Cullayne POV

A few hours later.

I sat staring at Kemar my eyes taking in the handsome ruggedness of his bearded face. I like the way his eyebrows were silky and thick and curved like perfectly arched wings and the way his closed eyes allowed his thick lashes to kiss his upper cheeks.

My eyes travelled the length of his nose and trailed the sensual outline of his full lips. He was quite appealing to the eyes and it took little for him to provoke sexual awareness. He was the epitome of tall, dark and appealing.

I quickly let my eyes continue in my unobserved attention of him and a different shiver ran through my body as my eyes took in the white bandage that stood out strikingly against the dark skin of his neck.

"I can tell you are staring at me Laynie." I heard him say and I quickly tore my eyes from him and stared at the floor.

"And what if I was?" I mumbled lamely and was grateful when his sister and mother came into the living room where we were seated.

"Mama yuh fi chill enuh, what if Bounty did lick yuh are something," Tishawna said frowning as she followed behind an angry Shanty.

"A mek e did fi mek nothing duh mi pickney an e see. Mi seh e fi tank God Msrah wul mi as mi wudda give him a nedda good clap out a mi walking stick," she scowled as she limped to the front door.

"Kemar mi a tek Mama roun so mi wi call yuh," Tishawna said as she helped her mother to the door but as if on a second thought she asked. "Yuh waah mi send Juniour and Keino come stay wid yuh?"

"No mi good, I'll be alright."

It was clear that neither women were satisfied but they knew protesting would cause him to remain more adamant so she shook her head and bid us farewell.

A few hours prior Bounty had to be removed from the premises because he refused to leave. Against Kemar's liking police had to get involved and what could have remained quiet and peaceful became boisterous and filled with threats that drew a crowd of spectators that piled into the yard clambering for a view.

I had watched as Kemar remained calm and poised until he decided to loudly publicise what he was going to do with and to the people that Kemar cared about, especially the reader bitch.

I had felt fear creep up my body and wrap itself around me as he stood by the door of the room he had occupied and shouted lude things that I wanted to forget. From my reading of him, I knew that he was black and bitter to act on his threats.

I cannot remember Kemar ever being so angry and I was not sure where I got the strength to hold onto him as he marched towards Bounty.

I felt like I was shouting but nothing was coming from my mouth and when I heard the authoritative voice of his father calming asking Bounty to leave and Kemar to step aside I was relieved.

I was not sure who had called the police but I was glad they did. When I watched the two officers who accompanied Inspector Gregory walk up to Bounty who was still clad in his underwear and calmly told him to pack up and leave I held my breath.

The sight of him becoming deflated did nothing to ease my fear as I could read him and knew he was willing to disrupt Kemar's life at the expense of his freedom.

I gripped Kemar's fingers tightly and held my breath counting down the minutes until Bounty leave but much to our dismay Shanty had somehow heard what was going on and when Bounty accompanied by the officers were leaving she had accosted him screaming.

"The blood a Jesus genst yuh, Satan. The blood, the blood, the blood!!! Vile serpent the blood a Jesus genst yuh!"

It had taken her husband and some people present to hold her back but not before her walking stick had connected loudly and no doubt painfully with Bounty's shoulder.

"To think mi look out fi yuh an yuh dis mi pickney an yuh draw him blood. Yuh a guh dead wicked!"

Tears were streaming down her face and as my eyes found hers I read the dread that gripped her heart and the thought of losing Kemar. It was like it travelled on some invisible wavelength and surged in me.

I had felt it before. That time when I had read Bounty in the shop after touching him. The sickly sweet sulphuric scent of blood filled my nostrils and I gasped as unimaginable pain pierced my body like burning bullets.

I had closed my eyes tightly and willed myself not to faint again and was grateful when it quickly subsided. I had felt a deep sense of comfort as Kemar's fingers held tightly onto mine.

I was not sure if I would survive losing Kemar either. My eyes travelled over to him and saw that he was now sitting up in the sofa staring at me and much to my dismay I burst out in sobs that I figured were ready to break free now that the realization that he was ok took root.

'O baby girl," I heard him say as I was pulled into his arms his sweet masculine scent and warmth enveloping me in a cacoon of something far deeper that I understood.

I tried to regain control but the sobs seemed to have total control of me. My body shook against his as his hands rubbed my back in soothing comfort.

This was surely not how I expected things to turn out when I had decided to visit him to tell him that my mother had formed a committee with both of us heading it to ensure that the convention kept its schedule and everything requiring its success would be in place.

My mother had said Kemar had been active in her conventions long before he even knew the full extent of his purpose. I closed my eyes tightly at the thought that his purpose could have been snatched away because Bounty was jealous of him and envious of the life he wished like Kemar he'd have.

"Hey," I heard him say and I ease away to dry the tears from my face and look at him. "Why you crying eemm?"

"What if him did k...." my voice trailed off as I could not bear to voice the word.

"Ssshhh Bounty naah duh mi nothing. Him jus full a mout," he said assuredly.

If only he knew what I read as I had watched Bounty standing there and without care spewing from his smoke-blackened lips his vile threats that were far from empty.

I needed to have a prayer vigil with the church elders before we commenced with the convention and then I could start planning with Kemar and the others.

There is something dark and bloody looming in the midst of what lay ahead and it was encased in coveteousness.

"Come on stop stressing about it," he said gently before carefully moving away. "Let's get you home."

"Am not leaving you alone I am staying."

"Laynie you---"

"Am not asking am telling."

I was not sure if it was the finality in my voice or the stress of the day along with his injuries but all he did was nod and pull me back to the couch and into his arms and somehow it felt all too right.