Chapter 15 #4
Pst…Pst!
Sienna shot twice at the first opportunity she received, the first bullet grazed the left side of Macie’s face, but the second one went straight through her chest. Macie's eyes widened in disbelief as she stumbled backward.
Pst…
Sienna shot her gun again, hitting Macie in the stomach before her body hit the ground. Her hands and body shook uncontrollably as soon as the reality of what she’d done had kicked in. At the bottom of the stairs, Macie laid on the ground choking on her own blood.
“Oh God, what have I done?” Sienna panicked, not knowing what to do next.
Monroe is going to hate me, that thought alone felt like a bullet exploding in her heart.
Sienna was a complete wreck as her myriad thoughts got the best of her.
Her breathing became shallow, and her nerves– they were so bad she sat down, pulling her knees into her chest as she rocked back and forth.
Minutes later, Monroe and Mitch burned rubber as they pulled into the driveway.
They both ran into the house one after the other, stopping at the bottom of the stairs, looking back and forth between Macie’s lifeless body and Sienna.
They’d seen and heard everything as they sped through the city to get there.
Monroe stood over his mother speechless, while Mitch slowly walked up the stairs.
Every moment he’d shared with his mother flashed at that moment.
Every question he’d never got the opportunity to ask would remain unanswered.
The whole situation was fucked up, but the acceptance for what was settled Monroe in a way words that were lost in transition never could.
Deep down, Monroe knew he’d never be able to obtain the love, life, and true joy he yearned for as long as his mother was breathing.
He’d never missed a target, but still, he just couldn’t be the one to pull the trigger.
He wasn’t happy, but he wasn’t devastated either because while he was in Malibu, he’d stumbled across some information that had blown him away about his mother.
ASPD Comorbid Antisocial Personality Disorder and Schizophrenia.
Macie had dealt with and hid this disorder from everyone around her.
Monroe would have never known had he not dug deeper into the connection she used to get into the hospital.
The name Valencia Latrez didn’t ring a bell, so he researched her, and found out that she was a therapist whose husband owned the hospital.
From there, he pieced the rest of the puzzle together easily.
“It’s okay. We’re here now,” Mitch said as he got closer to Sienna.
“It’s all over, Sienna. You safe,” Monroe spoke calmly as he slowly looked over Macie’s dead body. “Where’s Monae?” She was the only person in the world he needed to get to.
“She’s in your closet hiding,” Sienna said lowly, her eyes shifting to Monroe as he stood beside his mother, looking up only when he heard Monae’s name.
I never thought this is how it would end, he thought, stepping over his mother’s body.
Monroe walked slowly up the stairs, and went straight to his room without saying a word to Sienna.
He didn’t have it in him right then to comfort her when he struggled with so many mixed emotions concerning her.
However, Monae was a different story. She was his.
He had promised to protect her, but had underestimated his mother.
“I’ll be right back. I need to call someone to clean this shit up,” Mitch said, standing.
When Monroe opened the closet door, the look of horror that was painted on Monae’s face brought him to his knees before his mind could catch up with the gravity his heart felt.
He didn’t need the years he lost with his daughter to confirm what was abundantly clear in this moment.
He loved her like he’d been standing there the day she made her entrance into this dark and dying world, and had watched her grow into the perfect young lady he saw today.
“Daddy,” Monae rasped, her voice just above a whisper, telling of just how hard she’d been crying. “Is my mom okay? Please tell me she’s okay,” Monae begged with a fresh flow of tears streaming from her eyes.
“Your mother is a little shaken up, but she’s fine,” Monroe assured his daughter. “Everything is fine now.”
Monae rested her head on her father’s chest as a peace that surpassed understanding washed over them both. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here when danger knocked at the door, but I promise you I’ll never leave you uncovered again.”
“I wanted to call you so bad, but I left my phone in my room. I’m sor…”
“I’m right here, Muffin,” Monroe said, wrapping her in the security of his embrace.
“It ain’t never gon’ come a day you gotta apologize for grown folks.
You ain’t do nothin’ wrong. You hear me?
” Monroe quizzed, pulling back slightly to lock eyes with his daughter because the next words he spoke, he needed her to feel his sincerity. “I love you.”
“I love you too, Dad,” Monae replied, then rested her head back down on his chest.