“What’s wrong?” an alarmed Andre Randle asked.
Arthur Love threw up his hand to silence his partner. “Hello?” he repeated. “Hello! Is someone there?” Arthur Love questioned. His frustration was apparent.
Randle watched as Arthur Love became irate behind the call he’d received. The call ended and Arthur Love punched the steering wheel.
“What’s the matter?” Randle was eager to know.
Arthur Love looked over at his friend. He sighed then took a deep breath. “I’ll tell you in a minute,” he promised. He scrolled through his phone until he reached the station’s number.
“Yeah, this is Detective Love,” he informed the dispatcher on duty. “I need to get a trace on a call.”
Andre Randle sat on the passenger side shaking his head. It was killing him not to know what was going on.
“Okay, gimme a sec.” Arthur Love pulled out his notepad and pen. He scribbled the address down given to him by the dispatcher. “Got it, thanks.” He ended the call.
“So you wanna tell me what’s going on?” Andre Randle wasted no time asking.
Arthur Love inhaled then exhaled. “I think that was my daughter,” he confessed.
The look on Andre Randle’s face was indescribable. “Who? What? How?” Andre Randle rambled. For some reason, he could not put his words together. He was just as surprised to hear who the caller was as Arthur Love was to be receiving the call.
“I think she’s in trouble,” he offered.
Andre Randle frowned. He knew there was only one person who could have Arthur Love’s daughter. “You got an address?” he asked. He could see the pain written all over Arthur Love’s face.
Arthur Love nodded.
“Well, let’s go get her then.” Andre Randle placed a reassuring hand on Arthur Love’s shoulder.
“Yeah.” Arthur Love nodded approvingly. “Let’s go get her.”
His words lingered in the air as he threw the unmarked car into drive and sped out of the parking lot.
Chapter Thirty-four
Treacherous jumped out of a deep sleep. He was sweating profusely and was breathing uncontrollably. The nightmare he was having had shaken him enough to break his catnap. He sat up. The bad dream seemed so real to him. The last thing he remembered was trying to keep his eyes on Baby, who was covered in blood, being put into an all-black SUV with tinted windows in handcuffs, while he fought to resist his own arrest. The blank blue screen from the forty-two-inch flat TV stared at him. Treacherous shook his head at the thought of the nightmare. He stretched and yawned. He felt restless and his body felt drained. He had just been watching the movie Moves We Make with Baby, after he had put down a huge plate of turkey spaghetti she had prepared. The food must have given him the itus he thought. He peered over to his side and noticed Baby wasn’t lying next to him. He glanced over at the clock on the wall. Nearly two hours had gone by. He hadn’t realized he had been asleep for such a long time. An eerie feeling swept through Treacherous’s body. Even the room seemed to be colder than normal.
“Baby?” Treacherous called out.
There was no reply. He wondered how long she had been up and what she was doing that prevented her from answering him.
Treacherous stood and made his way into the living room. “Baby?” Treacherous called out for a second time. He did a quick scan of the room. Baby was nowhere to be found. He did, however, notice Baby’s helmet and riding jacket were not next to his. Seeing the items missing from where he last saw them refreshed Treacherous’s memory. He remembered Baby had expressed earlier how she was thinking about stepping out. He knew she had a lot on her mind and felt she needed to take a ride, but he was against it. Although they had been out alone before, he always felt uneasy about her being out without him. Treacherous couldn’t believe how far they had come. It seemed like just yesterday that he and Baby had met in the mental institution and had fallen in love. Every day felt like the first time he had just laid eyes on her when he woke in the morning. Now, here they were. Treacherous returned to the present. “Damn,” he said out loud.
Another hour went by, Treacherous noticed. It only took him a few more minutes to realize that more than three hours had gone by since he had spoken with Baby last.
He looked out the window and saw that the sun that was out when he had first laid down was now replaced with nightfall. He looked at his watch. It confirmed the time that had passed. Treacherous’s heart rate increased. He scanned the room for his cell. At first, he couldn’t find it. He began to toss the place. He was about to throw a pillow across the room when it hit him. He had stuck it in his pants pocket earlier. He made a beeline for the closet, flung the door open, grabbed the jeans from the floor, and retrieved the cell phone from his left front pocket. Treacherous took a deep breath. Come on, Baby, answer the phone, he hoped to himself.
The first ring caused his heart to jump as it transitioned into the second and then third.
Fuck. Come on, Baby, pick up! He didn’t want to think the worst but as the phone went into the fourth ring, he couldn’t help but to.
“What the fuck. Pleaseeee.” Treacherous cursed under his breath. Baby had never let her phone go past three rings whenever he called her so to hear it go past the usual alarmed him.
Treacherous hung up before the end of the fourth ring and dialed it back again. His adrenaline started pumping as he waited for the phone to ring. This time it went straight to voicemail. Treacherous stared at the phone and frowned. It was the first time he had ever gotten Baby’s voicemail. What the hell? was the first thought to come to his mind. He could hear Baby’s voicemail beep.
“Baby!” he shouted into the receiver. “Where you at? And why you not answering? Call me as soon as you get this!” Treacherous ended his message. He then took a deep breath to calm himself.
Once he had gained control over his breathing he paced back and forth in the room for about a good ten minutes. Then he called her number back again. Still, same thing. He opened the front door of the crib and stood in the doorway. He checked the parking lot for clues or foul play. He scanned the row of cars. He even walked to the edge of the driveway to look up the street. He came up empty-handed.
He grabbed the back of his head and shook it in disbelief. He clicked on Baby’s number and tried her cell phone once again as he made his way back into the house. He was met with her voicemail again. When she didn’t answer Treacherous threw the phone onto the bed out of frustration as he entered their bedroom. The phone landed on the bed, bounced one time, and fell onto the floor. Treacherous didn’t even bother to retrieve it.
All kinds of thoughts started to run through his head. It wasn’t like Baby to not answer her phone or to be gone for hours without checking in. Something’s not right, he told himself. He couldn’t imagine and would not allow himself to think about why Baby was not answering her phone and what it could mean.
The inside of Treacherous’s stomach began to twist into knots. His heart rate was now beating in rapid succession. The headache that was building was starting to take control over his thoughts. A sharp pain pulsated down the middle of Treacherous’s skull and found a resting place to throb repeatedly on the left side of his temple. If it weren’t for bad luck we wouldn’t have any, Treacherous concluded, in regard to all he and Baby had been going through. He didn’t like the feeling he was getting. Without his knowledge, a few tears escaped from the side creases of Treacherous’s eyes. He didn’t know what he would do if something happened to her. The tears were fueled by anger and not sadness. Murder was the only thing that came to Treacherous’s mind in the event someone had harmed Baby.
He sat down on the side of the bed to collect his thoughts. The sound of his cell phone ringing made him put them on pause. He snatched it up quickly. The words My One and Only appeared across the screen. Treacherous let out a sigh of relief. Treacherous tried to calm his nerves. He shook his head and laughed to himself for overreacting. He answered with a smile.
“You
had me going crazy in here just now.” Treacherous wasted no time speaking into the phone.
His smile instantly disappeared and his facial expression immediately changed from concern to anger with what he heard on the other end of the receiver. The voice caught him by surprise.
“Who the hell is this?” Treacherous boomed into the phone. Instead of receiving an answer he was told to shut up and listen. Before he could get another word out, the recognizable cries in the background caused him to think twice.
Treacherous’s jaws tightened. “Fuck!” he cursed under his breath. “Motherfucka, if you—”
The cries grew louder as Treacherous made a failed attempt to threaten the person on the other end of the phone.
“Okay! Okay! What the fuck do you want?” Treacherous asked submissively.
He listened with clenched teeth as the caller ran down his demands.
Chapter Thirty-five
The two Irish henchmen abruptly ceased conversation at the sight of the maroon and gray Maybach that pulled up. The car seemed to appear out of nowhere.
The taller man of the two scurried over toward the back door of the luxury vehicle and opened it. “Mr. Black,” he greeted him as Sammy stepped out of car with a metal case in hand.
Sammy nodded and buttoned the middle button of his suit jacket. He then made a beeline to the entrance of one of the many properties his family owned.
The factory building that had been abandoned for nearly a decade was a perfect setting for a crime to go unnoticed. It was a cold, dark, and gloomy place. All that could be heard was the sound of rats scurrying about the abandoned hallway. The building was completely unfurnished and had no electricity or heat. The walls were cement, as were the floor and the ceiling. Electrical wires and asbestos were hanging down from every ceiling beam. An abundance of blood had been shed in the building during his family’s reign. That’s all he could think about as he trailed the eerie hallway of the gutted building. This building was not only historical for Sammy Jr.’s family but was also sentimental to him. Since he was a young lad, he stood by his father’s side and watched as he made examples out of violators in the room they called “the pub.” Sammy Jr. had heard countless pleas, cries, and screams from some of the most allegedly ruthless and tough gangsters in the underworld. Some he was responsible for, but most were credited to his father.
A ball of anger arose inside of him as he thought about the fact that his father was no longer at the helm of their organization and not around to guide him any longer. What angered him the most was that he was just mere feet away from one of the people responsible for the demise of his father. Laughter met him at the doorless entryway.
“Oooh!” The two Irish goons chuckled in unison as blood shot out of Baby’s mouth. They had been watching Joshua Black deliver massive blows to the head and body of Baby. Sammy Jr.’s younger cousin had been punishing Baby for the past hour as he waited for his big cousin and boss to arrive. The strong right hook to Baby’s jaw was the third consecutive one he had landed. She’s a tough little nigger bitch, he thought as Baby remained conscious despite the fact that he had hit her with some of his best boxing shots.
Baby raised her head and smiled. “That’s all you got, you Irish prick?” she spat. “Wait until my boyfriend gets here,” she antagonized Joshua Black.
Her words struck a nerve. Joshua Black was a full-blown racist and could not accept the fact that a black woman could withstand what no man ever could. He was certain the next blow he intended to hit Baby with would put her lights out.
“Your boyfriend, huh?” Joshua Black threw her words back at her. “Let’s see if you can last that long.” He shifted his weight back to his left side and pivoted. Just as he was about to throw his punch the familiar voice stopped him in his tracks.
“That’s enough, Josh!” Sammy Jr. entered the open room. His tone was thunderous but his demeanor was calm. He knew his cousin was taking his personal emotions out on who he believed to be responsible for the death of his father, but Sammy needed answers. This was both personal and business for him. He knew he had to take care of the business side of things before he could think about handling things on a personal level.
He made his way over to where they had Baby tied to a beam. Once in front of her, he stared Baby up and down. Minus the bruises from the beating she had obviously been taking, Sammy thought Baby to be a pretty girl for a black girl. He could see that she was young. He wondered how she and her guy could have gotten the drop on his father. The thought of it caused his blood to boil. He wanted nothing more than to pull out his chrome Desert Eagle and blow a hole in Baby’s face, but he knew that was not possible. At least not at the moment, he told himself. Sammy shook off the thought. He set the metal briefcase down on the floor then put his hands behind his back and moved in closer to Baby.
“Where is my money and casino chips?” he asked in a calm and mild tone.
Baby raised her head. She looked at Sammy Black Jr. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Her words came out slurred. Blood poured out of her mouth and onto the concrete floor.
Sammy grunted. He revealed a sinister smile. “Oh, you don’t know what I’m talking about?” he repeated Baby’s words. Sammy looked over at his cousin and nodded. Out of nowhere, Joshua Black threw a crashing right hook to the side of Baby’s head. The blow caused Baby’s knees to buckle. Like before, a smile appeared across Baby’s face. She continued to antagonize him.
Joshua Black had built up a hatred toward Baby. He hated how tough she thought she was. When they had first taken her out of the SUV and attempted to tie her up to the beam, Baby had managed to knee Joshua Black in the groin. She had also managed to almost disarm him, after he had bellied over from the knee assault and dropped his gun. Had it not been for one of the henchmen, he knew it could have gotten ugly for him and the two men. For that, Joshua butted Baby repeatedly in her face with his gun. He blacked out and delivered multiple kicks to her head and body once she had fallen to the floor. By now, his gun was flipped back upright in his hand.
“Whoa! We need her alive! What are you doing?” Sammy spun around just in time before Joshua fired his pistol. He was on the verge of killing her. Luckily his cousin had intervened, he thought. He knew it wasn’t the right time, but he had let his emotions get the best of him for a moment. But right now, every chance he got he wanted to make Baby feel pain. He went to deliver a second blow but was waved off again by Sammy. This time he put his pointer finger up to his lips and shushed his cousin. A puzzled look appeared on Joshua Black’s face. Sammy Black’s eyes dimmed low. He tilted his head to the side.
“You hear that?” he asked his cousin, who had just heard what he had.
Joshua Black nodded.
“How the fuck did that happen?” Sammy Black then asked, “Nobody checked this fucking nigger?” he exclaimed. He moved back in closer to where Baby was tied up. “For all we know, she could have a fucking gun stuck up her ass!” he boomed as he stuck his hand in Baby’s back right jeans pocket.
Joshua Black shrugged his shoulders. She’s a sly fuck, Joshua Black thought, and wondered how the cell phone had slipped past him and the two henchmen.
The screen read My Life. “Aww, isn’t this sweet,” Sammy Black chimed in a mocking tone. “How do you guys say it?” Sammy Black smiled. “Your boo boo is calling,” he slyly remarked.
He was sure it was Baby’s boyfriend and crime partner. He sent the call to voicemail.
“Now, if you want to see Your Life again, you’ll tell me where my money and chips are,” Sammy proposed to Baby.
Baby laughed. She wondered when they would find her phone. She thought they had seen her pull it out and slip it back into her back pocket after she had dropped her gun. Just then her phone rang again. She raised her head for a second time.
“You might as well answer,” she suggested. “He already knows I’m in trouble,” she told Sammy Black.
Sammy smiled. He actually admired Baby’s heart
. Still, he believed no matter how tough she was, she was not ready for what he had in store for her. “No, you’re more than in trouble,” Sammy Black corrected her.
He sent Baby’s phone to voicemail again. He then kneeled down and retrieved the metal briefcase. He tossed Baby’s phone to his cousin then stepped over to an old rusted pushcart. He set the metal briefcase onto the rusted pushcart and opened it. Baby had pretended not to be looking, but she watched Sammy Black Jr.’s every move as much as she could with partially swollen and bloody eyes. She tried to see what was in the metal briefcase but from where she was tied up, she couldn’t see the contents. But when Sammy Black turned to face her, her question was answered. The glint from the silver object brushed across Baby’s face as Sammy Black twirled the sharp knife in his hand. Baby’s attention was drawn from the knife to her ringing phone.
“Answer it,” Sammy Black instructed his cousin.
On the fourth ring Joshua Black hit accept on baby’s phone and pressed the speaker button.
Baby’s heart nearly stopped beating at the sound of his voice. By now Sammy Black was standing next to her with the knife pressed up against her face with his finger up against his mouth again. He was now shushing Baby as they listened to her phone.
“Sorry, your little girlfriend can’t come to the phone right now,” Sammy Black replied on behalf of Baby.
He could hear Treacherous asking who he was. He was not in the mood for small talk.
“Just shut your mouth and listen,” Sammy answered.
The phone sound distorted as Treacherous barked into the phone.
Sammy Black grimaced. His patience grew thin. He turned toward Baby. He roughly grabbed her by the face and pressed the sharp blade up against the side of her face.
“Aggggggggh!” Baby’s screams echoed throughout the gutted building as Sammy Black slowly slid the blade down her cheek and made an L-shape incision. A thin trail of blood trickled down and followed the blade until it stopped a distance away from her right eye.
Carl Weber Presents Ride or Die Chick 4 Page 16
