Supreme was taken aback by the question. “Nah, my Nana doesn’t have her. She’s still with your mom.”
“I just thought you would’ve gotten her. Ky has never gone this long without me. I know my mom is trippin’,” Choice said as she ran her fingers through her hair.
“Chill out. I’m pretty sure Kyree is fine. Do you think your mom would hurt her or something?” Supreme squinted his eyes at Choice when she didn’t reply. “Do you?”
Choice nodded her head. “Yes...I mean no... I don’t know.”
Supreme couldn’t believe the conversation that they were having. He was a drug dealer. He knew how crack heads got down. He’d been approached so many times with crazy proposals from fiends. And Karen was a fiend so anything was possible. Kids were getting abused by their parents or a family member every day. Choice shook away the tears that threatened to fall.
“How long have I been in here again?” Choice asked softly.
“You’ve been in here for nine days.”
“So, the last time I saw Ky was eleven days ago. “ Oh my God, I hope my sister’s okay. She’s never been without me and me without her,” Choice said as she looked over at the window.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Sitting inside of Supreme’s Camaro, Choice was enjoying the warm weather as it kissed her skin. She and Supreme had just left the hospital. She shielded her eyes with a pair of gold Ray Ban sunglasses as her hair blew wildly in the wind. Supreme turned down the Kendrick Lamar song he was listening to and looked over at Choice.
“Yo ma, I gotta make a few stops. Are you riding with me or do you want me to drop you off at the crib?”
“I’m riding with you.”
“Cool,” Supreme said as he nodded his head. The first stop Supreme made was to his trap house on 12th Court.
“I’ll be back,” Supreme said as he parked in front of the trap house.
Seven dudes were standing on the porch and Supreme was greeted by all of them. Choice sat in the car watching Supreme as he gave a couple of dudes dap and some head nods. Supreme wasn’t even in there a good five minutes before her phone started ringing. It was Blue. She smiled as she answered the phone.
“And where the hell have you been?”
“Whoa,” Blue said with a giggle. “I ain’t been nowhere special.”
“So why haven’t you been up to see me while I was in the hospital? I know we’re tighter than that,” Choice said.
“I tried to come see you, but the nurses said that I wasn’t on the list to see you so they wouldn’t let me.”
Choice knew of the list Blue was talking about so she dropped the subject.
“I talked to Ashley earlier today and she told me that you were getting out today. Listen, Sleeping Beauty, guess who was found shot in the head in their apartment.”
“Just tell me, Blue.”
“It was Mimi and they can’t even find Bug. They think he’s dead too.”
“What!”
“Damn, that’s so fucked up! When did they find her?”
“A couple of days ago. Whoever killed her must’ve locked the door behind them. The only reason they found her was because she started stinking.”
“That’s some sad shit. She was about three or four months pregnant.”
“Yeah it is. I hope they find whoever did it, real talk.”
“But since you’re finally home we should go and get our nails done or something. I’ll make sure to give you a couple of days notice since you’re all booed up now.”
Choice giggled. “Whatever. The shit just happened so fast.”
“You know Wise ain’t happy about it.”
“What did he say?”
“He didn’t really seem surprised when I told him. I can tell he ain’t happy about it though.”
“Damn. I have to call him when I settle in.”
“Well, let me get off this phone. Make sure you call me when you want to go get your nails done.”
“Okay.” Choice hung up her phone and looked up just in time to see Supreme walking back to the car with a bag in his hands.
“You want to go get something to eat? The refrigerator is empty,” Supreme said when he got back in the car. He put the bag in the back seat on the floor.
“Yeah, I’ve been dying for some Miss Anne’s,” Choice said as she eyed the bag.
“So, I just got off the phone with my friend, Blue. She just told me that they found one of my friends from school dead. She was shot in the head.”
“Damn, that’s fucked up,” Supreme simply said as he drove off. “I got three more stops to make. Then we can stop by your mom’s before we get the food. You still want to go over there, right?”
Choice nodded her head. Choice enjoyed riding with Supreme. Every time he would go into a house, a couple of minutes later he would return with a bag. Choice wondered what was in the bags but she wouldn’t dare ask him. When Supreme pulled up in front of Karen’s apartment, Granny was sitting on her porch.
“Hey Granny,” Choice said when she got out of the car.
“Hey Choice, I ain’t seen you in a while. How have you been?”
“I’m okay. I just came to visit my mom and Ky.”
“I haven’t seen your mom in a while. She didn’t have Kyree with her when I did. I thought Ky was with you.”
“Ky isn’t with me. She should’ve been with my mom.”
Granny shrugged her shoulders. “Well, she wasn’t with her when I saw your mom.”
Choice was so mad and confused that she didn’t even bother to knock on Karen’s door.
“Okay, well, thanks for the info, Granny. If you happen to see my mom, please call me. You have my number.”
Choice held her head down as she walked back to the car. She wanted answers but she would just have to wait until her mother or Granny called her.
****
Choice sat in the bed in her new home eating chocolate almond ice cream out of the container. The new house was only ten minutes away from the old one and only seconds away from Nana. It was a two-story brick and cream ranch style home with a three-car garage. The house had five bedrooms; three were upstairs with a spiral staircase that led to the other two bedrooms downstairs. Choice was too depressed to even enjoy it. She had been agonizing for five days over her sister.
She flipped through the TV channels as she put a spoonful of ice cream into her mouth. She was so frustrated. She’d been over to her mom’s house numerous times and she hadn’t answered the door once. She stuck another spoonful of ice cream into her mouth before sitting the container down on the nightstand.
Tired of just sitting around and determined to get some answers, Choice hopped out of the bed and quickly got dressed. On her way out of the house, she tossed the ice cream in the garbage. Enough with that depressed shit. She had important business to tend to.
Karen is going to open the door today, Choice thought to herself as she rubbed her small baby bump. When she pulled up to Karen’s, she looked like a mad woman. She got out of her car and walked up the stairs. She pounded on the door as hard as she could then waited for a couple of seconds before pounding on the door again. There was still no answer. Choice’s hands started to hurt from all of the pounding. She was aggravated and tired so she started relentlessly kicking the door with her foot. Choice felt like she was losing her mind.
“Open up this fuckin’ door! I know your ass is in there, muthafucka. You’re trying to keep me away from my fuckin’ sister. I fuckin’ hate your ass!”
Choice’s heart raced as her chest rose up and down. She rested her hands on her hips and took deep slow breaths. Choice became angrier with every second that passed.
“Bitch, you can’t hide in there forever,” Choice yelled as she kicked the door once more before she walked down to her car.
CHAPTER EIGHT
When Choice got back into her car she was angry and out of breath.
“Ky, where the fuck are you?” she mumbled to herself. She took her phone out of th
e cup holder. She had two missed calls from Wise so she decided to call him back. She couldn’t wait to find out what he’d been up to.
“Hey love, how have you been?” Choice asked Wise when he answered the phone.
“Hey Choice. I’m doing a lot better now that I hear your voice. I saw Ashley a couple times and she informed me that you were okay. But it definitely feels good to hear your voice. You had me worried as fuck,” he chuckled. “I even thought about comin’ up there. But I didn’t want to start know trouble with your man.”
“Trouble? Why would you say that?”
“I’m sure he wouldn’t want another man comin’ up there to see his woman, especially me since I got mad feelings for you. Plus, I know if he got out of pocket, I wouldn’t want to be held accountable for what would happen.”
Choice didn’t like the way the conversation was going. She was uncomfortable so she changed the subject. “Well, we are friends so you don’t have to worry about that.”
“Friends...right. So when can we hang out, friend? I gotta talk to you anyway about some shit I found out.”
“We can hook up tomorrow sometime. I’ll call you.”
“Are you sure that’s not going to be a problem?”
“Wise, why would it be a problem? We’re good. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Choice thoughts drifted off to Kyree. “We’ll do lunch. I’ll call you with the time and place.”
Choice hung up with Wise then started her car. If she didn’t hear from her mom soon, she was sure to have a nervous breakdown. She called Supreme. His voice always uplifted her spirit.
“Supreme!” Choice called into the phone when picked up.
“Hey ma, you good? What’s the matter?”
How does he do that? How does he always know when something isn’t right?
“I just came from my mom’s house and she still ain’t answering the door for me. All I want is my sister. She’s just doing this shit out of spite because she hasn’t heard from me. I bet she’s sittin’ in that fuckin’ apartment talkin’ a whole bunch of shit about me to Kyree.”
“So you really think your mom would do some shit like that?”
“Hell yeah! I wouldn’t put it past her. She gets off on shit like this. She’s hateful and she’s probably even worse now that Eddie is dead.”
Supreme was silent as he listened to Choice vent. “Just calm down and go home. I’ll be there in a minute.”
“Okay, baby,” Choice said before hanging up.
When Choice got home, she threw her keys onto the kitchen counter. Her heart was heavy with worry and all she could think about was Kyree.
Is Karen feeding and bathing her?
Is Kyree okay and safe?
I know she’s asking about me.
I bet she’s probably wondering where I am.
She was driving herself crazy. Tears started to build in her eyes as she walked up the stairs to her room. Her hormones were at an all-time high. She was so emotional and there was nothing Choice could do about it. She couldn’t wait until her due date.
Choice wiped away her tears and smiled when she thought about the little person growing in her belly. Tomorrow was her first prenatal appointment and she couldn’t wait to see how her baby was developing.
She went to the bathroom to splash cold water on her face. When she was done, she went in her room to lie down. The mulberry silk sheets caressed her skin as she got comfortable. Choice was so happy when she heard the front door open and close. She could hear his keys hit the kitchen counter and then him running up the stairs. When Supreme walked into their bedroom, Choice smiled. He looked good as always. His mocha colored skin looked edible. But his smile, that Colgate smile, always did something to her.
“I got here as fast as I could,” Supreme said as he walked over to his side of the bed to lie down beside her. Supreme pulled Choice into his arms. “You gotta chill out. You’re pregnant. I don’t want you running around Miami. I want my baby to be healthy. Stress is not good so chill,” Supreme said as he rubbed her arms.
“I know, Supreme. You’re right. I just lost it when my mom didn’t answer the door.”
“Supreme, that was my third time going over there,” Choice spoke softly.
“I’m pissed she isn’t answering the door too. I’m not going to say I know how you feel because I don’t. I don’t have any siblings so I have no idea what you’re going through. But I do know how it feels to lose someone you love. “I’m going to find out what’s going on with your Mom and Ky.”
He put his finger under her chin and winked at her. Choice smiled from ear to ear.
“You know I love you right,” Supreme asked as he eyed her closely.
“Of course I know and you know I love you. Your love is my strength,” Choice said as she looked Supreme in the eyes.
Her words were so intense that he had to look away.
“You’re goin’ to get some shit started talking like that.”
“You already know what it is,” Choice said with a smile on her face.
Supreme thought about the nightmares she’d been having of Bear since she’d been home. Choice would wake up in cold sweats screaming. It infuriated him every time it happened.
“Nah, you ain’t ready for all that.”
Supreme wanted some pussy. He was tired of taking cold showers but he would just have to be patient. He knew that she needed some type of counseling for the trauma she faced. Supreme planned on having that conversation with her at a later date. Now wasn’t the right time.
“I want you to get some sleep. When you wake up, I’ll have some information about Kyree. I promise.”
“Okay,” she said giving Supreme a faint smile.
Choice and Supreme lay down on the bed facing each other until Choice fell asleep.
“I love you,” he whispered in her ear before she was completely knocked out.
CHAPTER NINE
Supreme, Mark, and Petey sat in front of Karen’s apartment in Supreme’s Truck.
“You think somebody’s in there? Ain’t even no lights on,” Mark said as he looked up at Karen’s apartment.
“I don’t know but we’re about to find out,” Supreme said as he looked at the time on his dashboard. Petey looked over at his cousin with raised eyebrows.
“What you about to do kick the door in or some shit?” Petey asked with a chuckle.
Supreme smirked. “Well, if she don’t answer the fuckin’ door, how else would we get in?”
“With all these muthafuckas out this bitch? Nigga, you a fool!” Petey said as he looked around.
There were people sitting on porches, kids were running around playing, and others were riding their bikes or looking for their next high.
“Fuck these people. Shit like this happens every day around here. Ain’t shit these muthafuckas ain’t seen before.”
Petey shook his head as he looked at his Rolex. It was going on nine o’clock but it was still light outside. “Well, I’ll follow your lead.”
“And you already know I’m in,” Mark said from the backseat.
“Good because it’s time,” Supreme said as he stepped out of his truck. Mark and Petey followed up the stairs. Supreme knocked on the door a couple of times before he put his ear up against it. It was quiet.
“I don’t think nobody is in there,” he said.
Supreme knocked on the door once more before taking a step back. The door easily flew open when Supreme kicked it in. No one paid the three thugs any attention. Supreme, Mark, and Petey made sure the coast was clear before entering the barely lit apartment.
The apartment was dirty and a stench lingered in the air. Petey was the first one to pull out his .9mm and Mark followed suit as he pulled out his Smith and Wesson handgun. Supreme slowly walked through the quiet apartment. He walked in the living room. It was trashed. It had papers on the floor and clothes were everywhere. Even the TV had been knocked over.
“Ain’t nobody up in this bitch,” Mark whispered
.
“Shh,” Supreme said as he put his finger up towards his mouth.
He looked in each of the bedrooms. They were trashed also. Supreme went in looked in the kitchen and still nothing. Supreme was just about to give up then he walked in the bathroom.
Supreme felt like his heart had just been ripped out of his chest as he pinched the bridge of his nose to stop the tears from falling. Seeing Kyree dead in the bloody bath water was extremely heartbreaking. All kinds of questions raced through his mind like. What happened? Who did this? Supreme looked away from the little girl he grew to love.
“There’s nothing we can do to help her. We have to call the police,” Supreme said.
“Fuck the police! Help me get her out of the tub,” Petey said as he proceeded towards the tub but was stopped by Mark.
“Petey, she’s gone man. Supreme is right. There is nothing we can do but call the police,” Mark said as he shook his head. Petey looked over at the tub as tears fell freely from his eyes.
“I feel like I’m going to be sick,” Petey said as he rushed over to the toilet to vomit. He loved Kyree like she was his sister. He knew when Choice found out that Kyree was dead she would have many dark days ahead of her. Petey was going to make sure he was there with her every step of the way.
****
Choice stood there with Chloe sunglasses covering her puffy eyes. Her heart was hollow and dark. Choice looked up at the sky as the cool breeze swept across her face. Today was a beautiful day. It was bright and sunny. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she closed her eyes and listened to the birds chirp. The pain she felt was unbearable and she wouldn’t wish it on her worst enemy.
Lilies and baby’s breath surrounded Kyree’s white and gold casket. Everybody stood around the casket in their white attire at Riverside Memorial Cemetery as they all mourned the home going of Kyree. Supreme gave Choice’s hand a soft squeeze. That gesture alone slightly brought her out of the despondent mood she was in. Choice’s mind felt miles away as she tried to focus on the words the pastor spoke.
“But Jesus said ‘let the little children come to me and do not hinder them for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven’.”
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