by Ashley
He shook Liberty gently. “Wake up, we’re here,” he said as he reached over and unbuckled her seat belt.
She looked up at the beautiful winter log cabin that sat amongst the mountains. The 3500-square-foot home was impressive real estate and the two of them had it all to themselves. A’shai grabbed her hand and escorted her into the house.
“It’s late and everything is closed right now, but there’s a storm headed this way tomorrow. I’m going to have to go stock up on food and a few supplies to last us about a week,” A’shai told her.
Liberty nodded her head and sat down on the couch as she put her hands in her face, overwhelmed.
“I thought I was going to die in that mansion. This feels so good… just being free… you know? I have spent so much of my life being under someone else’s thumb. I’ve never had control of my own destiny,” she said. She was crying heavily but her tears were a direct result of mixed emotions. She was mourning her past and all that she had been through but also shedding tears of joy, considering that she had made it through. “Did you ever think of me?” she asked.
“Every day,” A’shai replied honestly. “I always hoped that you were okay.”
She smiled, slightly flattered that he had never forgotten about her.
“You’re far from the knock-kneed, bony little girl I used to know,” he commented.
“You have no idea,” she said as she shook her head in disgrace. “I don’t even remember that little girl.”
A’shai had so many questions for Liberty. He knew the expectations that were placed upon him simply by being Baron’s son. Liberty was not the type of chick that he was expected to be with. She had a stigma attached to her name. He knew that she had been with many men. He wanted to ask her how many had parted her thighs, but he knew that more than likely she had lost count. He did not want to embarrass her or make her feel badly. I can’t think about who she’s been with. She was forced to live that lifestyle. She was doing what she had to in order to survive. Any nigga that came before me doesn’t matter, he thought as he convinced himself that her past was irrelevant.
A’shai had always been mesmerized by Liberty and as he sat staring at her, enthralled by the changes he saw, he realized that his feelings toward her had not changed.
He sat down beside her and she leaned back, resting her head on his chest as she exhaled deeply.
“Relax… you’re safe now. Put all of your burdens on me. You don’t have to worry anymore, ma. I’ll take care of you,” he stated.
A’shai had left home so quickly that he only had the money that had been in his pocket. He knew that he would need big paper in order to stay off Samad’s radar. Nothing about him was afraid. He would war with any nigga that wanted to bring it to his doorstep, but with Liberty by his side he couldn’t afford to move reckless. He had to align his chess pieces and think strategically before he acted-the way that Baron had taught him. He needed the money out of his safe and knew that there was only one person he could ask to bring it to him. They hadn’t always seen eye-to-eye but Nico was the only person he trusted with his paper. He wasn’t the smartest man A’shai had ever met, but he wasn’t a broke nigga. A’shai knew that he wouldn’t have to worry about his paper coming up short if Nico brought it. Once Liberty was asleep he slid from beneath her and armed the alarm system to ensure that he wasn’t caught slipping. He went into the next room and picked up his cell to call Nico.
“Fam, what’s good baby? Fuck type of shit you on? I know you not running away with bitches now? Not you, kid,” Nico teased, letting A’shai know that he had spoken to Baron.
“It’s not like that. Look I’m not calling to rap with you, fam. I need a favor,” A’shai stated directly, not wanting to beat around the bush.
“Anything… just say the word. You need me, I’m there. I didn’t like that pussy ass mu’fucka Samad anyway,” Nico stated, ready to pop off.
“Nah… nah. This isn’t your beef, family, and this isn’t just some broad. We go back,” A’shai stated. “Look, I need you to bring me my paper out of my safe.”
“No doubt, baby. Where you at?” Nico shot back without hesitation.
“I’m in Boyne,” A’shai stated.
“I’ll be up there in the morning. What’s the combo?” Nico asked. A’shai gave him the numbers to open his safe and with that the two ended the call. A’shai knew that Nico would come through and he felt relieved to know that some serious cash flow was headed his way. The thought of the $275K was enough to calm his spirit. A’shai removed his shirt and then sat on the floor next to the couch that Liberty slept on. He took his pistol out and clicked it off safety, placing it in his lap for easy access. As he listened to the soothing rhythm of Liberty’s breathing, it relaxed him. He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep feeling as if the void in his life had been filled simply by being in Liberty’s presence once again.
A’shai was awakened by the sound of the doorbell chiming and he shot up out of his sleep, grabbing his pistol instinctively. Liberty didn’t even budge, and he stood as he walked cautiously over to the front door.
“It’s Nico… open up it’s colder than a mu’fucka out here,” Nico said, his voice quivering from the winter hawk.
A’shai still looked through the peephole before opening the door and lowering his weapon. The two men embraced slightly, and Nico slid A’shai a duffel bag full of cash. A’shai didn’t feel the need to count it. Nico was fam and was getting major money. He had no reason to pull grimy on A’shai, so he took the duffel bag and put it in the front closet.
Nico moved further inside of the house, looking around until he spotted Liberty. Used to sleeping without clothing, she had stripped down to her bra and panties in the middle of the night, giving Nico a perfect view of her assets while she slept.
“Damn, that’s shorty?” Nico commented as he admired her body, but not really getting a good look at her face. He stared a little too long, irritating A’shai.
“Watch ya’ mouth, fam,” A’shai spat, seriously.
“No disrespect,” Nico replied. “You really ready to war over her? You know the position you putting us in?”
A’shai shook his head. “Nah… this is on me and only me. I don’t move sloppy. You know I wouldn’t have played it like this unless it was absolutely necessary. I couldn’t leave her there,” A’shai said.
Nico glanced over at Liberty once more. He understood what A’shai saw in her physically. Her body was undeniable, but her track record was marred. Any man with a $100 bill could have had her. She was damaged goods, and Nico couldn’t understand why A’shai was putting it all on the line for this particular woman. A’shai was usually so selective in who he kept time with. If a chick had been smashed by too many niggas she wouldn’t get the time of day with him. Liberty on the other hand had sex with random men on the regular, yet he dismissed that indiscretion.
“I don’t understand this, fam, but it’s not for me to understand. You let me know if you need anything. It’s nothing. You know how we do. There is a storm coming your way so I can’t stay, but don’t hesitate to call me, bro,” Nico stated sincerely. Not many niggas would have taken the hard drive without receiving anything in return, and A’shai appreciated Nico’s loyalty.
“You haven’t talked to me,” A’shai reminded as his cousin walked out of the house.
“No doubt,” Nico answered.
A’shai watched Nico pull away and then went to awaken Liberty. He stood over her watching her sleep for a few minutes before getting on his knees in front of her to stroke her hair.
“Wake up for me baby girl,” he whispered in her ear.
She opened her eyes but felt so weak that she closed them right back.
“Get up, ma. We’ve got to go to the store. You need clothes and we need food,” he whispered.
“I can’t, Shai. I’m so tired,” she moaned. She was extremely fatigued, and she attributed it to all of her years of living the fast life. Now that she was able to slow d
own everything was catching up to her.
A’shai could tell that there was no rousing her so he decided to let her rest, figuring that she probably needed it after all that she had been through. “I’m going to go get what we need then, Lib. Don’t open the door for anyone but me… nobody!”
“I won’t,” she mumbled.
Willow wiped the tear that fell from her eye as she looked at a picture of herself with A’shai. He was the only son she knew. From the moment he came to her aid when he was merely a boy, she had loved him. It didn’t matter that their bond wasn’t formed by blood… it took more than the act of birthing a child to be a true mother. Her heart ached for her son as she thought of the wall that his back had been pushed against. She had never questioned her husband before and normally stuck by his side, always wanting them to appear as a united front, even when she didn’t agree with his ways, but this time Baron had taken things too far. He had excommunicated their son, and for that Willow would never forgive him. She was sick with worry because she knew the game. Although she rarely spoke, Willow often listened and she was well aware of the danger that A’shai had placed himself in. The fact that Baron was feeding him to the wolves further aggravated her anxious heart. Willow stared out of the second story bay window and watched as the snow fell outside. She closed her tired eyes as she felt another presence enter the room.
“I’m so mad at you right now, I can’t even look at you,” she said aloud, knowing that her husband was standing behind her. He wrapped his strong arms around her slim waist and buried his face in the nape of her neck. Her long fine hair was kept in dreadlocks that smelled of vanilla, and he inhaled her angelic scent.
“Shai is hard headed. That girl he’s with is no good for him. He is just like me. My blood doesn’t run through his veins but my mentality is cemented in his heart. You don’t start a war over pussy…”
Willow scoffed and looked at him incredulously. “Oh? How quickly we forget,” she commented sarcastically.
Baron chuckled and shook his head as his hand traveled to the jewel between her legs. “This pussy was worth it,” he whispered seductively as his deep baritone caused her panties to become soaked in anticipation. She squirmed out of his reach and turned to face him.
“Besides your pussy wasn’t for sale,” Baron stated, his tone heavy with judgment.
“You don’t know the first thing about this girl, Baron. She may be a good girl. If she came from where Shai came from she may not have had a choice in the matter. There is a difference between being a whore and being a victim,” Willow reasoned.
“Either way, she’s not good enough for him. You can’t turn a girl like that into a housewife,” Baron said. “And he’s going to have to learn that the hard way.”
“But Samad is dangerous Baron,” Willow stated.
“So is A’shai,” Baron replied confidently as he thought of the killer instincts that his son possessed. Coming from Sierra Leone, A’shai was ruthless simply because of his environment. Baron was more than positive that A’shai could hold his own. Samad would be in for a surprise if he thought that touching A’shai would be easy. He was young in years but nothing about A’shai was naïve. He was skilled with his hands and deadly with the gunplay. Not to mention he was superior by far when it came to rational reasoning. He was a thinker… a sharp young man who could think himself out of the stickiest of situations. “He’s your son so you don’t see the ruthlessness in him. He’s put in enough work to know how to handle himself just fine. A’shai is stubborn. I have to love him tough. It’s the only thing he can comprehend. He wants to be a man and do his own thing so I’m going to let him. Everything will be fine.”
Willow sighed and whispered, “I hope so because if something happens to my baby, you and I are going to have some very serious issues.”
She gave him a stern look, her mouth set in disapproval, and her eyebrows arched in displeasure. He knew that her threat was real. Baron had been the man who held the key to Willow’s heart until they brought A’shai into their world. Now he was second place in her life, but Baron completely understood. A’shai was her son, and their bond was unbreakable. Baron loved how she mothered him. The last thing he intended was to tear their family apart, but there was no room for Liberty. She was a liability, one that he couldn’t afford to take on.
* * *
Willow just couldn’t sit still. She tossed and turned all night, her gut clenching painfully from the fear of the unknown. Her stomach was in knots and tears came to her eyes each time she thought of A’shai being outnumbered, overpowered, and outgunned. And despite what Baron told her, she could see in his eyes that the situation was bothering him more than he let on. He played tough, but she knew that he was broken up about his blow out with A’shai. She couldn’t numb her heart the way that Baron could. She constantly called A’shai’s phone, praying that he would answer but each time she got his voicemail. Fed up and in need of answers, she called Nico.
“What’s up, Auntie Will?” He answered on the first ring.
“Where is my son?” she asked, cutting to the chase.
“I don’t know. I haven’t heard from him in a couple days,” Nico replied.
Willow detected the lie as soon as it slipped off his tongue. “Boy, I’ve known you since you were running around pissing in diapers. You come out of your mouth with another lie and I’m going to knock your teeth down your throat the next time I see you. Now where is he?” she repeated.
Nico had never heard Willow so angry, but he knew that she was not one to fuck with. She may have seemed gentle in nature, but he knew better and was well aware of her ruthlessness. She was a black widow who was capable of eating someone alive if she had to. She only played the back because she had a good man who was capable of handling the front.
“He’s up north at the house in Boyne,” Nico stated reluctantly. “But you shouldn’t drive up there for a few days. There’s a snowstorm coming in, and the roads will be rough going up. If you wait I’ll take you myself as soon as the weather clears. He’s hiding out, playing house with that bitch…”
“Watch your mouth,” Willow said quickly before she hung up the phone.
She grabbed the keys to her E-550 and headed out of the door. The horrible intuition that she was experiencing was torturing her and would not allow her to wait until the storm passed. She felt that her son needed her, and her motherly instincts were seldom wrong.
Hours had passed and A’shai hadn’t returned, which gave Liberty time to become familiar with her new surroundings. She made herself at home and as she nosily went from room to room, she found herself becoming slightly jealous of how easy A’shai’s life had been during the years they were separated. He has no idea how lucky he is, she thought as she pulled out a photo album and made herself comfortable at the kitchen table. Just as she was about to flip it open she heard the front door open. Happy that A’shai had finally come back, she rushed into the living room.
“Hey, it took you long enough. Where did you…?” Liberty stopped mid-sentence when she realized that it wasn’t A’shai.
“You must be the girl that has stolen my son’s heart away from me,” Willow said as she looked Liberty up and down.
Liberty’s mouth fell open to respond but she was at a loss for words.
Willow smiled slightly because she could see that Liberty was slightly intimidated to be in her presence. “You can start with your name sweetheart,” she said.
“Liberty,” she finally spoke. “My name is Liberty.”
Willow paused for a moment as she realized that she had heard the name before. “A’shai used to talk about you all the time when he first came to live with us. You’re the famous Liberty. He used to call you his wife,” Willow said with a chuckle. “He’s right: you are a very pretty girl.”
Liberty blushed slightly. “Thank you,” she replied.
“I’m Willow,” his mother said.
Willow noticed the photo album in Liberty’s hand, and Liberty ha
nded it over, feeling intrusive. “I was just looking at your family.”
Willow stared at Liberty, slightly taken aback by her features. “You’re from Sierra Leone as well?” she asked.
Liberty nodded.
“You’re a long way from home,” Willow stated.
“I don’t even remember where home is. It feels like I never had one,” Liberty whispered to herself.
Willow’s heart immediately went out to Liberty. “I cannot imagine the things that your eyes have seen.”
Liberty teared up a bit, and she quickly began to wipe the tears away as she turned around in shame. “I’m sorry.”
Willow smiled sympathetically as she reached out and grabbed Liberty’s hand. “You have nothing to be sorry for. Come on. Let me catch you up on my son.”
The two ladies sat down at the kitchen table and flipped through the large photo album as Willow told Liberty the story of A’shai’s upbringing. She explained each photograph, allowing Liberty to share in A’shai’s rejuvenated past.
“You gave him such a good life,” Liberty commented.
“We tried to. He was and will always be our world,” Willow replied.
“Mine too,” Liberty answered as she looked Willow in the eye.
Willow was usually a jealous woman who liked to have the love of her son and husband to herself, but Liberty’s devotion to her son was admirable. They had spent more time apart than they had together, but fate had still brought them back to one another. Willow could tell from the starry gaze in Liberty’s eyes that she was genuine. She loves him, Willow thought. As much as she didn’t want to like Liberty she couldn’t help but see what A’shai had raved about when he was younger. Her spirit was so gentle, and although she was rough around the edges from years of being misused and abused, Willow could see through the stained glass to the beautiful soul that lay within Liberty.
“I didn’t mean for things to get so out of hand,” Liberty said. “I wasn’t trying to come into Shai’s life and ruin everything that he’s worked so hard for. He was lucky. He got out of the system. He broke free. But me? I’m trapped. I sold my soul to the devil a long time ago. I barely remember where I came from. The only time I remember love is when I think of Shai. I think that’s why he means so much to me. He’s always taken my pain away.”