Lifestyles of the Rich and Shameless by Noire, Kiki Swinson

this over with. I could feel that my high was wearing off and my nerves were starting to take over me. I needed to get my father to hurry up. He finally hung up the telephone after giving Ms. Everett more instructions.
    “You ready, baby girl? I am all yours for the day. No business calls, no Priscilla, no nothing, just me and my baby girl ... the love of my life,” my father said, placing his arm around my shoulder.
    “Yes, Daddy. I am as ready as I’ll ever be,” I replied with more fake-ass cheesy smiles.
    We walked out of his office arm in arm. My father started heading for the front door. I stopped walking and pulled him a little bit.
    “Oh, wait, Daddy. I parked at the back of the building. I didn’t want Ms. E to see my car and alert you. I wanted to surprise you,” I lied some more.
    “How sweet of you, Megan. Okay, let’s go through the back door to your car. I finally get to ride and let my baby girl drive me around,” he said, smiling proudly.
    I just fell silent. We got to the back door and my legs started to feel weak. I didn’t know if I could go through with the plan. Something deep inside me wanted to tell my father to stay in the building and save me from Eric. But the nagging yearning for meth that I was experiencing propelled me forward and gave me incentive to go through with my plan. Besides, I had assurances from Eric that nothing would happen to my father. We would just put a blindfold on him, request the money, pick it up, and then release him safe and sound.
    My father yanked on the door and we stepped out into the sun. There was a black van blocking my car in. My father immediately noticed. He crumpled his face into a mean mug. “Who the hell is this parked back here on my private property?” my father complained.
    “I know ... they have me blocked in,” I replied, feigning annoyance.
    My father let my arm go and walked over to the van to investigate. He lifted his balled up fist to knock on the side of the black van, but before he could hit the van’s sliding door, the door slid open real fast. My father jumped, and from where I stood, so did I.
    The rest of the shit happened so damn fast it felt like I blinked and my father had disappeared into thin air. When the doors flew open someone placed a black bag over his head and they grabbed him and dragged him into the back of the van. I had heard a short attempt at a scream come from his mouth but nothing after that. I was biting down into my bottom lip so hard I had drawn blood.
    The track phone rang in my pocket. I was snapped out of my trance. I grabbed the phone with shaking hands and placed it up to my ear.
    “What the fuck you standing there looking stupid for? Get your ass in your car and drive to the spot I told you to go to ... now!” Eric screamed in my ear.
    The next thing I heard was a gunshot blast coming from inside the office. I jumped so hard a little bit of piss escaped from my bladder. That’s when I saw one of Eric’s little henchmen running out of the back door to another car. He was holding the surveillance videotape. I cupped my hand over my mouth. There was only one other person inside the office.
    “Oh no!” I mumbled under my hand. They had killed Ms. Everett because she would be a witness. “Oh my God,” I cried, and closed my eyes. My legs felt like they were made of lead. Eric did not tell me that he was going to kill Ms. Everett, or anyone for that matter.
    I slowly got into my car. Once I was in the driver’s seat, the reality of what I had just done hit me like a ton of bricks. I slammed my hands on the steering wheel. “Fuck! Why? I am so fucked up!” I screamed at myself. I had betrayed my own father and now an innocent woman was dead all because of me. And for what? For the likes of Eric Chambers, ex-convict, selfish, male, gold-digging piece of shit. I punched the steering wheel again. Then I put my head down on it and sobbed. The van had long since pulled off. I had just turned my father