Copyright © 2020 Chenell Parker
Published by Chenell Parker
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without prior written consent of the publisher, except in brief quotes used in reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Any references or similarities to actual events, real people, living or dead, or to the real locals are intended to give the novel a sense of reality. Any similarity in other names, characters, places, and incidents are entirely coincidental.
Click the link to join Chenell’s readers group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/chattypattys/
OTHER TITLES BY CHENELL PARKER
(In Order):
HER SO CALLED HUSBAND PARTS 1-3
YOU’RE MY LITTLE SECRET PARTS 1-3
YOU SHOULD LET ME LOVE YOU
CHEATING THE FUTURE FOR THE PAST
PARTS 1-3
YOU’RE NOT WORTH MY TEARS
WHAT YOU WON’T DO FOR LOVE
CREEPIN’: A NEW ORLEANS LOVE STORY
PARTS 1-3
COMPLICATED PARTS 1-3
NEVER KNEW LOVE LIKE THIS PARTS 1 & 2
HATE THAT I NEED YOU
I HEARD IT ALL BEFORE
I DON’T WANT YOU BACK
AS LONG AS I’M THE ONLY ONE
TWO MILLION REASONS WHY
HEARTBREAK AND PAST MISTAKES
THREE IS A CROWD
WORST CASE SCENARIO
A TRILLION TO ONE
I CAN’T LET GO
I ndigo held on to the armrest of the car, as Boston turned another corner and missed a parked vehicle by inches. The chicken and fries that they’d just eaten threatened to come back up, as her best friend did his best to get away from the flashing red and blue lights that were following them. Dealing with the police was nothing new to either of them but Indigo dreaded having her father, Irvin, bail her out of yet another mess that she’d gotten herself into. He was always understanding, but she was tired of disappointing him. The sixteen year old beauty had spent a month in a juvenile facility on two separate occasions, so she wasn’t afraid. Boston had been in about four times himself, but the stakes were much higher for him now. Being that he was now seventeen years old, he would be entering an adult facility if they were caught this time around.
Since her mother was killed a year ago, nothing that she ever did was met with condemnation from Irvin. His wife, Cynthia, on the other hand, would be ecstatic to know that her predictions about his problem child had once again come true. Cynthia hated Indigo and she had no problem letting her father know that she was a bad seed.
“Look out Boss!” Indigo yelled when she saw two young girls about to cross the street that they were speeding down.
“Shit! I’m sorry Indie. Fuck it. I’m about to bend a few corners and try to lose them for a minute. That’ll give you some time to get out and run. Just take the backpack and lay low until the coast is clear. You know who to call for a ride,” Boss said as he tried his best to concentrate on driving.
“Boston, no. Shit is different for you now. You’re not going to juvenile anymore. That shit is over and done with,” Indigo reminded him.
“I know, but I don’t know what else to do,” Boston replied.
“You’re way faster than I am. You go and let me deal with it,” Indigo said.
“Fuck no, Indie! That ain’t happening.” Boston frowned angrily.
“You really don’t have much of a choice. The judge already told you that he was gonna lose you in the system if he ever sees you in his courtroom again. Every judge in the parish knows you by name. I got you. Just make sure you call my daddy and let him know what’s up,” Indigo replied.
“Fuck!” Boss fumed as he pounded his fist on the steering wheel.
He was kicking himself for even picking her up in the stolen piece of machinery. If he were being honest, he regretted stealing the car at all. Some dumb ass made it too easy when he left his car running to run into the store that Boston was just walking out of. Boston didn’t think twice before he hopped into the driver’s seat and pulled off. He usually didn’t keep a stolen car over two days but he was on day number four with the silver Audi that he was currently burning rubber in. He should have taken it to the levee and torched it like he’d done so many others, but it was too late. Now, Indigo was caught up in his mess and he would never forgive himself for that.
Since her mother, Precious, was killed a year ago, Indigo was all that he had. He had a mother, father and other family members but they didn’t give a fuck about him. If it wasn’t for Precious and Indigo, he would have been lost in the system.
Boston was only six years old when his father, Boris, or Bear as he was known, got locked up for manslaughter. His mother, Carla, went into a deep depression but it didn’t take her very long to bounce back. His father hadn’t even been sentenced yet when she moved another man in with them. Boston missed his father but he respected Dennis just like his mother told him to. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough. Dennis was a selfish man who loved to shop and travel. He didn’t have kids and he didn’t want any. He didn’t have room for them in his world and he didn’t want a woman with any. As good as Boston always tried to be, his mother quickly rectified that issue.
Carla had a sister but it was her only brother, Ray, who stepped up and took Boston into his home. Ray, who preferred to be called Rayna, was a transsexual male who looked better than some natural born females. Thousands of dollars had been spent to ensure that. He made good money doing drag shows and he took care of Boston like he was his own. His friends stepped up to babysit and they looked out for Boston too. Although he barely saw his mother, Boston was happy.
Things stayed that way for two whole years until he came home from school one day and found his uncle dead with his throat cut from ear to ear. Although most people knew that Ray was biologically a male, there were a few people who swore that they didn’t. Ray was always upfront with that info, so Boston didn’t understand how he lost his life at only thirty years old at the hands of a man who claimed to have been intentionally deceived. The man that he’d been dating killed him, claiming that he’d been lied to. With the help of his high priced attorney, Ray’s murderer only got a twenty year sentence and everyone was outraged. They knew that with good time, he would be out much sooner. Besides that, Ray’s friends swore that the man lied and knew that Ray was a man all along.
Boston was returned to his mother but that didn’t last very long. Carla quickly labeled him as a problem child, even though he had never given her any problems. He went from living in a loving home with his uncle to being thrust into the foster care system. While his mother shopped and traveled with her new man, he was being bounced around from home to home. None of his other family members on either side stepped up to claim him. They felt like if Carla didn’t care about her only child, neither did they.
Boston always held on to the hope that his mother would come to her senses one day and come back for him, but she never did. By the time he made nine, all hope was lost. Since he was dubbed a problem child, Boss became a problem. He was angry, so he fought all the time. Because of that, he could never stay with one family for more than a few months. After a while, he was placed in a group home with other troubled kids his age at his mother’s request.
Things only got worse for Boston after that. The male counselors at the home were nothing more than paid pedophiles who used the boys for their own enjoyment. They withheld food from them unless they did whatever sexual favor was requested of them. Boston went to bed hungry many nights because he would have died before he put his mouth on another man. He loved his uncle Ray but he was nothing like him.
That was how he and Indigo met when he was ten years old. Boston
was digging through the trash cans behind their apartment complex and Indigo saw him. He was too young to be embarrassed. He was hungry and looking for something to eat. Indigo went inside and came back out with some chips, cookies and juice. Boston missed his school bus but he planned to walk back to the group home once he got some food. When Precious saw him sitting on the ground eating the snacks that Indigo gave him, she walked over and talked to him. Indigo told her what he had been doing and she offered him some of the food that she had just finished cooking. Boston ate three times and Precious assured him that he could have more whenever he wanted it. She made a call and, a few minutes later, a man showed up with some new clothes and underwear for him to put on. She didn’t care that he was considered a runaway; she let him take a hot shower and sleep in the bed with her and Indigo that night.
Boston was scared to return to school the next morning, so Precious kept him home with her. She didn’t want to get into trouble, so she worked overtime trying to locate his mother or anyone else in his family. By day three, she had to bring him back to the home, but she made sure to get him from school every evening and feed him before she took him back.
After a month, she finally got in touch with Carla. She begged her to give her full custody of Boston. Carla, being the selfish bitch that she was, declined at first. She thought that Precious was doing it for the money but she didn’t want anything from her. It wasn’t until Precious had a lawyer to draft up something saying that she would assume all financial responsibility for Boston did Carla give in. It was fucked up that she still claimed him on her taxes but didn’t even know where he was living. Precious didn’t care about that though. She grew to love Boston like a son and she did what she did for him from her heart.
Once he started living with her permanently, Precious made sure that he never went to bed hungry again. He never wanted for anything, not even love and attention. His hair stayed cut and he had every new pair of shoes that came out. Boston had trouble sleeping alone since his uncle was killed, so Indigo let him sleep with her every night. When Precious died, a part of him died and was buried with her. To him, Indigo was the only family that he had left and he didn’t want to lose her too.
“Turn at the next corner and speed up,” Indigo instructed, successfully pulling him away from his thoughts.
While he did what she told him to do, Indigo grabbed the backpack for him to take when he got out. If the police found all the drugs that he was riding around with, they would both be going away for a while.
“I’m so sorry Indie. I got you, baby. I swear I do,” Boss promised as he continued to drive.
“I’ll be okay Boston. Just tell my daddy what’s up,” Indigo replied.
Once they turned the corner, Boston made another sharp right and another left. They still heard the sirens but they no longer saw the flashing lights. He drove a little further before he came to an abrupt stop.
“I love you, Indie. And remember, don’t say shit,” he instructed as he kissed her cheek and grabbed the backpack.
“I love you too and I won’t say anything,” she promised, right as he jumped out of the car and ran like the high school track star that he was.
Indigo jumped into the driver’s seat and waited. It didn’t take long before two police cars turned the corner and almost slammed into the back of her. Her heart was racing but she knew the drill. She raised her hands and put them both out of the open window.
“Get out of the car! Where is he? One of the suspects got away!” a policeman yelled as he approached the car. He didn’t care that Indigo was a female. He pulled her out of the car and slammed her onto the ground.
“You doing too much. I’m not even resisting,” Indigo argued.
“Keep your mouth shut. Where is the other person who was in the car with you?” he asked angrily.
“Didn’t you just tell me to shut up?” She smirked.
“Where is he?” the officer shouted.
“I want a lawyer,” Indigo replied.
“You ghetto bitch! Where is he?” he repeated as he put his knee in her back.
“Fuck you! I want a lawyer!” Indigo yelled.
A female officer approached them and searched her. Once she was sure that Indigo didn’t have any weapons, she cuffed her while reading her rights. Indigo remained quiet as she was placed in the back of the patrol car. A few more police cars showed up and searched the area for Boston. Indigo didn’t have to worry about him getting away because Boston used to be the fastest one on the track team. He was probably long gone by now and that gave her comfort.
“How old are you?” the female officer who cuffed her opened the car door and asked.
“Too young to speak to you without an attorney or parent around,” Indigo flippantly replied.
“Is this what you want out of life? Being a down bitch to a man who obviously doesn’t give a fuck about you. He left you here alone to deal with some bullshit that he probably created. Don’t you want more than this?” she asked.
“No, what I want is a lawyer.” Indigo smirked.
She was young but far from dumb. She knew her rights and she chose to remain silent. Her mother had drilled it in her and Boston’s heads a long time ago, and she knew how to handle the police. Most people got caught up from talking too much, but she wasn’t about to be one of them.
“How do you think this will make your mother feel?” the officer asked, successfully wiping the smile from Indigo’s face.
The mention of her mother was always a touchy subject for her. Indigo remembered clearly the day she waited outside of the school for a ride that never came. Boston had track practice and she had to call her father to pick her up when Precious never showed. Her mother’s current boyfriend, Greg, had been there that morning when they left for school and Indigo was upset, thinking that her mother got caught up with him and forgot all about her. When her father pulled up to their house, she got angry when she saw both cars still parked in the driveway. Her father blew his horn and pulled off once he saw her walk into the house.
Indigo dropped her backpack on the floor and headed straight upstairs. She was angry as she walked down the hall to her mother’s bedroom. With the help of Greg, Precious had just purchased her dream house. It was a six bedroom home with four baths, a huge deck, pool, enormous yard and four-car garage. The house was over four thousand square feet with a balcony connected to the master bedroom. Her mini mansion was her sanctuary and Precious had it decorated to perfection. She also had a brand new Jaguar sitting in the driveway and everything was paid for.
Indigo yelled her mother’s name as she walked to her bedroom. Precious usually kept her door closed when she had company and they knew to knock before entering. When Indigo saw that her door was already open, she walked into the room but she wasn’t prepared for the sight that she walked in on. Her mother and Greg were both naked in bed, but it was hard to see anything with all the blood. Indigo opened her mouth to scream but no sound came out. Everything started to look blurry before she passed out. Thankfully, she’d left her phone in her father’s car and he turned around to bring it back to her. The front door wasn’t locked, so he let himself in and saw a sight that he knew would be with him until he took his last breath. Irvin called for help and waited until someone came.
When Indigo woke up hours later, she was greeted by bright white lights and a pounding headache. Her father, Boston and her grandmother were all there with concerned looks on their faces. Indigo went crazy asking for her mother, even though she already knew what happened. It got so bad that they had to give her something to relax her and help her sleep. It wasn’t until the following day that she found out what really happened. Apparently, Greg’s wife was the one responsible for his and her mother’s murders and she had been apprehended. It was crazy because Indigo never even knew that he was married. He spoiled her and Boston just as much as he spoiled Precious. He was always at their house and his family loved them just the same. According to the reports, Greg’s wife made
a copy of the key that he had to the house that he’d purchased for Precious. When she got there, she caught them in the act and emptied a clip in both of them before reloading her gun and doing it again. Since it was premeditated, she got life without parole but Indigo’s grandmother, Beatrice, wanted the death penalty. Precious was her only child and she took her death hard. Indigo was all that she had left, but Irvin wasn’t letting his baby girl go live with anyone else. He was financially stable enough to take her and Boston in and that’s exactly what he did.
Irvin had his own real estate development company and he owned lots of rental property. His wife was against Indigo living with them but he was willing to divorce her before he put her before his child. He and Cynthia had a son and daughter of their own but Indigo was just as much his responsibility as they were. Since Boston was like a son to Precious, Irvin felt obligated to take care of him as well.
Irvin was married to Cynthia when he got with Precious and she was having a hard time welcoming his outside child into their home. Unfortunately, she didn’t have much of a choice. It was either that or risk losing the only man that she’d ever loved. It was crazy because she had no complaints about Boston being there and he wasn’t even related to her husband. To Cynthia, they had the perfect family with one son and daughter. Irvin messed everything up when he stepped outside of his marriage with a stripping whore. He even tried to divorce his wife to be with Precious, but things didn’t work out quite the way he wanted them to. Cynthia refused to sign the divorce papers and Precious wasn’t ready to be tied down to one man for the rest of her life. After a while, she kicked Irvin to the curb and Cynthia begged him to come back home to his family.
Irvin was always active in his daughter’s life and Cynthia was cool with that because she didn’t have to see her. He spent lots of time with her outside of their home and she never objected. Things were perfect for a while, up until Precious got killed. Indigo had to come live with them, even though her grandmother begged Irvin to let her keep her. Irvin seemed to forget about his other kids and focused all of his attention on his youngest daughter. Indigo started acting out once her mother died and her father was always running to her rescue. To Cynthia, it was an excuse but her husband was too dumb to see it. Indigo barely went to school and she was always getting into trouble. She was an angel in the eyes of her father and he never chastised her.
To Boston, With Love Page 1