by Deja King
Keyshia Cole's new single blasted from the speakers as I headed towards Maya's apartment. I put in a call to make sure she wasn't at my crib, but security informed me he hadn't seen her since leaving early that morning. As Keyshia poured her heart out about love and pain, my heart ached about the same. But it wasn't over a man, it was about my daughter. I didn't share it with Supreme, but I thought about how if I had searched through Vernika's purse more thoroughly the very night she was killed, I might have found the address sooner and maybe got Aaliyah back then. But instead, I rushed off to New York to see Nico and forgot about the purse until a couple of days later. Those two days might have been crucial. What if Mike didn't find out about Vernika's death immediately and lingered at the apartment for another day or so with Aaliyah? I knew I was doing a lot of speculating, but the guilt was weighing heavy on my mind. Was it necessary for me to see Nico in person, Couldn't I have just put in a phone call? It was too late to countdown the what if's. I did make the decision to get on a plane and warn Nico, and somehow I would have to make peace with that. And the only way that would happen was to bring my baby home. "What the fuck!" I said, feeling a vibration on top of my thigh. I looked down and realized a call was coming from my cell. I had forgotten that I put my phone on vibrate, because I knew I wouldn't be able to hear it with my loud-ass music blasting. I turned down Keyshia and took the call. "Hello?" "Precious, it's me, Maya." "Girl, I've been trying to get in touch with you." I glanced at the number on the phone. "Where you calling me from?" "It's a pay phone." "A pay phone? Did you get the messages I left you on your cell?" "No. I forgot my cell at your house. I haven't had that shit all day. But listen, I need you to meet me somewhere." "Okay, I need to speak with you anyway. Supreme is looking for Clip. He has some important music shit to discuss with him. It's kinda urgent. Do you know where he is?" "Precious, I need for you to come meet me now. We can talk about Clip when you get here... just come, please." "Okay, give me the address," I said, typing it in the navigation system. "How long is it going to take you to get here?" "The navi' say about twenty minutes, but you know how I drive, so maybe ten, fifteen minutes." "Okay, I'll be waiting out front in my car." "Cool. I'll see you in a few." Maya's voice sounded mad shaky and it had me concerned. She seemed stressed, and I figured it had to do with Clip. She had probably caught him fucking around again and was losing her mind. But that shit was nothing compared to the bullshit the nigga had really been up to. Although Maya had caught Clip red-handed with Destiny, she still remained his biggest supporter when it came to his loyalty for Supreme. She refused to believe my suspicions that Clip was a snake who would cross Supreme at the drop of a dime. You would think after being deceived by her own brother, who turned out to be the biggest loser of all, her judgment wouldn't be so blinded by Clip. I had to remind myself that even though she played the tough girl role, she was still young and impressionable. Nobody would want to believe the man they loved was capable of playing a role in the kidnapping of an innocent child. I hated to be the one to break the news to Maya that her man had done just that. When I exited the highway, I made a left at the first light. I drove for a couple of minutes and the further I drove, the nonresidential street appeared more and more deserted. I eyed my navigation system to make sure I hadn't made a wrong turn, but I was following the directions correctly. I then took another left turn and continued to drive for a few more minutes until I heard the computer generated voice tell me I had reached my destination. I turned into the isolated parking lot and saw what looked to be an abandoned warehouse. I didn't see Maya's car in the front, so I drove around the back. That's when I saw Maya's candy-apple red Jaguar, Clip's baby blue Benz with the vanity plates, and a black Navigator with pitch-black tint, but I didn't know who it belonged to. I pulled the Range next to Maya's car, but I guess she was inside the warehouse. "What the fuck is Maya doing at a warehouse? Could she have found out that Clip is involved in Aaliyah's kidnapping and confronted him, and now the nigga is in there holding her hostage? But why wouldn't she have said something to me while she had me on the phone? Maybe she wanted to sit down and tell me to my face. Then Supreme's words started ringing in my ears again; "One wrong move can fuck that all up. " "Let me call him right now so he can know what's going down," I said to myself. "You find Maya?" Supreme asked, answering the phone and making it clear what was on his mind. "As a matter of fact, I did." "Jackpot! So where is Clip at?" "They're at a warehouse." "A warehouse, right now?" "Yeah, and I'm worried about Maya. She called me from a pay phone and gave me this address to meet her at. She said she would be waiting in her ride, but she's not. Clip's car is here and somebody else's car, but I don't know who it belongs to. What if he's flipped out and is holding her hostage up in there?" "Precious, you stay in the car and wait for me to get there. Don't go inside the warehouse. Wait in your car until I get there, do you hear me?" "Yes. But what if Maya needs my help?" "You ain't no good to Maya if you walk in there and get yourself killed. Stay fuckin' put. Now give me that address." After I gave Supreme my location, he hung up the phone so quickly I didn't' even have a chance to say bye. I tapped my fingers on the steering wheel, wanting him to hurry up and get here. I mean, it was killing me to keep my ass in the car instead of going inside to see what was going down. If possible, it's always my preference to dig my hands deep in the mud and get dirty. Playing the waiting game wasn't one of my strong points. I kept looking down at my watch, and what seemed like an hour would only be one minute. I ruffled my fingers through my hair, with feelings of anxiousness and fear intertwining. I then took a few deep breaths so I could relax, and when it started working, that's when it turned bad. The explosive sounds of gun shots were echoing from inside the warehouse. Without second-guessing myself, I grabbed my heat and jumped out the car. All I could think about was saving Maya. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I let my girl die while I was playing it safe in my ride. I ran up on the side door, but it was locked. I took off around the front and pushed open the door. It was eerily quiet when I got inside. I aimed my gun up ready to blast any motherfucka I even thought was wishing me harm. The dark walls and empty space gave it a dreadful appearance. It reminded me of a spot that would be perfect for torturing. The soles of my shoes lightly tapped the concrete flooring. I pivoted around a corner where a flickering light was coming from a room in the back. I paused, assessing the different prospects that lay behind the closed door. I continued to proceed towards my destination, saying to myself, Shoot first ask questions later There was complete silence as I put my hand on the doorknob and slowly turned it. I had my finger firmly on the trigger, ready to blaze the whole fucking room. I opened the door and a huge wooden table greeted me. In front of the table was the back of a woman's body. When my eyes focused and got a clearer look, I realized it was Maya. She was standing as if frozen in her space. I kept my gun aimed, prepared for any surprises. As I got closer, my vision captured the puddles of blood streaming across the floor. Then Maya felt a presence and turned towards me with her gun pointed in my direction. "Maya, put the gun down," I said calmly. The distant look on her face told me her mind wasn't all there. She appeared to be in shock. "Maya, put the gun down," I repeated, worried that she may accidentally pull that trigger and I would have to take her out on some it's-my-life-overyours type shit. To my relief, it seemed things were clicking and she laid the gun down on top of the table. "I didn't have a choice, Precious. She was gonna kill me," Maya said, sounding stunned by whatever just took place. After making my way from around the table and with nothing obscuring my sight, that's when the dead bodies welcomed me. Lying face up were Clip and Destiny. I couldn't believe it, another brick wall. With both Clip and Destiny dead, we would get no answers. In my desperation, I ran and bent down beside them to check their pulses, praying for a miracle. But there would be no miracle today; they had completely flat lined. "Maya, what happened?" She remained unemotional, not saying a word. Then we both jumped, startled by the blaring police sirens surrounding the building. "Did you call
the police?" Maya asked as fear seemed to take her over. "No, I called Supreme when I got here. I was worried about you. He must've told Detective Moore what was going on and they brought the whole fucking army with them." "Oh fuck, Precious, I don't want to go to jail. It was self defense... I didn't have a choice... it was either kill or be killed. It was Clip. Precious, he's the one that's responsible for helping Mike kidnap Aaliyah," she said in bewilderment. "Maya," I said, standing up and holding her hand, hoping to snap her out of her daze. "How did you find out about Clip? Did he tell you where Mike has Aaliyah? I need you to concentrate, Maya." "Drop your weapons and put your hands up!" the police yelled. There were about twenty of those motherfuckas armed with enough artillery to take out a small country. I had flashbacks to when the cops swarmed Mike's house after he raped me, then Supreme busted in and I found out that he wasn't dead after all. I had never seen so many damn cops... until now. I don't give a fuck what anybody says, having a slew of guns aimed in your face with crackers dying to pull the trigger will make even the hardest badass want to piss in their pants. That's why with the quickness I put my gun down on top of the table next to Maya's weapon and put my hands up. "Mrs. Mills, are you okay?" Detective Moore asked, making his way through the crowd of officers. I had never been so stoked to see his irritating ass, I almost bust a smile. "I'm cool, but I'll be better if you could get your men to lower their weapons. They're not in any threat, and ain't anybody else here." The officers still didn't budge, making it clear my words didn't mean shit. "Is there anybody down?" Detective Moore wanted to know. I assumed he meant dead people. "Yes, two," I answered, looking down at Clip and Destiny. Detective Moore walked towards the scene with his weapon raised and observed the dead bodies. He checked their pulses and then stood up, retrieving my gun and Maya's off the table. "You can put your weapons down," he finally ordered the other cops. No longer feeling like a criminal, I put my hands down and relaxed. "Where's Supreme?" "He's outside. This is a crime scene so they can't let him in." Detective Moore then reached inside his suit jacket and pulled out a pad and pen. "I need to take a statement. Who wants to go first?" Detective Moore instantly jumped to business as usual. "I will," Maya said, leaning against the table. I put my hand up. "Hold on, Maya. I think we should wait for our attorney before answering any of your questions... no offense to you, Detective Moore." He gave me a smug stare, but I played the cops and robbers game enough times to know better. "Precious, I have nothing to hide. I want to tell you what happened." "I don't think that's a good idea." "Mrs. Mills, if your friend wants to talk, then I think you should let her. All we want is to get to the truth. It might even help us with our investigation regarding the whereabouts of your daughter." "Detective Moore, don't use my daughter as bait to get Maya to talk." "That's not what I'm doing. I was simply...' Maya cut him off mid-sentence. "Please, stop. Precious, I want to talk. Like I said, I have nothing to hide." "Then go `head," I said, tired of going back and forth with it. Detective Moore's beady blue eyes pierced in on Maya, as he was ready to hang onto her every word. "Earlier today I went to the apartment and met up with Clip. We were trying to patch things up after I had found out he was screwing around on me with that Destiny chick." "And Destiny, that's the deceased who's lying next to your boyfriend?" Detective Moore double-checked before jotting it down on his pad. "Yes. He was finally admitting what had been going on between them, and swore that it was over and he wanted a chance to work things out between us. I agreed. I was in love with him. So we engaged in some make-up sex and I fell asleep. When I woke up, I overheard him talking to someone on the phone in the living room, so I went in the bedroom and picked up the phone to eavesdrop. He was talking to Destiny. She was threatening him, saying that if he didn't meet her she would go to the cops and his life would be over." "What did she have on him?" the detective inquired, as if he wanted to know more for his own personal pleasure than a homicide investigation. "She didn't say, but obviously he knew what she was speaking of because he agreed to meet her. She gave him the address and I also wrote it down. A few minutes later, he came in the room and said he had to go to the studio and work on some things, and that he would be back in a couple of hours. Of course I knew he was lying, but I didn't say anything. I wanted to get to the truth, and he wasn't going to tell me so I decided to find out my own way. "After he left, I got dressed and headed here. I stopped at a pay phone and called Precious when I got close because I didn't know what to expect." "When you say you didn't know what to expect... in terms of what?" "I mean, Detective, I'm from the streets. I wasn't sure if I was gon' end up beating her ass for fucking around with my man or what. So I wanted to make sure I had my girl with me just in case she had brought some of her girlfriends with her. They coulda tried to tag team me. I needed backup." I put my hands on Maya's shoulders. "Calm down, its okay," I said as she started getting extra amped up. "I'm sorry." "That's okay, Ms. Owens, continue." "So, umm, after I placed the call to Precious, I came here and saw their cars parked in the back. I sneaked inside so I could try and hear their conversation because I wanted to know what Destiny had on Clip, and I..." Maya then let out a gasp, broke down and started crying. "Maya, you'll be okay," I said, holding her up, so she wouldn't fall down. "Would you like to sit down, Ms. Owens? Officer, bring us that chair in the corner." "I'm fine... I'm so sorry, this is harder than I thought it would be." The officer brought Maya a chair and she sat down and got her bearings together. I was glad she sat down because the paramedics were now carrying off Clip in a body bag, and I knew how hard it was for her to see that. "Let me know when you're ready to continue, Ms. Owens." "I'm ready. So when I came inside, they were arguing. Destiny told Clip she had enough of the bullshitting and wanted the money he owed her. He told her the money was in his car. She said that was cool, but she wanted an extra hundred grand. He told her she was fucking crazy and that if she wanted anymore money that she would have to get it from Mike." "Mike? Do you mean your brother, Mr. Owens?" Detective Moore stopped writing, waiting for her answer. "Yes. Precious, I'm so sorry, you were right. Clip was helping Mike. He did help him kidnap Aaliyah. I can't believe I was so stupid." "It's not your fault." "Yes it is. If only I had listened to you, maybe we could've stopped him." "Not to interrupt, but Ms. Owens, what happened next?" "Destiny wasn't trying to hear it. She said fuck him and Mike, that she wanted her money or she would go to Supreme and tell him that he was the one who helped Mike kidnap his daughter. That's when Clip lost it and smacked the shit out of her. He then grabbed her by the neck and started choking her. But Destiny came prepared. She reached in the back of her jeans and pulled out a gun and shot Clip multiple times. He fell to the ground, and she went in his pockets to get his car keys and wallet. I walked up on her from behind and startled her. She turned the gun on me, and there was a struggle and it went off. At first I didn't even realize she had been shot. It all happened so fast." I held Maya tightly, as I could see the anguish in her eyes. I knew she hated Clip for what he had done, but she also loved him and no matter how horrible he was. She couldn't erase those feelings just like that. "Detective Moore, I think you should come out here," one of the officers came up and said. "Ladies, stay here, I'll be back right back." I nodded my head and focused my attention back on Maya. Tears were streaming down her face and I knew there was nothing I could do to make her feel better. "Precious, I feel so responsible." "Why? You can't blame yourself for what Clip did." "But it's like, first my brother rapes you, and now my boyfriend helped him make you and Supreme's life a living hell by kidnapping your daughter. How could I have had two monsters in my life and not know it?" "You're not responsible for their actions." "I wish I felt that way. And I wish I hadn't killed Destiny, because she probably knew where Aaliyah is. Now how are we going to find her?" I didn't even try to answer that question, because I kept asking myself the same thing. For every two steps forward, it seemed we would take two steps back. I honestly didn't know how much more of this I could take. "Mrs. Mills, Detective Moore wanted you to follow me," an off
icer came to inform me. "Now?" "Yes, he said it's important." "Maya, do you want to stay here or come with me?" "I'll come with you." Maya and I followed the officer out the back door. There were dozens of police cars and news crews. I could hardly see as I was blinded by the lights coming from the cameras. The officer had to push through the hordes of people. "What the fuck is going on? Get these people out the way!" I complained. When we finally broke through the crowd, I saw Detective Moore standing in front of what appeared to be Supreme. "Oh shit, what the fuck is he harassing Supreme about?" I said, sick of being pestered by the cops. Due to the growing crowd, it took a few more minutes for us to make our way to Supreme and the detective. But when we did, I had to grab a hold of the officer in front of me so I wouldn't bust my ass falling down. My mouth dropped and the tears flowed. "Precious, what's wrong?" Maya called out, unable to see what I could because I was blocking what was in front of me. "I can't believe this... this can't be real!" I screamed out. Supreme heard my voice and turned his body towards mine. "Yes it is," he said, coming towards me. My heart wouldn't let me believe it until I locked it in. There Supreme stood, cradling our baby. "Aaliyah, my baby!" I put my head down and couldn't stop crying. She was bundled up in blankets, and I extended my arms out so I could hold her. Her eyes were closed, but when he put her in my arms and I held her, she opened them. The beautiful eyes she inherited from her grandmother welcomed me with open arms. I put her to my chest and held her so tightly. "You're home. My baby is finally home." Supreme wrapped his arms around me, and all I could do was thank God for what I called a miracle. "I told you we would bring your baby home," Detective Moore boasted. I didn't know if I wanted to punch him or hug him. "Where was she?" I wanted to know. "Buckled up in the back seat of that truck." "She was here the whole time?" I couldn't believe it. "Yes, we had no idea she was in there. With the dark tint on the car and how it's parked, we had no way of seeing her. The baby must've been asleep and finally woke up because one of the officers heard crying coming from the vehicle. All of us were overjoyed it turned out to be your child." "Thank you, Detective. I mean that from the bottom of my heart." "I appreciate that, Mrs. Mills. I know you don't want to part from you daughter, but we need to take her to the hospital and have her examined by a doctor. The paramedics did check her out... but you understand." "Of course I understand, as long as you understand that I'll be taking that ride with her to the hospital. I won't be leaving her side anytime soon." "Precious, Supreme, I'm so happy for both of you," Maya said, staring down at Aaliyah. "I guess things turned out okay after all." "And we have you to thank for that, Maya," I said. "Me? Why are you thanking me?" "Because if you hadn't decided to follow Clip and see what the hell was going on, we would've never found this place or our daughter. You're the one who deserves the credit for bringing Aaliyah home. I'll never forget what you've done." "She's right, Maya. Thank you. I know you lost Clip, but you helped us get back our daughter," Supreme said, giving Maya a hug. As we stood in the parking lot and I held my precious daughter for the first time in so long, I was overcome with true happiness. I was surrounded by the only real family I had ever known. If I had learned one thing from this entire situation, it was that you have to appreciate your time with the ones you love and never take it for granted, because life is much too sacred. Once again I had been given another chance in life to make things better, and I planned on doing exactly that. LIGHTS OUT
