Shadowing Me
Page 16
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Prez peers over Sniper’s shoulder with a look so cold, I’d be scared if I were Winter right now.
“Sniper… you threatening me? You’ve seen me shoot, and you know what the fuck I can do with this gun. Clip me, I fucking dare you. I may fall, but I’ll be landing a bullet in your forehead as I drop to the floor. I’ll let you think about that for a moment.”
Fuck, this shit seriously hit a whole new level.
“Put one in her foot, Sniper,” Prez growls from behind him.
He cannot be serious. That is his fucking pregnant wife!
All of a sudden, before anyone can blink, matters move in a whole different direction. Tatiana, Storm, and Piper rush into the room and surround Winter.
“This has gotten so far out of control. I’m ashamed to be a part of this family!” Tatiana yells. “Go ahead. Shoot through me, Uncle Sniper. You won’t last long before there’s a bullet in your head.”
Sniper snarls at her and it only furthers the women’s anger.
“What? You can threaten a pregnant woman with a bullet, but when a woman threatens you, you fucking growl? All of you need to get a fucking grip. You knew we were out there in the community room! You knew we could hear.” Tatiana tilts her head up, blows out a steaming hot breath, and peers back at Prez. “You made it easy for us, Braxxon. You were roaring at the top of your lungs. You’re all acting like a bunch of spoiled, roughed-up kids.” She spits that last word out and I know it is directed at me, more than the others. “All of you, lower your fucking guns. Right now!”
No one moves.
“I said lower your damn guns,” she orders. Her body shakes with anger, her face heats up, and her eyes narrow sternly.
Woah!
“Tatiana, darlin’, I think it’s best if you go back outside. Right. Now,” ZZ says as he stands.
“Don’t bother, Dad. I swear on all that is holy, I ain’t leaving this room until every member of this family has lowered their guns.” She snatches up the trashcan, turns it upside down, and empties the contents all over the floor. She then walks over to Sniper first. “Put your gun in here, right now.” He doesn’t move. “I said now, Uncle Sniper.”
She taps her foot until he drops his gun into the trashcan. “This is why, back in the day, y’all had the no gun rule in church.” The entire room sits in shock, including me. No one has seen this side of Tatiana. She is furious, demanding, and not at all acting as a child. You could hear a pin drop at the silence in the room when she is not speaking. She commands the room as if it is her own personal bitch. “Oh, stop looking at me like that. You’ve all had me trapped here too many times for me not to see EV-REE little thing.” To stress her point, she nudges Sniper with the trashcan. “The one in your right boot, as well.”
Sniper tilts his head to the side. “How in the fuck?”
“Again.” Tatiana sighs. “You’ve trapped me here, oh, how many times? And Godfather, I want both of yours too, as well as your knife.” She shakes the trashcan behind Sniper’s back. “In fact, all of you, very slowly, take all your guns out and lay them on the table.”
Again, no one moves, but me. She has a point. This shit has gotten so far out of control, there will be no coming back from it if she doesn’t do this.
“Why aren’t you taking Winter’s gun,” Prez grumbles as he puts his pieces and knife into the trash.
“Oh, I dunno, maybe because she’s pregnant, and you ordered your brother to shoot her in the foot? By the way, you better watch yourself, or you might find that you’re brushing your teeth with a dirty toothbrush.” Tea’s voice cracks with her words, her heart spilling out with each sentence. Sadness drips with each syllable. She raises her hand to swipe the tears streaming down her face. “I’ll be damned if I’ll lose another family member because you fucknuts are angry and taking it out on one another. You’re lucky Grandma Berry is at her house with Mace right now. She’d shoot all of you for acting like this.”
It takes a good five minutes for her to collect all the guns, and once she does a mental rundown in her head, she speaks again. “Winter, yours now.” Tatiana holds the can out to her. “The other one, as well. Seriously? I know most of your deepest secrets, so stop trying to pull one over on me.” Tatiana says, exasperated, one hand going to her hip in aggravation. “Dad, stop smirking. I know your brass knuckles are hidden behind your wallet, and so help me god, Rap, if you even think about reaching under your cushion for the knife that I call a sword, I will roll your ass off a cliff.”
Once she is satisfied she has all the main weapons, she gets down to business.
“Winter, go nest somewhere,” she orders. When Winter doesn’t move, Tatiana snaps at her. “GO!”
“I’m going.” Winter throws her hands in the air as she walks out of the room.
“You both need to go, as well.” She glares at Piper and Storm. “I’m sorry, but I’ve been in this family for almost nineteen years, and it’s time I start speaking up. If they want to share with you, they can, but for now, leave.” She points to the door. “And shut what’s left of that door behind you.”
When the door closes behind the women, Tea sets the trashcan down and crosses her arms.
“Well, I can honestly say I have never once been ashamed of my family, until this moment. Yeah, sometimes it sucks being a part of it, but I have never, and I mean never, been so let down in all my life.” Sadness drizzles from her tone.
“Sniper… you threatening me? You’ve seen me shoot, and you know what the fuck I can do with this gun. Clip me, I fucking dare you. I may fall, but I’ll be landing a bullet in your forehead as I drop to the floor. I’ll let you think about that for a moment.”
Fuck, this shit seriously hit a whole new level.
“Put one in her foot, Sniper,” Prez growls from behind him.
He cannot be serious. That is his fucking pregnant wife!
All of a sudden, before anyone can blink, matters move in a whole different direction. Tatiana, Storm, and Piper rush into the room and surround Winter.
“This has gotten so far out of control. I’m ashamed to be a part of this family!” Tatiana yells. “Go ahead. Shoot through me, Uncle Sniper. You won’t last long before there’s a bullet in your head.”
Sniper snarls at her and it only furthers the women’s anger.
“What? You can threaten a pregnant woman with a bullet, but when a woman threatens you, you fucking growl? All of you need to get a fucking grip. You knew we were out there in the community room! You knew we could hear.” Tatiana tilts her head up, blows out a steaming hot breath, and peers back at Prez. “You made it easy for us, Braxxon. You were roaring at the top of your lungs. You’re all acting like a bunch of spoiled, roughed-up kids.” She spits that last word out and I know it is directed at me, more than the others. “All of you, lower your fucking guns. Right now!”
No one moves.
“I said lower your damn guns,” she orders. Her body shakes with anger, her face heats up, and her eyes narrow sternly.
Woah!
“Tatiana, darlin’, I think it’s best if you go back outside. Right. Now,” ZZ says as he stands.
“Don’t bother, Dad. I swear on all that is holy, I ain’t leaving this room until every member of this family has lowered their guns.” She snatches up the trashcan, turns it upside down, and empties the contents all over the floor. She then walks over to Sniper first. “Put your gun in here, right now.” He doesn’t move. “I said now, Uncle Sniper.”
She taps her foot until he drops his gun into the trashcan. “This is why, back in the day, y’all had the no gun rule in church.” The entire room sits in shock, including me. No one has seen this side of Tatiana. She is furious, demanding, and not at all acting as a child. You could hear a pin drop at the silence in the room when she is not speaking. She commands the room as if it is her own personal bitch. “Oh, stop looking at me like that. You’ve all had me trapped here too many times for me not to see EV-REE little thing.” To stress her point, she nudges Sniper with the trashcan. “The one in your right boot, as well.”
Sniper tilts his head to the side. “How in the fuck?”
“Again.” Tatiana sighs. “You’ve trapped me here, oh, how many times? And Godfather, I want both of yours too, as well as your knife.” She shakes the trashcan behind Sniper’s back. “In fact, all of you, very slowly, take all your guns out and lay them on the table.”
Again, no one moves, but me. She has a point. This shit has gotten so far out of control, there will be no coming back from it if she doesn’t do this.
“Why aren’t you taking Winter’s gun,” Prez grumbles as he puts his pieces and knife into the trash.
“Oh, I dunno, maybe because she’s pregnant, and you ordered your brother to shoot her in the foot? By the way, you better watch yourself, or you might find that you’re brushing your teeth with a dirty toothbrush.” Tea’s voice cracks with her words, her heart spilling out with each sentence. Sadness drips with each syllable. She raises her hand to swipe the tears streaming down her face. “I’ll be damned if I’ll lose another family member because you fucknuts are angry and taking it out on one another. You’re lucky Grandma Berry is at her house with Mace right now. She’d shoot all of you for acting like this.”
It takes a good five minutes for her to collect all the guns, and once she does a mental rundown in her head, she speaks again. “Winter, yours now.” Tatiana holds the can out to her. “The other one, as well. Seriously? I know most of your deepest secrets, so stop trying to pull one over on me.” Tatiana says, exasperated, one hand going to her hip in aggravation. “Dad, stop smirking. I know your brass knuckles are hidden behind your wallet, and so help me god, Rap, if you even think about reaching under your cushion for the knife that I call a sword, I will roll your ass off a cliff.”
Once she is satisfied she has all the main weapons, she gets down to business.
“Winter, go nest somewhere,” she orders. When Winter doesn’t move, Tatiana snaps at her. “GO!”
“I’m going.” Winter throws her hands in the air as she walks out of the room.
“You both need to go, as well.” She glares at Piper and Storm. “I’m sorry, but I’ve been in this family for almost nineteen years, and it’s time I start speaking up. If they want to share with you, they can, but for now, leave.” She points to the door. “And shut what’s left of that door behind you.”
When the door closes behind the women, Tea sets the trashcan down and crosses her arms.
“Well, I can honestly say I have never once been ashamed of my family, until this moment. Yeah, sometimes it sucks being a part of it, but I have never, and I mean never, been so let down in all my life.” Sadness drizzles from her tone.
