One Blood

Chapter Seventy-Six

Chapter Seventy-Six

Lake City, LA

Somewhere, Randy could hear his father laughing.

I’m in hell.

He opened his eyes slowly and saw the underside of his desk. After a moment’s confusion, a searing pain in the left side of his neck reminded him what he’d done.

I’m still alive!

He pressed his fingers against the back of his neck and felt the exit wound. It radiated with a sickly heat, but the blood flow seemed to have stopped. Randy looked to his right—the gun was still in his hand. It was some kind of miracle.

  He heard the laughter again. The sound wasn’t in his head—it was coming from the safe. He got to his knees and with shaky hands he entered the combination. The safe opened and Randy saw his father’s Klan hood standing upright.

It stared at him and then spoke in his father’s roaring voice. “Givin’ up that easily, Boy? What the hell’s wrong with ya?”

“It’s over, Dad. I can’t fix it.”

“Whaddaya mean? You lied, killed, and stole to get here and now you just quittin’? I always knew you were too weak. Just like your goddamned mother!” 

The disgust in his father’s voice made Randy look down in shame. “But I’m too late. What can I do now?”

“The curse is real, Boy, and Karen will die unless you kill that nigger bastard.”

Lincoln Baker! 

Randy’s thoughts were on fire. “Where can I find him?”

“Join with me, Son. I will take you to him so you can reclaim your legacy.”

Yes. Randy could make up for his mistakes. He reached into the safe and retrieved the hood. Oblivious to the pain, he slipped it over his head. The shift of the hood connected with his neck, making an audible click.

It was a perfect fit.