Debt

14: Absent

Abrielle went in the house and saw Evan was there and smiled as she greeted him. Shawn, sitting in the armchair, cocked his gun.

"Go about yo business, darling."

"I thought you had to go to Mexico. Bye!"

Shawn chuckled and moved to put his arms around her, but she pushed him off her and started up the stairs.

"Good morning, wife!" he called.

Abrielle flipped him off and continued up the stairs. Evan sat on the couch, looking at Shawn like he was a little crazy.

"What you do to her, Lokie?"

"I ain't did shit to her. And you better not touch her while I'm gone."

"Whatever."

Evan hadn't planned on touching her. But he would find out what was wrong.

Shawn went up the stairs and found Abrielle brushing her teeth.

"Do I get a goodbye kiss?"

"Why don't you go get a goodbye kiss from whoever you decided was worth spending the night with more than coming home to me."

"Abrielle, quit acting like the world is ending."

She spit toothpaste into the sink and began brushing her tongue.

"You'll live without a kiss."

"And what if I don't live, Abrielle? What if I die? And you're pregnant with my baby."

"That boy downstairs. That's what if."

Shawn was angered, but he couldn't bring himself to pull his gun on her like he had to other women before.

"So if I die, that's what you'll do? Run off with my nephew? Let him raise my baby?"

She smiled crookedly, leaning down to rinse her mouth out.

"I'm sure he would just be wanting to comfort me in my time of need. Coming over to check on me. It wouldn't be long before he started say... Spending whole nights. And then sooner or later, he would start holding me in my sleep, rubbing my growing belly where his baby- my bad, cousin- grew. The next thing I know, I'd be a remarried widow. Don't play the guilt card on me, Shawn. Because I wasn't the wrong one."

She walked out of the bathroom, getting ready to let Sapphire back into the pool house, sure she'd handled her little doggy duty by now.

Shawn stood there in a moment of disbelief. He didn't know how serious she was about marrying Evan if he died. But she didn't seem to be joking about it.

Under a normal circumstance, Shawn would have told his nephew to marry his wife if he didn't come back. If he died. Would have told him to raise his seed. But now, he'd rather Abrielle all alone. He'd haunt them 'til their dying days if they decided to do that shit.

He caught up to Abrielle just as she reached the back door and yanked her by the wrist earning a severe punch to the face that connected with a crunching sound.

Abrielle shook her hand, taking measured breaths as Shawn held his face. Well, at least she had hurt him just as much as herself.

Shawn glared down at Abrielle and she tore out through the back door, running into the pool house, letting Sapphire back in.

Shawn came and banged on the door, and she got her level 2 gun- as described by him- from the nightstand she'd put it in when he went to the pet store.

As soon as he came in, she had the gun loaded, cocked, aimed, and off safety.

"Abrielle, put that gun down. You ain't-"