By The Rules

20

the next night

Stephan sits on the couch and kicks up his feet on the coffee table in his Inwood mansion. After lighting the blunt, he sits the lighter down in satisfaction. Taking a few pulls, he lays his head back on the couch and closes his eyes. He exhales the smoke and pulls from the blunt again, letting his thoughts take over. What Teresa said to him, had him thinking for the last two days. All his life he was living in his father's shadow, but he felt he couldn't do it any more. Hearing the floor creak behind him, Stephan sits up quickly. Sitting his blunt in the ashtray, he reaches for his glock feeling a gun pressed against his skill. He hears the safety click and sighs, sitting up. In his mind, he felt this was it. Although, going out like this wasn't an option. He wasn't raised to just give up and he wasn't about to take that chance. Inching up little further, his fingers touch the handle. Hearing the bullet enter the chamber, he stops and thinks.

"Shit." He mutters under his breath.

"You grab that shit and I'll blow your brains out." The person warns. Stephan slowly pulls his hand away from the gun, backing up. Stephan watches the silhouette move in the blank screen of the tv. When they stand in his view, he narrows his brows to the unknown person.

"Who are you?" He questions.

"I'll ask the mothafuckin' questions. Where is she?" The woman questions.

"Upstairs." Stephan informs.

She nods her head to the staircase saying,"lead the way." Stephan slowly gets up and walks around the coffee table to the stairs. The woman follows behind while holding the gun up to his back. The two walk the dark corridor and stop at a door that's cracked.

"She's in there." He says.

"Okay, I don't trust you out here by yourself you might try something. Go ahead in." She orders. Stephan shakes his head and opens the door further, walking around the other end of the bed. The woman continues to hold the gun up to him, glancing over at Teresa who slept peacefully. Not wanting to take her eyes off of him, she glances back and forth while narrowing her brows.

"She's sleeping." Stephan informs unbothered, placing his hands in his pockets. She nods and leans down by Teresa's bedside, still holding the gun up to Stephan. He wasn't going to do anything, but she wasn't taking any chances.

"Hey, come on get up we need to go." She says, shaking her gently and pushing the curls out of her face. Teresa sighs and stirs in her sleep, opening her eyes. After her sight clears, she narrows her eyebrows hoping this wasn't the many dreams she's been having.

"A-Adela? Is that you?" She questions, squeezing her daughter's arm to make sure she wasn't dreaming.

"Yea it's me come on. We gotta go." Adela says. Teresa slowly sits up seeing Adela hold the gun up to Stephan. She shakes her head and pushes her arm down while frowning.

"Put that away. He's not going to do anything. If anything he's helped me." She says.

"How did he help you and he was apart of this? He kept you in his basement and let you get beat!" Adela says standing up to her feet, pointing the gun at Stephan again. Teresa shakes her head no while pulling on Adela's arm.

"He was just doing what he was told, like a lot of y'all were told to do. To follow the rules, but he's changed. Please Adela, he's a good person." Teresa cries. Adela slowly lowers her gun while looking at her mother who's eyes were turning red from the crying. She examined her mother who had bandages over her cuts. Stephan had even ran her a bath and got her some clothes to change in. He had too much heart to see Teresa tied up and abused for something she couldn't control and had nothing to do with anything going on. Adela looks at Stephan, tucking the gun on her waist.