Sad eyes look up at me. “I want money.”
“You just sold your car,” I point out.
She scratches at her arm, and that’s when I see track marks from needles. I reach for it, pulling it up for closer inspection. “What the fuck is this, Tan?”
She pulls it back from me and shakes her head. “Just give me some money.”
“No,” I say, crossing my arms over my chest. “You need help. And if you need money for that, I will come with you to pay.”
She bites her lip at my words. “Fuck you. You’re always so up yourself. Do you know that? What, you think because you work for some hotshot lawyer and have your own house, you’re better than me?” she screams.
“I don’t think I’m better than you, Tan, and you know this.”
Angry eyes search my face before she steps closer to scream at me, “I’m going to fuck your man. I bet he won’t want you after I fuck him.”
“I don’t have a man,” I tell her.
“Reap. You like him. And I’m going to fuck him.” Black hair swings when she turns to walk away. I reach for her, and she swings back and hits me across the face, knocking me over so my ass lands on the grass. When she looks down at me, I wonder who she is. “If you ever touch me again, I’ll kill you. Or better yet, I’ll make sure Blaze kills you.”
Too shocked to stand, I watch as she picks up my keys that fell to the ground and she walks to my car.
“Get out of my car, Tan,” I say while standing. She smiles, closing the door, then locking it. I stand behind the car, so the only way for her to get out is to run me over, but she starts it and revs it, then she puts it in reverse and pushes me slightly.
I don’t move, my body now touching the car. “Get out of my car.” I reach for my cell and dial the police. “Last chance before I call the police on you, Tan. Don’t make me do this.”
She revs it again and pushes me harder this time, so I have to take a step back with the car, otherwise I will fall and she will more than likely run me over. Just as she does it again, hands touch and lift me.
I grip the hands, trying to get free.
“Stop it, you crazy woman.”
Then I’m placed back down on the ground. Marcus walks over to the driver’s side door and in one hit smashes my side window. I groan at how much that’s going to cost me to fix. Marcus reaches in, turns the ignition off, and takes the keys, throwing them my way before he opens the door and takes a crazy Tanika from the car while she screams at him. It’s then I notice his truck is parked behind my car, stopping her escape anyway.
Walking over to her while he holds her still, I look up at her. “That was a shitty thing to do, Tan,” I say.
She spits in my face.
Wiping it away, I step closer to her. “I’m not going to hit you because I love you, and I can clearly see you need help.”
“I don’t need help.”
“It’s sad that you think that way.”
“Pretty girl, reach into my pocket.”
I do as Marcus says and come out with his cell.
“Ring my brother.”
“She needs to go into a facility. She needs help.” His eyes pin me.
“Ring my brother. Now,” he demands.
I do as he says and hear Blaze’s rough voice come through.
“It’s Rochelle,” I say, as he says, “What’s up?”
“Why the fuck do you have his phone?”
I stifle an eye roll. “Look, asshole….” Marcus raises an eyebrow to me, “… your brother asked me to ring you. Not that I thought it was a good idea.”
“What the fuck is wrong with him, that he needs his pussy to ring me?”
“Because he’s currently holding down my friend as if he’s a prison officer.”
“Shit.” I hear movement and voices being raised. “Where are you?”
“My house,” I say, and he hangs up. I look back at Marcus’ cell then back to Marcus who’s still holding a struggling Tanika. “Your brother is a real dick, do you know that?”
“No, he’s not. But I bet you I can ride this dick,” Tanika says before she pushes back and starts rolling her ass over Marcus.
He makes a sound of disgust, and I laugh.
It makes her stop.
She lowers her eyebrows and squints at me.
“Marcus doesn’t like people much, and my bet is he doesn’t like you either,” I tell her.
He looks at me with a furrowed brow.
“What? You said it.” I shrug my shoulders.
“Oh, but he likes you, Miss I’m-too-good-for-everyone.”
“Lord help me, can we tape her mouth shut already?” I ask Marcus, who still has a hold on her but also watches me.
“Your friend,” is all he says.
“I could make you forget her.” Tanika tries again.
The rev of a bike comes down the street.
“What will he do with her?” I ask Marcus. “I won’t just give her to him.”
“He has access to a facility. The mother of one of the guys is a nurse at a reputable one. Blaze can get her in, clean her up, and get her help with what’s happened.” I stare at him, his dark curly hair is messy today, but somehow it still looks like it was meant to be that way. His eyes continue to watch me as he holds her down.
What are we?
We can’t be just sex.
This can’t be just sex.
“Why now?”
“He tried to get her to go, but she wouldn’t.”
“Now she won’t have a choice,” Blaze says, walking over to where we stand. He takes Tan from Marcus’ arms as if she’s nothing, and Tanika starts crying the minute his arms go around her.
“I want to know where she’ll be.”
“You will,” Blaze says, walking with her. She’s a complete mess now. He gets her to the bike, then he shakes his head while putting the helmet on her head.
Hands that are rough touch my face, making me turn away from Tanika as he strokes my cheek.
“You need ice,” Marcus says.
I brush his hand away. I can’t have him being gentle, I don’t want him gentle. I want to keep him the way I see him in my head.
Bad. Very bad.
Just sex.
“What are you doing here?” I ask him while crossing my arms over my chest. Exhaustion is settling in, and I try not to let my body slump.
“I called you today, but you never answered.”
I was busy all day, and I’ve hardly had time to check my cell.
“I was busy,” I say, grabbing my bag and walking up the stairs. My face hurts and I know it’s going to bruise. “I don’t want sex, Marcus. I want to sleep.”
“What on earth were you thinking standing behind that fucking car,” he suddenly blurts out. I turn to face him, and he’s scratching his face like he can’t believe he just said that, but he waits for me to answer him all the same.
“She wouldn’t have hurt me.”
Marcus laughs, shaking his head. “Of course she would have. The woman’s on drugs, has been for a while now. Her thoughts aren’t her own.” He walks over to me, takes the keys from my hand, and walks to his truck. I watch as he pulls it up on the grass, then walks to me and places his truck keys in my hand, and walks back to my little red car. “Take my truck to work.” Then he gets in and backs out, taking my car with him.