The Last Chance by Darrien Lee Page B

frowned. “You need to mind your business, Andria. You don’t know anything about Keilah.”
    She hugged his neck and said, “Don’t get upset with me, baby. I call it as I see it. If she had a man, she wouldn’t be so uptight all the time.”
    Ramsey removed her arms from around his neck, hustled her into the break room, and closed the door. “Maybe she’s only like that with you. What are you doing here anyway, Andria?”
    She rubbed her arm and said, “I didn’t come here to get manhandled, for sure.”
    â€œLook, I’m sorry. You interrupted a meeting I was in, and I thought I asked you not to just drop by my office without calling first.”
    â€œWhat are you trying to hide, Ramsey? Are you seeing someone else?”
    â€œI’m at work, Andria. What about that can’t you understand? Damn!”
    She grabbed her purse and said, “You’re hiding something. You never have time for me anymore, and I want to know what’s going on.”
    Ramsey walked over to the counter and poured himself a cup of coffee. He turned to her and said, “The world doesn’t revolve around you, Andria, and just for the record, I belong to no woman. If you can’t handle that, or respect my job or my schedule, I’m sorry. Maybe you should just move on.”
    She swung her purse on her shoulder and said, “Maybe I should.”
    Ramsey took a sip of coffee and casually replied, “That’s on you.”
    She angrily walked out of the room without responding. Ramsey finished off his coffee and headed back to his office to finish his day’s work.
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    Later that night, Keilah was awakened by a strange noise radiating from downstairs. She sat up in bed and listened as she heard even more unidentifiable noises. She climbed out of bed, dressed only in boy shorts and a cami, and grabbed her cell phone off the nightstand. Easing over to her walk-in closet, she slid into a pair of sweatpants and tucked her cell phone inside her pocket before picking up her shotgun. Trying not to make any sound, she slowly cocked the gun before making her way out into her hallway. Once again, she heard a noise that sounded like breaking glass. It was obvious to Keilah that someone was in her house, but what troubled her was how they got past her alarm system. Once in the hallway, she made her way to the spare bedroom next door to hers and quietly stepped inside. She wasn’t about to go downstairs and walk into the middle of an ambush. Instead, she decided to let whoever it was come to her.
    As she stood just inside the door of the bedroom with the door barely cracked, she noticed two dark figures slowly climbing the stairs. When they reached the landing, she could see there was something in their hands. She could also hear them whispering to each other as they entered her room. Keilah carefully maneuvered back down the hallway to her bedroom. When she stepped inside the door, she aimed the shotgun at the two figures, who were going through her nightstand and dresser. She turned on the light and found two men wearing ski masks standing in her bedroom.
    â€œDon’t you move an inch,” she instructed them.
    One of the men turned to Keilah, raised his handgun and fired at her. Keilah ducked with the bullet barely missing her head, and then she returned. The force of the shot knocked the main assailant against the wall, leaving him sprawled on the floor, lifeless. The second man raised his gun as well and attempted to shoot at Keilah; however, she shot first. The man lay on the floor, screaming, “You bitch!”
    With her shotgun still aimed at him, she walked closer and kicked the gun away from his hand. “This bitch just shot your ass too, huh?” she said.
    The man continued to curse Keilah as he writhed in agony. With her shotgun still aimed at them, she pulled out her cell phone and called the police.
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    Officer Jackson was