Chapter 1

I walked in the house with bags filling my arms. With no luck at getting the key back out of the door, I just dropped a bag and yanked it out. I rolled my eyes at Jerome sitting on the couch watching me struggle. Snatching up the bag, I stomped into the kitchen. 

“Aye baby! Can you bring me a beer?”

I dropped everything on the counter and gripped the edges. Chill, Tasha. Hold your shit together. I took a couple of quick breaths and opened the refrigerator and pulled a beer out of the pack. I heard the hall bathroom toilet flush. I caught the door before it closed, grabbed a second beer then headed for the living room. I leaned over the couch holding out a beer.

“Here you go baby.”

He took it out of my hand, popped the top and took a big gulp then nodded at me. 

“Thanks.” 

I slid onto the arm of the couch and stared at the tv screen not really watching what was on it. I snapped out of my thoughts and looked around. 

“Baby, I thought I heard your brother. I grabbed an extra beer for him.”

“That nigga back there in his room.” He shook his head and took another gulp. “If I just got out of jail, I would be laid in bed all day up in your pussy and that's if we made it to the bed! That nigga back there in the bed by his damn self whining about his stomach hurt. What kind of shit is that? Jail made that motherfucker weak.”

“He's out baby. He got the rest of his life to get pussy. I'll just take him some water.”

I hopped off of the arm of the couch but paused when Jerome smacked my ass. 

“Where you going with that other beer?”

I tossed it over to him. Picking up my pace, I didn't bother to get a fresh bottle of water out of the fridge. Instead I grabbed a half empty bottled water I had been drinking in the car out of the bag I tossed it in. Swooping up my purse, I made my way down the hall to my son's room. That's exactly whose room it was and I don’t know why Jerome's ugly ass insists on calling it his brother's room. I opened the door and lightly closed it behind me. I gripped the bottled water under my arm and made my way over to the bed. Rambling through my purse, I finally felt what I was searching for. I pulled it out and walked up behind him. This nigga really is weak lying in bed curled up on his side and shit.

“Heard you wasn't feeling well. I'm here to take care of you.”

I dropped the bottled water on the bed in front of his face. Not even a second later, I dropped my picture beside it. I leaned back resting on the nightstand and watched him whip around then smirked at the look on his face when he focused in on the pistol greeting him. 

“Long time, no see. Huh, nigga?”

He glanced at the door then back at me. 

“What? Can't speak?”

“What are you doing here?”

“Well damn! That's just rude. How the fuck you in my house, don't speak and question me about why I'm in my own shit?!” 

He looked over at the door again because of Jerome's cheering down the hall.

“Yeah, he's into his sports right now. I'd stop waiting for him to come running in to the rescue if I were you.”

“What the fuck you want Tasha?”

“What do I want? Hmm... let's think. What do I want?” 

I stood up, pacing back and forth without removing the gun from its target. 

“How about I tell you what I didn't want? I didn't want to be betrayed by a nigga I mistaked for a real nigga. I didn't want to get my ass jumped by a bitch and her friend that I was supposed to beat down. I damn sure didn't want to get injured and be left vulnerable to a fake ass weak nigga like you who would wait til you catch a bitch at a weak moment to make your move. I didn't want you to pry my legs open and take some pussy that you would have never got if you didn't take it by force. I didn't want to be stuck with a damn reminder of the shit either!” 

I reach over and snatched a picture out of my purse and tossed it in his face. He caught it and looked down at the smiling boy. 

“That's an old picture. He is much older now. You were in the game so I'm sure you know how to do your math. Really Jeremy, what kind of nigga looks into this boy's face every fucking day and his stupid ass can't even see his own brother in there!? Do you see yourself in that face? Do you?! Because I fucking do and I can't for shit stand it. I tried, Jeremy. I really did. I wanted to love my son but how could I? Knowing what I know. Feeling what I feel. You made me resent my own child Jeremy!” 

“Look Tasha-”

“No, you look! You might as well shut the fuck up because ain't no way out of this. Was there a way out for me?”

I paused to wait on an answer but it remained quiet.

“Huh? Was there? I didn't think so.”

I watched him squirm every time I waved the gun in a nonchalant manner. I paused and an amused smirk grew across my face. 

“Wait... are you scared, Jeremy? I know you aren't scared. No, you can't be scared. Of who? Tasha? Really? Scared of a bitch just all bark and no bite? That's what you called me back then, right? A bitch all bark and no bite.”

“Look, I'm sorry.”

I laughed cutting him off before he could go any further. 

“I'm sure you are. All bark and no bite, huh? You know something man? My uncle had this dog, a pretty ass dog. It was a pit. She was tiger striped with cute ass blue eyes and I was fascinated. You know? I was a young one then, maybe 15 going on 16, something like that. Still growing. You know? Anyway you see, he was a jackass. Poor dog never did anything wrong but he was always throwing stuff at her, kicking her when he walked pass, and a bunch of other dumb shit like that. I remember always thinking how can he treat such a pretty dog that way. Such a loyal dog. Can you imagine her?” I smiled at my question. “I bet you can. I'm getting to my point just bear with me for a minute.”

Jerome yelled out in cheers again. I darted my eyes toward the door and sucked my teeth. 

“See how fucking rude your brother is? Interrupting my damn story and shit! Where was I? Oh yeah... you see out of all that time he fucked with that innocent dog, made her endure all of that damn abuse, things finally changed on one day. Just one day. Guess what happened, Jeremy? She had enough. He reach down to smack her upside the head and she snapped at his ass! Put his ass in line real quick. She was a bitch all bark and no bite! She didn't want to be a biter. She maybe barked a little hoping she would catch a break but no! He was always just fucking with her. She could only take so much Jeremy. I'm sure he was sorry afterward but it was too late by then. She had to bite.” 

I put the pistol between his eyes and pulled the trigger, not so much as blinking as blood splattered everywhere. I immediately aimed the gun toward the door and right on cue it swung open. I fired two shots and watched Jerome hit the floor. I walked over to him, standing still watching him ponder his brain for answers. 

“I'm sorry, baby."

I moved around so that he could see my face staring down at him. 

"I didn't have it out for you. I really didn't but my luck shifted when I met you. Do you know how long I had been looking for J-Rock? Then you came along running your mouth about your brother. You should blame yourself though. I mean, Ryan was right in your face. How could you not recognize features from your own brother? Or maybe you just ignored the shit. It could have been that. You had it so good you were willing to overlook the obvious. You had a dumb weak bitch who put up with your shit, took care of you and was so sprung that she wasn't going anywhere.” 

I slowly fell to my knees and leaned closer to his face. 

“Or you had a smart conniving bitch who let you think you were running shit, took care of you so that you wouldn't run off and did whatever she had to do to make sure you stuck around until the day your brother got out of jail knowing that you would welcome him with open arms right into your home.” 

I gently placed a hand on the side of his face and softly kissed his lips. 

“Vengeance. I really am so sorry, baby. I know it's fucked up but you were just a part of my plot. I don't feel up to explaining why to you. You and your brother can discuss that in hell. I'll see you two at a later date.”

I stood up and sighed just before I sent a shot to his forehead. I stared at his lifeless body and glanced up at the lifeless body stretched across my son's bed. 

"Tasha, bitch you have lost it." I whispered to myself while making my way over to the bed and picking up the bottled water and picture of my son. I tossed it back in my purse and snatched my purse off of the nightstand. 

"It's unfortunate the shit that can go down when you leave home. Somebody got my baby and his brother." I giggled at my fucked up mind. "Don't judge me, boys. You don't know my story. Had you known it, I would have been one character you didn't dare fuck with."

I made my way across the room and hopped over Jerome's body then ran for the front door. I darted down the driveway looking around for nosy ass neighbors who always nominate themselves motherfucking neighborhood watch teams and shit. I got in my car and listened to the ignition roar. Calm and collected, I backed out of the driveway and drove down the street not trying to speed and bring attention to my vehicle. I picked up my purse that was sitting in my lap and tossed it in the passenger's seat while I listened to the sirens getting closer. Turning off of the street and passing blinking lights, I shook my head at the view of my neighbors' houses and mumbled to myself. 

“Damn snitches.”