Chapter Seven
“Tamaria?” Looking around, Sarah stopped when she saw her. “What the hell does he mean... witness?” She then snorted. “You’re too stupid to even formulate words. Let alone be any kind of fucking witness.”
Tamaria stepped forward and with a strong voice she confessed, “Well, about that wrong assumption on your part, Aunt Sarah... Seems unbeknownst to you, I have several secrets. One is I have been going to college where I recently made Valedictorian of my class. Number two: I managed to save enough to be out on my own. And three: I’ve been following you for a while.
I and many of the family are way past tired of you and Grandpa ruling our lives and taking our income.
You are both criminals just like Andy said.
I knew it when I was only five years old and had no decent clothes to go to school in because you took mom’s money.
Then when I was seven, eight, nine, ten and up until even today, I felt hunger all the time.
..” She stepped closer and her voice rose.
“You and him.” She motioned to Lester. “Took our family’s money to do whatever it is you do.
Like eat steak and sit on your asses, being greedy and useless.
I vowed even as a child that someday you would go to prison.
Everything I have done has been just for that goal, alone.
” Tears burned in her eyes as she took yet another step toward her and glared at Sarah.
“My little brother didn’t grow right cause he was malnourished!
He has all sorts of medical issues and YOU!
” she shouted now. “Did that, you lowlife coldhearted, ugly ass bitch!” Reaching out, she slapped Sarah hard.
The smack from it was loud in the room as Sarah’s head snapped sideways and she shouted, “Owww!”
Stepping over to the next chair, Tamaria raised her hand to slap her grandpa as well.
He growled at her with a seething threat, “Don’t you dare!”
“I’m not scared of you anymore!” Tamaira huffed and hauled her arm back to slap him too.
After the echoing SMACK, his cheek wore a crimson red palm mark. “Arrrghhh!” Lester uttered as he tried to stand and get to her.
“Forget it, gramps.” Boone stepped up and shoved him back down.
Sarah raised her head up and growled, “Girl, wait until your father finds out about this.”
“He’s in our custody,” King told him. “Along with the rest of them. He won’t be able to help you in anything, anymore.”
Sarah then sniffed arrogantly. “They won’t find anything on me because there is nothing to find.
I set it up in a way that there is no connection to me.
If you find anything it will be on the Double Devils and that stupid Morales gang.
The house is even in their name.” She gave them an ugly smirk.
“And that foolish girl Avery is a fucking liar.” Shaking her head in rage she said, “And this one, Tamira...She’s been such a disappointment to the entire family. ”
Tameria shrugged. “Yeah, that’s because I have a moral code that you don’t possess. And I have a soul instead of that big black hole that you find comfort in.” She stared at Sarah. “And I sleep just fine at night.”
Sarah growled again. “I sleep just fine every night too, you Goddamn little tramp. I sleep knowing I’ll eat the next day.”
Tameria snorted, “Yeah, I’m sure you do.
But from now on, you will be sleeping on a cot bed, with a big fat lady on the top bunk I hope.
You will get three squares a day in prison and I hear that they do not serve STEAK!
” She outright laughed. “Just pork and beans, stale bread and butter. Old fishsticks and no dessert EVER. Oh, my! You two have literally taken food off the table of every member of this so-called family. So that will be revenge at its finest. ”
Sarah scowled at her. “You little—”
Tameria turned to look at Lester. “And you’ve taken away their hope of ever making a decent living.
You are a dad and a grandpa but you never acted like one.
You snatched their dreams away and the wonderment away from the children of this family.
And to you, it meant nothing more than taking candy away from a baby.
You’ve broken more than just this family here, you’ve broken laws to make your money grow in ways that you think will make you richer.
You and her are the ugly monsters lurking in the shadows that most people stay away from.
” She paused then shook her head. “You aren’t head of this family anymore and you haven’t been for some time.
You are crime lords now and this is the day it all ends for you. ”
“I didn’t kill anyone, you little bitch.” Lester snarled. “I don’t have anyone’s blood on my hands.”
Tameria shrugged. “You didn’t try to stop her either. You just sat back and let her run amok. You might not have pulled that trigger but you knew. And you benefited from her crimes. Yes, the cops know about your 10 percent of her payouts.”
Lester frowned and asked, “What do you mean ten per cent?”
Tameria smiled and crossed her arms over her chest. “Oh? You didn’t know? Sarah only gave you ten percent of her hauls every month. She pocketed the rest into her own accounts. Right now, she’s sitting on millions from her little drug ring.”
Lester turned his head slowly and snarled at his daughter. “Is that true? You’re only paying me ten percent?”
Sarah’s mask finally slipped as she admitted it, “Well, what did you expect, half? I was the one doing all the work, I was the one who set the whole damn thing up. I had to talk to the Double Devils and I was the contact they had with the Morales Gang. I hated that I had to see that fucking gang. It was my life on the line every time I saw Pike Carter. He never did like me but I had to get him to trust me. He was such a fool but he loved that green every week. I used him and that stupid gang of his like a tool. He took all the risk when he transported the Reds. Just like the Double Devils did when they produced those stupid pills. The cops can’t find any connection to me on either side of that equation.
Besides, I made a hell of a lot of green on my end too.
I was making the green from both sides.”
Lester’s frown deepened and he glanced around the room, “You stupid bitch.” He finally growled as he fidgeted in his chair but he didn’t get far. The cuffs and zip ties held him tight in place. “Shut your Goddamn mouth. Don’t give them anymore they can use against you in the courts.”
Sarah snorted in confidence. “It’s my word against theirs at this point, they can’t prove a damn thing.”
Grizzly crossed his massive arms over his chest. “Damn lady, you may have forgotten but this entire place is wired for sound and cameras. They have your confession all nicely recorded now and damn it's even worthy of taking to court.”
Sarah realized what he was saying was true.
She scanned the room and realized far too late that she had given them the evidence they needed.
“You still can’t tie me to anyone or anything to that drug ring.
” She shrugged. “I can always say you coerced me into that confession. That you used trickery to get me to say all that shit. None of it was true anyway.”
“Why don’t we call Pike Carter and ask him if he was aware that he went to prison for you?
” Avery suggested as she glared at Sarah.
“That his gang was targeted by you and you laid the blame on his shoulders for something he didn’t even do.
After all, he was the one that went to prison for killing not only his own man but for Trever’s death by accident.
The DA mentioned that Trever died for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Pike kept telling everyone that he wasn’t even in the area when his guy and Trever died but the DA was pushing and he managed to convince the jury that just because Pike was the leader of the gang, he deserved to go to prison.
How do you think the gang will react when they finally know it was you that shot their brother, it was you that killed Trever and it was you that was behind them storming into my parents’ home and shooting them in their beds?
Their blood is on your hands, even if the gang pulled the triggers. ”
Sarah paled and for once she held her tongue.
King chuckled. “Pike is not the sort of man I’d ever want to be friends with.
Hell, I’m not sure I’d ever want to know him at all, but I think Avery has a point.
The truth needs to be told and what do you suppose he would do if he found out what really happened that night?
Would he be happy to know that you were twisted enough to set him up for a fall that wasn’t his to take?
” He raised his hand to rub his chin. “I’m thinking he wouldn’t be happy about that.
Nor would he be happy to find out exactly what you thought about him and his band of merry men.
And I don’t think the Devils will be all that happy about being blamed for something you set up either.
Yes, they participated in your scheme there is no doubt about that, but the fact that you set them up to take the fall?
Well damn lady, they aren’t going to like that at all. ”
Sarah stared back at him as she realized for the first time that her life might be on the line.
She looked over at her father and she finally saw the look in his eyes.
For the first time in her life, he wasn’t looking at her like she meant something to him.
It had always been the two of them against the world until now.
Now he was looking at her like he looked at everyone else in the family.
Like she was dirt under his shoe. Finally, she gazed around the room.
They too were staring at her like she was already dead.
The damn vultures, they were all losers anyway.
Well, she didn’t care about that or them, she was more concerned with her own safety.
Sarah pursed her lips together as sweat began beading on her forehead.