Lighter Shade of Brown (Urban Fiction) BWHM

Chapter 26

A beat pounded his ear drums, fast and loud in it's rhythm, drowning out all noise of the chaotic scene unfolding before his eyes. Nothing mattered, though. Nothing! Not the silent opened mouth screams, or the sobbing people huddled over bloody bodies. The only thing that mattered to him lay not even ten feet away, deathly still with her eyes closed. Trapped under a suicidal jit who'd thrown his body in front of hers to shield it from the rain of bullets.

Pushing and shoving through a crush of neighbors and homeboys, C's fell to his knees next to Cleo's side. He rolled Pep's body from hers.

"No man," he muttered when he saw the blood that stained the upper left side of her crop top. "Fuck no!"

Her eyes fluttered, and then opened. "C's what...," she said, trying to sit up.

Not caring who saw, he yanked up her shirt to check her for gushing wounds, slapping her hands away when she attempted to stop him. Once satisfied that her body wasn't riddled with bullet holes, he snatched her in his lap and cuddled her close to his chest. Man. He didn't deserve it after all the work he'd put in, but God had looked out. He'd spared the only thing, that kept his wild ass on a leash. He'd spared his heart.

"Man don't...please man," Ant said, falling to his knees, in front of him, his eyes fastened on Cleo. "Not her...," his voice trailed off in a broken whisper.

Cleo lifted her face from his torso to crane her neck to stare at Ant, but gasped when her eyes fell on Taz pressing the heels of his hands into Pep's chest to stop the blood flow. She tried to scramble from his lap, but he refused to let her go, tightening his arms around her body.

"Is she hurt," A cold voice asked.

C's raised his gaze to find hell staring back at him. Juan Alejandro towered over them with Putt at his side. If the day hadn't already snaked his cool, he would've been in awe, but now he could barely crest mildly interested.

"I'm fine," Cleo grunted, still struggling to leave his lap. "It's Pep. He threw me to the ground. A bullet hit him instead."

"Don't you dare move your hands," Angela said, sliding to a stop to kneel beside Taz and Pep. She glanced at them as she pressed her fingers to Pep's neck to check for a pulse. "Is she alright, mijo?"

C's nodded, unable to trust the strength of his voice.

"This is your doing, isn't it!" Angela hissed, cutting her eyes at Juan Alejandro.

"Don't you dare think about stepping on that damn soap box of yours. That soapbox no longer wants anything to do with you," he said, his eyes swinging pointedly to Cleo. "You and I have much to discuss, but first I will have a word with your son. Isn't that why you begged me to come here? For him."

"You bastardo," Angela hissed, through gritted teeth. "That was two weeks ago. Had you come when I called all of this..." She waved a blood stained hand around, gesturing to all the craziness that ran rampant in her front yard. "Could've been avoided."

Sirens and horns sliced the commotion as ambulances and police cruisers hit the block. In seconds the police were out of the squad cars with their guns drawn, while paramedics squatted next to random bodies and went to work.

"C's," Cleo pounded on his chest. "What's wrong with you? Why're staring like that? Let me go. I need to check on Pep."

He blinked twice and shit slid back into focus for him. "Mom's got him and I almost lost you. Let me just hold you for a second. Least 'til you feel real."

Her body went limp and molded into his as the fight in her drained away. He couldn't believe this little young ass girl had him bitchin' up in front of his peoples, but when he couldn't get to her before Reyes started sparking, he'd felt like a bitch.