“I don’t.”
“And let’s keep it that way. Get the damn dog and gone,” he stated tapping the roof of the car.
“Is she going to be alright?”
“She’s going to be fine. She determines her fate. If she doesn’t tell us what we need to know. I don’t know but so far so good.”
“Don’t hurt her.”
“I can’t make any promises,” he whispered. “Get the dog and let us handle the rest.”
“Y’all look scary.”
“And why is that?”
“Is it because we’re black?”
“Let’s go. Kendall come with me. I need for Lamar and Quinn to get the other car and follow us.”
“Man. What?”
“Do what I’m saying. I got this.”
“I think I need to get with her.”
“We don’t give a fuck about her feeling comfortable. They didn’t. So, we aren’t.”
“I know you’re emotional but right now is not the time.”
“Please take care of my dog.”
“He got that raggedy dog. Get your happy ass in the front seat.”
Ms. Betty did as she was told as Quinn and Lamar ran to the house to get in the other car.
“We’ll be over there.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
“Where are you taking us?”
“We’ve been driving a long time.”
“It’s only been 20 minutes.”
“I don’t believe that y’all took her that far away.”
“I had nothing to do with it.”
“I wonder where she’s taking us. I feel like we’re riding in circles.”
“We haven’t made any circles, yet. We’re almost in Wayne County. I bet they have her somewhere that we would never think of.”
“Probably one of those farm houses.”
“I swear this whole thing has my nerves jacked up.”
“Mine too.”
“I can tell. You’ve been flying the entire time.”
Lamar let out a chuckle. “I had to keep up with Maverick. He’s been flying.”
“Whatever,” she laughed.
“I THINK THEY’RE ON to us.”
“Why? We haven’t seen any crazy activity. They don’t know where we are.”
“But Betty knows.”
“They aren’t bothering that old ass lady.”
“She isn’t old. Hell you aren’t too much younger than her yourself.”
“Bill, are you scared?”
“I wouldn’t say that I’m scared but I’m nervous. I told you not to do this.”
“We have to put the body somewhere.”
“We don’t have to do anything. You are on your own.”
“If I’m going down. You’re going down too. You helped me carry her into the car. What do you think that was?”
“She was alive at the time. I don’t understand why you wanted to do this.”
“I didn’t think that it was going to turn into this. I swear I didn’t.”
“What are we going to do? I want to go home. I haven’t been home in my bed in a week. I’m tired of living in this damn RV.”
“At any time you could have left and been done with it.”
“Naw. That’s not how it happened. You wanted me to stay and keep you company. Do you think that Betty is going to bring them to us?”
“She doesn’t know our exact location.”
“Yes, she does.”
“TURN RIGHT AT THE STOP sign. There should be a grey RV in the back.”
“Are you serious?” Maverick asked. He drove down the long path and parked the car once he came to the front door.
“Drive to the back.”
“Naw. I’m going to park right here. I don’t want them to know that we’re here.”
“What’s the plan?”
Lamar and Quinn jumped out of the car, ready for war. Lamar tapped his hip as he rounded the car to wait for Maverick and Kendall to get out.
“They’re ready,” Kendall stated.
“We might need to tell him not to cut up too bad. They look like Bonnie and Clyde.”
Maverick got out of the car. “Hey, go back to the car. I’m going to walk with this bitch around to the back to see what’s going on.”
“I think we all should go back there.”
“Naw. That’s going to be too much. We don’t know if they have guns.”
Lamar looked around. All he saw was trees, grass and space. The only thing in the space was the RV. It was covered in grass and trees so that people probably think that it’s abandoned like the house.
“Is everything that they’re around abandoned? Some damn rednecks owning shit and letting it go to the bad.”
“That’s what it looks like.”
Quinn went to get back into the car. She could feel a sharp pain run from the right to the left side of her body. She tried to breath but it wasn’t working. “Brinley, I need you to be in this place and be alive. I need you. No matter how hard we fight, I don’t want to lose you like this.”
“Betty, get your ass out of the car. I know you’re ready to act like you helped somebody.”
She did as she was told. “I don’t think that they’re here.”
“We’re about to see. Let’s go. Lamar get back in the car. I’ll be back. I have the gun on my hip. I know what to do.”
“Let Kendall go or I can go. I don’t want you getting hurt.”
Maverick stepped back and tapped him on his chest. “This could be my wife. I know I could be walking into a death trap but I rather it be me instead of anyone else. No, I’m not trained with the skills that either of you have but I have something for her that neither of you have. I have feelings for her. I have this urge in my stomach that tells me that I can take whatever the outcome will be.”
“Okay, man. I won’t step on your toes. Handle your business. Yell if you need us.”
“I will.”
Betty lead the way as they rounded the RV. There was a car parked at the back door.
“Is this their car?” he whispered.
“It’s Joe’s.”
“How do you know them?”
“We’re neighbors.”
“Besides that.”
“That’s it.”
“I don’t believe that.”
She shrugged her shoulders as she tapped on the door. Maverick stepped to the side and out of the view of the door.
“Who is that?” Bill jumped.
“I don’t know.”
“Answer the door. This is your raggedy place. I’m only a guest.”
“It’s probably someone coming to check on me. I have been away for a week.”
“I guess. I’m not about to find out.”
“Who is it?”
“Betty. Open the door. I have food for you,” she called out.
“Ewweee. I’m glad that it’s only her and not someone else.”
“Good lie,” Maverick whispered.
“Hey! I’m happy to see you. How did you know that I was out this way?”
“Because when you’re doing something that you have no business doing you’re always out of the way.”
So these motherfuckers do this often. Interesting.
“Where is the food?”
“Can I come in?” she asked as she stepped forward.
“Don’t even think about it. Bring your ass right back outside,” Kendall called from the other side of the RV.
“Who is that?”
“Don’t worry about it. Bring your funky looking ass back outside. I don’t understand what you think you’re about to do going in the trailer.”
Maverick shook his head as Betty backed down from the steps. He grabbed her.
“Now bring your ass back down. Bill, come on down. I have some words for you.”
“About what?” he asked as he stepped down.
“Joe, bring your ass out too. I know that he’s with you. Tell him to come out.”
“I�
�m not going to . He doesn’t have anything to do with this.”
“And what exactly is this?”
“Some bullshit.”
“You literally smell like bullshit. When was the last time that you took a bath?”
“I don’t tend to bathe.”
“Shit, you need to start.”
“What’s all of this noise?”
“Just the other fucker that I wanted to see,” Maverick stated as he grabbed him by his arm.
“What are y’all doing? I haven’t done anything.”
“For y’all to be innocent, y’all sure are asking a lot of questions and nervous. What’s going on?”
“We’re all going to walk to the front of the trailer and talk about this thing. Naw. How about this? We’re going inside of this raggedy thing. Gone, back inside. Walk,” Maverick demanded. “Let’s go Betty. You’re going inside too.”
“I’m not going inside.”
“Either you’re going at your own free will or I’m going to shoot you and drag your ass back in. Take your pick.”
He turned around and walked back inside.
A stench hit Maverick in his nose as he tried to bury it in the back of his mind.
“Man, what the fuck is that smell?” Kendall asked.
“What smell?”
“You don’t smell? Is her body in here? Is there a dead animal carcass somewhere?”
“Betty, do you smell anything?”
“I don’t care what she smells. I know what I smell. Take me to it,” Kendall stated as he covered his nose with his shirt. It wasn’t working which pissed him off even more.
“I can’t believe that you two have been living in this smell like you’re breathing fresh air.”
“You shouldn’t be surprised. Neither of them have washed their asses in days. It might be longer.”
Maverick was trying his hardest to keep the scent from overcoming him but he had to run outside. As soon as he hit the door, everything that he ate was out. Lamar was coming around the corner when he lifted his head up.
“What’s wrong?”
“Go in here while I get myself together. I need some water or something. It smells so bad in there. I don’t understand,” he stated as tears were falling down his face.
“Let Quinn know that it won’t take long.”
“Okay. I’ll be back.”
“Take your time.”
Lamar walked in. The smell hit him but he already knew that it was going to be an interesting adventure.
“And who the fuck are you?”
Lamar smacked him upside his head with the butt of his gun. “Shut up. I’m the one asking questions. Where is Brinley? Since your mouth is so damn smart.” He didn’t waste any time. This was a matter of life or death, there was no gray area on this matter.
“Who is Brinley?”
“The lady that y’all hit with the car,” Betty stated.
“Oh, the one you put your dog on?”
Lamar looked at Kendall who was plotting.
“So, we currently have y’all giving confession. Where is she? I don’t give a damn what happened. I want to know where she is now.”
“I told you that she was dead.”
Kendall gave her a once over to stop talking.
Maverick finally made it back to the car and grabbed a bottle of water.
“Where are the rest of them?”
“In that nasty ass place. It smells so bad in there.”
“Are you okay?”
“Yes. I threw up all of my food and now my stomach is sour.”
“I have some mints in my bag. I think I have some ginger too.”
“I don’t need it right now. I need to get back,” he rinsed his mouth out.
“And where am I going?”
“We need you to stay put as the look out. I’m sure nobody is going to come and start any trouble but we need you right now just in case.”
“Have they said anything about her body or anything yet?”
“No ma’am. They’re acting like a bunch of idiots. You know how that is.”
“Yeah. I’m going to give you a gun.”
“I already have mine. I got it from my house.”
“Oh ok. I didn’t know that you had one.”
“Yes. Brinley, hated when I mentioned one to her but I’m always ready. And yes, I know how to use it.”
“I believe you. I’ll be back. Man, I feel like my breath stinks.”
“Blow it this way and I’ll see,” she laughed.
“No ma’am.”
“Just blow it. I won’t judge. I understand that you got sick.”
“No ma’am. I will not do you like that. I can’t believe that I threw up. Let me get back. I don’t know what’s going on.”
“I’ll be here.”
“We will be back. I promise.”
Quinn nodded her head as she watched him disappear into the trees.
He walked back inside and exhaled.
“What’s going on?”
“They’re snitching and turning on each other.”
“About what?”
“Betty said that she’s dead and also added that Joe ran her over. But Joe said she made the dog get her.”
“So, we’re dealing with a bunch of fuckers and fools?”
“Yes sir. They seem to be cracking under pressure.”
“If she’s dead. Take us to the body. At this point, I’m not going to kill anybody until I have the body in my hands and I can identify her. So, cut all of the bullshit and take us to the body.”
“There is no body,” Bill stated.
“Yes, there is. He’s lying.”
“Shut up, Joe. You don’t know.”
“Yes, I do. We carried her together.”
Maverick pulled his gun from his back pocket and pointed it at, Bill.
“Hold up. Let’s get the information. Let them ramble.”
“No. I’m not. I’ve been suffering long enough. I’m tired of wondering where the fuck she is because of racism. This all started because of a 5k race and look where the fuck we are. In a ran down, RV with people that don’t care about themselves. They don’t care about hurting other people based on how they carry themselves alone.”
“I agree with Maverick. They have been talking in circles for far too long. I’m tired of smelling shit, body odor and animal carcass. It would be of your best interest to give up the information,” Kendall stated. He shot his gun through the roof. “Now fucking talk.”
Betty jumped.
“We don’t care about that. Y’all weren’t scared to hurt someone that we loved. We don’t care about you being scared,” Lamar stated.
“So,” Kendall paused pointing his gun from one to the other. “Which one is going to give up the information?”
“I’ll take you to her,” Joe stated.
“Where is she?”
“I’ll take you to her,” he repeated.
Bill smacked him in his mouth.
“I don’t care. We’re going to die anyway. This is all your fucking fault.”
“How far do we have to go?”
“Back to the neighborhood.”
Maverick shook his head.
“I’m going to take them.”
“If that’s the case. I’m going outside. I can’t keep inhaling these fumes. It’s not good for one’s health.”
“We’re all going outside. Let’s go before I push all of you down,” Maverick commanded.
“What?”
“Don’t ask any questions. The question box is closed. Let’s go.”
“I’m riding too.”
Maverick wanted to ride but there was something that pulled at his heart that let him know that he wasn’t ready as he wanted to be.
“I’m going alone. I know how to handle this. His bony ass is already scared. I’ll be back.”
“Don’t kill him.”
“I’ll be the one to decide that. If he gets out of line. There will be consequences.”
>
Both Lamar and Maverick nodded their heads. They all walked to the front of the RV and sat down in the grass.
“We’ll be back.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Joe’s heart rate was high as they reached Main Street.
“Where am I going? What’s the location?”
“That house on the corner.”
“Speak the fuck up. Act like you aren’t scared. Where are we going?”
“Cross the railroad tracks and make a left beside the park and go all the way down.”
“Are we going back to the abandoned house?”
Joe nodded his head.
“What’s that?”
“Yes,” he whispered.
“You know what. I don’t think that you’re a bad person but then again you could be scared because you aren’t with your partner. How did y’all get involved with each other?”
“We were dealing drugs together.”
“At that house?”
“How do you know?”
“I’m sure everybody that has eyes knows what’s going on with the house. Zombies come out all times of night.”
“I haven’t had a hit since all of this went down.”
“Why didn’t you save her?”
“I tried. He found me and I pissed myself.”
“You can’t do things like this scared.”
“Why are you talking to me like we’re friends?”
“Because despite how you feel about us, black people as a whole we were not raised as animals. I’m not an animal. I don’t have an issue with your people.”
“I don’t think that you’re a bad person.”
“I don’t care if you do. I pray that Betty is wrong about, Brinley.”
Joe looked over at him as he stopped at the stop sign.
“I’m sorry.”
“Sorry won’t bring her back.”
“I know that it wouldn’t but I had to say it anyway.”
“I can’t believe that she’s been this close this entire time and we couldn’t find her. Because y’all bitches were in the way.”
Joe didn’t say anything. Kendall put the car in park and he jumped out.
“I have the key.”
“I don’t care what you have. I’m going to knock this door down. I might burn this house down.”
“I’m going to warn you. It smells like Clorox in here.”
Running Deeper Than a Race Page 17