by Khadijah J
“Where the fuck is my woman?” I asked, taking my blade from my pocket.
“I don’t know, I don’t know. She’s with Fabian that’s all I know,” he whined.
“It’s okay, it’s okay. I just need you to relax. Tell me what kind of car that was on the side of the house?” I asked him. He opened his mouth to speak, but I stopped him.
“Now, before you answer. Think long and hard. Also, think about your wife and her safety. I’ll even let you see her,” I told him. He started crying and huffing and puffing. We all sat there waiting.
“I think it was a Bonneville or something like that,” he said.
“You think?” I asked.
“I’m pretty sure it was.” He sniffled.
“What color was it?” I asked.
“Red,” he answered.
“You sure,” I stated.
“I’m positive man, now let me see my wife?” he asked.
“You wanna see your wife?” I asked. He nodded, and I instantly slit his fucking throat.
“Tell Becky I said what’s up.” I stood. Walking back toward the door.
“Dreux,” I said.
“Whaddup?” he asked.
“I got fifty stacks for anybody who can locate a red Bonneville,” I told him. He nodded, and I walked out the warehouse to leave them standing there. I got in my whip and sat down. I picked up my phone to call my tech.
“Wassup man, I’ma have to start charging you extra,” he joked.
“I got a hundred racks waiting on you after you give me a list of all the red Bonneville’s registered in the city or surrounding it,” I told him.
“I’m on it Kato.” He hung up. I exhaled before punching the fucking steering wheel and horn out of frustration. Fuck, I swear I’ma find her or I’ma die trying.
MONTEJHA | SCARED FOR MY LIFE
I woke up, and my vision was blurry. I wiped my eyes a few times finally it cleared up a little. I sat up in my seat, our car was stopped. We were at a gas station, and he was outside the car on the phone. I looked at the gas station and noticed we were the only ones here. My stomach was hurting so bad, I had to get to a hospital to save my baby, I had to think fast. As a car pulled up, I saw a girl get out on her phone, minding her own business. I peeked out the window, and he was still on the phone, into his conversation. I looked at the girl who walked out the store and tried to flick on the high beams to signal to her. She stopped in her tracks and looked at me, and I quickly put my finger to my mouth telling her to be quiet. I held up 911 with my fingers. She frowned and looked at me again. I could read her lips say you need help. I nodded quickly, and she walked to her car starting it. I watched her take her car and back it in over by the restroom area. She walked in for a moment and then drove off. My heart dropped, I was crushed. But a part of me still wanted to go to the bathroom, for some reason. I unlocked the door and yelled at Fabian.
“I need to go to the hospital Fabian!” I yelled, and he quickly made his way to me and choked me.
“You trying to be funny bitch, yelling out my goddamn name. Sit back and shut up,” he spat.
“If you’re not going to take me to a hospital, at least let me clean up,” I told him. He looked at me and quickly snatched me from the car and toward the bathroom. I quickly walked in, locking him out because the bathroom wasn’t but so big.
“You got two minutes,” he spat outside. I went to pull my leggings down, and I smelled so foul and like blood. Looking on my legs, it was dried up blood on my legs, causing my eyes to well up with tears. I looked around the bathroom for something, anything but came up empty. But I turned the water on and went to reach for some napkins and came up empty, but a phone fell in my hand after playing with it. I quickly made the emergency call turning the water on full blast.
“911 what’s your emergency.” The operator came on the line.
“I need help, I’m at shell’s gas station. I don’t know where I need someone to track this phone. I’m pregnant, and I’m having a miscarriage I need medical attention.” I wept into the phone, but was quickly cut short when Fabian started banging on the door.
“Ma’am, are—” she started.
“Bitch what the fuck is you doing?” he barked as I hurriedly slipped the phone on the floor.
“I’m trying to figure out how I’ma clean myself up!” I yelled at him, which was a mistake. I was in pain and in a fucked-up situation, and I wasn’t thinking logically. He walked in the bathroom and beat my ass so bad I just remember hitting the ground in fetal position trying to protect my baby from his boot stomping me. I heard a gun cock, and I looked up, blood getting into my eyes, I’m not sure from where.
“I’ve already called the police!” I heard, and Fabian tucked his gun behind him and took off out of the bathroom.
I just kept seeing a bright white light. I couldn’t feel anything on my body, but I could hear voices. But I heard a baby crying loudly as well. Then I stood there, it was quiet, I found myself standing in the middle of a bright hallway. I heard the baby start crying again and I followed its cries. I ran toward it, when I got to the room, I saw myself. On the table as the doctors operated on me. The site was horrid, I looked like I had been hit by a semi-truck as they tried to revive me.
“Her heart rate is lowering. We need to get this baby out of her stat. Prep for a C section!” the nurse yelled, she turned to walk toward me and walked right through me. I watched as the cut my belly and cut past my tissue and reveal a purple small baby. He wasn’t crying or nothing as the doctor roughly handled him. I dropped to my knees sobbing, begging and pleading for God to take me and not my baby. I was crushed, hearing them steady perform CPR on my child, there was nothing I could do. I walked over to my tiny lifeless baby, and I started to cry.
“Touch him, sis.” I heard, and I looked around. It was Q, he was standing right there smiling.
“Go ahead, maybe he just need momma’s touch. Ain’t that right nephew.” He smiled. I started to caress him and started to talk to him.
“I need you to wake up baby. Mommy will never be able to go on without you.” I cried, pecking him on the forehead.
I gasped, sitting up off the table and looking across the room as my baby wailed out. I looked at the nurse through one eye, and I couldn’t help but to panic, as they started hooking him up to machines and working on him. I don’t even remember passing out again, all I remember was them saying they were losing her. I didn’t care if I left this earth, I just wanted my baby to make it, if I died, I just wanted God to forgive me for all my sins and to watch over Kato and our kid.
KAIYANI | JANE DOE?
“Alright, that’s great news. I’m sure they’ll be ready to hear that. I’m going to go ahead and post it. Thank you, enjoy your weekend off as well.” I hung up. I had just dropped off a trunk filled of deliveries, and I was exhausted. I had been trying to just keep my head on straight since Dreux told me that Tejha was missing. I missed my friend so much, and I didn’t know what to do if we couldn’t find her. Time and time again I told them let’s go to the police, but the last time I said that me and Kato got into it bad. But he apologized and said he was going to bring her back. I told him to make sure he does because I wanted to meet my Godson. The was a few days ago, Dreux hasn’t been home since then. I hoped he was okay, I had been just laying up under my mommy most of the time.
“They’re going to find her, and she’s going to be okay. Tejha a fighter, she gone come home,” my mom assured me. I just nodded. I ended up trying to keep myself busy by going over some of my numbers and figuring out what sale I wanted to have this month. I owned a very successful hair company, and I was super proud of myself. I put my blood, sweat, and tears into my business. But now I wanted more, I wanted to open a hair store. I wanted to be able to sale my hair on hand, and also braiding hair and everything else. I won’t be selling that bullshit pack hair in my store though. Also, hand-crafted wigs by myself, I wanted to do it. I was going to do it, but mentally I couldn’t do all of this knowing my best
friend was out there somewhere with a fucking idiot. But when we met his greezy ass, I told her, he was a slimeball.
“We gone go out tonight, have some fun and let our hair down. Fuck Kato, you don’t need him!” I yelled.
“I don’t know Yani. I’m just tired, I just wanna lie in bed,” she whined.
But I just had to convince her to come out. She must’ve been pregnant then because now that I think about it, she didn’t drink with me the entire night. We chilled majority of the night. I kept ordering drinks, and we were on the dance floor when I wanted to get another drink at the bar. Some ugly dude came pushing up on Tejha. But before I could say anything, she snapped on him.
“Can you take a step back please and thank you,” she snapped.
“Bitch you ain’t that fine anyway,” he spat and walked off. I climbed on the barstool, and she climbed on the one next to me. My phone chimed with messages from Dreux asking where I was, and I told him I was out.
“He was lying,” a random guy came up to Tejha and said. She frowned at him and looked him up and down. I’ll give it to him, he was very handsome, light skinned with pink lips. He had on Versace from head to toe, and a couple of big flashy chains around his neck. But his eyes told on him, he was evil. I knew it from the jump.
“Excuse me,” I yelled over the music.
“He said she ain’t that fine, he was lying. You the finest girl I done seen in my life actually.” He smirked.
“Cute, how many times have you used that line tonight?” Tejha asked.
“Ten if we being honest.” He smirked, and all three of us started laughing.
“Fabian.” He held his hand out.
“Montejha.” She shook his hand.
“So, Montejha, that’s a unique name,” he started.
“So is Fabian,” she rebutted.
“Look, I just was passing through. I gotta head out, so how about I get your number, I would love to take you out sometime. Get to know the feisty Montejha.” He smiled. He had beautiful teeth and dimples. She looked at me, and I nodded, shit I thought what harm could it do in just talking to him.
“I don’t know about that.” She sipped her sprite.
“Oh, my bad. Does the beautiful Montejha have a man at home?” he asked.
“No, fresh out of a breakup,” she stated.
“Oh, damn. Well, more the reason to give me your number so I can check on you and keep you uplifted.” He licked his lips. I just kept my mouth shut, observing the entire thing take place.
“Okay.” She gave him her number, and he went about his way, telling her he was going to hit her up tomorrow. She looked at me as he walked off and I smiled at her.
“What does mama Yani have to say about this one?” she asked.
“Nothing, nothing at all. You're grown beautiful and deserve the world. Do you, just be careful,” I told her. She gave me a huge smile and hugged me.
“I love you to pieces friend.” She hugged me in the club.
I felt like I fucked up because I knew from Fabian’s eyes that he was bad news. But I didn’t tell her that, I kept my fucking mouth closed because I was just happy to see my friend smiling after watching her be miserable for two weeks after Kato broke up with her. So, I told her to live her best life and in doing so, pushed her into the arms of a psychopath.
“What you thinking about pumpkin?” my mother asked me.
“I feel like a messed-up friend,” I started.
“Why do you feel like that Yani?” my mom inquired with a concerned look etched on her face. I explained to her what happened at the club and how she met Fabian.
“So, why do you feel like that? From what you tell me, you have no reason to feel that way.” She frowned.
“I feel like I could’ve told her not to deal with him. That I saw the evil look in his eyes when he walked away from us,” I told her. She shook her head.
“Well, let me ask you this. You don’t like Kato correct?” she asked.
“Mom, what does that have to do with,” I started.
“Answer the question,” she snapped.
“At first, no. He’s alright I guess,” I answered.
“Did you tell Tejha prior to them dating that you didn’t like him?” she asked.
“Yeah, I actually did,” I answered.
“Did that stop them from dating?” she asked, but I just looked at her.
“Exactly, so whatever you say or do wasn’t going to make a difference. It was inevitable, but you were wrong about Kato. He’s a good man, rough around the edges but he’s a solid man that loves our Montejha dearly,” she stated. Thinking about it long and hard, she was right. Kato did love Montejha’s dirty drawers. Dreux walked through the double doors, and he looked crazy. I didn’t say anything as he went upstairs to shower and change. My mom went upstairs to her room, and I went to the kitchen to warm up his chicken and shrimp alfredo and breadstick. When I took it out the microwave, he came around the corner with no shirt on.
“Damn, you must’ve read my mind.” He pecked me on the lips.
“I knew you probably worked up an appetite.” I gave him a small smile. He dug into his food, as I walked to the fridge to get his water. I turned back around and sat it next to him staring into his eyes.
“So, did you guys find her?” I asked.
“No,” he stated flatly.
“Damnit.” I rolled my eyes and walked upstairs to the room. I laid down and got up under the covers, I said my prayers for God to bring my best friend back home soon and nodded off. I didn’t know how much longer I could take this.
The very next morning I woke up and got dressed, after handling my hygiene. I went downstairs and made me some tea and breakfast for my mom and boyfriend since he slept in today. I was watching this criminal mind show, and they mentioned a victim being a John Doe. A light bulb went off in my head as I quickly picked up my phone. I called the nearest hospital to see if they had Jane Doe’s and they told me know. That’s when my search started. I got up and grabbed a piece of paper and wrote down the addresses and phone numbers of hospitals that were in my area.
“What you up to now?” my mother asked.
“I just wrote down all of the hospitals from the closest to the furthest from us. I’m going to call them and ask if they have any Jane Doe’s and can they describe them to me or I can describe Montejha’s to them. I just want to find my friend,” I stressed. My mother looked at me and hugged me.
“Okay, well how about we do this together. I’ll go grab my phone.” She smiled at me. I nodded and walked off.
By the time we got toward the end of the list, I had no luck, and I felt defeated. I took a deep breath and ran my hands down my face. My mother came back in the kitchen on the phone.
“And what did you say your name was again. Okay, Porsha. Yes, thank you so much.” My mother hung up. My ears instantly perked up.
“We need to get a move on. I just spoke to Porsha, and she said she has someone who fits Tejha’s description. We would have to come down and identify, I’m going to call her mom while you get ready.” She smiled as Dreux rounded the corner. He looked down at me and pecked my lips.
“Guess what?” I started.
“What?” he asked, pulling out his phone and answering it.
“Hold up baby. I just woke up nigga what’s good,” he answered. He had this weird look on his face as he walked off and I heard him asking was he good.
“Alright, say less we on the way.” He hung up and walked back toward me.
“Baby, Kato found Tejha,” he stated.
“What? Where?” my mom asked. He told us a hospital that was almost two hours out.
“We gotta head out, call Tejha peeps and I’ma call her auntie and them to head there.” He walked upstairs to put on a shirt I assume. After I made the call to her mom, she said she would meet us there. I headed upstairs to grab my jacket, shoes, and a purse. I walked in, and Dreux was lacing up his Timbs.
“How is she?” I asked. He stood up and
kissed my forehead.
“Just prepare to see her at her worse, but I got you. We gone get who did this to her and she gone bounce back her and the baby,” he said. I nodded.
We got in the truck and headed to the hospital. When we arrived, Dreux took the elevator all the way up to the sixth floor, and me and my mother followed him. As we rode the elevator up, the anxiety was building up, I was starting to panic. Dreux noticed and quickly grabbed me, wrapping me up into his arms. He kissed my forehead and told me everything was going to be okay. When the doors opened, and we rounded the corner, we ran into everybody in the waiting room. From Kato’s mom all the way down to Montejha’s father.
“What they saying? What’s going on?” my mother asked Tejha’s mom.
“Not much. All I know is they had to remove the baby from her because someone gave her an abortion pill. But she was too far along for it, that’s all I know.” Tejha’s auntie told us. I just sat down and tried to gather my thoughts.
“Where’s Kato?” my mother asked.
“He’s back there. I’m just trying to figure out, how he’s allowed back there when he’s the ‘cause of all of this shit,” Montejha’s mother snapped. One look at her auntie and Kato’s momma and I knew all hell was about to break loose.
KATO | EVER SEEN A THUG CRY?
I had just got a call from my cousin Ky saying that there was a red Bonneville spotted way out last night at a gas station. So, I headed that way immediately, and within an hour a nigga was pulling up. I walked up to the girl who was in the back sweeping up the floor while the other one took care of the customers. I told her I needed to know what happened last night and she said they can’t talk about it. So, I took a different route.
“I just need the surveillance tape baby girl.” I smirked at her. I knew I had her when she looked me up and down.
“Okay, but what you gone do for me?” she asked.
“I can do a lot of things for you.” I held up five racks. Her eyes lit up at the stack of money.
“I got another stack afterward, now what you trying to do?” I asked her.