Firestone

by Christian, Claudia Hall

  “I love him too,” Jeraine said.

  “What did the lawyer say?” Tanesha asked.

  “He said what your father said,” Jeraine said. “Your parents have physical custody of him. They have to take care of him.”

  “Even from the hospital?” Tanesha asked. “We can’t even wait for him?”

  Jeraine nodded.

  “There’s something else,” Jeraine said.

  “What?”

  “The lawyer has to call Annette,” Jeraine said.

  “You mean The Annette Show is going to show up at the hospital?” Tanesha asked.

  Jeraine nodded.

  “Then we are going to be there.” Tanesha nodded. She stepped back from Jeraine and wiped her eyes. “I’m calling Jill and . . .”

  Tanesha gasped when she realized what Jeraine was saying.

  “I can’t be there?” Tanesha asked.

  Jeraine nodded.

  “Then you better drive fast, Jeraine Wilson,” Tanesha said. “You get your ass to that hospital before that witch takes over the place.”

  Jeraine hugged her tight. Letting go, he walked out of the house. She listened to his car drive away. Hearing a sound, Tanesha looked up.

  “Sorry,” Akeem said. “I didn’t mean to disturb you. I heard Rodney’s car, and I thought I’d come clean up. Your mom likes the house clean, especially when she’s upset.”

  “Did you see . . .” Tanesha gestured to the room around her.

  “I heard,” Akeem said. “And I’m sorry.”

  Tanesha nodded.

  “If it’s any consolation,” Akeem started to clear the table, “I was like Jabari.”

  Tanesha shook her head, she didn’t know what he meant. Tanesha helped him clear the table.

  “My mother was crazy,” Akeem said. “My father was a drug dealer. He loved me, but there wasn’t no way no one was going to give him custody. Um . . .”

  “No one was going to give him custody,” Tanesha corrected, because Akeem had asked her to.

  “Thanks,” Akeem said. “No one wanted to give my father custody. I broke my leg when I was with him once. Fell out of a tree we were climbing. You’d think the world had come to an end. No one had the authority to take me. It was . . . just a mess. I had my first drugs then, kept taking them because of . . .”

  He gestured to his heart where his pain lived. She nodded in understanding. They went into the kitchen, where they started working on dishes.

  “You know what I think?” Akeem asked.

  “What do you think?” Tanesha asked.

  “I think Jabari is pretty lucky,” Akeem said. “My dad was killed in a knife fight when I was ten. Nobody gave a crap about me after he was gone. Not a single soul cared if I lived or died until I met Rodney. Jabari has all these people who love him — even me. He ain’t gonna be no unloved, throwaway kid.”

  She didn’t bother to correct his language.

  “If his mother gets him back . . .” Tanesha didn’t finish that thought.

  “We’re not going to let that happen,” Akeem said.

  “Doesn’t seem like there’s much we can do,” Tanesha said.

  “We can pray,” Akeem said. “Doesn’t matter what God you pray to or how you do it. It makes a difference, even if just to make you feel better.”

  Tanesha nodded, and they started the dishes. They washed dishes and cleaned the dining room.

  “Thanks,” Tanesha said when they were done.

  “It’s how I pay rent,” Akeem said. “I’m grateful every day for Rodney. It’s the least I can do.”

  “For telling me your story,” Tanesha said.

  Akeem nodded.

  “I want you to know that you’re not unloved anymore,” Tanesha said. “For what it’s worth, you’re a part of our family now.”

  “Thanks.” Akeem smiled. “Can I drive you home?”

  “I’ll call one of my girls,” Tanesha said. “They’ll want to know everything anyway.”

  “I’ll take Mr. Chesterfield for his nightly constitutional,” Akeem said. “If you’re still here when I get back, I can always take you then.”

  “Thanks, Akeem,” Tanesha said.

  He left through the kitchen door. Tanesha nodded toward the door and called Heather.

  ~~~~~~~~

  Thursday evening — 9:15 p.m.

  “Sorry I’m late,” Ava said as she came into Seth’s piano room. She waited for him to stop playing before saying anything else. “Nelson wants to try out being a foster parent. They have a temporary placement that they think will be perfect, so he had to get approved fast. We’ve all been there cleaning and making sure everything’s perfect. They’re coming tomorrow to inspect his house.”

  “This wouldn’t by any chance be for Tink’s brother, would it?” Seth asked.

  “How’d you know?” Ava asked.

  “I am the great O’Malley,” Seth said. He pulled her onto his lap. She laughed and kissed him. “Sandy told me he needed a placement. Do you think he’s doing this to impress Blane?”

  “I don’t know,” Ava said. “He says he’s doing it to try it out, but I think that’s a ‘trying it out to see if I could deal with living with Blane.’ But don’t quote me. I didn’t find out about it until I was coming back from the gym. You got my message though, didn’t you?”

  “I did.” Seth nodded.

  He kissed her again.

  “What happened with Raz and Colin?” Ava asked.

  “Oh, Raz . . .” Seth said. “I don’t know what he was before he was an agent, and I’ll probably never find out.”

  “But . . .?”

  “If I was a betting man, I’d bet he was a homicide detective,” Seth said. “At least he should have been. He’s very good. We went through the information twice. He insisted on calling in the FBI agent-in-charge of the rape cases. They were . . .”

  “Blown away?” Ava asked.

  “Worried,” Seth said.

  “That’s the weird thing,” Ava said. “You’re cops and you’re worried.”

  “There’s a lot of damage Red Bear can do,” Seth said. “Raz reminded me that the worst thing he can actually do is release a bunch of stuff with Sandy in it.”

  “Or something awful on Andy,” Ava said.

  “We’re kind of held hostage,” Seth said.

  “Because you haven’t found where he’s running the operation?” Ava asked.

  “Mostly, yes,” Seth said. “We don’t have a direct connection to Patty, Charlie and Sissy’s mother. We found the storage area where Andy kept everything, and where some of the computers are, but . . .”

  “ . . .you didn’t find anything of Red Bear’s in that storage area,” Ava said.

  “Right,” Seth said. “The storage area was one hundred percent Andy’s. The videos there were ones that were used to threaten her.”

  “Used to keep her in line,” Ava said.

  “Exactly,” Seth said. “Yeah . . .”

  Seth’s head went up and down in a nod. He looked over Ava’s shoulder for a moment.

  “What’s going on?” Ava asked.

  “I just have this feeling that Andy wants me to do something,” Seth said. “To fix this. Get the bastard. But . . . I’m at a complete loss. I’ve been sitting here all afternoon trying to figure out what she’s trying to tell me.”

  “But you didn’t call Delphie,” Ava said.

  “Uh . . .”

  “What is it with you and Delphie?” Ava asked. “Half the time, you act like you hate her. She’s the same way.”

  “She says we were siblings in other lives,” Seth said.

  “I see,” Ava said. “That’s a good reason not to call the woman.”

  Seth scowled.

  “How about this?” Ava asked. “I’m going upstairs to see what Maresol left for dinner.”

  “She didn’t,” Seth said. “I told her we were going out.”

  “Then I was late,” Ava said. “Sorry.”

  “No problem,�
� Seth said. “You want to order something?”

  “How ’bout if I cook something yummy?” Ava asked and then laughed at the look on his face. Seth smiled. “I’ll go upstairs and order something. You call Delphie.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Seth said.

  He waited until she’d left the room before starting to play again. He told himself he’d play for only a minute but he started in on the piece he was working on. He was just getting going when the key cover on the piano slammed closed. If he hadn’t moved his fingers quickly, they would have been broken. He scowled.

  “All right, all right,” Seth said. “Don’t get pissy. I’m calling!”

  He looked around the room until he found his cell phone and called Delphie.

  Chapter Two Hundred and Ninety-one

  Helpless

  Thursday night — 9:35 p.m.

  “Seth!” Delphie yelled into the phone. Seth held the phone away from his ear. “It’s about time!”

  He held the mouth piece just close enough to speak.

  “How so?” he asked.

  “Andy’s been here waiting for you!” Delphie yelled. “I’ve had to hide out because . . .”

  A man’s voice rumbled in the background.

  “Oh, it’s just Seth,” Delphie said in a normal tone. “He likes it when I yell into the cell phone.”

  Seth groaned, and Delphie laughed.

  “What does Andy want?” Seth asked.

  “Oh,” Delphie chuckled. “I don’t know. We were having such a good time gossiping about . . . well, never mind. I’m sure you just want to know whatever it is you want to know.”

  “What were you gossiping about?” Seth asked, because he knew he should.

  “Have you noticed how much Rachel looks like Andy?” Delphie answered, because she knew he was only asking because he should. “She’s the spitting image of Andy.”

  “With Aden’s eyes,” Seth said.

  “Why do you think your children look so little like you, Seth?” Delphie asked, and then laughed.

  Seth rolled his eyes and waited for Delphie to stop laughing.

  “Okay, okay,” Delphie said. “I know you’re just indulging me. Let’s see . . .”

  Delphie went still. Seth waited.

  “Oh,” Delphie said. “She said you have to go through that box.”

  “What box?” Seth asked.

  “The one in the storage area,” Delphie said. “I told you about it.”

  “You never told me about a box in the storage area,” Seth said.

  “I told someone . . .” Delphie said. “Oh, that’s right, I told Sandy.”

  “And I’d know that because . . .” Seth let the silence linger.

  “You’re the great Magic O’Malley,” Delphie said and laughed.

  “Very funny,” Seth said. “How do I get this box?”

  “You have to ask Sandy,” Delphie said. “But that’s not why Andy wants to talk to you.”

  “Oh?”

  “She wants you to know that she likes Ava,” Delphie said. “No, that’s not it either. Just a second.”

  Seth fell silent while Delphie talked to the ghost of his first love.

  “Really?” Delphie asked. “Huh.”

  “What?” Seth asked.

  “Nothing,” Delphie said. Her voice sped up. “Nice to talk to you.”

  “Delphie!” Seth said. “Tell me what Andy said!”

  “I don’t know if I should . . .”

  “Tell me,” Seth said.

  “She said that Patty’s getting out,” Delphie said. “You know, of prison. She’s been able to convince a judge that she’s not a flight risk, so they’re letting her out. That detective is part of that. He told them she was safe and everything . . . Andy says Patty and Red Bear are planning on getting the money and leaving the country, but . . .”

  “But?” Seth asked.

  “Patty blames Sandy for putting her in prison,” Delphie said. “They have . . . um . . . They’re going to . . .”

  “What?” Seth asked.

  “You know, like before . . . but over the Internet,” Delphie said. “They’ve already set up the site and are charging money for people to watch it happen . . .”

  “Oh my God,” Seth jumped to his feet and started running through the basement.

  “I have to warn Sandy,” Delphie said.

  “When does Patty get out?” Seth took the stairs two at a time.

  “Tomorrow,” Delphie said. “They’re going to . . . Saturday night. But the detective? He’s going to grab Sandy . . . soon.”

  “Shit,” Seth said as he walked into the kitchen.

  Ava was sitting at the counter reading a novel. She looked up when he came in. She mouthed, “What?”

  “Where’s Sandy now?”

  “She’s upstairs,” Delphie said. “At least that’s what Andy says. They said if they can’t get Sandy they’ll get . . .”

  Delphie stopped talking.

  “Who?” Seth asked. “Who will they get?”

  “Rachel,” Delphie said. “From daycare.”

  “I’m on my way,” Seth said, and hung up the phone. He looked at Ava.

  “What’s going on?” Ava asked.

  “I have to go to see Sandy,” Seth said.

  “I’ll go with you,” Ava said.

  “You don’t have to . . .”

  “Don’t tell me what I don’t have to do, O’Malley,” Ava said. “You’re my almost husband. This is our life. I’m going.”

  Seth stared at her.

  “Go!” Ava said.

  He ran out the back door, and she followed.

  ~~~~~~~~

  Thursday night — 9:35 p.m.

  Jeraine looked across the waiting area. There were families clustered here and there around the waiting room. Rodney and Yvonne were in an examination room with Jabari. Jeraine was sitting with Schmidty and Risa, the social worker. Schmidty called in the big guys who’d provided Jeraine with security at the custody hearing. So far, they had managed to keep the waiting area free of cameras and paparazzi.

  But they couldn’t keep Annette out.

  She’d flown at Jeraine when she saw him. She managed to hit him a few times before a Children’s Hospital security guard had pulled her off of Jeraine. Between the security guard and Jeraine’s bodyguards, they’d managed to get the television people out of the hospital waiting room. Once her reality television people were gone, Annette calmed down.

  Annette said that Jabari had had “problems” like this before. Jeraine got her to tell the doctor, and he took Annette’s information. They had already contacted Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. It was only a matter of time before they faxed the records. Annette sat down in a huff a few seats from him. About a half hour later, one of the women on her television show arrived. Annette greeted her with much fuss and the sudden appearance of tears. She hadn’t yet turned off the waterworks when another friend from television arrived. The three scantily clad, overly made-up women glared at Jeraine and sat down.

  Jabari’s fever remained. He was a sick little boy. The primary doctor thought he might have lupus. Jeraine read about it on his phone before he called his father. Bumpy said that they would have to wait and see. But Jeraine was terrified.

  Jeraine had never felt so helpless in his entire life. He’d always been able to do anything he wanted. He’d wanted a record contract; he’d gotten a record contract. He’d wanted to be famous; he’d become super famous. He’d wanted to be rich; he’d become very rich.

  Right now, all he wanted was for Jabari to be well. And there was nothing he could do.

  Rodney and Yvonne finally came in from the back. They repeated what the doctor had said.

  “There is nothing anyone can do until the child’s fever is down,” Yvonne said.

  Annette and her friends made such a huge fuss that one of Jeraine’s big guards went looking for a television camera. He found a cameraman pressed against the glass of the waiting room. The guard destroye
d the camera and scared the cameraman enough that he left.

  When Annette started screaming at Yvonne, Jeraine couldn’t help but notice how Yvonne’s effortless beauty far outshone all of Annette’s makeup, plastic surgery, and expensive clothing. Jeraine wasn’t sure why but it made him uncomfortable to see the women together.

  “That woman did something to baby-Jabari,” Jeraine heard Yvonne whisper to Rodney after they had moved away from Yvonne. “I just know it.”

  Jeraine looked at Yvonne.

  “You do too,” Yvonne said to Jeraine.

  He gave a slight nod.

  “If my Tannie were here, she’d . . .” Yvonne stopped talking because they all knew that Tanesha would kick Annette’s ass and throw her out of the hospital.

  “We don’t need that on television.” Jeraine smiled. Yvonne laughed.

  “Mr. and Mrs. Smith?” the nurse asked from the front of the room. “The doctor would like to speak with you and . . . Risa? Are you here?”

  The social worker stood up and walked with Rodney and Yvonne to the front of the room. Clearly agitated, the nurse said something in a low tone. Before they went into the back, Rodney turned and nodded to Jeraine. His stomach dropped. Rodney’s nod meant that Annette had indeed done something to Jabari to make him sick.

  Jeraine was furious.

  “Steady Jer. They want you to vent your rage on ‘poor little Annette.’ You don’t want to be on that TV show either,” Schmidty said under his breath. “The best revenge . . .”

  “ . . .is one served cold,” Jeraine said. “I know.”

  “No,” Schmidty said. “The best revenge is letting people’s actions catch up with them.”

  “What the hell does that mean?” Jeraine asked.

  “It means you don’t have to work too hard,” Schmidty said. “If she hurt Jabari, she’s going to get hers pretty fast.”

  Jeraine nodded. He knew Schmidty’s words should make him feel better, but they didn’t.

  After all, Jabari was still sick.

  ~~~~~~~~

  Thursday night — 9:55 p.m.

  “So it looks like it worked out,” Heather said to Blane. Heather was cleaning up the kitchen while Blane sat at the kitchen counter. “If all goes well tomorrow—which it should—Tink’s brother, Chet, will stay with Nelson for the time being. When you’re well, we can look at integrating him into our family.”