Chapter 223 Freight train

"You know he's going to kill him right?" Caleb asks from behind Chris. "No, he can't. Mitch just attacked me, if he turns up dead, I'm the first person the cops will come looking for." Chris said running his fingers through his hair. "Do you think you'll be able to stop him, you didn't even know that he was the one that beat Edwards until after." Caleb pointed out.

"Will you just go to sleep already?" Chris snaps. "Trust me, dude, I won't be sleeping anytime soon, or ever again for that matter." "Yeah, well I need a few good hours of sleep before I have to deal with my freight train of a boyfriend," Chris said heading towards his bedroom but stop as he heard a key being inserted into his front door.

Caleb heard it too and came to see who it was. "I guess you'll have to deal with your freight train tonight, so much for your few good hours." Caleb snorts as Jared enters the apartment. "Shit," Chris swears as he pulls his Turkle neck sweater higher on his neck.

"Hi, guys." Jared greets them with a wide smile as he drops his suitcases on the ground and runs over to Chris. "Hi baby, welcome home," Chris said hugging him. "I thought you weren't going to be home until tomorrow evening." "That was the plan but I missed you badly and you weren't answering your phone there for a while so I called Samson and he send the jet for me. Are you babysitting?" Jared asks Caleb.

"Um…baby…no….he's not, um... Maya died tonight." Chris said sadly. "Wait, what? How?" Jared asks in alarm. "We'll go into that later, right now Caleb needs to be here for a while, if you don't mind." "No, no…not at all, stay as long as you want. I'm so sorry Caleb, I mean I didn't like her very much but I didn't want her to die." "I know man, none of us did," Caleb said flopping down on the sofa.

Two hours later Jared runs his hands over his face as he sat on their bed. "Damn man, this's heavy baby, I mean she's dead and it's his fault because he cheated. Shit, so what, did his parents kick him out or something?" Jared asks.

"Nope, they were here earlier, begging him to come home but he said he just couldn't, not right now." "Are they angry at him?" "Yeah, but they also knew he was hurting too so they were firmer, letting him know that what he did was wrong and that he would've to live with the consequences but they also let him know that they were available if he ever needs to talk."

"That must have rocked him pretty hard seeing Maya like that." "It did." "Damn it's just one thing after another, isn't it? First Jayden and Janice are attacked, Samson was shot and now this, can't your family get a damn break already?" Jared snorts.

"Seriously baby, you've been adjusting that damn sweater since I walked in this apartment, what gives? Frankly, I wish you would stop adjusting it and just take it off, along with everything else you're wearing." Jared said biting his lips.

"About that…" "Don't worry, these walls are very thick, he won't hear a thing." "Not exactly what I was worried about." "Then what?" "Before I take this sweater off, there's something I need to tell you."

"Fine, I'm all ears," Jared said in a curious tone. "There's no easy way to say this, so I'm just going to say it."

"Baby, please say something." Chris pleads a few minutes later as Jared went as rigid as a block of ice. "Let me see." "Baby…" "Take…the…jacket…off…Chris." Jared said his voice trembling with anger.

Chris slowly pulls the jacket over his head and Jared's eyes immediately went to the nasty-looking purple bruise around Chris's neck. He slowly got up, walked over to Chris, and gently runs his finger along the bruise.

"You said this fucker is in the hospital nursing a stab wound?" "Yes," Chris said softly. "A stab wound will be the lease of his problem when I get my hands on him." "Baby please…" "Shh, I know for your sake I can't touch him, yet, but this's a dish I intend to eat, very, very cold," Jared said coldly.

******

The following morning Chris was awakening by a knocking on his door. He wipes the sleep from his eyes as he opens the door. "Hm, yes, can I help you?" He asks the young woman standing there. "Good morning, I'm looking for Caleb, his brother Fabian said he was here."

"And you are?" "Aisha." "Oh, the Aisha? Okay sure come on in." He said stepping aside to let her in. "Thank you, after our talk last night I thought he would've called me but when I didn't hear from him I tried calling him but he didn't pick up. I then remembered that he had used my phone a few days ago to call his brother so I dialed back that number and His brother told me he was here. Is he okay? Why isn't he answering his phone?"

"I'll let him explain, wait here," Chris said walking towards the room Caleb was in. He opens the door went in and a few minutes later came back out with Caleb behind him looking like he hadn't slept a wink since last night.

"Let's take a walk," Caleb said to the girl who got up from the couch and followed him out the door. "Why are you here?" Caleb asks in a cold tone. "You weren't answering your phone so….." "That's because I don't want to talk to anyone." He snaps.

Thank you for reading

A word of prayer

Heavenly Father I want to align my thoughts

with your word. Help me to reject any

thought that would lead me away

from your word.