Connor stumbled into the back of the escalade as the driver’s door closed. He grabbed his arm, wincing at the fresh bruise, then followed his mom’s tint-windowed outline make its way ‘round back. His heart raced. The moment reminded him of so many, as a kid, watching his parents fight though a cracked bedroom door.
A text from Tyrese distracted him: ‘Run, like the coward you are! You always’—he flung the phone to the floor. Instinctively he searched for his mother’s supportive eyes, only to catch the back of her Louboutin’s as she disappeared up the steps into the building, her weight carrying hard to one side.
The tailgate eased closed and Connor’s eyes guiltily returned to the phone. Second guesses rose with a bite of his lip and thoughts of spectacular makeup sex. Not entirely hating the pain, he ran his finger along the stinging outline of the handprint forming on his forearm. A “Love Tattoo” he called them. But the distinctive tap of returning heels steeled him.
No, not this time!
She reached the street with confidence and Connor saw what she was carrying. A 10-gallon, cherry-red, gas can. Its contents were splashing behind her, yet what he found more peculiar was the way its color was a perfect match to her stilettos.
One kick flung the door stop aside and she proceeded to empty the can on the entryway.
“You try and you try,” she said with disdain. “One chance after another.”
“You hope,” Turning to Connor, “They change…right?”
He nodded obediently as she laid the final splash then turned to the lock and snapped the key off inside.
Connor pushed back in disbelief and pride. Transfixed, he watched her, his queen, return to the SUV and casually toss the can into the back before retaking her throne behind the wheel. She lit a Pall Mall calmly with a cheap red Bic. But this red didn’t match.
She stared at it with profound disgust before opening the sunroof and giving it a flick.
FOOP!
The building exploded in a fireball, knocking them back with a massive shockwave of heat. Unfazed, Jacqueline put the car in drive, turned to her son and said, “Some people…just don’t fuckin’ listen!”