by T. Styles
She smiled. “What now?”
Shay clasped her hands in front of herself. “Is it true?”
“Is what true?”
“Is daddy, Harris’ daddy too?”
Slowly the smile on Ericka’s face melted. “What you talking about?”
Shay backed up. “I…I…”
Shay may have paused on snitch mode, but Ericka had plans the moment she heard the revelation. She always had her suspicions and now there was proof.
Ericka quickly rose and ran past her child, making a beeline for Bet’s office.
“MAMA, NO!” Shay yelled.
She was gone.
The reason she was so angry was easy to understand. Ever since Ericka and Stretch had met Banks and Bet, she didn’t trust them. Especially when Banks used her wedding as a way to solidify the bond between Banks and Mason. She knew at that moment he was about self. Then there were the secret meetings between Banks, Bet and Stretch.
It was as if Stretch loved Banks more than her.
Her heart said something was off and everybody called her crazy.
But now look.
Whenever she asked her husband what was going on, he claimed it was nothing. Now she was learning that her fears were warranted.
Banging harshly on Bet’s office door, within a few seconds she opened it calmly, enraging Ericka even more.
Several soldiers who heard the commotion walked behind Ericka, preparing to handle the situation if things got out of control.
“I have it,” Bet said to the men.
“Are you sure?” one asked.
“Yes.”
“Banks doesn’t want you in your office, Mrs. Wales,” he said. “He want’s everybody downstairs where—”
“Let me worry about my husband.”
“I’ll have to talk to Banks,” he continued. “I’m sorry.”
“You do that.”
The man walked away.
He would’ve pressed her a little harder but everyone knew in a matter of days, the Wales would be gone anyway. So most of the soldiers were getting lax in their behavior.
When they were alone Bet stepped back and allowed Ericka into her office. Sitting behind her desk, she braced herself. “What is it, Ericka?”
“Did my husband fuck you?”
Bet shook her head. “What are you talking about?”
“It’s true isn’t it?” She asked trembling. “Are your kids fathered by my husband? Is that why he wouldn’t give me more children, even though I begged him?”
Bet sighed. She was amusing to her.
“I’m going to tell Banks!” Ericka continued.
“You spent so much time isolating yourself from me and my family, that you really put yourself in a position where you know nothing.”
“I’m not isolating myself!” She yelled. “I didn’t want my husband being involved in—”
“In what?” Bet yelled walking around her desk, standing directly in front of her. “The elaborate wedding we paid for? Your child going to private schools? Your salons?” She paused. “Exactly what part about you not wanting to be involved are you referring to?”
Ericka huffed and puffed as she stood in front of her. Could she hit her and survive? “You know what you should be asking is what I’m capable of.”
Bet glared. “Is that a threat?”
“What if it is?”
“You know, the future isn’t bright for you. Your husband been making a lot of mistakes. If I were you, I’d be careful. Real careful. You may say or do the wrong thing and then…BANG.” She laughed. “Now get the fuck out of my face before I hurt you.”
Bet shoved her out and slammed the door.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Five minutes from his house, Banks received a call from Mason. Glancing down at the screen, he decided not to answer. Besides, he knew what he was about to ask.
His plans for his son Derrick.
The trouble was Banks didn’t know what he knew. Not only that, he had gone everywhere he could to find his daughter and at the end of the day his mind was on her.
So when his phone rang three more times, he decided to take the call. “What, Mason?”
“Daddy,” Minnie said with a shaky voice.
The moment he heard her, Banks felt as if he’d been gut punched. He pulled over, sat up straight and gave her his undivided attention. “What are you…where are you?”
“Daddy, I’m so sorry,” she cried harder. “I’m so sorry. I…I…I wanted to see Arlyndo but—”
“Minnie, why?” Banks begged. “Why would you go see that nigga when you know—”
“As you can tell by now I’m serious,” Mason said intercepting the call. “Now I want you to bring Derrick to me. Personally.”
“You making a big mistake.”
“AM I?” Mason yelled. “How you figure?”
“All I wanna do is get my family out of here, man.” Banks said with his whole heart. “I gave you enough coke to put you on your feet. Fuck is you doing this for?”
Mason sighed deeply and said, “Because you broke my...”
Silence.
“You took my son,” Mason continued, clearing his throat.
“I DIDN’T TAKE YOUR SON, NIGGA!” Banks yelled. “HE WANTED TO MEET UP WITH ME!”
“It doesn’t matter how it went down. You still got him.”
“I expect you to let my daughter go or—”
“OR WHAT?” Mason yelled. “Huh? What you thought…you could leave the country and have shit go your way?”
“This ain’t about you.”
“Then who the fuck is it about? You got out the game without clearing it with me first. Without making sure me and my family would be okay.”
“Are you fucking serious? I set you up for at least six months!”
“I thought we was family!” Mason said in a low voice. “What about me? And my kids?” He laughed. “Oh let me back up…we don’t matter do we?”
“Let her go, Mason.” Banks warned.
“No.”
“Then I want you to remember this call.”
“Are you saying you won’t bring my son?”
Banks was done.
He slammed his finger over the end button.
He had work to do, starting with calling the Elderly Maid who cleaned Mason’s house earlier. Not only did she report back to Banks as much as possible over the past twenty-four hours, but she also made sure certain devices in the house were ready to go. After listening to how Jersey slammed money into her face and she was about to punch her, Banks hung up because the call got off track and he already had the information he needed.
Fifteen minutes later he was in his house, with five of his men following.
Going to the basement with urgency, he walked up to Spacey.
“Come with me.” He turned to walk up the stairs. “You can stay here,” he told the men.
They remained.
“Everything okay?” Spacey asked, worried about his disposition.
Banks stopped and faced him again. “Don’t make me ask again.”
A minute later, the two of them were in Banks’ office alone. Banks, seated behind his desk, removed a remote for a hidden compartment in the floor. Inside were all of his children’s phones which he confiscated earlier, so he could limit their outside interactions. Also inside were many journals that he wrote into over the years. As if it were a precious jewel, he picked up a gold composition book and placed it on his desk.
Smoothing it with his hand, he took a deep breath and opened the cover, stopping on the first page. On it was intricate instructions and details.
Looking up at Spacey he said, “Come here.”
“Dad, are you okay?”
Banks’ eyes were dark and filled with rage so he knew danger was near.
Standing up he said, “Come, Spacey. Now.”
Slowly Spacey walked over to the desk, sat down and looked at the book. A skilled computer programmer and being familiar with code
, he reviewed the first few pages and looked up at Banks. “Is this—”
“Turn the computer on.” Banks stood next to him and pointed at his screen.
Spacey swallowed the lump in his throat, turned on Banks’ computer and input the data from the book. A few minutes later, Banks’ screen lit up with cameras, in every area inside Mason’s house.
Mason made a major error.
Lazy as a two-day-old puppy, Mason allowed Banks to furnish every piece of furniture in his home. Although Banks loved Mason like a brother, furnishing his home had nothing to do with friendship. Banks thought in terms of the future, always, so this tool did wonders. No he didn’t want to beef, but he knew it was a possibility.
And so, under the guise of having Mason’s home laid, Banks installed cameras within every inch of the property, specifically the gold designer light switch covers on the walls. Although he had the power, he never used the surveillance equipment until that moment.
Sound was not possible but video was crisp, thanks to the cleaning crew, wiping the hidden cameras. And it was all Banks needed to see his enemy.
“Dad, what…what is this?”
Banks glared, as he gazed at the screen, which showed every room. “The beginning.” He looked at his son. “Just the beginning.”
****
Banks walked into the doorway of his bedroom where Bet was lying on her side, crying. Several small suitcases lined the side of the wall and he was hopeful, after bringing Minnie home, that they would be on their island in a matter of time.
“Bet,” he said softly leaning against the doorframe.
Silence.
“She gonna be okay,” he walked further into the bedroom, closing the door behind himself. “I don’t want you worrying about shit you can’t change.”
Bet sniffled a little. “She’s going to—”
“Be fine.” He sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed her thigh. “We taught her how to escape, and we taught her how to fight.” He paused. “Almost too well. That’s how she got out the fucking house in the first place.”
She giggled softly. “Over the terrace at that.”
They both laughed lightly before falling into silence. “I’m sorry, Bet. For everything.”
She breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing his words. Prior to that moment, she thought for certain he had changed so drastically from the man she fell in love with, that things would never be the same.
“Thank you.”
“For what.”
“Just…for saying that.” She took a deep breath and sat up. “And I don’t blame you.”
He sat closer. “Why?”
“I blame myself,” she looked at him. “I should’ve…I should’ve watched her when you left but I was so angry…so mad that you…” she sobbed harder. “That you wouldn’t let me see my parents.” She sniffled. “Oh, Banks…what if they hurt her?”
He pulled her into his arms. “Minnie gonna be fine. I got a plan.”
“But what if it doesn’t work?” Her nose nestled in the seat of his neck. He smelled of expensive cologne and it made her almost better.
“Look into my eyes.”
“Banks—”
“Look at me.”
She did.
“The only thing I want from you, if you do nothing else, is to trust me,” he paused. “It’s like when I tell you I got us, that I got you, you don’t believe what I’m saying is true. Have I ever steered us wrong? I built you a world of your dreams. Wait until you see it.”
“I don’t mean to—”
“But that be fucking up my head, making me go off.” He paused. “I’m telling you I got a plan and I promise I’ll find our daughter.”
“Do you think she went…like…do you think she went to his house?”
He knew she was there. Mason called earlier and confirmed. But he decided to keep it to himself. Besides, what good could it do her anyway? “I got some things in motion. I’ma find out.”
He pulled her hand. She stood between his legs. Slowly he raised her shirt, and kissed her belly button.
Next his lips moved to her right hip.
And then her left.
Looking up at her he smiled. “Still fine as fuck.”
She grinned and removed her shirt. His compliments fueled her because they were few and far between.
Usually his eyes said he approved though.
Focusing on her button, Bet popped it open and pulled down her zipper. In a helping mood he dragged his hands down her thighs until her pants were in a pile at her feet. Kicking out of them one by one, she stood in front of him, wearing only her red panties and bra.
He kissed her belly again, snaked his finger around the seat of her panties and into her pussy. Removing his finger, Bet moaned as she watched him suck her juices.
“Take ‘em off,” he demanded. “The bra too.”
Needing to feel something outside of emotional distress, she quickly removed everything and stood before him, hoping he’d have a plan that would end in her calling his name. Besides, it had been weeks since they fucked and the sexual frustration was killing them both.
“Get on the bed,” Banks directed.
Lying on the mattress face up, Banks crawled between her legs. Kissing her inner right thigh and then her left, he ran his tongue downward until he sat at the opening of her pussy. Entering her slowly with his tongue, he made circling motions until the tip ended on her glistening clit.
“Oh, my god, Banks…I…” she gripped the back of his head and maneuvered her waist so that she could get the most sensation for the rub. “You feel so…so…”
Knowing his wife was liable to smother him at any moment, because his pussy eating game was that fire, he used his signature move and within seconds he felt her trembling, indicating she was about to explode.
“Banks…” Bet moaned.
He continued to take care of business.
“Banks,” she whispered again. “I wanna…I wanna feel you.”
From between her legs, he looked up at her but continued to eat her pussy. Besides, she always talked shit when he went down, so he figured this was no different.
“Banks, for real…”
He gazed up at her and knew she was serious when her eyes met his with passion. Slowly he crawled between her legs, pushed down his pants and prepared to enter her pussy with his stick when she said, “Don’t use that.”
Confused he said, “Don’t use what?”
“I wanna…I wanna feel you.”
He frowned. “That’s what I was about to do when you—”
“Not the dildo, Banks,” she whispered. “I wanna feel you. On me.”
Mortified, he frowned and jumped out of bed. Her making such a request, which she hadn’t ever done before, was like spitting in his face. After over twenty years of being in a relationship, they never once, had skin-to-skin contact without his dick.
If he had, Banks would be brought back mentally to who he was in the worst way. He wasn’t a woman. He was a man trapped in a female’s body and he thought she knew that already.
“Why would you ask me something like that?” He glared.
“What…I was—”
“So now that the word is out, to our kids, you think shit gonna change what we do in the bedroom?” He yelled. “You think we two dykes now?”
“I’m not saying that, Banks. I just wanna be closer to you. I want us to—”
“If you ever ask me something like that again, ever, I will kill you.” He pulled his pants up and stormed out the room.
She sobbed loudly.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
9:06 PM
Jersey followed Mason inside their bedroom, where he flopped on the edge of the bed. He was on his second bottle of Whiskey and at his wits end. After being unsuccessful with Banks, he thought about his plans for Minnie. So he kicked off his shoes and was in no mood to hear his wife who had given him her ass to kiss earlier.
“So you wanna talk now, huh?” He
poured liquor down his throat. “Earlier you wasn’t trying to give me no pussy but—”
“Mason, what’s going on with my son?” She had been a wreck ever since discovering Derrick was in Banks’ custody.
“I don’t know.” He burped. “Stop asking me.”
“So what’s your plan?” She said louder.
“Derrick a trooper.” He beat his chest once. “I made him that way.”
“This gonna end badly. And I’m not gonna let nothing happen to the rest of my kids. You need to know that up front.”
He laughed. “Yeah, aight.” He poured more liquor down his throat.
“And why is Minnie here? Instead of letting Banks go like he wanted, you take his daughter? I mean, are you really thinking about Derrick’s safety?”
“Give me some pussy and maybe we can—”
“I don’t want to fuck you! And I’m tired of how you treat me! Tired of you talking down to me too.”
“Talking down to you?” He sat the bottle on the table. “That’s the agreement we made when I made you my wife, slut. What, you forgot?”
“So divorce me then!” She yelled. “I DON’T GIVE A FUCK NO MORE!”
She shocked him because of her tone. So slowly he walked over to her as she backed into the wall where she could move no further. “What you say to me?”
“Mason, I—”
With a closed fist, he struck her in the eye, knocking her to the floor. It was the first time he ever hit her and it brought her to her knees. Once she was below him, he got on hand and knee and pulled her by the front of her shirt. With a closed fist he hit her repeatedly in the center of the face until her flesh spread open like butter in a frying pan.
When he was done, she lie unconscious in her own blood as he looked down at her. Exhausted and drunk, he could barely stand still.
“You don’t…you don’t divorce me!” He said pointing at her. “I…I…” Unable to finish his sentence he stumbled out of the room, leaving her out cold.
****
It was mostly dark.
And was the only room in the house that didn’t have a camera, because Arlyndo broke the light switch many years ago by smashing his walls in anger.