by Falicia Love
She pulled up to the gate and pushed the button. Desiree answered, “Who is it?”
“It’s me, girl! Open the dang gate.” Valerie laughed.
“Oh, shut up! Give me a second.”
As the gate opened, Valerie double-checked her purse to make sure the syringe filled with Ativan was in close range. Valerie had no intention of killing Desiree. She just needed her out of the picture for a few days in order for her plan to go smoothly. Valerie got out the car and Desiree met her at the door.
“Bring yo’ ass on up in here, bitch.”
“I’m coming, slut! What’s up with you, bae?” Valerie asked as she walked up on the porch.
“Shit, just waiting on your slow ass to come in the house. Shit, you know a bitch don’t do heat.” Desiree laughed.
“I’m here now. I was just coming through to make our arrangements for this shakedown,” Valerie told her.
“Well, come on in the kitchen. I’m cooking dinner.” Desiree headed toward the kitchen with Valerie following close behind.
“So how do you think we can do this without hurting innocent children?” Valerie asked.
Desiree turned and looked at Valerie with a frown. “Shit, I don’t want to hurt anybody but you know the code we live by: spare no one and leave no witnesses. Hell, when did you start caring about the kids?” Desiree asked, turning to take her roast out the oven. When she bent down, Valerie quickly walked over, stuck the needle in Desiree’s shoulder, and pulled her back up against her to push every single drop into Desiree’s body.
Before she pulled it out, she whispered to Desiree, “I started caring when I found out I was having a kid!” When she pulled the needle out, she moved back fast knowing Desiree was going to swing away.
Desiree swung, screaming, “Bitch, what did you do to me?”
“I didn’t kill you. That’s all that’s important!” Valerie answered as she danced around to avoid being hit.
After a few minutes, Desiree started getting dizzy and seeing double. Her movement slowed, and she was very confused. She staggered as she walked and then her body slowly began to fall to the floor. Valerie knew that the fall would probably leave Desiree bruised, but she couldn’t catch her. She didn’t want to risk hurting herself or her baby.
She called Jeff and Hanna and told them to drive on down. She opened the gate, and all three got to work. After they finished, they dragged Desiree’s limp body to the van they’d parked in the garage, tied her up, and put duct tape on her mouth. The three pulled off and headed to the hotel to meet Barry and Terry. They had to play their cards just right to get the money and Sergio and Ramon, killing two birds with one stone.
* * *
“Ramon, have you heard from Big Rob or Alex? They should’ve been back with our money!” Sergio asked.
“No, and I tried to call Alex a few times. That’s why we should’ve sent Valerie and Desiree to get our shit! Let’s go see if we can locate their asses. Call Credo and tell him to get Jay and the rest of the crew and meet us at the house ASAP! We took a loss fucking with Orlando and Zack. I ain’t taking no more!” Ramon replied.
As they closed up the office and jumped in their black Benz, Sergio dialed Credo’s number and told him to meet them at the house. Credo knew that if he and Jay were being called out, it meant murder!
* * *
Pam and Travis were outside in front of the condo, playing with the football. A few of the neighbors’ children joined them, which made Travis very happy. Pam pretended to be happy for Travis’s sake, but she missed her sister something awful. She slept in her sister’s room and wore a lot of her clothes. Pam hadn’t been enrolled at school because they needed Sheila to sign guardianship papers over to Shirley. They had been calling her repeatedly but to no avail. Pam prayed that her mother was all right. Even though she was very much put off by her mother, she still loved her and didn’t want to see her hurt.
As each day passed, Pam was feeling more and more of the empty void that was left in her heart the day Jeryca was taken from her. She had no one to talk to, no one to vent to, and no one to really make her feel better. Being with Shirley and Travis was cool and all, but she needed her sister. Jeryca was her rock and motivator. All she had left of her sister were a few clothes, pictures, and the letter: the last words left for her from her big sis.
Pam had to fake being somewhat happy to keep Travis afloat. He had grown attached to her in the short amount of time that she had been there. Everywhere she went he was right there, which she didn’t mind.
She forced herself to smile, laugh, and play. Shirley attempted to talk to her about Jeryca, but Pam brushed it off. Shirley was a sweet woman, but Pam craved her mother’s attention. It just really hurt Pam that her mother chose a man over her and her sister. Even so, Pam wanted her around. She felt like, at a time of grief, she needed that family love.
Pam smiled as Travis ran over to her, jumping up and down. “Did you see, Pammy? I threw the ball far!”
“Oh, yes, I saw, and that was very good, Travis. Let’s see you do it once more. Throw it to that young man over there,” Pam said, pointing to one of the little boys who had asked to play with Travis.
Shirley stood at the door gazing out at the kids. She hadn’t seen Travis that happy in a long time, and she was grateful that Pam was there to make it happen. Although Pam was troubled and filled with her own sadness, she always thought of Travis first. She admired that.
“Are y’all ready to eat?” she asked them.
“Yeah!” Travis yelled. He told his new friends good-bye and ran inside.
“Hey, go wash your hands before you go in that kitchen, boy,” Shirley yelled.
“Okay, Grandma.”
Pam walked in and sat down on the couch. Shirley stood in the doorway watching her. “Come on, Pam, you got to eat a little something too.”
“I’m not really hungry right now. I will eat a little bit later,” Pam said in almost a low whisper.
“You said that yesterday, and you didn’t eat. So no, ma’am, come on now and eat with us,” Shirley demanded in a soft voice.
Pam smiled and went and washed up and sat down with them. They grasped hands as Shirley blessed the food. “All right, dig in,” Shirley said.
Shirley had worked hard preparing the food she cooked, and everything smelled delicious. She had fixed a roast smothered in gravy, onions and carrots, collard greens, yams, and cornbread.
Pam fixed herself a small plate and ate as she watched Shirley cut up Travis’s food. She watched as he devoured it. She loved the way the two connected, but that also made her sadder.
After she ate, she went into her room, locked her door, and cried until she fell asleep. She dreamed of Jeryca every night, which eased her spirit some. She felt like it was Jeryca’s way of letting her know she was at peace.
Pam woke up early the next morning and went for a walk around the neighborhood. It was the first time she had ventured out alone since being there. She was still cautious since being kidnapped and learning about everything that her sister had been involved in, but she decided she couldn’t live in a box the rest of her life. She walked past a gray Chevy and noticed two guys sitting in it. She sped up and walked to an open area where there were a few people standing around.
“You got to chill, girl!” she murmured to herself.
She looked around and noticed for the first time how beautiful the neighborhood truly was. She wondered if Jeryca had ever taken the time to just look upon the beauty of the community. She sighed and continued walking.
Thirty minutes later she was back home and had a genuine smile on her face. She had actually ventured out by herself and released her fear of being alone outside. She was proud. What would seem simple to others was a big milestone for her.
Chapter Twenty-one
Barry called Sheila to let her know how things were going. “Yeah, I think I should be home soon. But listen, while we were outside the condo I think I got a glimpse of Pam. She looked just lik
e the picture you showed me. Lord, if she isn’t a mini you!” He laughed.
“How did she look? What was she doing? Did she look happy?” Sheila threw out question after question.
“Yeah, she looked fine, but I wouldn’t say happy. After all of this is over with, I think you need to reach out to her, Sheila. You two are all you have. Well, outside of me and Angela, that is.”
“She don’t want to see me. I’ve done way too much.” Sheila sighed.
“That’s your child. It’s never too late, sis. But listen, I got to go. I will call you later. I love you, and tell my wife I love her and will see her soon,” Barry said before hanging up. Barry placed his phone in his pocket and joined Valerie and the rest of the team in the sitting area.
“Okay, y’all,” said Valerie, “my guys have just informed me that they got Sergio’s two delivery guys hemmed up. They were successful in getting the money and by now, if I know my bosses like I think I do, they should be heading home. Has anyone checked on Desiree? I don’t want any harm to befall her. She is my best friend, and I love her. So remember that.”
Valerie had one person watching Sergio’s house for her, and they were to let her know when they arrived home. About twenty minutes passed, and finally, her cell phone rang. She smiled as she showed everyone the video feed of Ramon, Sergio, and their crew entering the house.
* * *
Inside the house, Ramon immediately called out to Desiree. After getting no answer, he searched the home. It was odd to him to find her car in the garage but the house empty. He called her cell phone and frowned as he heard it ringing inside the drawer in their bedroom.
“Ay, Sergio, something isn’t right, man. Desiree isn’t anywhere to be found.”
“And why is that weird?” Sergio asked.
“Her car is still in the garage!” Ramon yelled.
“She probably left with someone.”
“Well, she wouldn’t have left without her phone or her gun!” Ramon said, holding both items up.
“That’s true. What the hell is going on?” Sergio frowned, scratching his chin. He called out for the guys to go out and search the grounds for Desiree, but when Credo opened the front door there was a loud click then a huge boom! The house started blowing up section by section, killing everyone inside.
* * *
Valerie got the confirmation she needed as she was sent a live feed of Ramon and Sergio’s house ablaze. Everyone cheered and congratulated each other on a job well done.
Valerie raised her hand to get everyone’s attention. “Well done, fellas, but our job ain’t done yet. Let’s go get this money!”
Valerie had grabbed Desiree’s keys from the table when they kidnapped her so that they could access the office once Ramon and Sergio were dead. She called her two buddies and told them to bring Ramon and Sergio’s runners to their office immediately. Hearing that, Valerie’s goons knew that everything was a success. They did as they were told and once everyone was in place, they ransacked the entire office. They found the two safes that Valerie knew about and opened them up to find money and jewelry inside. Valerie and Desiree had been with the guys for so long that they were trusted and privy to all the guys’ information.
Valerie felt good knowing that she had saved two children’s lives. She just wouldn’t have been able to live with that weighing on her spirit. She knew that if Ramon and Sergio didn’t care about those two kids’ lives, they sure wouldn’t care about taking her child’s life if they had to.
* * *
Desiree was awake and allowed to watch television. They kept the channel on the news station. A news bulletin alert flashed on the screen: Uncontrollable fire raged out of control finally contained. Fire crews find several bodies inside, which have not been identified. Stay tuned as we develop and learn more on this top news special.
Desiree frowned and felt the tears gather up in her eyes as she realized that the house that was destroyed was hers, and there was no doubt in her mind that Valerie was the cause of it. Although she realized that Valerie had saved her life, she also realized that Valerie destroyed her life. Ramon was all she knew and all she had. She would never forgive Valerie for what she had done.
* * *
Valerie met with everyone at the hotel once they cleaned the office out, and they split the money down the middle. She was going to take her money and disappear, and she was going to take the only threat to Pam and her family with her. She would have to sedate her to get her on Ramon and Sergio’s yacht and then dump her on an island far away from Florida. That would give Barry and Sheila enough time to convince Shirley and Pam that they needed to relocate. She planned to leave Desiree with enough money to start over wherever she wanted to.
* * *
Pam sat in her room with a pile of clothes on her bed. She decided that she needed to pack some of Jeryca’s clothes up. She had so many memories everywhere and needed to clean up some of them. She rummaged through all of Jeryca’s jewelry boxes, and as she looked through the second one, she saw the pendant that she had made Jeryca when she was only in the third grade. She couldn’t believe Jeryca had kept it all those years. She held it up and smiled. “I love you too, Jeryca.”
A few seconds later she heard the doorbell ring and a flood of voices. She got up and walked to the living room to see what was going on. When she walked in she was surprised to see her mother with three other people. She didn’t move, afraid of what was about to take place.
“What are you doing here?” Pam asked.
Sheila cleared her throat nervously. “Well, Pam, I’m not here to cause any problems at all. I just wanted to see you. I brought you something, if you want it.”
Pam noticed that her mother’s hands were shaking as she held out a small box.
“It’s not much. It’s something that I wanted you to have,” Sheila explained.
Pam didn’t move, not because she didn’t want to, but because she couldn’t.
“Please, take it, Pam. Please,” she begged.
Pam slowly walked toward her mother and took the box. She never removed her eyes from her mother’s.
“It’s a pair of earrings that Jeryca had given me. I know it’s not much, but I needed to give them to you,” she said quietly. Tears were forming in her eyes as she silently prayed that Pam would say something.
Pam opened the box and looked at the earrings. “Thank you. I love them.”
“I’m glad. How have you been? Ugh, that’s a crazy question. Don’t answer that,” Sheila said shakily.
“No, I will tell you. I’m not doing great, but I’m gradually getting better. I miss my sister every day but being with Shirley and Travis helps.”
Sheila dropped her head, feeling awful that it took someone else to embrace her daughter at this time.
Pam looked up at her mother and finished: “I miss you, though, and I need you so that we can grieve together. It hurts me knowing that I have you out here but can’t be with you.” Pam started crying uncontrollably. Sheila reached out and grabbed her daughter like she had never done before and hugged her as tight as she could. They stood there for a long period of time crying and consoling one another.
Shirley shook her head wishing she could hold her child once more like that. She hoped that Sheila would do the right thing for once.
Barry cleared his throat to remind Sheila that they were there. Shelia rubbed Pam’s hair down and stepped aside a bit. Still holding her child, she smiled and said, “Pam, this is your uncle Barry and aunt Angela. Do you remember them?”
Pam shook her head, and Barry attempted to remind her: “I used to take you fishing when you were yay high.” She shook her head again. “Well, no matter. We can get reacquainted if that’s okay,” he finished.
Pam shook her head yes, and they all sat down. Barry told Shirley and Pam about the recent events that had taken place around them, and Pam and Shirley both remembered hearing about the house that burned down. They told them that they needed to relocate as soon as possib
le because it wasn’t safe for them at that location. Barry explained that there may be other people who believed that Jeryca and Orlando had hidden treasures within their condo.
Sheila reassured Pam that she wouldn’t interfere in anything if that’s how she wanted it. She just wanted her to be safe. After much consideration, they agreed that they needed to leave Florida.
They would go on to pack up the house with several of Pam’s relatives helping. It seemed like a real family atmosphere. Pam didn’t want to lose her mother again. She wanted to stay with Shirley and Travis, and she would spend weekends with her mother at Barry’s. Pam learned that Sheila was attending church regularly, had gotten a job, and was seeing a psychologist weekly.
* * *
Three years had passed since the deaths of Ramon and Sergio. Desiree had started a new life in Hawaii. She never returned to Florida because for her there were just too many memories. She couldn’t get past the fact that Valerie had betrayed them all for her own selfish needs. She vowed that if they ever crossed paths again, she would kill her on the spot. She did appreciate that Valerie had left her with enough money to start fresh. That was the least the bitch could do, in her mind.
As she walked the beach of Hawaii, she took in the cool, fresh breeze that swept past her. Oh, how she wished that Ramon was there with her. She walked along the shore barefoot and lost in thought, not realizing that she was being watched.
* * *
“Dana, come on. Let’s walk the beach,” Emily shouted.
Dana’s legs had made almost a complete recovery, and she was walking. It was still hard for her to maneuver on stairs and it caused her a small amount of discomfort walking on concrete surfaces, but she was now out of the wheelchair and was using a cane to walk. Her burns were still very much visible, but she had learned to accept them. They were a part of her and day by day she was embracing them. She still had trust issues, but after all the awful things she had done, she would try not to judge others too harshly.
She had asked Rone if he could check on Brittany for her, because outside of him and Emily, Brittany was the only one who loved her and stayed loyal to her 100 percent. He had called and learned that because of her mental stability she hadn’t been tried and most likely wouldn’t be. She was still in the mental hospital, but she wasn’t talking to anyone, nor was she interacting with anyone. It was reported that all she did was sit in her room or in the day room, spaced out.