Page 28 of Pretty Poison
After staring at the ceiling for what seemed like hours, he was no closer to falling asleep. Who could blame him with so much on his mind? But he required sleep to remain sharp, so he reached for his earbuds and opened up the meditation app Karen had suggested. He listened to a few recordings, and even though Rocky felt more relaxed afterward, they hadn’t eased him into sleep.
Rocky flipped on his reading lamp and picked up another of Karen’s recommendations. This one was a book on not only surviving trauma but thriving afterward. It was valuable guidance, if not a little dry, so it didn’t take long for his eyelids to get heavy and his brain to feel hazy as sleep moved in like a dense fog.
Rocky waited for the final deafening gun blast. Would he die quickly, or would he slowly bleed to death on the tile floor in this strange house? The potent aromas of sulfur from the gunpowder and copper from the blood burned his nostrils and made Rocky’s eyes water, even behind his closed lids.
He’d long since abandoned the Catholic faith over their pushback against homosexuality, but he prayed to the father, the son, and the holy ghost. Not to save him but to ensure Asher never saw what became of Rocky. He prayed Duggins had the wherewithal to keep Asher away from the crime scene and photos.
It wasn’t a sign from above or the sound of a gunshot that made Rocky open his eyes again; it was soft weeping. The kind that was bottomless, rising from one’s soul.
Rocky locked eyes with Julia Warner and saw she’d returned from the desolate place in her brain that had allowed her to gun down her husband and the woman in cold blood. Her eyes were no longer vacant; they were filled with so much dread and despair, and it pained Rocky to hold her gaze. Yet, he did because he wanted to survive and go home to Asher.
“Julia,” he said softly, taking a small step toward her. Rocky didn’t dare look at Raphael or the petite woman sprawled on the floor. There wasn’t anything he could do for either of them. If Rocky hoped to survive this night, he needed to make sure he held on to this Julia, not the one who’d so easily pulled the trigger. She still had the gun in her hand, but her arm now hung by her side. Rocky could think a little more clearly when the weapon wasn’t aimed at him. “Drop the gun and let’s talk.”
Sobs racked Julia’s small frame, and her chest heaved as she struggled to catch her breath. She shook her head once, then a second time. Rocky took a few more steps, closing the distance between them.
“You won’t put the gun down, or you don’t want to talk?” he asked. If he could just get Julia to talk, he stood a chance. Gunshots wouldn’t be an everyday occurrence in this swanky neighborhood. The cops had to be en route.
“I’m not sorry,” Julia said. “I hate them.”
Rocky didn’t ask her any stupid questions; he just kept inching closer.
“Do you know who this dead whore is?” Julia asked.
“I don’t,” Rocky replied, realizing he’d made a big mistake. He’d have been wise to identify the woman in the pictures before showing them to Julia. If Rocky had, this could’ve all been prevented. Raphael might’ve been a shitty husband, but had he deserved to die like that? Did his children deserve to lose their father?
“Her name is Melissa, and she’s married to my brother, Carlos. He has terminal cancer, and instead of taking care of him like a good wife does, she’s out seducing my husband and looking for a soft place to land once Carlos dies. I knew this bitch was nothing but pretty poison the moment Carlos introduced her to my family. My brother is a good man—the best. Melissa destroyed my entire family. She’s the one who should die, not Carlos.”
Rocky thought it wasn’t fair to blame this affair solely on her, but he kept his mouth shut. Besides, Raphael had paid the ultimate price for his faithlessness. While Rocky could understand Julia’s desire to kill Raphael and Melissa, he couldn’t condone her acting on the urge.
“I thought it would be easy,” she said as tears streamed down her face. “I hate Raphael for not being strong enough to say no, but I can’t imagine a life without him.”
By this time, Rocky was almost within grabbing distance. He saw the moment Julia decided her life was no longer worth living.
“Julia, no,” Rocky said, lunging forward just as she swung the gun up toward her face.
He gripped her arm at the same time the gun went off. The blast from the weapon reverberated through him, making his ears ring and slowing his response. Then he was on his knees trying to stop the blood flowing from the gaping hole where her chin had been.
“Oh my God. Oh my God,” Rocky said as the blood kept coming.
They needed help. Rocky didn’t hear police sirens, so maybe the neighbors hadn’t called the cops. He’d had his cell phone at one point, but where was it? Keeping both hands pressed against Julia’s face, Rocky scanned the room. He spotted it near Melissa’s fallen body, but it was out of his reach. Rocky would have to leave Julia to get it but worried she’d bleed out. There was so much blood. If he didn’t go for the phone, though, she’d surely die.
“Please don’t die,” he said as he pulled his hands away from her face and crawled to his phone. “Please don’t die.” The blood made his hands slick, and it took several attempts before he could hold on to the phone without dropping it. “Please don’t die. Please don’t die.”
“Please don’t—”
“Ford, wake up.” Strong hands gripped Rocky’s shoulders and shook him hard. “Wake up, Ford.”
Rocky’s eye popped open. Asher hovered over him with a concerned expression etched on his face. He released a deep sigh as he sat on the bed. Unfortunately, his big shoulders no longer blocked the bright bulb in the ceiling fixture. Asher must have switched it on when he came into the room. It felt like the light was burning his retinas, so Rocky lifted his hand to shield his eyes.
“Can you turn that off?” he asked hoarsely.
“Sure,” Asher said, easing off the bed. “Sorry.”
“S’okay.” Rocky scrubbed his hands over his face, then dropped them when Asher flipped the switch. “Sorry for waking you.”
“Don’t apologize.” Asher’s voice sounded close, which meant he’d returned to the bed instead of staying by the door.
Once Rocky’s eyes adjusted to the darkness, he saw that Asher stood next to his bed. His husband reached out and caressed his cheek. “Scoot over. You know this is my side of the bed.”