Hard Candy Read Online Free

like what was about to follow.
    â€œDaddy told me . . . that if . . . if anything ever . . . ever happened to him and Mommy that I am supposed to come to you,” she managed to blurt through gasps of breath.
    Rock flexed his jaw so hard, his temples throbbed from the pressure.
    But instead of continuing the explanation, Candice burst into more racking sobs.
    Rock walked over to his raggedy couch and placed her down on it. Then he sat across from her in his favorite recliner, a beat-up, old-fashioned La-Z-Boy that looked as if it had been to Vietnam with him when he was in the Marines. The chair had holes everywhere, and the cushioning was spilling out in spots.
    Rock looked around at the shabby décor, old motheaten curtains, scratched and chipped wood furniture, mismatched table chairs and worn-out couch and chair full of holes. For the first time, he felt slightly embarrassed about his home. He never had visitors, except for Easy, so he never paid much attention to such things.
    â€œCandy, what happened to your daddy?” he finally asked, his voice cracking. He didn’t talk much, but when he did, it took a while for his vocal cords to work.
    Candice looked over at him with her swollen eyes. “They are all dead! Somebody killed them. There was a lot of blood. All of them! Bri-Bri was naked and real beat-up. Mommy was tied up, and Errol had a cut on his neck. The birthday cake was still on the table, and Daddy’s head was busted open in the back. Eric Junior’s head was like, like almost missing. He was right by the door. There was a gun. And, and they all had tape and rope on their arms and legs!”
    Rock listened intently, his face stoic, but his blood rushing hot in his veins, as Candice wailed, incoherent at times, describing the scene she’d come across. He was having an Incredible Hulk moment and felt like he’d just explode out of his clothes and turn into a monster. Her description of the scene was making him physically sick. Rock couldn’t help but think that what had happened was partly his fault, a residual effect of a hit he had recently carried out for Easy, killing one of Easy’s top workers, and an overwhelming sense of guilt transformed his mood.
    He placed his head in his hands and squeezed his balding head. He felt off-kilter, like the room was spinning off its axis. Easy was his only friend and family. Rock was grinding his back teeth and didn’t even realize it. Feeling angry enough to kill someone with his bare hands, he gripped the edges of the recliner to prevent himself from bolting out of the chair.
    â€œCan I please stay here with you?” Candice pleaded. “I don’t have nobody else.”
    The question reverberated in Rock’s ears like a loud explosion. He knew he wasn’t equipped to take care of a fourteen-year-old girl. His lifestyle, his home, and his profession were not at all conducive to child rearing.
    Rock stared at the helpless teenager, speechless. A self-proclaimed loner, he hated noise and relished quiet. He didn’t speak much and often stayed up all night long studying his craft and doing research on his marks. All he had in his home was a bed, recliner, couch, chairs, bookcase, refrigerator, stove, and very little food. He was a dedicated professional and spent nearly all of his time preparing for his hits.
    Yet, something deep inside his chest stirred him to life. He wanted to be there for her, but he knew he had long since closed his heart to love or affection, which she clearly needed right now.
    â€œUncle Rock, did you hear me?” Candice asked softly. She could tell he was uncomfortable with the situation, but something in his eyes told her he would keep her safe.

    â€œYou’re here early,” Uncle Rock’s voice boomed behind Candice.
    She jumped, startled out of her daydream, and turned toward his voice, and a sense of panic set in when she looked at him. He looked unbelievably thinner