Dark Paradise

by Angie Sandro

  Then Bessie enters the waiting room. A frown mars the smooth plane of her forehead. When she sees George, she waves him over. Once he reaches her side and hears what she has to say, he starts scowling too. Oh Jesus, it can’t be good. I start to panic again. This time, the fear focuses specifically on my mama.

  George threads his way back through the patients. A few people seem put out at the attention we’re receiving. A harried-looking mother shoots me a dirty look and lifts a crying baby over her shoulder.

  “How are you feeling, Mala?” George asks.

  I pull the oxygen mask down. “I’ll be fine once I know what’s going on.”

  “Ms. Jasmine should be fine. Her ribs are cracked, and she’s bruised up. Her doctor will be running some tests.” He glances over at Bessie, who stands by the door leading into the emergency room, wearing an impatient scowl. “We’ll be going in to get her statement.”

  “What about me? Can I see her?”

  “They said you can visit after she’s settled in a room. She’ll need to stay in the hospital overnight for observation. You gonna be okay waiting?”

  Maggie squeezes my hand. “I’ll stay with her.”

  “Yeah, I’ll be fine. I don’t know why I lost it so bad. I feel silly.” I run my fingers through my hair and wince.

  “What’s wrong?” George places his hand over mine. “Is this a knot?”

  I pull my head back. “It’s fine. I bumped it while swimming.” And hit it again while fighting the attacker. I still haven’t told George. I’m not sure why. Maybe because I didn’t see anything that would help to identify him but, mostly, I don’t feel up to another lecture. The one Landry gave pretty much convinced me of my stupidity. I don’t need a second vote from George to verify it.

  “You need to get that checked out,” George says.

  “It’s bad enough that Mama’s in here sucking off all our savings. I’m not gonna contribute to our losing our house over a stupid bump on the head.”

  “George,” Bessie calls, waving for him. “Let’s go.”

  He pauses, then stands up. His mouth opens as if he plans to protest, but he takes a hard look at my face. He must realize I won’t change my mind because he leaves without saying another word on the subject.

  Maggie, on the other hand, can’t let it go. “What happened?”

  “I was swimming in the pond and hit my head on the side of the boat.”

  Maggie gasps. “You could’ve been killed.”

  “No, Landry hauled me out before I drank too much water. I’m fine.”

  “Landry?” Maggie’s eyes widen. “Did you say Landry? What’s going on with the two of you? Every time I turn around, he’s showing up. He doesn’t seem like your type.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You’ve only dated two boys up until last week: Jamal and Nadaedrick.” Maggie wiggles two fingers in front of my nose then lifts a third. “Oh, and Adrian from kindergarten, but I didn’t think you wanted to count him, since he came out last year. I think he’s dating Osby Bryant who works at the Piggly Wiggly.”

  I fan myself with a hand. “Yeah, they’re gorgeous together. You can totally tell how much they love each other.” I feel jealous every time I see them. I hope I’ll find someone who will accept me so unconditionally, especially with me toting around all Mama’s witchy baggage.

  Maggie giggles at my expression. “Anyway, about Landry, he’s everything you’ve always despised: popular, entitled, arrogant, and, worst of all, a player. He’s been with most of the girls in town our age, and I’ve heard rumors about some who are older. I bet he’s just trying to add another virgin to the notch on his belt.”

  “If that’s all he wanted from me, he could’ve had it today,” I mutter into the oxygen mask.

  “What are you saying?”

  I pull the mask down. “I’m saying that I tried to seduce him. I probably didn’t do it right because he turned me down flat.”

  Maggie’s eyes flash. “How dare he say no to you? There’s nothing wrong with you. You’re beautiful. Any guy would be lucky to get you.”

  “Maggie, that’s not the point.” I stare at her for a long, hard second then laugh, unable to deny that Landry appears to be all those things. But he’s also protective, honest, for the most part, and even when he tries to lie, he busts himself out. “Thanks for having my back, but really, it’s not necessary. Contrary to rumor, Landry’s a decent person.”

  Plus even a shirtless Taylor Lautner comes in second to Landry.

  I press my hand against the flutters in my tummy as I picture Landry sliding off his jeans in the boat. The way his eyes darken when he looks at me, like I’m a stack of hotcakes he wants to gobble up. He makes me feel—desired. I like that feeling.

  I gasp. “Crap on toast, I’ve fallen for Landry.”

  Maggie blinks again. “You say that like it’s a surprise.”

  I stand so fast I knock back the chair. “I can’t fall in love with Landry. He’s only interested in me as a make-out buddy. I’m gonna get my heart broken. Oh, Maggie, what do I do?”

  “Keep away from him,” she says flatly.

  “I can’t.”

  “The hole you’re digging for yourself is only gonna get deeper. Like Mama says, ‘The more you stir in shit, the more it stinks.’ Landry’s getting riper the more you’re together. I watched you with him at Munchies. Don’t tell me you’re just friends. The way he looked at you had nothing friendly about it. He’s got strong feelings for you, and even if he can’t admit it, it shows.”

  “I told you, he turned me down. I offered, and he said no.”

  Maggie snorts, shaking her head. “You’re so naive. I can’t believe you finally put aside your crush on the amazing George and start liking on the first guy who shows an interest in you.”

  “What!” My throat tightens as I spit out the denial, “Why does everyone think I’m crushing on George? We’re just friends. I do not like him like him.”

  “Humph. Go ahead, keep believing your own lies if it makes you feel better, but everyone who sees you together knows different. There’s no shame in liking him. Everyone loves George. He’s like Clark Kent and Superman rolled up into one person.”

  “Clark Kent and Superman are the same person, Maggie.”

  She blinks twice and barks out a laugh that trails off uncomfortably. She glances up and gasps. I follow her gaze. George stands next to us. Double crap! I’m not sure how long he’s been listening to our conversation, but he heard enough. Heat spreads up my chest and into my cheeks. I cross my arms to keep from fanning my burning face, playing it off. “Can I see Mama now?”

  “She’s upstairs. I’ll take you to her room.”

  The shaking starts again. The deeper into the depths of the hospital I walk, the more it feels like the ceiling and walls press down upon me. I’m being caged into a shrinking box with no way to escape. I can’t stop thinking about her death vision. If what Magnolia said was true, then the future has already come to pass and it echoes through time with no way to stop it.

  “Are you sure she’ll be all right, Georgie?” I ask.

  “Her doctor said the injuries aren’t life threatening.”

  “Did the guy just beat her up or did he do…more?”

  George won’t meet my eyes. “Bessie talked to her about that so I wouldn’t know. They did a rape kit, but that’s standard in these situations. Especially at the Super Delight.”

  I sigh. “The motel’s where she usually sees her clients.” A foul taste coats my tongue while uttering the word, and my lips twist bitterly. “Do they have security cameras posted?”

  “No security videos, you pay by the hour, and it’s situated close enough to the highway for a quick getaway. A lot of drug transactions are handled at the motel for that reason.”

  “Mama worked out a deal with Mr. Khan and rents her room by the month.”

  My chest tightens as I flash back to the dream of Lainey dragging me underwater, of straining to hold
my breath. Had the dream been a warning of Mama’s attack? If I’d listened, could I have prevented her from getting hurt? “She got lucky, didn’t she?”

  “The guy tried to kill her, Malaise. He would’ve succeeded if Landry hadn’t heard the splash.”

  I nod stiffly, following George into the elevator.

  “I heard your conversation with Maggie,” he says once the doors close.

  “Huh?” It takes me a second to shift gears from Mama’s attack.

  “I wasn’t deliberately spying or anything. But I heard you say you’re falling for Landry.” George glares at the buttons lighting up as the elevator rises. With a jerky movement, he slams his fist on the emergency stop. The elevator freezes. “Seriously, Mala? Landry? Of all the guys—”

  Oh God, why couldn’t he act like a gentleman and pretend like he hadn’t overheard my confession? This means he also heard Maggie’s ridiculous theory about me crushing on him too? Kill me now.

  “You…you can’t stop the elevator!” I sputter. “This is a hospital.”

  “Are you insane? How can you associate with that asshole after everything he’s done?” He steps too close, filling my vision.

  I press back against the metal wall, wishing I could disappear through it. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “He attacked you at Lainey’s memorial. He’s playing you against his girlfriend, Clarice—”

  “Hold on there, buddy. He didn’t attack me. And Clarice is not his girlfriend.”

  “Tell her that. They go to church together every Sunday. Clarice was with Landry in the hot tub the day I went to his house with the death notification for Lainey. They were very obviously together. Do you really think he’s interested in being with you?”

  Very obviously together? What the hell does that mean? My face flushes with heat. Duh, sex. Now I’m pissed. I step forward, and it’s his turn to retreat. “Why can’t he be interested? Am I that hard on the eyes?”

  “He’s not your type. He’s gonna play you for a fool and dump you.”

  “Good to know what you really think about me, George. With all I have to worry about, at least I’ve got you to remind me of how worthless, stupid, and ugly I am.” This about sums up my frustration with George. He sees me as a naive little girl who needs protection from the big, bad Landry. It’s not like I’m silly enough to think that Landry wants to be in a long-term relationship. So what if he’s only turning to me for comfort? It’s my choice how much of myself I choose to give him. Or anyone else.

  I hit the button, and the door pops open. “What’s the room number? I’ll find it on my own. Spare you my company since I’m so unbearable to be seen with.”

  “That’s not what I said.”

  “Yeah, it is.”

  Bessie waits outside of a room at the end of the hall, and I walk in her direction.

  George follows, still yammering. “What if he killed his sister and he’s trying to find out what you know?”

  “I’m not listening to you,” I say, covering my ears.

  “He’s dangerous. And every time you see him, you’re putting yourself at risk.”

  No matter how hard I press on my ears, I can still hear his words. My hands drop and fist at my sides to keep from doing something I’ll regret. “How many times do I have to say that he did not kill Lainey?”

  “You don’t know that for sure. You’re talking with your heart, not your head. I’m following the clues, and they all lead home—Lainey’s home.”

  I whirl around to face him. “What does that mean?”

  Bessie had been slouched against the wall, but she stands upright and her eyes narrow on George. “Yes, George, what does that mean?”

  George looks at Bessie with a pleading expression. “Will you talk some sense into her? Tell her to stay away from Landry Prince.”

  “Leave it alone, Deputy Dubois,” Bessie warns.

  George turns back to me, eyes wide. “Don’t you see? I’m concerned. I’m not always going to be around to save you.”

  I squint up at him. The overhead lights turn his copper hair into a halo. I study his earnest expression. The poor guy. His protective nature has been sent into overdrive. No matter how I wish otherwise, he still thinks of me as that helpless little kid he protected from bullies in high school. Fighting with him feels wrong. “But you promised you would be, Superman.”

  George’s eyes go flat and hard. “Stop thinking of me like I’m some kind of superhero.”

  Bessie raises her hand impatiently. “Enough, guys. This is neither the time nor the place for this discussion.” Heat enters her voice. “I’m ashamed of both of you—acting like a pair of fools in front of a sickroom—but, George, you’re a representative of the department. This behavior in front of our victim’s family is unacceptable.”

  I duck my head, embarrassed, and sneak a peek at George’s face. He doesn’t seem at all remorseful. If anything, I think he wants to argue with Bessie, but the look on her face shuts him up faster than supergluing his lips together.

  Bessie folds her arms. “Mala, get in the room and talk some sense into Jasmine. She’s holding on to her story and claims she doesn’t remember what happened to her.”

  “Is she telling the truth? If she has a head injury—”

  “Hardheaded is what she’s being. Says her work is confidential, and if word gets out that she snitched to the police about things getting ‘a little out of hand,’ that she’d lose customers.”

  I nod. “Can’t fault her logic on that, Bessie. Those perverts she sees would scatter like cockroaches under a flashlight if they thought the police might get wind of their nighttime activities.”

  Bessie sighs. “Talk to her, Mala. Help me bag this guy before he kills the next hooker he ‘dates.’”

  “I’ll try, but I won’t make any promises.”

  I freeze in the doorway, unable to force myself to enter the room. I’m damn sure the woman lying in the hospital bed is not my mama. Mama isn’t some frail, birdlike thing. She looms, larger than life, shooting sparks of energy from every fiber of her being, while this woman resembles a shriveled-up old lady, lingering on the brink of death.

  “Go on in, Mala.” George prods me forward.

  “This is the wrong room.” I turn to head back the way we came, brushing off his hand when he tries to stop me. “I don’t know this person.”

  “Mala, stop this,” Bessie orders.

  “I said I don’t know that woman. She’s not my mother. You’ve identified the wrong person. How could you’ve made such a stupid mistake?”

  “Mala,” the woman in the room calls with Mama’s voice, and I shudder. “Get your butt in here ’fore I got to pull my tired bones out of this bed and grab you.”

  I glance at George and wince. “Hellfire and damnation! It really is her, isn’t it?”

  Pity fills Bessie’s eyes. She pats my arm. “I know this is hard for you to accept. Nobody likes to see a loved one in pain. Jasmine’s tough, but you need to take it easy on her. She’s not as strong as she sounds.”

  “She looks like she’s been wrung out and put away wet. I seriously didn’t recognize her.”

  Didn’t want to recognize her with her eyes swollen and black, a cast on her arm, and white linen draped over her. Then she gestures imperiously. “Everyone get out except my daughter. Go on, I said my piece and ain’t nothin’ changin’ my mind, so you might as well go.”

  “Ms. Jasmine, if you could—” George protests.

  “I said get out!”

  Chapter 25

  Mala

  Hoe

  I close the door slowly, not wanting to slam it in their faces, then turn to Mama with a shake of my head. “Now that wasn’t nice. They wanted to help.”

  “They wanted to get all up in my business.” Mama taps a button on the medication dispenser. “Ah, that’s better. I’m achin’.”

  “I get that you don’t want to talk to the police, but tell me what happened. Who did this t
o you?”

  “Never mind that, I’ll survive. Guess that death vision wasn’t such to cry about after all.” She grins. “Came close to meetin’ my maker, but I’m stronger than I look. And I float real good.”

  Anger twists my gut for whoever did this to her, but I force a laugh, as she intended. I rush to the bed and throw my arms around her narrow shoulders, careful not to hug her too tight. “I was so scared. I didn’t even know you’d gotten back from New Orleans, then to hear you’d gotten assaulted—” I pull away from her arms, clenching my fists. I want to hit someone so bad. My whole body vibrates. “Don’t you ever frighten me like that again!”

  Mama eyes me warily. Then understanding lights her heavy-lidded gaze. “Guess you do love your mama.”

  “Of course, don’t be silly. I don’t know what I’d do without you driving me crazy.” I perch on the edge of the bed and lay my hand on the cast. “How long do you expect to be in here?”

  “The doc said I can go home tomorrow night.” Her eyes drift closed, and I think for a moment she’s fallen asleep, but she opens them again to scowl at me. “’Fore I forget, what’s this I overhear about you seein’ that Prince boy?”

  “You left me. I didn’t have anyone else to turn to for help dealing with Lainey. Landry’s been a friend to me the last week.”

  “That boy’s no friend to you,” Mama says, and her eyes close again. “Them Princes are a shady bunch. Keep clear of him. Do you hear?” One eye opens to glare at me until I nod. “Good. Now go on home. I don’t need you no more.”

  Mama falls asleep. If she’d been in her right mind, I might’ve argued. But I’m grown. I don’t need her permission. I tiptoe from the room to find Bessie in the hallway, and she insists I spend the night at her house.

  Maggie and I lie in her bed, gossiping for hours. I fight falling asleep, not because I enjoy having my messed up love life dissected, but because after the emotionally exhausting day I’ve had, I’m terrified of the coming nightmares. When I do drift off, I dream I’m on fire. My clothes and hair burn first. Then my flesh blackens and peels. Blood sizzles on the ground. Worse, even though I choke on the smoke, I don’t pass out. I wake up coughing so hard that I’m afraid I’ll hack up a lung. I give up on sleep and watch infomercials on the TV in the living room for the rest of the night.