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"Get your hands off her before I blow your fucking brains out," a voice laced with venom threatened. He had a pistol and pointed it directly at us.
I held Celia tighter, not wanting her to become embroiled in the sins of my past. I hated when my two worlds collided and Kevin was a face from the dark past. I’d heard he’d joined the holy rollers and I thought I’d never have to see him again. I stepped in front of my beloved to ensure I’d take the bullet from this lunatic and not her. Tearing at my cuff buttons and quickly rolling the sleeves of my dress-shirt, I readied myself for a fight to the death.
“Fight me like a man, Kevin—don’t bring a gun in here,” I was telling him when Celia pushed forward and spoke.
“What the hell are you doing here, Daddy and how do you know Lawson?”
My instinct was to grab and restrain her, she was trying to pull away, but I held tight until I heard the word ‘daddy’ fall from her lips.
"Get your hands off my daughter now, you fucking scumbag!"
I put both my hands up in surrender as I looked back and forth between Kevin and Celia. Those bright blue eyes Celia hid with brown contact lenses had always looked familiar. It had been so long and my mind hit paralysis-level confusion.
"Kevin?" I asked. “Celia O’Hara is your daughter?” my voice was heavy with emotion.
"Emery, what the fuck do you think you're doing with my kid? You heretics are all the same, trying to rub your filthy sins off on something good and pure. I should have killed you when we were kids. I swear to God, I won't make the same mistake again."
"Daddy, stop!” Celia screamed. “What is going on? How do you even know Lawson? Emery, you didn’t tell me you knew each other!”
"Remember when I got locked up, CeCe? When my life turned into a living hell? This mother fucker is the whole reason I went to jail."
"What?" Celia asked. She turned to face me and then looked back at Kevin again.
"Your professor here used to be my best friend, CeCe. The two of us, plus Miguel were thick as thieves growing up. He was the orphaned kid with no family who my saintly parents took in and treated like their own."
"Kevin," I said in warning, careful not to budge.
Out of all the girls in the world I could fall for, the one to capture my heart and soul had to be Kevin’s daughter. It was the worst possible scenario. My ugly past had burst right back through the doors I’d closed and was threatening to kill me, point-blank.
"This worthless piece of shit left me high and dry. I only got into a life of crime because of him, and he got out and left me behind. Left me to clean up the disaster in his wake and do time for the shit that he started. If it hadn’t been for Joplin, I might have never found the straight and narrow," Kevin spat.
“Wait, you met Joplin in prison,” Celia asked.
Keven suddenly sobered up and stood taller in his shoes. He was wearing the Joplin unofficial outfit, Khaki pants, tucked-in blue dress shirt. “Only those who’ve been through hell know the way to get to heaven, CeCe. We miss you. We need you at home. Your mothers sick and I’ve found you a husband,” Kevin said.
I stepped in front of Celia again. I didn’t trust the holy rollers, I was afraid just his tone, just his eye contact could trigger something in Celia. I didn’t want her to return. I couldn’t let her return.
I felt ashamed because everything Kevin was saying was true. When we were kids, I was the one that was desperate to belong. When the local don approached us about being dime boys, I jumped on it. Miguel said no and walked away clean, but Keven, he was my real brother, wanted to make sure I didn't fall too deep. He stood by me even though he knew what we were doing was wrong.
"I was a fucking kid, Kevin."
"Fuck you,” Kevin yelled before lunging at me.
His mistake.
We crashed to the floor, Kevin on top of me, his fist raised for just one moment before it connected with my face. Joplin was good for the soul, huh? Kevin still hit like a cellmate.
I heard a crack and the pain told me something was definitely broken. There was only so much one nose could take, but I didn't care. I didn't even fight back. I let him get all his rage out. Last thing I wanted was to get arrested for assault on campus, I’d never work anywhere ever again.
I let the man beat all of the guilt I carried out of me. For all those years when my life progressed and improved, when I bested my situation and made a name for myself, Kevin had spiraled out of control. First a teen father, then a hefty prison sentence, and now his only salvation had been to sell his soul to Joplin and become a bona fide cult member and give up his free will.
