“Pack up everything, I found us a house and it looks pretty safe.”
They stared at me and then smiled at each other. They started packing at once, and Michael even seemed to be rushing to get out of the hotel. I checked us out, and we headed to our new residence for the next six months…hopefully.
We pulled into the garage, and all three of the people that were able to walk on their own jumped out and ran into the house. I pulled Babe from her car seat and held her for a moment. She looked into my eyes, and I looked right back into hers.
“I promise you’ll see him again, I would never keep you away from him. He loves you so much, and he’s in so much pain without you right now.”
At that very moment, the phone buzzed in my pocket. It was the only number that was stored in the phone.
“Hello.”
“Cricket,” he said.
I’d never longed this much to hear someone’s voice in my life. “Jyme, I’m here.”
“Where is she?”
“I have her right here in my arms. I’m holding her right now and she’s perfectly fine.”
“Cricket, give me my daughter back.”
“I swear I won’t keep her from you long. It’s just not safe right now, and you’re not thinking straight.”
“Please, Cricket.”
“Jyme, I love you so much, and I know you would never hurt her intentionally, but you’re not thinking straight.”
“Cricket, you’re the one who has her in an unsafe place. You’re a dirty whore, and you have her around those other druggy whores. There’s no telling what she’s being exposed to with you three!” he spit out through his teeth.
I sat there in silence. I wasn’t prepared to hear this from him…not now, not ever I don’t think.
“You’re disgusting, and so is that little dysfunctional, so-called family you’ve created. There is no way in hell I’m letting my daughter be exposed to your lifestyle. She will not be a stripper, druggy, whore like you three. I will get her away from you or die trying.”
“Call anytime to check on her.”
“Don’t you hang up this fuckin’ phone, Cricket!”
“I have to go now.”
“You dirty waste of a good nut; you better not hang up on me. You fuckin’ bitch!”
I disconnected the line and slid the phone back into my pocket. I held on to Babe tight and got out of the truck. That night, I gave Babe a bath; she loved the water. Cinnamon came in and sat on the bathroom sink. I knew she wanted to talk. It must have been heavy because she shut the bathroom door.
“What’s up?”
“How long do you think we can keep this up?” she asked.
“For a while, as long as we’re careful.”
“I don’t like being here without a car. What if something happens while you’re gone?”
“We’ll get a second car tomorrow. You guys pick something you both like that we can all fit into.”
“Have you talked to him?”
I nodded, not wanting to talk about the subject right now.
“Is he still making threats?”
I nodded again; we sat there in silence for a moment.
“We need guns, Cricket.”
“I’ll take care of it.”
“What do you need me to do?” she asked.
“Help me keep this ship afloat.”
“I can do that.”
“How is she doing?”
“Good actually, with all things considered. I think he helps her a lot.” I was referring to Michael. “We have to get him in some kind of school. I promised, Nan.”
“I will research tomorrow.”
“Cinnamon, he needs an advanced school. Aunt Nan said he’s gifted, and we don’t need or want him to lose that. Something good has to come out of this dysfunctional family.” She nodded.
The next morning they decided on a Nissan Armada. Cinnamon said Chyna fell in love with it online, so they both agreed on it. I ordered it from a local Nissan dealership, and it was to be delivered by the afternoon.
“I might not be back for dinner, but I will be back before bedtime,” I told them.
“Will you bring me a present back?” Michael asked.
“Sure.”
Cinnamon and Chyna gave me a sad face.
“Do you guys want something, too?”
I shook my head when they nodded and walked out to the garage.
As I got into the truck, Chyna came out of the house.
“I have about three weeks left of the pills.”
“I’ll contact Nan today and see what she can do for us.”
I remembered the prepaid phones I bought at the drug store the day before. I opened the glove compartment and handed the bag to her. She looked in the bag and nodded.
I pulled up at the airport an hour later. I got to D’Artagnan’s gate and sat in the far dark corner. His flight arrived, and I watched him carefully. I watched everyone who got off before him and after him. He went to the restroom and I followed him. I texted him from a good distance away.
“Come over to the best coffee shop in the world and sit at the bar. Someone is following you, so don’t look suspicious!” D’Artagnan came over to coffee shop we knew so well. He sat down at the bar, just like I’d requested, and ordered a triple shot of Espresso.
Mr. Crain, a triple shot? It’s not even after five. I texted him.
Cricket, please…I need to see you. Don’t tease me. He texted back.
I got up from one of the chairs in the corner and sat right next to him, facing forward. He placed his hand on top of mine and then pulled it to his lips and kissed softly. I smiled, but my eyes never met his.
“I missed you so much,” he said.
“I have a child.”
“I know. He told me,” he said with a sigh.
“When did he tell you?”
“Right after you guys were safe with her.”
I sat there silently.
“He texted me from a blocked number.”
I thought about that for a moment. Jyme had contacted D’Artagnan, but hadn’t said anything to me about it. He knew I wanted D’Artagnan to know we were safe, but he had never volunteered the information about having his number or telling D’Artagnan himself.
“I was the one who told him to come and get you. I told him I would pay for everything, and I told him I knew some people that could get the job done professionally. He insisted on doing everything, but he told me he would let me know immediately. He contacted me right after he had you safe from the casino. I heard from him again when your missing person’s photo was shown all over the news channels. Where is he anyway?”
“We broke up.”
He stared at me for a long moment then turned away quickly. “Why?”
“We’re no good for each other. That’s all.”
“Hell, everybody knows that, Cricket. You need to come up with another excuse than that.”
We sat there in silence, and then the barista came over and asked if we would like to try a sample. We agreed, and she set our treats on small napkins.
“So, what are you going to do for work?”
“I haven’t figured that part out yet, but we’re alright financially for a while,” I assured him.
We kept small talk for the next hour and then D’Artagnan’s phone buzzed. He pulled it out and excused himself. He stepped over toward the shop’s novelty items and took his phone call. The barista watched him with a smile. I turned to look at him and could see why she was gawking. D’Artagnan was a sexy being. But my heart belonged to someone else. Maybe in another lifetime we could have made it work, but I saw nothing but the big brother I never had.
He came back, sat on the stool, and placed his hand back on top of mine. “I need a favor.”
“Anything.”
“I need someone to handle the Georgia/Carolinas territory. Are you interested?”
“D’Artagnan.”
“It comes with a pay increase because it’s more territory, but
you can get your own crew. I just need someone to run things over here for me. You would really be helping me out if you did this for me.”
“I don’t deserve you.”
“I love you, and I will do everything I can to help you no matter what.”
“D’Artagnan, he’s the father of my child and my heart belongs to him.”
“For now, and I know that. There’s no strings attached with my proposal.”
We sat there for another hour, and then D’Artagnan contacted the coffee shop’s regional office. He reserved a Blackberry, laptop, company car, corporate card, and an office. D’Artagnan had done so much for me, and I didn’t know how I would ever repay him. He was a good man, and he deserved a good woman.
“Cricket, I will have you an assistant here for your team by Monday morning.”
I nodded with teary eyes, and D’Artagnan squeezed my hand.
“I will see you in a couple of weeks; promise me, you will still be here.”
I nodded, and we both stood up.
He pulled me up into a hug. His lips brushed the side of my cheek and rested on the side of my neck. “He’s a fuckin’ idiot,” he whispered.
We said our goodbyes, and D’Artagnan got on his flight back to California. I walked back through the airport slowly and made it outside where I started focusing on my surroundings. I walked in the opposite direction of the parking garage where I parked the truck. I got in a cab and told him to drive around the airport three times. He did so, and I didn’t see a tail, so I felt safe enough for him to finally take me to the truck.
I stopped by Lennox Mall on the way home and got presents for the family. At BCBG, I got Cinnamon a pair of shoes with a matching purse. I got Chyna two outfits from Bloomingdales. I got them both a full makeup kit from MAC. I stopped by Champs, Kids Foot Locker, and Great American Cookie. I got the kids’ some shoes, and I got Michael a cookie cake with his name on it. I knew I would be spending the rest of the week buying myself a decent wardrobe for work; but as for now, I splurged on my family.
I made it home just in time; they were pulling the car off the truck bed. They all sat outside on the porch watching the men from the dealership. The two men were very nice looking, and I could tell Chyna and Cinnamon thought the same thing. They were doing everything but foaming at the mouth over the men. The three of us were sexually deprived these days. I was the last one of us who had some action; but I didn’t want to think about that horrible morning in the shower.
Michael ran into the garage to help with the bags. I gave him his bag first because I knew he would destroy all of the others looking for his present. I unloaded everything from the truck, and then I went and got Babe from her very distracted aunts. They both halfway spoke to me and went right back to their sightseeing.
“When they get done, why don’t you guys go and get us some dinner?” I said.
They both nodded and then looked back at the men. I just went into the house not saying another word. Michael had torn up the living room in two minutes. He had all five pairs of his shoes and his two hats on the floor in a row, and he was taking his third, maybe fourth bite out of his cookie.
“Tank you, Aunt Cricket,” was all I could understand through the chomping.
I took Babe upstairs with me while I changed into lounge gear. I craved a hot shower, but I knew that would have to wait. The phone in my pocket buzzed; I had ten missed calls. I looked at the missed calls list; they were all from him, of course. I listened to all ten messages.
After he got tired of calling me a bitch and a whore, he started in on Cinnamon and Chyna. He called them crack whores, and cokeheads. By the last two messages, he seemed to have calmed down a little. He begged into the phone for me to let him hear Babe. He said he wanted to see his daughter to make sure she was okay. He begged, and that about killed me. I wanted nothing more than for our little family to work. I guess I was waiting on him to finally come around. But I knew I’d hurt Jyme deep down to the core. I really wasn’t sure if he hated me more based on the video Troy showed us, or for keeping the baby from him. Either way it goes, he had a valid reason.
I fell in love with him, and Chyna had always told me that was a big no no. I let the first man I truly loved have all of me, and I knew better than to let anyone have all of me. Now I was in hiding with this beautiful little angel who looked up at me with her father’s eyes.
Chyna and Cinnamon finally walked back into the house with bags and then more bags. Michael ran to them pouncing on them at the door. The phone buzzed, and I gestured to the phone, walking upstairs with the baby in my arms. I took a deep breath and then I answered it without looking at the caller ID.
“Hello.”
“Cricket, I need to see her please. Babe, I need to see her.”
I closed my eyes and the tears fell. “I will send you a picture message.”
“Cricket, I need to hold her. I need to smell her. Please, Cricket, don’t keep my baby away from me.”
“I love you.”
He loved Babe so much, and I knew he had to love me because he loved her so much and we made her together.
“Cricket, let me come to you. We can be a family. Just you, me, and the baby.”
“Where would we go?” I asked him, letting my thoughts go wild. I could picture all three of us having a picnic somewhere in a clean park on the green grass.
“I don’t care as long as we’re all together.”
“Jyme, I love you.”
“Yeah,” is all he said back to me.
I woke up from my haze. “What about Chyna, Cinnamon, and Michael?”
“Yeah, them too. We can all go somewhere safe and stay there. Tell me where you are, and I will come straight to you and Babe.”
“Not yet.”
The phone got silent and then the volcano erupted.
“You stupid, bitch! How in the fuck do you think you can be a mother to my baby? You’re a whore, always have been and always will be. You don’t know how to be a mother and neither do those other crack whores. Give her to me so she can have a decent life. You’re going to ruin her, and she’s going to be fucked up just like you. You’re are a stupid bitch. Wake the fuck up, Cricket!”
I hung up the phone and curled the baby and me into a tight ball on the bed. She held on to a fist full of my hair and jibber jabbered away. When I woke up, I was cradling the baby and was stiff as a board. It was pitch black outside, and the house was dark upstairs. I saw a warm light traveling from the downstairs. I changed the baby’s diaper, freshened her up a little, and put her in her jammies, and placed her into her brand new baby bed. I hopped in the shower and turned the water to near scalding. When I was about to get out, Cinnamon was holding my bathrobe up for me to put on.
“I’m going to start back working with D’Artagnan here in Georgia on Monday.”
Cinnamon looked me over and sighed. “Are you ready for that?”
I moved over in front on the sink and started moisturizing my skin. Chyna appeared in the doorway like a ghost, and Cinnamon and I both jumped a little.
“She’s going to start back working with her old boss here in Georgia,” Cinnamon told Chyna.
“At the coffee company?” Chyna asked.
I turned to face her head-on now; I’d never told Chyna that before.
“How did you know where I worked?”
“Troy told me.”
“What the fuck?” Cinnamon shouted.
“That first time I saw you, you were with him. You looked confused, but happy. I knew he was the one for you. I told Troy I saw you and he wanted to see you too.”
“What are you talking about?”
“At the church, I saw you with him at the Catholic Church in Seattle that night.”
“Where was Troy?
I scooted up on the counter of the sink and Cinnamon sat on the toilet cover. Chyna sat on the floor in the doorway of the bathroom. I stared at her and then the memory started coming back to me.
“That was the nigh
t of our first date.”
“He was covered up with a hood, and you looked beautiful. I told Troy that night outside of the church when he came to pick me up. I told him that you looked like an angel. He wanted to see you too, so we waited for you to come out. We followed you and him. You took him home first; then you went home. Troy said you looked good and that he wanted to meet with you, but I made him promise that he would leave you alone. But Troy lied to me as usual,” Chyna said.
“What do you mean he lied to you?” I asked.
“I found a ton of pictures of you going in and out of your job, home, and the coffee shops. He had a complete list and schedule on you, Crick. He had been following you for days and nights. He found out who your boyfriend was, and he got to him first. He met the mother, and he put the idea in her head, and then she went to her son, and she put the idea in his head. They didn’t know what Troy was up to, but he had gotten some Indians on his side, and then he did what he does best.”
“Oh, Cricket,” Cinnamon said in a soft, sad voice.
“Why did you tell him you saw me?”
She shrugged and looked down at the floor. I knew Chyna loved Troy; she always had. But Troy always flirted with me and told me he liked that I was the bigger version of my sister. Troy always had this sick thing for Chyna and me. I never understood it, and I really didn’t think he did either.
“He always liked you better, Crik,” Chyna whispered.
“So, Troy set all of this twisted shit up. He knew where I was all along, and he did this to us.”
“He got pissed when he saw you with Jyme. He knew you were really in love, and he didn’t like it.”
Something inside of me cracked, and I knew Troy would have to pay. He had completely ruined my life. Yes, he had given me back my sister, but at what cost? Chyna and Cinnamon got up and left me in the bathroom alone with my thoughts.
Chapter 10
Florida
That weekend, we settled all the way into the house. We bought swing sets, monkey bars, and a jungle gym for the back yard. All of us got brand new wardrobes, haircuts, and fresh extensions. By Monday morning, I was ready to start a normal routine. I wore a black pantsuit with a mint green button down, some killer mint green and black stilettos, and a matching clutch. I kissed the baby on her forehead, tiptoed out the bedroom and was ready to walk out the door at 7:00 a.m. Chyna stopped me and told me to come and eat some breakfast. She made me an omelet just like she used to back in the day. It was fully loaded, and I ate all of it. She sat while I ate, and when I finished, I gave her a hug goodbye. She smiled and took my plate straight to the sink.
Wounded Love (G Street Chronicles Presents From Love to Loathe Series) Page 13