Threats


    I was shopping for furniture, but my mind wasn’t in it. I bought a new house. It was perfect for me


    and it suited my style. Simple yet cozy. It was in a great neighborhood and was even closer to


    Noah’s school. I loved it the moment I saw it. It also had a big backyard where Noah could y


    unlike our previous house.


    “Are you even paying attention?” Letty asks in annoyance.


    She was helping me pick furniture my new home. It has been three days since I bought it and yet


    it was sittingpletely empty. I didn’t even have a bed for heaven’s sake. I’ve been sleeping on a


    make shift bed on the floor.


    “I’m sorry, Letty…I just have too much on my mind” I apologize.


    When you have someone trying to kill you, most other things usually take a back seat. They don’t


    seem as important as trying to stay a live long enough to see you child grow up.


    I still get chills knowing that I was close to dying. Again. That someone deliberately set a fire to


    my house. That they wanted me burned alive. What kind of a sick person does that?


    Plus it can’t be a coincidence that the day of the dinner party someone chased me. Only to have


    my house burned down the next day. 1


    “Is it because of your house?” her voice is full of sympathy.


    I clench my hands in fist. “Yes! And not only that, it’s everything. It just makes me so angry. Four


    times, Letty! They’ve tried killing me four times and from what I see they don’t n on stopping


    until i’m dead. I just want to be left the fuck alone” I take a deep breath.


    The people around as stare at us at my outburst, but I don’t give a shit about the scathing looks.


    I sometimes felt so lost. I can’t bring my son back home even though I miss, because I don’t want


    to put him in any danger. I haven’t held or kissed my baby boy in weeks.


    “What terrifies me is what if they seed? I haven’t see Noah in three months, Letty. Seeing him


    on video calls isn’t the same as holding him in my arms. What if they seed and I never get to


    see or hold him again?” I ask, fighting the tears that threatened to fall.


    “Uh…I don’t know what to say” she looks at me awkwardly


    “You’re really not good at pep–talks are you?” I ask chuckling, wiping away my tears


    “Hell No!” She all but shouts then sighs “I don’t know what you’re feeling but I get you. I know


    how frustrating this must be for you, but don’t let them get to you, cause the moment they do, you


    give them power over you”


    I think for a second about what little she’s told me. She was right. I can’t lose it right now. Who


    knows? Maybe that is what they’re counting on. Making me lose it, so that I can be careless and


    make a mistake.


    “Thank you, Letty” I give her a side hug.


    Her pep–talk however small, is exactly what I needed.


    “Good. Now, have you gotten everything you need?” she asks. “We’ve been at this for hours and I’m


    starving”


    “Yeah…we can go get something to eat. Let me pay and then I’ll came back and rive the U–Haul


    back to my ce”


    “You do realize you can just hire them to deliver the furniture right? They’ll even help you moving


    them. You don’t have to do it by yourself” she folds her hand and scrutinizes me.


    “I know, but I don’t like strangers in my space. Beside, I’m just driving it. Ethan will be byter on


    to help move the furniture”


    She stares a bit before shrugging her shoulders. We head to the cashier and I pay for the furniture


    we’ve chosen.


    There were restaurants and eateries near the furniture store so we don’t have to go far.


    “Fancy or fast and greasy?” I ask her already feeling my stomach start to rumble.


    “Definitely fast and greasy…is that something you even have to ask?”


    I grin at her.


    We find one pretty quickly and soon enough, we are settled. Our food arrive about ten minutes


    Our conversation flows easily. We don’t talk about anything important. We joke, we eat and have a


    fun in each other’spany. For a moment, I forget about my troubles and it felt nice.


    “I’m so full I can barely think straight” Letty says, making meugh.


    She had this satisfied look in her eyes and it was just adorable.


    “You look like you just had an orgasm” I joke.


    She smirks. “I did, I had a food orgasm”


    Laughing I tell her that there is nothing like that. Food and orgasms shouldn’t be used in the same


    sentence.


    “There is…food brings pleasure and even if it’s not the same as the pleasure I get when Travis‘ dick


    I gag. “Don’t you dare finish that sentence…haven’t you ever had of TMI” I look at her in horror. ”


    Thest thing I want is to hear what you and Travis do behind closed doors”


    “Oops” she says sheepishly.


    No sister wants to hear about their brother having sex. They especially don’t want it being


    described.


    My phone beeps and I check the iing message.


    “I have to go…Ethan will be leaving work soon and I want to be there when he gets to my new


    ce”


    “Okay. It’s about time I head out too. My feet are killing me”


    We pay our bills and leave.


    “Thanks for your help today”


    “Anytime, Ava”


    We say goodbye and she leaves. I walk the short distance to the furniture store.


    I didn’t see them until it was toote. Mainly because I was focused on texting Ethan to let him


    know that I’d be home by the time he gets there.


    “Seriously!” her annoying voice makes me lift my head.


    Emma was standing next Travis at the parking lot. She was staring at me like she contemted


    murder.


    I didn’t want her kind of drama so I turn about to move around them but her words stop me.


    316


    “Are you happy now? bitterness and angerced her voice


    *15 BONUS


    Against my better judgement. I turn back around and face her. Travis just stood there stoically.


    like a damn statue


    “Happy about what?” I ask het, my eyebrows furrowed.


    “Don’t y dumb with me! Are you happy now that Rowan broke things off with me” she seethes.


    “This was your n all along wasn’t it?”


    I knew something had happened between them, but I never expected or thought that Rowan


    would break things off. He loved her after all.


    “I don’t know why you think I would be happy about that when it doesn’t concern me” I answer


    emotionlessly


    “Stop pretending” she shouts drawing the attention of others.


    I look to Travis. “Would you mind controlling your hysterical sister? Thest thing I want is her


    attacking me because she thinks I had something to do with whatever drama is going on between


    her and her man”


    “You’re also my sister, Ava” he says softly.


    “I haven’t been your sister in a long time, Travis. Or have you forgotten the many times you told


    me that yourself”


    He keeps quiet and looks down. I wait for the pain, but it doesn’te. I heave a sigh of relief.


    My happiness is short lived when Emma takes a step towards me.


    “If you think you’ve won then you’re wrong Ava. Rowan is mine and I’ll go through anyone who


    tries to take him from me. I am not going to let you win. This time I will fight you to the death if I


    have to” she spits. (2)


    I take a step back and raise my hand. “Whoa, first of all, Rowan isn’t a possession. He’s a living


    breathing person. Second of all, there will be no fighting to the death. If you want him you can


    have him. Keep him for all I care, marry him, fuck him, and give him a whole lot of babies. Just


    get it in your fucking head that I. Do. Not. Want. Him”


    I was getting tired of repeating the same thing over and over again. Why was it so hard to believe


    that I no longer wanted Rowan?


    “You expect me to believe that bullshit? You were always obsessed with him” she says sneering


    and I snort in return


    *And now it looks like you’re the one obsessed with him now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go.


    You’ve already wasted enough of my time”


    “I’m not done talking to you, you bitch”


    I ignore her but her next words make me freeze.


    “I swear, Ava, if you walk away, I will find that bastard son of yours and make him pay for


    everything. After all, he is the other reason I lost everything”


    I hear a sharp gasp from Travis, but it doesn’t register in my mind.


    I don’t think when I move.


    I twist around and push her mming her against a van. I use my forearm on her neck, pinning


    her to the van and choking the daylights from her.


    The self–defense sses I took were paying off and as of a week ago, I was a licensed gun holder.


    Ethan advised me to start carrying it around after the fire at my house.


    Nothing registers when I take my gun and point it to her temple. (1)


    “If you ever and I mean ever threaten Noah again and I will end you. I will bury your body so deep


    it will take a century to dig it up. Don’t fuck with me Emma. I’ve tolerated you enough and it ends


    today” I snarl, feeling crazed.


    “Avalet her go” Travis pleads with fear in his voice.


    “If you ever so much as look at my son wrong or I find out you’ve hurt him, I will destroy you


    Emma. There won’t be a ce in this world you’ll be able to run from me. Am I understood?”


    I see the fear in her eyes as she nods. After a minute I let her go and she begins chocking.


    “How could you do this to your own sister? You make me sick” Travis shouts at me as hees to


    Emma’s side. Helping her up./6


    “She’s not my fucking sister” I hiss catching him by surprise. “You told me to stay away from her


    and I’ve done that. Now am asking you to keep her away from me. I won’t have anyone threatening


    my son and I will burn the whole fucking world to the ground if it means protecting him.


    “You heard what she said concerning Noah. She threatened him yet you have the guts to stand


    there and scold me?” I re at both of them.


    “Ava…” he begins to say, apology in his eyes but I interrupt him.


    “Shut your fucking mouth, I don’t want to hear what you have to say. As of this day forward, you’re


    no longer a part of Noah’s life. He doesn’t need a pathetic excuse of an uncle who can’t even stand


    up for him against his bitch of a sister” (2)


    He looks heartbroken but I don’t give a fuck. He made his views known when he tried making me


    feel bad andpletely ignored the threat Emma made.


    “As for you” I turn to Emma. “Think long and hard about ever going against me. I’m not the same


    pathetic girl you left behind, push me too hard and I’ll push back. Trust me when I say you won’t


    like it when I retaliate”


    She’s shaking. Looking at me with wide and terrified eyes. Her eyes are drawn to my hand when I


    put the gun back inside the waist band of my jeans.


    I turn to leave but before I do, I give her onest look.


    “What have you became? Going around threatening innocent children and all for what? A man?


    You’ve changed so much I hardly recognize you and despite being jealous of you when we were


    younger, I also admired you. Ask yourself, are you still the woman Rowan fell in love with years


    ago? Or have you be someone he can never love?”


    With that I walk away. Hoping that Emma will realize what she’s be before it’s toote and


    she does something she can’t take back or worse, hurts someone innocent.