Even If It Kills Us (On hold)

Chapter Twenty-Four

The room was silent, Ricky standing in the corner with his cane in hand, while Katrina sat on the sofa just a couple feet away from Paisley. She had her knees pulled up to her chest, as her tears rushed down her face. Adonis sat at the bottom of the stairs, quietly. He hasn't said a word since the family meeting was called. He honestly did not know what to say. He could not even read anymore of her diary after the first entry. It was all too much.

"I'm going to ask you this one time and one time only, Paisley. Was he drugging you and forcing you to sleep with him?" Katrina asked as she looked directly at her daughter.

Paisley would not make eye contact with anyone. She was too embarrassed.

Sniffling she answered lowly, "No."

"Then why would you lie?"

"Because he lied to me. He said that he was going to divorce her but he didn't. He hurt me." Paisley said.

"If Ezra didn't rape you then who did? Who kidnapped you?"

Paisley was quiet for a moment.

"Speak up." Ricky tells her.

"His wife, Charlotte. She had someone kidnap me and she held me hostage. I barely remember anything, I just know she beat me every time that she was mad about something. I do remember her giving me medicine, several times a day. She had some other guy with her. I don't remember him touching me inappropriately, but according to the rape kit results, he did. They are still looking for him. Ezra found me, I guess, but he thought I was dead so he dumped my body in a dumpster. In a fucking dumpster." Paisley says.

Katrina and Ricky already knew about the second guy that was involved with Paisley's kidnapping. Everything else was new to their ears. Adonis on the other hand didn't know anything because they never filled him in. His parents always talked privately.

"Watch your mouth, you are already on thin ice with me." Katrina tells her.

"Then why didn't you just tell the truth? If he didn't do this to you, then why was he arrested?" Adonis asked. He was confused and was trying his best to make sense of the whole situation.

"They caught him dumping my body in the dumpster on camera, so fingers were automatically pointed at him. I thought you knew that." Paisley tells him.

"Is it anything else that I should know about?" Adonis asked.

"No. That was all they really needed. They were already on Ezra's trail. They wanted a reason to arrest him. I told them that it was Ezra because I wanted him to feel what I felt, to go through what I went through with his wife. It's his fault for leading me on, and making me love him."

"You are a fifteen year old child, Paisley! You know better. I didn't raise you to run around with grown ass men, now look what you have gotten yourself into. The Young family is dangerous. What do you think is going to happen if this gets out that you lied on Ezra? What if Ezra talks?"

Paisley remained quiet. She had not thought her lie all the way through. People that lied about being raped were getting prison sentences now. She could get in so much trouble, but she knew that her parents were not going to let that happen to her.

"He won't. Nigga's like Ezra don't believe in snitching, they believe in getting even." Ricky said.

Adonis watched as his mother looked over at his father. It was as if they were having a conversation with their eyes. Everyone knew that Ricky was right. There was no way that Ezra and his brothers were going to let it slide. They had their minds set on revenge.

Sighing, Adonis stood to his feet. Paisley was making it real hard to feel sorry for her. She had put her family in danger, and she was not even apologizing for her actions. "I'm out." Adonis tells them as he went back upstairs to his room. He had enough.