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-"
She shot a warning shot past his head. Her vision was fine now. She'd learned from him. She could shoot anything she damn well pleased. Including him.
"What was that now? I won't shoot you? Because I will. I suggest you leave me be. You have to go to Mexico, go. You can survive if I don't kiss you. You don't deserve me to kiss you. What you really deserve is to be castrated and I hang your balls on my Christmas tree as a war trophy. Do you want these problems, Shawn?"
"Abrielle, I will fucking kill you-"
She aimed the gun at his dick, and he stopped in his stride.
"You wouldn't."
"Are you willing to risk testing me? Go to Mexico. Good luck."
Shawn sighed, raising his hands in surrender and backing up. "If you wonna be like this, Bri. Be like it. It's fucked up doe."
"So is what you did to me starting from day one. How the fuck did I fall in love with you?" she questioned.
Shawn left the pool house and went to pack his bag and get in his car, being driven to the airport.
As he went through security, he saw a familiar face. He couldn't place it, but as soon as the man saw Shawn, he looked afraid.
Shawn committed that face to memory. Any nigga that was afraid of him had to die. Because they were clearly crossing him. He trusted no one.
Meanwhile, Abrielle was outside doing target practice on her own. She felt like she might want to shoot her husband. And if she actually shot a bullet at him, she better not miss her target.
When she went inside, she saw Evan on the sofa, looking tired and tortured.
"Are you hungry?" she wondered. "I'm making breakfast in a minute."
"I'm alright."
"You'll turn down a free meal? And here I thought we were friends," she teased.
Evan smiled weakly, but he didn't say anything to her. He wasn't really in the mood.
Abrielle could see something was wrong and went to sit with him. "Hey, is everything alright?"
"Something is happening," he told her softly. "Somebody want Shawn real bad. Enough to where he been leaving the country more than he usually do. This the first time he ever made me leave the apartment. Something is at unrest, and I can't get my mom to come home, Abrielle."
Abrielle didn't know what else to do and she hugged Evan, rubbing his back. "Your mom is fine. And you know your uncle won't let anything happen to her."
Evan sighed. "You should go have your breakfast."
Abrielle knew that was just his way of getting her away from him. So she got up and left the room, and he stared at the ceiling. He wanted Shayla out of that hospital.
After Abrielle made her pancakes and bacon, she went outside to the pool house. Her puppy came running over, curling at her feet. Bri could get used to this dog. She was cute.
Abrielle guessed she was about two or three months. She hadn't bothered to ask Shawn if the breeder told him how old she was.
Bri shared a piece of bacon with the dog as she heard her laptop ring. It was Trina Skyping her.
"Hola, chula," Trina greeted, smiling.
"Hola. Mira lo que tengo."
Abrielle held up Saphire into the camera. Trina gasped and started cooing, "Ay, está una pequeña belleza."
"Lo se. Mi esposo-"
"¿Esposo?" Trina asked with a brow up.
"I told you I was married, Trina."
"To whom?" Trina questioned. "You just call him your husband as if he didn't abduct you."
"That's what he is. I married him with knowledge of what I was doing. I'm not an abductee anymore. I can come home today if I want."
"What's stopping you?"
"I don't want, Katrina. He got his fair share of mental retardation, but I can't imagine leaving him."
"Are you halfway out of your fucking mind, Abrielle?" Trina hissed.
"Trina, yelling or cursing will not change my mind. You and Lari can come and see me."
"Bri, my brother has been in a depression ever since I relayed him that message. You mean to tell me that you would rather be with a kidnapper... A criminal... Over Daryl? He waited for you for four years."
"He fucked other girls casually for four years, Trina. That's not waiting. Waiting is what I had been doing when I didn't date anyone-"
"He didn't date anyone else, though, Bri-"
"But I also wasn't fucking anyone else. I admit, I was kidnapped. For a reason that was business and not personal. And now things are personal. Trina, if you want to come see me, you have to understand that what happened was not intended."
Trina shook her head in disbelief. "Alright, Abrielle. I have to go. I've gotta study for exams. Maybe I'll be out there for Christmas."
"Okay."
Trina closed her computer, ending the call. Abrielle fed Sapphire another piece of bacon.
When the phone rang, she knew it was Shawn. "What?"
"What do you mean what? We can't talk?"
"What?"
"Evan is going to take you to see your dad today."
"Great. Bye!"
"Abrielle, wait-"
She hung up and didn't answer when he called back. She didn't care enough to talk to him.
Evan did take her to see Rafael, and they went to see Shayla. She was like a completely different person when she saw her son. Her whole face lit up, and she got up and embraced him so tightly, one would believe she hadn't seen him in years!
"Hi, Ma," he greeted, hugging her back. "Are you ready to come home?"
Shayla didn't say a word as she stroked her son's face and hair. She was silent.
Evan sighed and sat down. Shayla smiled at Abrielle and hugged her before going back into her seat.
"Hey, Ma. I got all A's this report card. And Moorehouse offered me a scholarship."
Shayla just smiled and nodded her head. Evan ran his hands over his face. Having these eternal one-sided conversations... Sometimes, his mother could be so full of life, but then be so reserved and gray the next day. And when she actually talked, it was in whispers. He wanted his mom to be her again and come back home.
When the two left, Abrielle was hungry, so Evan stopped by Panera Bread, and she ordered soup. They stayed awhile, and Abrielle rubbed Evan's hand. He pulled it back.
"You don't believe Lokie would kill you?"
"I don't believe he wants to. No," she admitted. "I'm not afraid of him. You shouldn't be either."
"Look, Abrielle. I like you. But I'm not going to cross my uncle. It's not worth it."
She nodded. "All I did was rub your hand, Evan. Where I'm from, that's just a gesture of comfort. And I can see how you're feeling about your mom right now. I thought we could be friends."
"Why are you upset at him?"
"Oh, he didn't tell you? He must know he's wrong," she said instead of answering. "I'm ready to go."
When they got back to the house, Abrielle went straight to the pool house. Not because being in the house with Evan bothered her; but she did it because she knew she would wound up trying to extract her revenge through Evan. And Evan just didn't deserve to be used like that. Especially when she knew she wasn't going to be with him.
She let the puppy go out to use the bathroom, and she lied on the bed, her mind wandering to Shawn.
She wondered if he was alright. Hard as she tried, she couldn't completely say "fuck him" and go on with her life. It would have been easier if she wasn't pregnant. She would have nothing to lose. But right now... She did.
It bothered her so deeply that she should be expected to just climb right into his lap as if everything was okay. She knew that he knew he was wrong because he had avoided what she was asking.
Abrielle was more hurt that he thought it was okay than she was by the actual act. He didn't care enough to hide it. Enough to protect her feelings.
Still, a part of her couldn't help missing him while he was gone.