Lighter Shade of Brown (Urban Fiction) BWHM

Chapter 35

Cleo stepped on the sidewalk, and turned to watch the Chevy as it backed out of the parking space. When the car angled around and drove toward the front gate of Messalina projects, she wiped drool from her bottom lip and chin, and silently cursed the Novocaine the dentist used to numb her mouth. For forty-five minutes she reclined in a chair, while an old white man with gray nose hairs, damn near touching his top lip, drilled into her back teeth.

The memory of the screeching metal as it hit enamel, still made her skin crawl. It was almost enough to make her forget about Ant practically mouth raping her. Almost. What the hell was wrong with him any way? Putting his mouth on her like he'd lost his damn mind. Just because C's and she was a wrap didn't mean she'd be setting it out for him. She'd sew her good girl up and go hang out with a gang of nuns, before she let Ant put one, freak nasty, finger on her.

Tired of brain wrestling over Ant and his, Evel Knievel, stunts, Cleo spun on her heel to climb the steps to her apartment. The day had been too long for her to be worried over bullshit. Especially when she already had more curve balls flying at her face than a prostitute putting in work on her knees.

Her foot stumbled on the cement step as her rattled mental sounded the alarm and damn near blew out her eardrums. What if C's found out? Cleo's head swung from side to side in denial. She refused to skip her happy ass down that broke down path. Refused! All she wanted was to call Tech so he'd come over and distract her from the pressing weight of her guilt. A break from the load was long overdue.

When Cleo reached the top of the stairs she shuffled over to the door and let herself into her apartment. Inside, Pep sat on the sofa watching the Jefferson's, while eating a bowl of cereal. The living room was dark, save the glow coming off the television screen that flickered on his face. Her breath caught in her throat as she blinked once, and then twice to test her vision. She knew better than to believe a part of the Circle was in her raggedy ass living room. Besides Ant and Angela, everyone from Latin Paradise had forgotten her the same time C's did. Their silence and distance spoke loud as hell, all day every day, on a twenty-four hour loop.

"Pep?" Cleo asked her eyes stretched wide. "What...how..."

She watched as Pep sat the bowl down on the cushion next to him and climb to his feet. He looked a little bonier than she remembered. Like a few meals had missed him over the last few months since she'd seen him last, but aside from all of that, he appeared steady enough.

Bounding over, Pep yanked her off her feet in a, bone crushing, hug. "Chica! You look like a dream, and feel even better." When she tried to pull away, his grip tightened as he buried his face in the crook of her neck. "No don't. I've been waitin' forever to do this."

"How'd you get in here?" She demanded.

"Your madre let me in-,"

"Let you in?" Shoving her way free of his embrace, she twisted her face into a unit, while ignoring the surge of happiness gushing through her bloodstream like an uncut heroine shot. "You gotta be lyin. Liberty ain't friendly. If you were on fire she'd piss on herself rather than put you out."

"Not when it comes to me." His chest puffed, pride swirling off of him in waves as he wore a stupid grin, that split his face from ear to ear. "When she came to the door, she looked me up and down, and then snatched up my sweater."

"For what?" She knew like hell Liberty's freaky behind better had not tried Pep. He was too damn young for her. Besides, he didn't have two nickels to rub together, and her moms charged by the minute for her time or whatever else she chose to put a price on.

"To look at the scar on my chest," he answered. "She touched it too, and then asked me if I was the jit who took a bullet for you."

Cleo rolled her eyes as she pressed her palm against his chest, covering the area where the hollow point entered his body four months ago. How the hell did Liberty know about that? "What she say when she found out it was you?"