Chasing Bliss (37 page)

Bliss wasn’t mad at him. He was her
husband,
and she understood him. He ran his fingers
through her hair. “When we get home, I’m gonna have to make a run, sweetheart—me and J.T. I
don’t want you to be alone, because I don’t know what’s goin’ on, so I’m gonna ask Dee to come
stay with you until I get back.”

“Okay. Whatever you think is best, Chase.”

Chase made the call, and they rode the rest of the way in silence. When they got home, Chase
went to the bedroom to change his clothes. Bliss followed him and sat on the bed, watching him.
He pulled on his black jeans, put on his black Uptowns, paused, and put on a vest.

Bliss shook her head.

Chase looked at her, but only smiled a little and didn’t say anything. Then he slipped on a black
T-shirt and pulled on his driving gloves.

“You’re gonna shoot someone tonight, aren’t you, Chase?”

Chase laughed, and his eyes sparkled dangerously. “No, honey. I usually don’t shoot people.”
Chase took a flat wooden box off the top closet shelf and opened it. From it, he withdrew a silver-
handled straight razor and put it in his pocket.

Bliss put a shocked hand over her mouth. “Jesus, Chase! You’re scaring me.”

He smiled at her with that bone-chilling glint in his eyes. “I know. I’m scarin’ me too.”

Bliss shuddered. She’d never seen that side of Chase, and she never wanted to see it again. She
put an unconsciously sheltering hand over her stomach.

Chase looked alarmed. “You okay, Bliss?”

“I’m fine, but I don’t like this at all.”

Chase looked at her. “Me neither, but I gotta go, baby. Dee should be here real soon. You want
me to stay till she comes?”

“No. Just get this over with and hurry back.”

“Okay.” He reached into the closet and took a .32 out of the pocket of a suit jacket and handed it
to her. “If anybody comes around here with an unfamiliar face—and I mean anybody—you shoot
his ass without askin’ questions and then call the police.”

Bliss nodded, even though she could never imagine herself doing something like that. “Whatever
you say, Chase.”

Chase frowned at her. “No, Bliss. Don’t just dismiss me like that.
Do it.
”

She blinked back tears. “Okay, Chase.”

His face softened. “Don’t cry. I’m sorry, but please do it.”

“
I said all right!
” she yelled at him.

He walked over to her and kissed her. “I love you, Bliss.”

“I love you too.”

They walked back out into the living room, and J.T. stood up. “You ready?”

“Yeah, let’s go. Bliss, I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

She nodded.

Chase kissed her again and left with J.T.

Bliss went into the bedroom and put the gun Chase had given her on the dresser and changed
into a pair of shorts and one of Chase’s T-shirts. She went back out to the kitchen, barefoot, and got
a glass of water. She put the kettle on for tea and sat at the breakfast bar. Corey was dead, and her
husband was going to kill whoever did it with a straight razor, and she knew it. She couldn’t really
blame Chase; everybody loved Corey.

The elevator started to rise, startling her. Bliss got up and looked through the peephole. She
frowned and opened the door before the bell rang. “Cyrus? What are you doing here?” she asked.

Cyrus looked her over slow and smiled sunnily. “Better question, Ms. Riley, is what are
you
doing here?” He pushed his way in and closed the door.

Chapter 23

S
o this is why Chase has been so difficult? I should have known. Nothing can fuck a man up more than
a pretty woman.
Cyrus chuckled to himself and shook his head as he locked the door.

Bliss took a step back as he took one toward her. She looked uncertain.

Cyrus smiled at her. “You didn’t answer my question, Ms. Riley. What are you doin’ in Chase’s
apartment, barefoot and wearin’ his shirt? You his girlfriend now?”

Bliss stared at him with enormous, almost scared brown eyes. “Um…no. No, I’m not.”

Cyrus frowned. “Then what you doin’ chillin’ in his spot, wearin’ his shit? Is he here?” Cyrus
rolled up on her, and she backed away. A sparkle caught his eye.

“Cyrus, I don’t know what—”

Cyrus laughed, not quite wrapping his mind around what he was looking at.

Bliss realized what had caught his attention and put her left hand in her pocket.

“Is that a
wedding ring
you’re tryin’ to hide from me, Ms. Riley?”

“Why are you here, Cyrus?”

He grinned and grabbed her arm. “Never mind me. Let me see your hand!” He pulled on her
forearm and wrenched her hand out of her pocket. Bliss shrieked like he was killing her, and he
just laughed, ogling at all the pretty diamonds that made up her ring. “Son of a bitch! You married
him, didn’t you?”

Bliss looked at him with those huge eyes, like she was afraid to move. Her mouth started
trembling, and he could see in her eyes that her mind was racing. She put her hand out to keep him
from coming any further. “Do you know about Corey, Cyrus? Is that why you’re here?”

He laughed real low. “Of course I know about Corey. I killed him myself.”

Bliss’s skin paled as all the blood rushed to her head. “Oh no! You killed Corey?” she asked in
high-pitched, terrified disbelief.

Cyrus nodded. “Oh yeah. I did it with this!” he said and pulled his nine out of his waistband
with a flourish.

Bliss started screaming and ran toward the bedroom.

Cyrus caught her by the T-shirt and gave her a backhand across the face. “Shut up! Stop that
screamin’ and come tell me about the wedding! I must have misplaced my fuckin’ invitation!”
Bliss kept screaming, so he slapped her again, busting her lip this time. He threw her down on
the sectional and pointed his gun at her. “You need to calm the fuck down before you end up like
Corey.”

Bliss had blood dripping down her chin. She wiped at her wounded mouth with her fingers and
stared at the bright red blood for a moment. Her eyes narrowed in fury. “Chase is gonna fuck you
up!” she spat at the monster.

Cyrus sat down next to her and smiled. He’ d been tired, but he was suddenly invigorated, like
he could tap dance to China. The police were looking for him, Fabian was looking for him, Khalid
had gotten his last rites, and he’d killed his own brother. He wasn’t about to go back to prison
‘cause he knew that shit sucked. There was nowhere for him to go but down. However else this
shit ended, he knew he was going to die and that Chase was going to be the one to kill him. But
he’d have his say first, maybe raise his last bit of ruckus before Chase’s crazy ass silenced him
forever.

Bliss was whimpering now, and Cyrus wasn’t above hitting her again. He didn’t hold women
in the same high esteem as Chase and Corey did, and he had his reasons for that. Cyrus slid
toward her, and Bliss pressed herself into the sectional, making herself seem even smaller than
she actually was. Cyrus leaned toward her. “You scared of me, Bliss? I
can
call you Bliss now that
were family, right? You shouldn’t be half as afraid of me as you need to be of that crazy, unstable
motherfucker you married.”

Bliss bristled, even though she was terrified. “Don’t you talk about my husband like that! How
dare you! Maybe you’re the crazy, unstable motherfucker,” she hissed at him.

Cyrus laughed.
That shit’s funnier than she knows.
“You know what, Bliss? Maybe we’re
both
crazy…and I just may really prove to be a real
motherfucker
after all. Why don’t you tell me about
this marriage shit that I somehow managed to miss.”

“You better get out of here before Chase gets back. He’s going to kill you for murdering
Corey.”

Cyrus shrugged. “Yeah, yeah, yeah…and he’s gonna fuck me up for hittin’ you. So what? You
think I’m scared of him? You think I give a fuck what that psycho does?”

The doorbell rang, and Cyrus’s eyebrows went up.

“Who the fuck is that? You expectin’ company?” He shot up and went to the intercom and
buzzed in whoever was there, never taking his gun off of his sister-in-law. Cyrus scratched his chin
and looked thoughtful. “Hmm…let me think like Chase. Corey was killed tonight. He’s taken J.T.
and run out to kill whoever did it, only he’s got his new wife at home. He doesn’t want to leave her
alone, not knowing the full situation, so he needs a babysitter to look after you. Corey’s too busy
occupying a slot at the morgue, so he couldn’t ask him. Who else does he trust?” He walked to the
elevator as it trundled up. “Good ol’ Dee!” he reasoned and laughed as the door slid open.

Dee was inside talking on her cell phone. When she saw Cyrus her eyes grew wide with surprise
and then narrowed in fright when they caught sight of his gun and Bliss’s busted lip and bloody
nose.

“Hey, Dee! Who you talkin’ to?”

Dee stared at Cyrus and spoke calmly into her phone. “Yes, Chase, that was Cyrus. It looks like
he’s been beating on your wife. He’s got a gun, and he seems a little undecided about who he wants
to shoot first. Get here as soon as you can.” She hung up and put her phone in her bag as she looked
at Cyrus with steely eyes. “You’re in a lot of trouble, buster.”

Cyrus frowned at her. Dee was another one he’d always hated. She’d always treated Chase like
he was God come down from the mountain. “Shut up, bitch, and get over there with Bliss, before I
knock your teeth out.” He went to the bar and took out the Hennessey. Cyrus sat across from them
and opened it up, and Dee looked disgusted when he started swigging from the bottle. “Oh, Dee, I
didn’t get the chance to tell you the news.”

“What news is that, Cyrus?”

Cyrus gestured to Bliss with the bottle. “Go ahead and tell her, Bliss.”

Bliss looked at Dee with shocked eyes. “Cyrus killed Corey!” she announced in loud
indignation.

Dee’s mouth dropped open, and her strong front faltered as her eyes filled with tears. “Cyrus!
No!
Why?
”

Cyrus smiled a dark little smile. “He told me to get out of his car. You know, Corey had entirely
too much mouth on him at the end.”

“Chase is going to kill you, Cyrus.”

Cyrus nodded and took another swig from the bottle. “Yeah, I know, but before he does, I got
somethin’ to say to him that will ruin his life the same way he ruined mine.”

“What are you talking about, Cyrus?” Dee asked like she was tired of him.

“Chase painted me into a very nasty corner when he waited so long to kill Wolf instead of doing
it when I asked him to. He fucked me over, and now it’s either go to jail or die. I been to jail, Delia,
and I
did not
have a good time there. All this shit is Chase’s fault
.
He was supposed to be holdin’
me down…but instead, he was chasing Bliss.” He gave Bliss a black look and weighed the gun in
his hand. “Now that I put it that way, maybe all this shit is
your
fault. I should smash your pretty
little face for that.”

Bliss slid real close to Dee, and Dee put her arm around her. “Haven’t you done that already?
Leave her alone, Cyrus. You’re already in enough trouble.”

Cyrus took another swig and laughed comically. “You’re right, Dee. Wouldn’t want to have
Chase
mutilate
me before he cuts my throat just because he’s extra pissed, would I?”

There was no answer from either one of them. They both just stared at him in disbelief, like he
was a lunatic.

Cyrus drank more liquor; he wasn’t drunk enough. As brave as he was, he was still a bit of a
coward. He didn’t actually want to
feel it
when Chase pulled his razor through his flesh, and he
thought a couple more would do the trick. He turned the bottle up again and looked at the frightened
women huddled together. He had no
real
beef with them, and any he did have, he blamed Chase
for anyway.

Still, they were sitting there looking at him like they hated him, as they should have. He’d done
plenty of damage to plenty of lives, but he wasn’t finished. His life was over, and he was sure it
was all because of Chase. Cyrus frowned, and his thoughts began to get muddy. He stood up and
swayed a little, and he considered it a good thing. He still knew what he was doing, but he’d just
crossed the line into the altered state of feeling no pain. He walked over to Bliss and looked down
at her.

She shrank away from him.

“You and Chase happy, Bliss?”

She looked at him like she thought he was joking. “What?”

“You heard me. I asked if you and Chase are happy.” He spoke to her like she was slow.

Bliss gave him a defiant look and turned her head.

Insolence
.
Just like Chase.
He couldn’t stand that disrespectful shit. He grabbed her by the hair,
snatching her out of Dee’s arms, and threw her to the floor.

Dee sprang off the couch and started pummeling him with her fists. “Get off of her! Stop it,
Cyrus!” she screamed at him as she scratched and clawed and yanked, trying to pull him off
Bliss.

Cyrus started laughing. One of his hands was double wrapped in Bliss’s hair. He could feel
strands snapping as she struggled against him and clawed at his hand, trying to get away. He found
their attack a bit interesting, but he couldn’t deal with them both at the same time, especially with
his gun still in his left hand. Cyrus rammed his shoulder into Dee, knocking her away, then turned
the gun around and smashed her in the face with it. He hit her twice, as hard as he could, and Dee
dropped to the floor.