay guy like him, but he instead tried to force Joy inside with him.

But that was when that younger cop took his fist and began punching Joy’s mother on the side of her head.

Even Cory was stunned. “You can’t beat on her like that!” he said.

“She didn’t do anything wrong,” Joy said as she snatched away from Cory. “What are you doing?” she yelled at the cop as she tried to pull that officer off of her mother.

But as soon as she did that, the lead cop, the older one, grabbed her.

“Let me go!” Joy said, fighting his grasp.

“She was just helping her mother,” Cory said, trying to pull Joy away from him.

“You shut up!” the lead cop yelled at Cory as he pointed angrily at him. “You shut the fuck up!”

But as Joy was tussling with the lead cop as he kept trying to put cuffs on her, his partner finally stopped beating on Juanita. “Now whose mama you gonna be waitin’ on?” the younger cop asked Juanita. “Hun gal? Whose mama?”

“Mine,” a defeated Juanita said.

“Whose? I didn’t hear you.”

“I said mine,” Juanita said again.

“Yeah, I thought so,” said the younger cop. “Now get your ass in that house!”

Juanita looked at that cop with pure hatred in her eyes, but she began hurrying inside the house.

“Tell them to let Joy go,” Cory pleaded with her.

“I ain’t stuttin’ no Joy!” Juanita said.

Cory couldn’t believe it. “She was trying to help you. They’re putting her in cuffs because she was trying to help you.”

“Ain’t nobody told her to help me. I can take care of myself!”

“As if that’s the point,” a flustered and irritated Cory said to her. But it didn’t matter. The younger cop began helping the lead cop put Joy in cuffs. She was going downtown.

“What’s your name?” the lead cop asked Joy.

“Her name is Joynetta Skeffington,” Cory quickly said before Joy could. “She’s the wife of William Skeffington.” He wanted to add the billionaire, but he was afraid to. Cops like those might kidnap her for ransom if they knew she had a husband that successful.

But both of the cops grinned at the mention of William’s name. “Who the fuck is that?” asked the younger cop.