Chapter 21
I t was time I told Pepper what I felt for her. Having that conversation with my mother put things in perspective for me, and coming into the house to find Pepper cooking for me solidified everything. I wasn’t ready to let Pepper go, and I wanted to see what she thought about taking the next step. The situation with her dad was still a little tricky because I had wanted his blood on my hands for years, but I never expected to fall for his daughter. Killing him could make things bad for Pepper and me. My mother was right, though; killing Harold wouldn’t bring my brother back. It was a decision I needed more time to think about, but for the moment, I needed to talk to Pepper.
I took a moment to admire her pretty face while I thought about how much I wanted to share with her.
“There are two reasons why you are here. Like I told you from the beginning, I wanted to get your father’s attention because I wanted him to pay for what he did. At the same time, I’ve liked you since I laid eyes on you, Pepper. You never knew who I was, but I’ve always known you. It was never in my plans to hurt you, but I wanted your father dead. A part of me still does, but at the same time, I don’t. Not just because it wouldn’t change the past, but I don’t want to hurt you, and killing your father would do that.”
Long seconds that felt like minutes ticked by as I waited for her response.
“Wouldn’t it have just made sense for you to approach me regularly?”
“No, because it would have messed up the plans I had for your father. But it still didn’t work out because it seems as though he doesn’t care, which I find odd. The fact that he hasn’t come to get you, or at least attempted to, makes me feel like he still needs to die, because what kind of father is he? If it were my child, the day wouldn’t have gone by without me trying to get my child back. It doesn’t matter how old you are; you are still his child, and he should have done more to protect you.”
She fiddled with the bottom of her shirt as tears filled her eyes. I wasn’t sure why she cried, but I would give her a few minutes to get herself together. It took a second to wipe her eyes, but when she looked up at me, I saw something in them, but I couldn’t figure out what it was. Hurt, maybe.
“My father clearly doesn’t care about me. The day you kidnapped me, we argued, and he basically told me he wished I was a boy and that I was just like my mother. I never did anything to my father for him to treat me the way he did. Do I want him dead?” She paused and looked off to the side. “I can’t say that I do because he’s the only parent I have left, but I don’t have to be around him. I get why you feel the way you do, and I honestly don’t blame you. I don’t know how I would feel if he died.” She shrugged. “As far as my feelings for you, at first I was scared of you because I had no clue what you would do to me, but every day you showed me a softer side of you. I don’t know if it’s Stockholm syndrome or what, but I like you now, and I don’t think anything will change that.”
I grabbed her hand and held it. “I have to be honest with you, Pepper. I don’t know how to be in a relationship or none of that shit. Usually, I fuck a chick and send her on her way. I know I can’t do that with you.”
“You sure can’t.” She scooted closer to me. “I don’t know how to either. I have never been in a relationship, and I never saw a healthy one growing up. I guess we can learn together. We just have to be honest with each other. Can we do that?”
“We can,” I told her, and I meant that shit. I might not have been the relationship type, but I always kept it real with anyone I dealt with. I just hadn’t kept it real with myself when it came to Pepper.
“Good.”
I lifted her chin with my finger and kissed her. What started as a few pecks turned into her lying back on the couch and my pants around my ankles. I was in between her legs and inside of her in no time. I looked into her eyes as I slowly stroked her. Making love wasn’t something I was used to, but I didn’t want to just fuck Pepper; I wanted her to feel what I felt for her with each stroke.
“Dion.” She moaned as her hands clawed at my back.
“I love it when you call my name, Pepper. Shit.” I grunted when her walls squeezed my dick.
This wasn’t the first time we had sex, but this time felt different. I knew at that moment that I would do what I needed to do to protect her, even if it meant killing her father.
“That other nigga you were fucking with has to go, or he dies.”
She struggled with a response, but she finally managed to formulate words. “Okay.”
When she came on my dick, I increased my strokes until I sprayed her walls. I dropped all my weight on her and kissed her neck.
Neither one of us made an effort to get up, and we eventually fell asleep on the couch.
A few hours later, I woke up to my phone ringing. Pepper was still asleep, so I hurried and answered before the sound woke her up.
I climbed off the couch and walked down the hall.
“Yo.”
“Blade.”
I paused my steps when Harold’s voice came through the speaker.
“Where’s my daughter?”
“She’s where she belongs,” I told him, then continued down the hall.
“You’re right, she is. How do you know this whole thing wasn’t a setup, and she’s not there to kill you?” He laughed, then hung up.
I tried to call back, but I got no answer. What the fuck did he mean by that? Did she purposely do something to her bike to cause her to break down? I tried to call back again, but a recording said the number was out of service.
Instead of going to the bathroom like I originally planned, I stormed down the hallway, back to the living room. Pepper was still asleep, but I didn’t give a fuck.
I stood near the couch, looking down at her. Was Harold telling the truth? Did Pepper make me fall for her just to kill me? Were her feelings even real for me?
“Pepper! Wake up!” She didn’t respond, so I called her name again.
“Huh? What’s going on?” She sat up with her eyes wide, staring at me like I was crazy, and maybe I was. Crazy for fucking falling for her ass.
“What were you really doing on my side of town that day? Did your bike really break down, or was this shit a setup the whole time?”
“Dion, what are you talking about?”
I paced back and forth because I had the urge to grab her by her fucking throat.
A second later, I was back in her face. “I’m talking about you setting me up this whole time. I’m talking about you being here to do your father’s dirty work. I’m talking about you lying about your feelings for me.”
“Dion, I have no idea what you are talking about. I didn’t know anything about you or my dad having issues. My feelings are real for you.”
I scoffed. “That’s bullshit, and you are lucky I’m letting you leave here with your life. I suggest you grab your bike and get the fuck on before I change my mind.”
“Dion. I?—”
“Get the fuck out, Pepper! Now!”
She hurried off the couch and stormed out of the house. The only thing she had on was the clothes on her back but that didn’t stop her from finding her bike and leaving. I didn’t want to believe she would do something like that, but how could I be so sure? Maybe that was the reason why Harold never came to get her. None of this shit made sense though.
“Fuck!” I threw the candle that was on the table against the wall when I heard her bike speed away from the house.
I finally decided to let someone in, and I got played.