Tomahawk Read Free Page A

foot hole in it.  Everything was destroyed: sofa and love seat looked like they were torn to shreds.  Curtains and blinds were ripped from windows. Photos were ripped from the wall. I couldn’t help but feel the crunch under my feet.  Dishes, glasses, and utensils were broken and scattered on the kitchen floor.  This was overkill. What was Tony into?
    “Dear God.”  I spun around and landed the barrel of my gun to her forehead.  She barely noticed, looking at her home.
    “You need to get out of here; you’ll cut your feet up.”  She didn’t move and just turned her head to access the damage.  She was already cried out. All she could was cover her mouth with her hand and shake her head.  I slipped by her and went to her room.  I found a pair of shoes that weren’t damaged, a pair of old Nike running shoes.  “Come here.”  She was in shock.  “Tony, I am going to put these shoes on you. Okay?”  She nodded.  I led her back to the front door.
    Reaching in my back pocket.  I dialed the number that was given to me earlier.  “Hey, yeah.  Detective Stone this is Victor Moore.  Tonya’s friend. I think you need to come down to her place.”
    Her discomfort was heavy in car; I wanted to roll down the window to breath.  “Could you please drop me off at a hotel or something?”
    I had to think first. I had to pull myself together before I answered her.  “Tony, why can’t you just stay at my house?  I will stay out of your way. I swear.  I would feel a ton better if you would just come back there.”  After I said it I knew that I was talking to her as if she were a child.
    “Vic, I just want to be by myself if it’s all right with you,” she said.
    “I don’t think that’s a good idea right now.  This…This…These things that happened to you, it’s personal.  These aren’t random acts, Tony.  Staying with me is your only option right now.”
    “I’m not in control.  In control of my feelings, in control of this situation, and damn sure not in control of my body.  Just give me one thing. Just one.  Let me be by myself.  I don’t want to be around you, please.” Her voice cracked.  She mumbled something under her breath. 
    “Pardon me?”
    “I said, I thought I changed all my contact information. I wish I had.”  She looked out the window.
    She was angry. No doubt about it.  It was shocking to see. She never got angry.  She was the most even tempered woman I had ever met.  She didn’t get all hysterical when crap didn’t turn out her way.  Tony did cry at movies, but she was a girl I understood that.  But she was never mad or said things to be cruel.  That’s what I did.  “I’m sorry.”  It was all I could say.
    “Look, I know that this day wasn’t what you probably had in mind either.  I have no right to talk to you like that. I’m sorry.  I’m sure you didn’t want to spend your Friday night with me.”  Tonya smirked through busted lips.  “Since I really don’t have any place to go ‘til Monday morning, I guess it will be okay if I stayed with you until I speak to my landlord and get my place fixed.” 
    “You make it sound as if I don’t want to be around you or I hate you or something.”  I gripped the steering wheel, pissed off at myself.  I was opening a door that could have waited to be open. 
    “Yeah.”  She sounded unimpressed.
    “I know that things between us didn’t work out, but I’m still your friend.  I really want you to know that.”  She didn’t reply. Tonya walked through the garage not knowing what to do with herself. 
    “Come on, let’s eat.”  I pulled out left over Chinese takeout from the fridge and put it in the microwave.  She stood by the kitchen table. The one that she picked out.  “Go ahead and sit down.  Dinner will be served.”  It was more like breakfast at 3am.  She pulled the chair out and sat down.  Eyes trained on the table in front of her.  What was she thinking about?