by T. Styles
Beverly laughed. “You have two faces.” She pointed at her. “At first I thought I liked one of them, because I felt I knew where you were coming from, but now I’m not so sure about that. You see, you remind me of a tree, you change with the seasons, and that makes you unstable.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“It means that I’m tired of your mood swings and your fucking excuses! What that bitch is going through doesn’t make my heart ache any less. My son is missing, and you lead me to believe that Farah had something to do with it, and I want her to pay!” She threw the comforter on the bed.
“I know what you’re saying, ma’am, and it’s like I told you. We’re investigating this case, but everything we do doesn’t include getting in Farah’s face every five minutes. I actually visited the movie theater the other day to get the videotape from the evening your son went missing. Suspiciously, they don’t know where it is. The manager, Jean Hershey, is a first-class asshole. He claims that on the day Amico went missing at the movie theater, they weren’t taping. I thought he was hiding something, so we got a search warrant. We couldn’t find the tape, so we are working overtime on this matter.”
Beverly stopped making the bed, wiped her hands on her dress, and said, “Sit down.”
Nadia looked at the light pink comforter in disgust and said, “I’m fine over here. Thanks anyway.”
Beverly said, “I’m not in the business of saying what I want done more than once, so I’m asking that you not make me.” High and half out of her mind, Nadia took a seat, although her leg moved rapidly under her body. “Good. Now, I know that you have been doing this for years, but I also know you got a drug problem. You’ve had it for a while, but you didn’t think I would find out. But when it comes to my son, I find out everything.”
“I don’t even know what you’re talking about.” Nadia tried to look out into space to avoid eye contact, but it didn’t work.
“If lying to yourself makes it easier, so be it. I will say this, I’m not gonna tell them people you work for that you got a problem. As a matter of fact, it makes me feel better having something over you.”
Nadia grew angry. If there was one thing she hated, it was being blackmailed. “Just because I’m on drugs doesn’t mean I can’t do my job.”
Beverly laughed.
“I’m serious. You’ve been trying to handle this investigation since I first told you I was on the case, and it’s making my job difficult.”
“Making your job difficult?” she repeated with a glare. “Making your job difficult?” She huffed. “Bitch, I lost my only son!” Beverly walked up to her and slapped her face. “Don’t tell me what the fuck you can do. Just do it.” She pointed at her. “I’m tired of you dragging your feet, and if I have to put a fire to it, that’s exactly what I intend on doing!” She walked away and sat on the edge of the bed. “Do you know how it feels to have your heart tell you that your son is dead, even though you can’t put him to rest?”
“N . . . no,” she stuttered.
“Exactly, but I do.” Tears rolled down her cheeks. “Now, I’m not under any illusions that my son is alive. I’ve made peace with that weeks ago, but it doesn’t stop me from wanting to know what happened.”
“Beverly—”
“Shut the fuck up and listen to what the fuck I’m saying. I want that bitch investigated, and I want an eye kept on her at all times. If you follow her long enough, she’ll give us exactly what we need. I’m sure of it.” She stood back up. “In fact, I found out that she’s been rolling with some high yellow bitch and her boyfriend.”
“If you’re referring to Lesa Carmine,” she started, still feeling her cheek on fire, “she left town after Farah showed up at her house. She just looks like her.”
“This young lady looks different. She had blond streaks in her hair and could pass for white. Keep an eye on them, all of them, and pretty soon something will come up.”
Chapter 14
Slade
“If you would go so far as to denounce your family, you were never a Baker anyway.”
The Baker Boys walked Audio up to the check-in counter at the Baltimore/Washington International Airport. Since Chloe died, Audio couldn’t bring himself to a place of closure, so they thought it best that he leave and go back to Mississippi.
Right before Audio checked in, he turned around and faced his brothers. “I don’t know why y’all doing this,” he said. Even at the moment, he reeked of vodka. “We still haven’t found Knox. I thought that was the plan. None of us was leaving without our brother, and we were all going home together.” He looked at Major and Killa. “Let me help y’all. Please.”
“You gotta go, man,” Slade interjected. His heart was heavy when he heard the sadness in his voice, but nothing about what he said would change the decision. “I know you want to stay, but we can’t take the risk of something happening to you. Aunt V gonna take care of you and help you get over this thing.”
“I’m not talking to you,” he yelled in his face. “All you care about is yourself and that bitch.” He pointed his finger into his chest. “If you gave a fuck about me you wouldn’t be doing none of this shit.”
Hearing how his brother felt about him ripped his heart open. Of course he cared about him. He loved him more than he could explain, but the way he was carrying on in DC would get either himself or the entire family killed.
“Audio, you know I care about you.” He placed his hand on the back of his head and pulled him toward him. Their foreheads touched. “You my kid brother. It’s just—”
“Get the fuck off me!” he yelled, pushing him into Killa. “If something happens to me back home, it’s gonna be your fault!”
“Audio, you going too far,” Killa said combatively.
“Now, you been down here for months drunk and almost got yourself killed! We understand you loved Chloe. I feel you on that shit. But us sending you back on that plane is on you, not us.”
“If y’all send me on that plane, I’m no longer a Baker! You hear what I’m saying?” He looked at all of them.
Slade’s head was slumped and his shoulders were hunched, until he heard his words. Hearing his statement made him as hard as stone. “If you would go so far as to denounce your family, you were never a Baker anyway.”
Silence.
“I guess you right,” Audio yelled, storming away.
Slade stood in the middle of the airport and watched his kid brother until he was out of view.
“Come on, man,” Killa said in a low voice. “You gotta see your peoples before Judge and Grant. I don’t know what’s up with them, but they been following her like crazy. The other day I heard them talking about something they saw. When I walked in the room, they got quiet.”
Slade didn’t move. He couldn’t move. He was fucked up by what Audio said and wondered if there was truth to his statement. Yes, he was wrapped up in thoughts about Farah, but as far as they knew, he didn’t fuck with her anymore. He didn’t call her, didn’t visit her or ask about her. He even started keeping time with someone regular to make the days go by.
“Go see Farah, Slade,” Major added. “Audio gonna get over that shit.”
“I hope so.”
Slade paced the area outside of Farah’s door for five minutes. He hadn’t seen her in months and had a feeling she was with someone new. He just hoped he’d never see them together. When he gathered enough confidence, he knocked on her door and waited.
When the door crept open and he saw how beautiful Farah was, his heart melted. The long black gown she wore clung to her curves, and he was enamored all over again. Why was she so fucking sexy? Why couldn’t he have her? Why couldn’t he love her like his heart begged? And then he remembered: she could possibly have had something to do with his missing brother. “Can I come in for a minute? I want to talk to you.”
She remained standing at the door, preventing him from entering. Her body trembled, although her eyes were stern. “What do you want wi
th me, Slade? We have nothing to talk about.”
He sighed and tried to find the right words to say to her. He could be a bully when his heart was involved, and he knew that. But this was about business, not pleasure. “You gonna make me talk to you out here?”
She folded her arms into her chest.
“Come on, Farah. The least we can do is talk in private.”
“You made it plain how you want our relationship to be, so I’m not going to try to change your mind anymore. I moved on, Slade. I’m good over here.”
“Farah, I understand we over. That’s not what I’m here to talk to you about.”
Her head hung because his words cut deep. Prior to that moment, it was only a possibility that they would never be together again . . . now it was a fact. “If you don’t want to talk about us, what do you want?”
He stepped closer and stuffed his hands in his pockets. “I’m here because I want to talk to you about Knox. Have you found anything about Eleanor yet?”
She sighed and shook her head. “I told you all I know about the situation. Don’t you think I want her found too? I don’t want this shit over my head for the rest of my life, Slade. I know what you’re thinking.”
“You couldn’t begin to know what I’m thinking.”
“Yes, I do. You’re thinking that I had something to do with his disappearance, and it doesn’t make sense to me. And I finally know that there’s nothing I can do to change your mind. Not to mention the fact that every time I turn around one of your family members is staring at me.”
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
She pointed down the hall at Judge. “Man, can you please go in the apartment?” Slade told him. “I’m talking to her right now.”
“Grant told me to keep my eyes on her door.”
“Well, what Grant gonna do if I punch you in the face?”
He hurried away, leaving them alone.
“You see what I’m saying? I’ve never seen this many country niggas in all my life.”
He frowned upon hearing her comment.
“So they gotta be here for me. Am I right or wrong?”
“Farah, can I come in? Please. I’m not trying to talk to you about this shit in the hallway. You owe me that at least.”
She reluctantly opened the door and walked inside. He followed, closing the door behind him. “You right about my people being in town to find out what’s up with Knox.” He stuffed his hands into his pockets. “And they gonna be questioning you too. I’m here to try to prevent that.”
“I knew that shit.” She fell into her sofa. “So what they gonna do, hurt me? Kill me? You gonna let them get me, Slade?”
“Don’t say that shit. You know how I feel about you.” He paced in place. “I wish you would’ve told me you had my brother’s phone. I could’ve defended you better, but the way shit played out, I found out the moment they did.”
“You should’ve defended me whether I had his phone or not, Slade. You promised to take care of me. You promised to love me forever.” She shook her head. “To quote you correctly, the first day we fucked you said, ‘I told myself if I ever fell in love again, that I would never abandon her when she needed me the most.’ Well, I needed you the most and you failed me. Are you a man of your word or a liar?”
Slade’s jaw clenched. Everything she said aimed right at his heart. “Farah, don’t do this shit to me.”
“Don’t do what?” She stood up and approached him. “Don’t love you? Don’t believe that you are a man of your word?” She shook her head. “You don’t know who I was willing to be just to be with you, Slade. You don’t know what I was willing to give up. I never loved a human being more than I loved you, and I doubt I ever will.”
“What do you mean what you were willing to give up?”
“I’ve done some things I can’t take back. Some things I dream about most nights. But to be with you, I was willing to change it all.”
Slade looked over her and frowned. She was evil, he was sure, but why was he still drawn to her? “Did any of those things have to do with my brother being missing?”
Farah backed up and slapped him before rushing to the door. “Get the fuck out!” She opened the door. “Now!”
“Farah, I’m sorry—”
“Fuck sorry! I want you out of my house, Slade.” When he didn’t move she said, “Don’t make me call the police. I know how much you hate them.”
Slade trudged to the door. He didn’t want to leave and he hated that they were parting on those terms. “I’m sorry for making you a promise I couldn’t keep. I love you, Farah, but I can’t choose you over my family. I hope you understand that.” He walked out, leaving her alone.
Slade entered Markee’s apartment before going to his own. It was months later, and Markee still hadn’t returned. The moment he walked inside and saw Major and Killa pacing the living room floor, he knew something was up.
Frightened, he rushed up to them and asked, “What the fuck is going on? Somebody fucking with you?”
“Man, the nigga Randy and the same bum-ass nigga we saw at the gym shot at us!” Killa yelled. “I want this nigga’s head, Slade! Like yesterday.”
“Fuck you mean they shot at y’all?”
“We were taking Ma grocery shopping for Sunday dinner. We hadn’t even gotten there yet, when all of a sudden some niggas in a white van pulled up and started blasting at the car. Had it not been for Major handling the wheel and getting us out safe, we would be dead right now.”
Slade was so angry he was swerving in place. He told his mother that she needed to stay close to Platinum Lofts, but she never listened. He knew it wasn’t her fault that she was shot at, but putting herself in harm’s way was all the way foul. “Where is Ma now?” He looked toward the back of the apartment.
“Willie took her to get a weapon.”
At first Slade wasn’t feeling the fact that they were spending a lot of time together. He didn’t want him trying to manipulate Della into convincing them to stay. It didn’t take him long to remember that she was her own woman and could spot bullshit a mile away. “He got three niggas with him, too, so she should be good.”
Slade walked away from his brothers and leaned up against the wall. He thought about all of the things he was going to do to Randy and the man he knew as the albino when he got his hands on them. “On everything I love, I’m killing both of them niggas with my bare hands. That’s a promise.”
Chapter 15
Farah
“I’m not much on talking to strangers.”
Dressed in an all-black cat suit with a cute red jacket, Farah stood in front of the mirror and observed her frame. She was certainly dressed for murder. She was just about to leave when her phone rang.
“What’s up, Coconut?” she asked, skimming through her purse. “I don’t have a lot of time to talk to you right now. I’m on my way out the door.”
“Okay, I was just calling you to give you some information.” Coconut sighed. “If you’re so busy that you don’t have time, never mind.”
Farah hung up and was heading out the door when curiosity got the better of her, so she turned back around and called Coconut back. “I got a few minutes. What were you going to tell me?”
“I wanted to tell you that I’m supposed to be meeting Eleanor tomorrow. She called and asked if I needed anything. You want me to hook the meeting up?”
Farah’s temples thumped. This was the moment she was waiting for. Trying to remain calm again, she said, “Uh yeah . . . that’ll work. When do you think you can do it?”
“Anytime,” Coconut replied. “But did you want me to pick something up for you instead? You can pay me back later if you want.”
“Naw, I want to buy my own. Just call me when you on your way to see her.”
“You got it.” Coconut paused. “Before you go, Jake wanna know if we seeing each other later.”
Farah rolled her eyes. “Tell him it’s cool with me, but I really gotta go now.
I’ll talk to you later.”
Coconut’s call saved her a trip later on in the week. With her schedule clear, she could indulge in her favorite pastime: the quest for blood. With a smile on her face, the moment she stepped out of the building a man wearing a red jacket and a beautiful Asian girl approached her. Both of them were extremely attractive and she always wondered if they were together or not. She’d seen them many times, and they always appeared fixated on her.
“You’re Farah Cotton right?” the girl said. It was a windy day, so her long brown hair whipped around her neck like a scarf.
“Who’s asking?” Farah responded, prepared to gut her like a fish if need be. “I’m not much on talking to strangers.”
The girl giggled. “There’s no need to be violent.” she smiled. “Unless you’re having fun anyway.” She looked at the man. “I’m Mayoni, and this is my boyfriend, Carlton. We moved here a few months back and have been dying to meet you, but every time we try to talk to you, you’re always coming and going.”
After dealing with Coconut and her boyfriend, she automatically assumed it was ménage à trois related. “Why y’all wanna meet me?”
“You want the truth?” Carlton inquired, with a light grin on his face.
“I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t.”
“We wanted to meet you because we have a lot in common,” Mayoni replied. “And since the world is so small, we figured we’d introduce ourselves.”
“Well, I don’t want any friends, so I prefer if you just come out with it.”
“Okay,” he responded, “we wanted to meet you because we’re vampires too. And not the kind of vampires you see on TV or no shit like that. We’re consenting adults who enjoy blood and pain. Just . . . like . . . you.”
