Page 32 of Torch

The ass-whooping continued. I jerked my head down to my feet when I felt someone tugging at my shoe. “Chase, boy, bring me back my shoe!”

“Mine!” he shouted as he took off with one of my three-hundred-dollar Jordan sneakers.

I started to feel desperate for relief, since it seemed they weren't running out of energy. I knew I had to do something when Liam put me in a headlock.

“Ma! MA!!!” I yelled to the top of my lungs.

“Gigi’s coming!” Marco, the traitor, warned them.

They all scattered like inmates when the warden comes. By the time my mother stepped into the room, I was breathing heavy. “Why are you yelling, Christian?”

I got up from the couch, panting, trying to fix my disheveled clothes. “Those menaces to society you love to call angels just attacked me.”

Ma turned to Marco. “Is that true?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “I just got in here. He must have had a bad dream because I didn’t see anything.”

My mouth dropped open before I gritted my teeth. My mother examined me from head to toe. She frowned when she got to my feet. “Why do you have on one sneaker?”

Before I could answer, Chase ran back into the room with my shoe. “Found it! Here you go, Uncle Torch.” He smiled sweetly, pissing me off further.

I snatched my shoe and put it on. I turned to my mother. “Tell Pierre to come to my house to get my measurements. I refuse to be around these delinquents any longer.” As I rounded the corner to the front door, I found Cara and Blade doubled over, shoulders shaking from laughter. I noticed the phone in Cara’s hand and squinted. “I know you didn’t.”

“I did.” She cackled. “They tore your ass up!”

“You know what? Forget both of y’all. I’m out of here,” I said as I stormed out the front door.

“Oh, come on, Christina. Don’t get your panties in a bunch. It was all in good fun!” Cara shouted from the porch.

I raised my middle finger in the air as she and Blade continued to laugh at my expense. I swear there was never a dull day in this family.

Chapter Twelve

BRITTNEY

Iturned my body from side to side, examining myself in the mirror. Christian was on his way to pick me up. He told me to wear jeans and any kind of closed-toe shoes. When I asked him why, he said it was another surprise. I kept it simple today. I wore a red crop top, a leather jacket, and a pair of ripped jeans. I finished the look with a pair of high-heeled combat boots.

Today, Christian was about to help me with the favor I asked of him. I wanted to know who my father was. My mother wasn’t budging on giving me that information, so I was going to have to do things on my own. Seeing how quickly his sister got info on me, I was hoping she could help me as well.

I hadn’t told anyone in my family about Myron not being my biological father yet. I needed to know everything that went down between my mom and father before doing so. I remember when I was growing up, my mother’s side of the family used to always joke about how Myron came out of nowhere. One day, my mom was supposedly single. Then she showed up to a family function with Myron on her arm, saying she was pregnant.

My grandparents said they were beyond shocked, but seeing as Myron made my mother happy, they welcomed him with open arms. Now I knew there were a lot of pieces missing from this puzzle. My mother was already pregnant when they got together. So, clearly my mother had been lying to everyone about being single. And I wanted to know why.

Just as I finished pulling my thick curly locks into a ponytail, there was a knock on the door. I turned off all the lights in the apartment as I made my way to the front door. When I opened it, I nearly drooled at the sight of Christian.

He was wearing his normal gear—black shirt, jeans, and his biker boots. As always, he had his cut on. The only time I'd seen him without it was in Vegas.

“What’s up, beautiful?” he greeted me, pulling me into his arms. His arms wrapped firmly around my waist.

I threw my arms around his neck, savoring being in his grasp again. Christian had to be one of the most affectionate men I had ever met. He was always kissing or hugging me. It’s like he always had to have some form of physical touch when we were around each other. I didn’t even know I enjoyed such a thing until him. Now, I craved it whenever he was around.

“Hey.” I pulled back to look into his eyes. “You smell good.”

Christian grinned from ear to ear. I swear I even saw him blushing a little. “Thanks. It’s my favorite cologne.” He rubbed his thumb across my cheek. “Are you sure you’re ready for this?”

I sighed, thinking about it. I knew he was only coming from a place of concern. Lately, my mother has been hell-bent on calling and texting about Julian nonstop. I still hadn’t heard from Myron, which further proved my point. He might genuinely care for me, but not in a father-daughter way. He was completely okay with not communicating with me.

“I have to know the truth, Christian. The fact that my mother is so secretive about this is really alarming. She’s hiding something.”