Rebel & Her Beast

by Queen Pen

  There was a long pause. “The fuck you doing in Vegas still?”

  “Maddey and I kind of hit it off and—”

  “Bitch you mean to tell me you went MIA over some dick?” Ryder interrupted.

  “It’s not like that, Ry.” I whispered. I wished I could tell her more, so that I could make it make sense to her, but I promised Maddey that I wouldn’t.

  Ryder sighed, “I’m just happy that you are okay, but please don’t do that shit again. I was worried as fuck. So…Maddey? What the fuck, Bel?”

  I giggled, relieved that she wasn’t asking me more on why I was still in Vegas or why I’d lied to her. “I don’t know, Ry. It just sort of happened.”

  “I saw y’all sneak off on his birthday—” she gasped, “ohhh! Y’all haven’t fucked…have you?”

  “No! It’s not like that. I mean, it’s…we just started to get to know each other and—”

  Ryder laughed, “okay, Bel. I got it.”

  We spent the next half hour catching up. She told me that her doctor confirmed that she was two months pregnant and had a healthy baby. Kobra was elated and Ryder was coming around to the idea of carrying his kid and becoming a mom.

  We finally said our goodbyes and hung up. I flung myself back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. I was contemplating calling Noella, but I didn’t think I could handle another conversation explaining myself again. The fact that Noella was Maddey’s sister made me want to steer clear of telling her what was up until I had a better handle on it myself.

  I opted to send her a quick text letting her know I was safe and that I loved her. When I was done with that, I plugged my phone in and got up to get dressed for the day.

  “Ready or not here I come!” I yelled. I was in the living room crouched down behind the couch.

  I popped up and kept my eyes peeled for Chip. It was almost lunch time, which had become the precise time for our daily game of Hide and Seek. We took it very seriously and hadn’t missed a morning yet. I had to admit, Chip has grown on me and Ms. Keddle was like the mother I never had. She was always fussing over Chip and I as if we were both her children. Outwardly I acted like I hated her nagging, but inwardly, I loved it. I never experienced anything like a woman’s love. Of course, I always had my dad, but there was something special about a mother’s guidance.

  I peeked around the living room, looking for Chip. I typically found him easily because he either couldn’t help but giggle out loud as I got closer to his hiding spot or he wasn’t completely hidden. Today was no different. I looked around for all of twenty seconds before I spotted his foot peeking out from under the drapes that covered the huge window.

  “Hmmm…I wonder where he is,” I said loudly. I heard him giggle which made my smile stretch wider across my face. “Gotcha!” I squealed as I grabbed his foot and pulled gently.

  He came from behind the drapes, “aww no fair! You always find me!”

  “Then get better, squirt,” I tickled his tummy as he giggled uncontrollably.

  “Hey, you two, come eat lunch. Rebel stop getting him all worked up, now. You know how he gets.” Ms. Keddle scolded us as she came into the living room with an apron on.

  “Yes ma’am,” Chip and I said in unison.

  Ms. Keddle turned and walked out of the room. As soon as she was out of sight I began ticking him again. Chip laughed so hard that he couldn’t talk as he jabbed me in the ribs with his foot.

  “You two stop fooling around, now!” Ms. Keddle yelled from the hallway.

  I stopped with a grin on my face and helped Chip off the floor. “Come on, let’s go before she comes in here and gets us.”

  Chip nodded his head with a giggle and tugged my hand so I would follow him. He dragged me out of the room and down the staircase towards the kitchen. The room was huge with tall ceilings and huge windows, much like the rest of the house. The counters, floors and appliances were either white or black and the smells were always unbelievable. My stomach growled as I walked into Ms. Keddle’s domain, but I stopped short as I saw Maddey sitting at the island counter.

  “Hey, you.” I playfully nudged him as I walked by and stood next to his chair. I was surprised to see him here in the middle of the day. He was always out all day until dinner time. I sure wasn’t mad at it, though. I found myself missing his presence during the day so this was a pleasant surprise.

  “What’s up, shorty?” He nodded at me. I sighed and then smiled at him. He always had to be the cool guy, never showing a playful side. I was determined to pull it out of him, though.

  “Hi Maddey,” Chip yelped from beside me and then hid behind my leg.

  “Sup, lil man?” Maddey nodded at Chip.

  I rolled my eyes and dragged Chip from behind me and then plopped him in the seat beside mine at the island.

  “Chip, what did I tell you about calling him that? He is my boss and you need to call him Mr. Adams, Mr. Madden, or Sir.” Ms. Keddle fussed.

  I hated that Ms. Keddle was forced to address Maddey as mister or sir. I know that was typical for people who ran a business, but Ms. Keddle was more like family and Chip shouldn’t have to call him anything but Maddey. I was about to open my mouth and say something when Maddey spoke. “It’s okay, Ms. Keddle. He can call me Maddey and so can you.”

  Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at Maddey. I knew that he had demanded that his staff address him properly in the past, Ms. Keddle hinted at that when I first got here, so for him to say that it was okay that they call him Maddey must have been shocking for them. I knew it was for me.

  When Maddey was in front of people he demanded respect. He walked around with a mean mug and he didn’t talk unless he felt the need. Honestly, he was downright rude most of the time. I knew better, though. He was still like that with me, but he messed up when he allowed me to see his softer side. The side that bought me a whole library, smiled at me in the elevator and gave me my cell phone back. I now knew that he was capable of being nice.

  Ms. Keddle straightened up and grabbed a pan from the oven. She set it down in front of us and then grabbed a bowl from the refrigerator. After she set that on the table, she hesitated and then patted Maddey on the shoulder and smiled at him. He simply nodded at her and then she turned to me. “Can you help Chip with his lunch? I have to run to the store for a few things for dinner.”

  “Of course, I can. I’ll even make sure he eats all of his salad.” I turned to grin at him, and he pouted back at me.

  “Thank you, baby.” Ms. Keddle said before retreating out of the kitchen.

  I pulled the hot pan full of parmesan chicken towards me and put a piece on Maddey’s plate and then Chips before serving myself last.

  “Why are you here during the day, anyways?” I asked Maddey nonchalantly as I put some salad on his plate.

  He shrugged, “I had some time before my next meeting so I thought I would come home for lunch.”

  I nodded and put salad on mine and Chips plates. I purposefully put extra salad on Chips plate, simply to torture him. Chip glared at me as I cut up his chicken.

  “Thank you for giving me my phone back, Maddey. I really do appreciate it. My dad was relieved to hear from me and so was Ryder.”

  “What did you tell my sister?” He looked at me intensely.

  “I didn’t have the courage to call her. Not after getting cussed out by Ryder. I sent her a text and let her know I was safe, and everything is good. I’m hoping that by the time I get around to calling her she will have calmed down.”

  He chuckled and I paused. He caught me off guard any time he smiled or laughed, and I could tell even Chip was caught off guard. He sat frozen with his fork halfway between his mouth and his plate staring at Maddey with a bewildered expression on his face. Maddey didn’t seem to notice as he sat back and grinned at me before turning serious again. “You must not know my sister very well.”

  “I do,” I said defensively.

  “She’s gonna cuss your ass out, too,” he chuckled again
.

  “It’s your fault,” I glared at him.

  “I know,” he shrugged. “I’m just saying. She’s probably pissed that she hasn’t heard from you after you just disappeared on her. I ain’t never told nobody this shit, so don’t go repeating it, but she can be scary as fuck. She broke my damn finger once when she was just a little girl.” He laughed at the memory.

  “Okay, first of all, watch your mouth in front of Chip. Second, what do you suggest I tell her? You know she isn’t going to take a half explanation like Ryder did.”

  “Tell her the truth.” He shrugged as he took a bite of chicken.

  “The truth? You told me not to tell anyone the truth.” I stammered. This man confused everything in me. I couldn’t make him make sense for the life of me.

  “She’s my little sister. She ain’t gonna tell nobody. She’ll probably cuss me out real good and maybe break another one of my fingers but I trust her lil ass.”

  “Watch your mouth,” I scolded.

  He glanced at Chip who was happily eating his chicken and watching cartoons on his iPad, oblivious to what Maddey and I were talking about. It didn’t get past me that he hadn’t touched his salad, but I would deal with that later.

  “Lil man ain’t even paying attention,” Maddey said.

  I rolled my eyes, but let it go, “fine. I’ll call her after lunch. You know she’s going to want to come here, though.”

  He shrugged, “let her come. We can have a party or some shit. I don’t give a fuck.”

  “Do you have to swear every time you open your mouth?” I turned my nose up at him.

  “Sure the fuck do,” he said taking another bite of his food and staring at me.

  I sighed, “fine. Hey, I was going to ask…would it be okay if we had a game night or something this weekend? I just thought it might be nice to give Luken and Cornelius a break…Ms. Keddle, too. We could invite Doc and August over. I never see them, and I just thought it might be nice to see everyone.”

  I had been thinking about it for a while, but I was afraid to ask. Luken and Cornelius hadn’t really been around to babysit me as much lately and Ms. Keddle told me that they worked the casino floor. They were the only two people that Maddey trusted aside from his siblings, so they worked crazy hours. I thought they should have a night to relax and have some fun. I was also dying for some more adult interaction. I loved Chip, but playing hide and go seek and watching Disney movies was starting to get a bit boring for me.

  Maddey thought about it and for a moment I thought he wasn’t going to answer me like he did so many times before, but he surprised me when he said, “yeah. That’s cool.”

  I smiled widely and before I could stop myself I jumped up and hugged him. I was surprised once again, when he wrapped his strong arms around me and hugged me back. When he let me go he stood up, “I have to get back to work but I’ll see you tonight.”

  “Okay, see you tonight,” I said breathlessly. I couldn’t believe that we had just hugged. Maddey and hugging didn’t go hand in hand and yet, his embrace was warm and loving.

  I blushed as he walked out of the room before turning to Chip, “okay, lil man. Time to eat your salad.”

  Twelve

  T he phone call with Noella was not one that I would call fun, loving or productive. She basically cussed me out for a solid half an hour before bursting into tears. Then, she interrogated me for another hour before hanging up on me, in mid-sentence, to call Maddey.

  I knew that she would have a hard time with this, especially since I told her the full truth about Maddey’s case and how my father was here. I had no doubt that she would be here before morning to check up on me and make sure I was really okay. I didn’t want to worry about that now, though.

  It was time for dinner with Maddey and tonight my stomach was filled with more than butterflies and excitement. I was also a bit scared to finally understand why he killed three people. It rattled me a little bit that I had forgotten about his crimes and I was scared that his story would change the image I built of this complex man.

  I made my way to the dining room and my breath caught in my throat when I saw him. He was exasperatingly gorgeous. He sat back in his chair looking at his phone. His beard and hair were always freshly lined and his clothes always clung to his muscles. He was so intimidating to look at and not because he always had a scowl on his face or tattoo’s covering his muscles that looked like they could snap a tree trunk in half, but because he was entirely too good looking.

  He saw me enter the room and he straightened up and put his phone down. “Hey Rebel.” His voice was deep and raspy, and it instantly sent chills down my spine.

  “Hi Maddey,” I blushed as I sat down. I noticed that there was already food covering the table.

  “I didn’t want to have any interruptions tonight, so I had Ms. Keddle bring everything out right away.” Maddey said, as he looked at me intently.

  I nodded and helped myself to roasted potatoes, corn on the cop and roast beef. I had been eating well these last few weeks and I could tell I was gaining some weight from all of Ms. Keddle’s good cooking. My slight frame could handle a few extra pounds, though, so I wasn’t too worried, but I knew that if I stayed here much longer, I would have to start working out.

  We ate in an awkward silence, tension rising as we both thought about the topic of discussion for the night. I decided to break the silence. “How was the rest of your day?”

  “It was good. Noella called me,” he said nonchalantly, looking at me with amusement in his eyes.

  “Yeah, sorry about that. I spent a good two hours on the phone with her this afternoon. I have a feeling that she will be showing up here soon.”

  “No fuckin doubt,” Maddey said. “I’ll give her until nine in the morning.”

  I giggled and we fell back into an awkward silence. I sighed, “Maddey…we need to talk about your case. Can we please just get that out of the way, so we can enjoy dinner like normal?”

  “That’s if you still want to break bread with a murderer, shorty.” He said bluntly.

  My stomach turned, “so you did kill those people?”

  “I already told you I did,” he replied grumpily.

  “I guess I just hoped that you really hadn’t…” I let my sentence fall off because there really wasn’t anything for me to say. I felt sick that he had actually killed people and didn’t have any remorse about it.

  “You can dead all that shit. I killed them, ma.”

  “But why, Maddey? I know you have this mean, bad-ass, scary reputation to uphold, but what gives you the right to kill three people in broad daylight? Did they accidentally bump into you? Step on your shoe? Help me understand.” I didn’t know why I was on the verge of tears or why I desperately wanted this all to make sense. I just knew that if he said anything wrong or I walked away from this conversation without understanding, my heart would be broken.

  He was silent for so long that I was sure he was going to ignore me. A tear trickled down my cheek and I swiped it away in frustration. I was about to push away from the table and leave when he spoke. His voice was deep, but soft in a way I’d never heard it before. “I was walking to that Bobby Flay burger joint down the street when I saw this nigga holding a little girl. She was crying and struggling. She looked like she was homeless. Skinny as shit with hallow eyes. He had another nigga with him and this bitch. The shit just didn’t feel right, so I stopped them and asked what the fuck was going on.”

  I sat still as a statue as I listened to him talk. I didn’t want to miss a word. I was scared that if I asked any questions, he would clam up and stop talking and I couldn’t have that. I was finally getting somewhere with him and I needed him to keep talking so that I could help him. Deep down, all I wanted to do was help the man that seemed to do so much for me in such a little time. Sure, he was a complete jerk at first, but once I started spending time with him, I saw that there was more to his story. It was the least I could do, so I kept my mouth shut and braced m
yself for the rest of the story.

  “The nigga that was holding the little girl told me to mind my fuckin business and you already know I don’t like that shit so I pulled my gun out and spoke to the little girl directly. I asked if she knew these people and she shook her head. She was shaking and crying and shit, so I knew it was some foul shit going on. There’s been a lot of lil girls and even some boys going missing from the strip lately. I’ll never understand why parents bring their kids to Las Vegas anyway, but from the looks of it, these people were with a sex trafficking ring.

  I told them to let her go and they fuckin refused. The girl started to scream, but the nigga clamped his hand over her mouth and nose. Lil mama couldn’t breathe, man. Then, the bitch pulled out her gun and I didn’t hesitate. I took her and the other nigga out before shooting the man in the head that had the lil girl. Everything happened so fuckin fast none of the stupid muthafuckin witnesses saw the lil girl. She disappeared before I could get to her and before I knew it, I was being arrested.

  My brother hired yo pops and he got me out on bond, but the trial hasn’t been looking too good since. I see why and shit, but I’m not going to jail for no shit like this. There are plenty of people that I’ve fucked up or done real dirty, but I ain’t never killed a muthafucka that didn’t deserve that shit. If I have to go to jail, they need to put me away for one of those crimes, but this shit ain’t it.”

  We sat staring at each other for a moment and I realized that our friendship was comprised mostly of us sitting in silence staring at each other. It was as if we were constantly trying to read each other. I cleared my throat, “why didn’t you tell anyone any of this? In the eyes of the law it doesn’t excuse you killing three people, but it can win you some sympathy and possibly a reduced sentence.”

  “Man, I don’t need nobody’s sympathy. I need to walk away from this shit with no time served.” He waved me off stubbornly.

  I sat back and rubbed my temples. I needed to take my emotions out of the equation and think about it from a logical standpoint. I looked at Maddey and he was staring right back at me, watching me carefully. His harden exterior only softened in secret moments with me. I knew that he was supposedly known as a beast in the streets, but surely, he wouldn’t put his freedom on the line to protect that persona. Him not telling the judge what really happened wasn’t making sense to me.