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“I hope her new man kills you first,” she stated, moving Gianna gently to the side.

“From what I hear, he is just as ruthless as her brothers. That's what I want for her—a man who can protect her—not one who throws temper tantrums because he misses his daddy. That’s what this is about, right? You don’t want my child, Chandler.

You just want to torture her because you think Rosier killed Charles.

” He said nothing as his jaw twitched, causing her to chuckle.

“That’s what I thought. Something tells me you’ll be seeing him again sooner than you think. ”

Stomping over to her, Gianna screamed and cried as he yanked her head backward. Placing his gun under her chin, his eyes were wild and filled with anger. “I’ll blow you away right now, you old bitch. Open your mouth. Let’s see how much shit you talk when there’s a bullet lodged in your throat.

“Wait!” I shouted and ran over as he tried to stuff the barrel between her lips. “If you kill her?—”

Whap!

“You don’t speak to me!” he bellowed as the windows shook. Slapping me to the floor, I grabbed my cheek as I cried silently. “I will kill all of you!”

“If you kill them, what good will that do us?” Lew stepped over me and cautiously approached Chandler. “We need them alive for the money and to get your girl back. She ain’t coming if you off her mother.”

Glaring at each of us while still holding his gun to Rosalyn’s lips, he grunted as he pushed her head back. Hovering over me, I held my breath at what was coming next. “Get them fed and cleaned up. We have some calls to make.”

With ringing ears, blurry vision, and a huge incoming headache, I watched him walk out the door with Lew on his heels. He didn’t even speak up or help me when Chandler put his hands on me. Shakily, I stood to my feet.

“You remember that ditch you spoke of?” Rosalyn asked as she comforted a weeping Gianna. “When you dig that hole for me, dig one for yourself too.”

I chose not to respond to her because she was right.

I was in way over my head with Chandler, and Lew was too blinded by his hunger to be in control.

He couldn’t even protect me from that psychotic man; there was no way he would have the balls to run a drug empire.

I feared Chandler was going to kill me right along with everyone else if his demands were not answered soon.

For the first time since all of this shit started years ago, I was beginning to regret my actions and choices.

The only person who could help me now was Skip.

Sadly, all of my wrongdoings and ill intentions have probably burnt that bridge.

I was sure by now that he’d discovered I was involved with all of this ruckus.

Looking over at my trembling daughter, I prayed that he would find a sliver of forgiveness for me because his daughter and Rosalyn were not the only ones needing to be saved.

“Gia, I’m about to run out for a minute! I’ll see you when I get back in!”

Rolling my eyes, I listened as the front door slammed behind Lew.

It was barely noon on a Friday, and he was headed out to God knows where.

As far as I knew, he didn’t have any affiliation with anyone here in Florida other than Chandler.

When we first got here, and Chandler dumped us at this house, Lew and I stayed put, ordering food through Uber Eats and binging on Netflix as we watched over Rosalyn and Gianna in the basement.

After the first week, Lew started getting uneasy, calling Chandler constantly, only for him to tell us to sit tight until he came back.

Once he came back, I quickly found out Lew and I had made a deal with a devil.

It'd been another two weeks, and that demon had shown us on more than one occasion he wasn’t here to be friendly.

He’d made it clear that he was in charge, and Lew had positioned himself to be on Chandler’s side, completely neglecting me.

I felt dumb as fuck and stupid as hell. I’d been loyal to Lew for years, and the minute he felt he was close to getting the power he craved, he no longer felt the need to give that loyalty back.

“I’m going up to stretch my legs.” I stood from the chair and eyed Rosalyn. She’d gotten mouthy with Chandler again about her children, and he’d roughed her up pretty good. We had to keep Gianna drunk on Benadryl because all the damn crying was going to get her killed. “Do you need anything?”

“The only thing I need is to make sure I look my best for your homegoing celebration when my eldest gets his hands on you.” She smirked as best as she could with her busted lip.

“Word around town… my son owns a nice gator pit in the swamps. I’m sure he’s going to have fun with you.

” She tapped her chin as she appeared to be thinking.

“Then again… I might let Jules handle you. My boy has always been deep in with his Haitian roots. I’m sure a little chant here and a potion there will have you chirping like the bird you are in no time. ”

“Fuck you!” I spat, trying to act as if I was unfazed when, in reality, I was scared.

I didn’t know the men she spoke of, but she’s been pretty confident about what they were capable of since we all arrived in Florida.

“You’d better hope you live to see them again the way Chandler keeps beating your ass. ”

“Hmm…” She nodded as she slid down on the bed as best as she could. Her hand was still cuffed to the headboard, and although I knew she was uncomfortable, she never let us see it.

Chandler wouldn’t allow her or Gianna to bathe, so the basement was starting to smell.

I’d had to bring a fan down that I’d found upstairs in a closet to get some better circulation going because the tartness was making me sick.

Chandler told me that he preferred I stay in the basement with Rosalyn and Gianna, not wanting them to be left alone, but fuck that.

The main levels of the house were nice, with four big-ass bedrooms and three full baths.

I was laying my head on a bed regardless of what that monster said.

While I didn’t express my disagreement for fear of being beaten, I’d broken the “no upstairs” rule every time I was left alone with the girls and, of course, at night once they went to sleep.

For the last four days, though, Chandler has been showing up randomly, multiple times a day, so I’d been confined to the basement since Monday.

“Close the door on your way out,” Rosalyn called out as soon as I made it to the stairs. “I’m going to need my beauty sleep for the show my babies are going to put on when they get their hands on y’all.”

I stared at the back of her head momentarily when she turned her back to me.

So badly did I want to take one of the bricks in the corner and smash her skull, but I didn’t want to face Chandler’s wrath for killing her.

He’d made it clear that I was not allowed to hurt them, although he took no pause in hitting on Rosalyn whenever he could.

I’d realized that Rosalyn had every right to talk her shit, but that didn’t stop me from smacking her, too, when she tried to interfere with me disciplining Gianna.

I was more mad at Lew at this point, but I wasn’t about to beat on his big ass.

Gianna cried for her daddy and Noemi all damn day, and every time she did, I would tear her ass up before dosing her with the Benadryl.

Turning back to look up the stairway, I started marching up, planning to sit on the porch for a little bit until lunchtime.

“Lew is fuckin’ filthy…” I groaned when I saw the state of the main living areas.

Takeout boxes and liquor bottles were spread all over the floor and kitchen counters.

Looking around the wall to the living room area, I could see that Lew had been having the time of his life.

There was so much trash everywhere that I knew Lew was the culprit because it was not a new sighting.

He was never tidy in our old apartments or hotel rooms. I was always cleaning up behind him whenever I left him alone for more than a few hours.

However, surveying the mess again, I knew he couldn’t have done this alone.

In some areas of the living room, trash had piled up, suggesting multiple people contributed to this mess.

I guess that was why Chandler had been coming over more.

He and Lew must’ve been bonding for real, and Lew was really going to be the biggest drug dealer in Milly Grove now.

I didn’t know where that left me, though, because the last three weeks really had me looking at my relationship with Lew as a joke.

“I didn’t sign up for this shit!” I fussed as I grabbed a trash bag and began to clean. “I hope this shit ends soon because I don’t know how much more I can take. I can’t keep?—”

Picking up the trash from the floor, I noticed an used condom under the kitchen table. Anger and hurt filled my heart and soul instantly. I could’ve been overreacting on my assumptions, but my gut was telling me it belonged to Lew. Only his dog ass would throw his used condom on the floor.

I’d sacrificed so much to be with him, but to know he would be so careless as to fuck someone while I was putting my life on the line for him to come up told me just how much I meant to him.

I was already over this shit with the way he was letting Chandler rough me up and talk to me like I was trash, but him fucking bitches right above my head was next level.

Dropping the trash bag to the floor, I grabbed my things and the keys to my Camry.

Chandler didn’t want my car here, but I refused to be stranded anywhere for times like this.

He also made it clear that he didn’t want us using phones, and until recently, I complied, but fuck that shit too.

I needed to check in with my people because I was over this for real this time, and it was time for me to head home.