by Darrien Lee
The paramedics wheeled Ramsey into an examination room, where they told the doctor that Ramsey had been hit with a stun gun. As the doctor examined Ramsey, Keilah picked up the story of the attack.
“Babe, when you hadn’t come back to the room, I got worried, so I put Neariah in the playpen and came looking for you. That’s when I saw you on the ground and someone standing over you with a gun. I shot him, but he only stumbled backward. I saw him raise the gun again, and that’s when I shot him in the head.”
“Mrs. Stone, you said this was your ex-fiancé. Have you felt threatened by him before?” the detective asked.
“Not to this degree,” she answered. “He has made recent sexual advances, but I never feared for my life or the lives of my family. We’re headed to Florida. I had no idea he was following us.”
The detective turned to the doctor and asked, “How is he?”
“He looks fine. His vitals are normal, his color is good, and his motor skills are on point. His mental state and memory seem to be accurate. I say he can be discharged, but I recommend that you rest for a day before continuing your trip to Florida.”
Ramsey sat up on the side of the examination table and took Neariah in his arms. “I’m sure Charleston is a wonderful city, but I’m ready to get out of here, Doctor. My wife can drive while I rest.”
The doctor nodded. “That will be okay.”
Ramsey then turned to the detective and asked, “Will you need us here for anything else? I want to get my family out of here.”
“I think we have everything we need for now,” the detective replied. “My partner is in the process of contacting the detectives in D.C. Hopefully, they’ll be able to tie up any loose ends so we can close our case. If we need you, I have your number and address to call upon you.”
Ramsey stood and said, “Good. Can you give us a ride back to the vet so I can get my dog?”
The detective closed his notebook and said, “If the doctor said you can go, you can go. Sure, I’ll give you a ride.”
Back at the hotel Ramsey and Keilah were finally able to settle into bed. Neariah was asleep before she was placed into the playpen, and Target slept quietly at the foot of their bed.
He pulled his wife closer to him and said, “You do know you saved my life tonight.”
She kissed his neck and said, “That’s what I’m supposed to do. I can’t believe that Trenton was the one who took Neariah. He must’ve gone off the deep end to do something so irrational, especially since he thought he could get away with killing you.”
“I guess,” Ramsey replied. “This gets Andria off the hook. She’s lucky, because Trenton did a good job framing her. She could’ve ending up spending a long time in jail.”
“I don’t want to talk about it anymore. I want to get to Florida and relax and enjoy life.”
“We’ll get there, babe.”
The couple fell asleep and set off for Clearwater the next day. Once they arrived at the house, they quickly unpacked and started enjoying the warm Florida climate. The first thing they did was take a family walk on the beach. The temperature was in the low seventies, but with the blue skies and sun beaming down on them, it felt much warmer. The couple loved watching Neariah, who was excited about the waves rolling in toward them as she rode on her dad’s shoulders.
“This is paradise, babe,” Keilah declared.
He put his arm around her shoulders and said, “I told you it was beautiful. I couldn’t be happier right now.”
She looked up into his eyes and asked, “How are you feeling? Any numbness left over?”
“I’m good. I don’t ever want to get hit with a Taser again. That’s a helpless feeling.”
Keilah found the perfect spot and spread a blanket out on the warm sand and sat down. “You know I know how it feels. I think I was injured more from hitting the pavement than from the jolt itself.”
Ramsey placed Neariah on the blanket, took a seat next to Keilah, and let out a breath. “Yeah, the baby was my concern after making sure you were okay.”
She dug her toes in the cool sand in silence, reliving the pain of losing their child. “It stills hurts. You know?”
He caressed her knee and said, “I know, sweetheart, but we’ll have more children.”
“Listen, Ramsey, I have something to tell you that you need to know. It’s about what happened in South Carolina.”
“What is it?” he asked as he tickled Neariah’s feet.
She hugged her knees and said, “Last night at the hotel, when you went out to walk Target, I was opening the mail. Inside one of the envelopes was a DVD. I put it in my laptop, and it was a sex video of you and Andria.”
“What?” he asked, startled by her news.
“There was a note that said something like, ‘No matter what you think of me, just remember that I can have him anytime I want to, just like I’m having him now.’ I was shocked and pissed, and I wanted to ask you about it.”
“Babe, I never made a tape with that woman!” he yelled, defending himself.
She nodded and said, “Yes, you did. You might not have known about it, but you did. Do you want to see it? I have it in my suitcase.”
“Hell no, I don’t want to see it.”
Keilah looked over at her husband and asked, “Have you slept with Andria since we’ve been together?”
“No! And I can’t believe you would think I have.”
“I have to ask, especially since Neil said the cottage where her credit card was found was rented in your name.”
He ran his hand over his head and said, “Keilah, don’t let Andria’s bullshit mess with your head. I stopped fooling with her when I started being intimate with you. You know neither Trenton nor Andria could accept us getting together, and as you see now, they will do anything to put a wedge between us. I love you and only you. I thought you knew that.”
“I do, but I had to ask. It was hard watching you with your hands on that woman.”
He pulled her into his arms and said, “That was a long time ago.”
“It still hurt to see it.”
Neariah picked up a seashell and handed it to her father.
“Thank you, Neariah.”
She hugged his neck and gave him a big kiss. Keilah admired the loving exchange between father and daughter and was finally snapped back to reality.
“I’m sorry, Ramsey. These are the moments I live for. I should’ve never brought it up.”
“No, I’m glad you did. There is no other woman for me, and I don’t ever want you to question my love for you. Got it?” he said with a firm tone.
She smiled and said, “Got it.” She paused. “I wish I had my camera on me.”
Ramsey pulled his cell out of his pocket and said, “Here. Use my cell. I want a beach picture with my beautiful daughter, and then I want one with all three of us.”
Keilah took a picture of the two most important people in her life, and then they took a picture of the three of them together before returning to the house for an early dinner. Once inside the house, she took the DVD in question and broke it into several pieces and tossed it in the trash.
In D.C. Andria was fuming that she had had to spend those horrible hours in jail with people she called uncivilized and ignorant. While in jail, she was accosted by a couple of women, who cornered her in the cell and basically felt her up. If her father hadn’t got her out when he did, she probably would’ve been sexually assaulted, and for what? When she got home, she soaked in the tub for over an hour to get the stench off her body. She needed peace and serenity, and surrounding herself with scented candles and soft music while she relaxed in the tub always did the trick.
But this time instead of soothing her, the act of soaking in the tub brought out emotions that she had been holding in for a while. It was here that she broke down crying when she realized how close she had come to really going to jail because of Ramsey and how little he thought of her after they had shared such a strong intimate relationship. Maybe she
did need some serious therapy to get over him, because she couldn’t get him off her mind. A change of scenery was what she needed most, so maybe she should join Rico in Cabo San Lucas and have some fun, she thought. It had been a while since she’d laughed or even felt like herself—all because she’d been obsessed over Ramsey Stone—and nothing brought that fact home more than when she got a text from Rico telling her to put her TV on CNN. Andria quickly reached for the remote and turned to CNN.
“Charleston, South Carolina, police have identified the body of the man killed at a coastal resort as that of Trenton Daniels, a university professor and a national bestselling author from the D.C. area, who has also been named as a suspect in the kidnapping of one-year-old Neariah Stone. Authorities said the shooting was the result of a domestic dispute and stalking a woman from a prior relationship. No charges have been filed against Keilah Stone, a wealthy D.C. businesswoman, since it was determined that the shooting was in self-defense.”
Andria couldn’t believe her ears as she sat up in the suds. She quickly dialed Rico’s number and said, “Are you hearing this shit? What the hell?”
“Your nemesis bust a cap in that dude that set you up for that kidnapping,” he said with a chuckle. “I would say it’s poetic justice. She did you a favor.”
“A man is dead, Rico. He was hurting over losing Keilah as much as I was hurting over Ramsey. People do stupid things when they’re in pain.”
“You can’t be feeling sorry for him, Andy. He almost sent your prim and proper ass to the pen. You need to send her a thank-you card.”
“The only thank-you card she’s going to get from me is the one you mailed for me.”
“What was in that envelope, anyway?” he asked.
“Oh, nothing much,” she revealed with a giggle. “It was just a little video souvenir of me and her husband pleasuring each other.”
“You’re ignorant, Andy.”
“I know, but that’s what she gets. I had to bring her down a notch or two while she’s walking around all high and mighty.”
“Andy! Ramsey married the woman he wanted, and it wasn’t you. Let it go!” he yelled. “Get your ass on a plane and come on down here to Cabo so you can party with me. I guarantee you’ll forget about Ramsey as soon as you see this beautiful water and get a few drinks in you.”
“Since it looks like the charges are going to be dropped against me, I guess I can get out of this city for a while. I’ll see you as soon as I can get a flight out.”
“Call me back with the details so I’ll know when to meet you at the airport.”
“Will do,” Andria replied before climbing out of the tub.
Two days later, Andria met with her attorney and the district attorney to get the news that the kidnapping charges against her had been dismissed since Trenton had confessed to Neariah’s kidnapping. She climbed into her car and headed back to her condo so she could get her suitcase and head for the airport for her flight to Cabo San Lucas. When she entered her condo, she walked into her bedroom to get a scarf out of the closet and the bedroom door slammed closed, startling her.
“What the hell are you doing here?” she yelled.
Ramsey walked over to her and grabbed her by the neck. He pushed her against the wall and held a gun to her head and said, “If you do one more thing to contact me or anyone in my family, especially my wife, I will make sure you don’t see the light of another day. Do you understand me, Andria?”
Trembling she nodded in agreement.
He tightened his grip and said, “I could kill you right now and not give it a second thought, you selfish, spoiled bitch. You’re going to forget we ever met, or I swear to God I will make sure you spend the next twenty years behind bars.”
“Please don’t,” she whispered. “I can’t go back to that place.”
He pushed the gun harder against the side of her head and whispered, “Try me.”
With tears streaming down her face, she repeated over and over that she was sorry.
Ramsey tightened his grip on her neck and said, “If you have any more DVDs with me and you in compromising positions, you’d better destroy them, because if any more come to light, I will kill you.”
He released her, and she slid to the floor, trembling and crying hysterically. When she got the nerve to look up, he was gone. It was as if he was never there. She pulled herself off the floor and sat on the side of her bed to try and compose herself. She walked over to the mirror and inspected her neck. As expected, Ramsey’s tight grip had left a dark bruise around her neck. Her head was tender where he had shoved the barrel of his gun against it as well. It was then that Andria realized how easily he could’ve killed her, and she also realized that she was trying to hold on to someone who didn’t give a damn about her. She wiped the tears spilling out of her eyes and then pulled her cell phone out of her purse and confirmed her flight before gathering her belongings and walking out the door.
Several hours later, Ramsey returned home and found Keilah pulling Neariah around in the baby pool on a float in the shape of a frog. He quickly changed into his swim trunks and joined them in the pool.
“Da-dee!” Neariah yelled.
He slid down in the pool and gave both his ladies a kiss. “Sorry I’m late. I got held up longer than expected.”
“I thought the trip to Atlanta was going to be a quick trip,” Keilah said.
Ramsey couldn’t tell his wife that after leaving Atlanta, he flew to D.C. and threatened his former lover with death if she ever contacted him or his family again. It was obvious that Andria wasn’t going to allow them the luxury of peace, so he did what he needed to do to stop her, and if she didn’t, he would made good on his promise of jail or death, whichever he felt was necessary. After the trauma of Neariah’s kidnapping and losing the baby, he wanted his wife to relax and start enjoying their early retirement.
“It was going to be a quick trip, sweetheart, but the seller tried to convince me not to pull out of the deal. He started throwing all sorts of incentives at me. I stayed to hear him out but ultimately told him we were no longer interested,” he lied as he pulled Neariah’s frog float across the pool.
Neariah screamed and clapped as her father played in the water with her while Keilah snapped pictures and videos. Keilah climbed out of the pool, and Ramsey’s eyes followed her over to her chair. He admired her luscious body in the lime-green bikini as she toweled off.
“You want something to drink?” she asked as she wrapped the towel around her hips.
“What I want is under that towel.”
She giggled and said, “You can have it anytime you want, babe. Now, do you want a drink?”
“Yeah, you can bring me a club soda.”
She walked over to their outdoor lounging area and pulled a couple of club sodas out of the refrigerator. She handed one to her husband, who continued to play with his daughter. Keilah took a sip of hers and knew this was the life she wanted with her husband. It had been a tough year personally, but it seemed like they could finally exhale and enjoy life.
Andria stepped off the plane in Cabo and gave Rico a hug. He could see that she was upset, so they went to the bar to have a few drinks before heading to the hotel. While there she told Rico about Ramsey’s unexpected visit. It wasn’t long before the sting of the ordeal had diminished and she started feeling more relaxed and liberated.
“Now are you done with him?” Rico asked.
She held up her glass and said, “Yes, I’m done.”
“What about that dude your dad introduced you to? You should give him a chance.”
Andria shook her head and said, “He’s nice, but he’s not my type.”
Rico smiled and said, “Oh, I get it. You want a classy man with a little thug in him, huh?”
She held her drink up to him and, before draining it, said, “Okay? You know I need him to be a gentleman in the streets and a freak in the sheets. Now I’m ready to have some fun with my best friend. Let’s get out of here so we can part
y.”
“Now, that’s what I want to hear from my homegirl,” Rico stated as he took her suitcase and they exited the airport and made their way out to a waiting cab.
Epilogue
Two months later Kyle and Tori joined Ramsey and Keilah at their Florida home, along with Xenia, who by now was nearly four months pregnant, and her husband, Keith. All were in town to help celebrate Ramsey’s birthday. Tori was off crutches, but when she walked, she had a slight limp, which was expected to diminish after a few more weeks of therapy. She and Kyle were planning a destination wedding in Jamaica with close family members and friends since they eloped, and everyone was looking forward to sharing in their joy. Kyle had taken family leave so he could care for his injured newlywed, and he was enjoying being out of Washington, D.C., for a while. It had been nearly two years since he had taken a real vacation, so he was enjoying becoming a beach bum with his best friend, Ramsey, and the rest of his family.
The Stones felt like they had finally arrived at their destination and couldn’t be any happier than they were right now. They kept in touch with friends and family via webcam, which also came in handy when participating in meetings with their managers and brothers at their agency. The business was still flourishing, and they had received several lucrative offers to purchase their agency. The Stones were seriously considering selling, but they had to think about their loyal employees and what would happen to them if they did. They didn’t want the reputation and name they had worked so hard to build to be mishandled in any way, so they were careful about which offers to take seriously.
After enjoying Ramsey’s birthday celebration, Keilah received an e-mail from Michael saying that he and his fiancée had gotten married in a lavish ceremony in Washington a few weeks after they last spoke. He attached a wedding photograph to the e-mail and revealed that any day they would become parents to the orphaned child he wanted to adopt.
