Southern Helle (An Interracial Romance Story)

Chapter 21

Elena fell backwards. I began to run over to her but the man who shot her stepped out of the shadows on the porch.

James. 

“Step back.” He commanded wielding his gun towards me. I did as I was told.

Sweat slid of his face and hair. Another cold breeze blew through the house. A few leaves fluttered in.

August stepped in front of me. I wrapped my hand around his bicep out of fear. I didn’t want him to get hurt as much as I didn’t want to get hurt.

“Dad,” August called out. Terror laced through his voice.

“Yeah, call ‘Daddy’.” James taunted.

Elena groaned and gasped for air as her grip on life loosened. I wanted to be by her side. I wanted to at least hold her to know that she wouldn’t be alone in her last few minutes of life.

James saw me watching Elena. “Don’t even think about it nigger.” He told me. My hatred filled eyes glared at him. He seemed to be unaffected by it.

Master emerged from his bedroom. He saw James and immediately tried to escape back into his room. What a wuss?

“Where you think you going? Get yo’ tail down here and give ole James a hug.” He lumbered over to the staircase to meet Master.

Master trudged down the stairs. His legs wobbled as if they weren’t on a stable foundation. His chest ebbed and flowed, but the hardness on his face didn’t show the same tranquility.

James wrapped his arm around Master’s shoulders. “You know, I would expect a better welcome from you, January. I mean after all I did work with you for 25 years. Which was way before these two here were born.” He waved the gun at me and August. 

“I told you to never return.” Master said.

“See there’s the thing when you said that whole ‘Don’t come back here or else I’ll kill yah’ thing. I feel you should’ve just killed me then and there because we all knew that I would be making an appearance. January, come on man you know me. You must do better.” 

Master shrugged off James’s arm.

“You know why you didn’t do anything then? It’s because you’re not a fighter. You’re not the big wolf you claim to be. No…” James stopped to moisten his lips. “No, you’re the first little pig in the straw house. You need those guards out there to be your brick house.”

Master looked at James with annoyance and boredom.

“You’re not a doer. You sit back on your throne and toss around commands while you make us little guards carry out your every demand. You’re weak and pathetic and I’m so glad I’m done with this place.” 

“And yet here you are under my roof still tethered to this plantation by an invisible cord.” Master spat back. 

James chewed on the inside of his cheek. 

“Are you done with this pointless monologue because Elena’s over there dying.” Maser finally acknowledged her bloody body.

“Ah don’t worry about it. Let her die. She’s not worth the air she’s breathing anyhow.”

I gritted my teeth and I watch Master do the same. “But she’s my daughter.” Master confessed. August’s head snapped towards his father. Being that I already knew, I wasn’t surprised by the information just the fact he actually told people.

“Oh,” James mumbled. He tapped the barrel of his revolver on his chin. He smiled. “Well isn’t this interesting?” He went over to Elena whose eyes were shining.