Queen Bitch: Part 4 (Bitch Series)

by Deja King

  "I see you didn't leave not a crumb," Mike said, picking up my plate. "So are you ready to wash off that funk on you?"

  "Been ready, but what am I going to put on? I mean there is no sense in me taking a bath if I'ma have to wear the same funky clothes."

  "I got you covered."

  "Oh...so why are you being so decent to me all of a sudden"

  "Real talk, you look so pathetic that I feel sorry for you," Mike laughed.

  "Well, I'm glad one of us can laugh about my circumstances."

  "You're right. There is no humor in this but it is what it is. There's nothing we can do."

  "Yes there is. You can let me go home to my husband and daughter."

  "Precious, I feel sorry for you, but I'm not stupid. You know that's not even a possibility."

  "Why, because Maya says it's not?"

  "No, because too much shit has happened."

  "What are you getting out of this, Mike?"

  "Revenge, what else?"

  "Revenge on who, me? What did you expect? You tried to have my husband murdered and you raped me. There wasn't any other option. You had to go to jail, or die one. You know how the game goes. The police were already on to you, so don't blame me because you got locked up."

  "Well since you know how the game go so well, then it shouldn't be no surprise to you that you're chained up in this motherfucking basement, now should it. So do you want to keep sitting here running off at the mouth or do you want to take a fucking shower before I change my mind?"

  "I wanna clean my dirty ass, so I'll shut the fuck up."

  "Good choice," Mike said, unlocking the chains around my legs. "Now I don't want no shit from you, Precious. If I think you're getting out of line, I'ma break your neck."

  "I know. But I won't give you any problems. I'm just grateful to be having some hot water splash against my body." When I stood up, Mike held my arms behind my back firmly. "Is that really necessary? I mean for all that you shoulda kept the handcuffs on."

  "Here you go again running off at the mouth."

  "Okay, I'll be quiet, but please don't walk too fast. My legs are still a bit numb from sitting down for so long."

  Mike led me up the stairs slowly, and when he opened the door it was as if we entered another world-make that another planet. No longer was I in the misery of a windowless, dreary basement. I had arrived in a mini mansion that was bananas! I had been in some fly cribs, but the architectural design was downright stunning. When I turned my head to the right, I could see the spacious entry with walls of glass that led to a floating glass and stainless steel staircase. When I turned to my left there was a massive wall of glass for an incredible 180° view. The shit was truly breathtaking. I couldn't comprehend that all this was going on up here and all that was going on down there, in what I considered a dungeon.

  "Mike, I ain't tryna be funny, but who in the fuck do you know that let you stay in this crib, and do they have any idea you have a hostage chained up in the basement?"

  "Funny, but this my shit."

  "Yeah, right."

  "What, you think Supreme the only one with long paper?"

  "Umm, well you have been locked up, or have you forgotten that already."

  "Nah, trust I definitely ain't forgot that shit. But like I told you a long time ago, I'm one of the few real kingpins. Niggas like me still be making major moves behind bars. That shit don't stop."

  "I see," I said, doing a double-take of the ridiculously fly domain.

  "Come on, let me take you to the bathroom you'll be using. I left your change of clothes on the table in there. The shit you have on needs to be burned, so you can drop them in the trash bag I put in there for you."

  "Fuck you! This is a thirty-five hundred dollar Chloe pantsuit that you fucked up from having me locked up like an animal."

  "Maybe now you know how it feels."

  "Spare me," I said entering the bathroom.

  "I'll be posted right outside this door so don't try no slick shit."

  "Oh please! I know when I can't win and it's time to give up," I said closing the door behind me.

  Damn, it seemed that everything in this house was made of glass including the bathroom, I thought as I peeled the filthy clothes off my back. I was more than happy to toss them into the plastic bag. Besides bathing products and the change of clothes, it seemed Mike had made sure all potential weapons were banished from the bathroom. Even if I wanted to make a move I didn't see anything that I could use.

  I decided to enjoy the pleasure of a hot shower and be done with it. When the water hit my skin, it felt almost as good as an orgasm. It was like the water was making love to me and I welcomed it. In the midst of being seduced in the open shower, my eye caught what looked to be the rim of a trashcan. It was behind the toilet and almost unnoticeable. At the very moment I saw it, the next second my mind began plotting. I knew it was a stretch but I had to exercise all options because I knew they would be few and far between.

  After showering for a few more minutes I walked away from the still running water and dried myself off. Then I went to the sink to brush my teeth and noticed the large mirror. I stood frozen, as I hadn't seen my own reflection in what seemed like forever. I touched my face gently and my cheeks had already begun to become sunken in. I had dark circles around my eyes from not getting any decent sleep. My normal bronzed butterscotch complexion appeared dull after being deprived of sunlight for so long. Now I could see why Mike felt sorry for me. I did look pathetic.

  Once I took a few moments to feel sorry for myself it was time to get dressed. I was taken aback when I saw that my change of clothes was a cotton candy pink juicy Couture jogging suit. It was my favorite loungewear, and on a few occasions when Mike had come to visit me I would have it on. I wondered if he remembered and that's why he left it for me. But I couldn't dwell on that as I was now on a mission.

  I put my ear to the door to see if I could hear any movement or if Mike was guarding the bathroom like he said. I then bent down on my knees to see if I could get a peep of his shoes under the bottom opening of the door. I didn't see anything at first, but then I saw him walking across the hallway going into the living room I assumed. I stood up and grabbed the trashcan from behind the toilet. It was solid stainless steel, exactly what I needed to cause some damage.

  I bent back down to once again place Mike's movements. This time I didn't see anything. I quietly cracked the door open and it was clear. I quickly slid out of the bathroom with the trashcan in tow. I closed the bathroom door and stood behind the hallway corner out of sight. My heart was thumping so hard I felt that all of LA could hear it. I heard some classical music coming from the living room area and presumed Mike was in there chilling, although I never figured him to be up on that style of tunes. But the soothing melody was surprisingly helping me to relax and my mind to focus a tad bit better. I had no idea how I was going to get the fuck out of this damn house.

  As I pondered my next move I heard footsteps and they were coming in my direction. I leaned my back up against the wall and didn't even take a breath.

  "Precious, you're still taking a shower?" Mike yelled, knocking on the bathroom door. I purposely kept the water running so he could think just that. I didn't have a watch on but it felt like I had been in the bathroom for thirty or forty minutes so I was sure by now he was wondering what the hell was taking me so long. Mike stood by the door for a few more minutes and then knocked again. "Something ain't right," I heard him say as he opened the door.

  Fuck, it's now or never! I leaped around the corner and his back was to me as he stepped inside the bathroom.

  "Precious, what the hell are you doing in here?"

  As he asked the question out loud, I swung the trashcan up high. Mike must've felt my presence from behind because instead of me getting a clear landing on the back of his head, I caught the side of his face as he turned towards me. But the power of my blow did some damage because he stumbled and fell to the floor on his back. This was m
y one shot at freedom and I blew wind sprinting out the bathroom and down the hall. My legs were striding as if I was competing for an Olympic Gold Medal. There was no looking back to see who I leaving in the dust as it was winner take all, and that was gonna be me...or so I hoped.

  As I continued to strive to reach my destination, it seemed like I was running down a never ending hallway. I knew that shit couldn't have been as long as it felt, but the closer I got to the front exit the further away it seemed to be. My mind was playing crazy tricks on me, so I just kept running.

  At last I could taste freedom. I was right there. My hand reached out for the doorknob as I unlocked the top bolt, and then swung the door open. The sun instantly shined on me like it did for Ceily in the "Color Purple" as she ran through the field towards her sister who she hadn't seen in so long. But there would be no loving embrace between families like I saw in the movie. Instead, I felt a sharp excruciating pain and my last thought before I went unconscious was that I would try to live till I die.

  "I still can't believe Anna's dead," Supreme said as he poured himself a glass of Remy Martin X111 cognac. "First my wife disappears, and now Anna is deceased, all within a week's period of time. I'm beginning to believe this house is cursed."

  "Supreme, don't do this to yourself. What happened to Anna was a tragic accident."

  "Tragic is right... to trip on a baby bottle. How unlucky can someone be? Can you imagine if she had been carrying Aaliyah?" That thought made Supreme pour himself some more Remy. "Damn, I need my wife right now!" Supreme continued taking down his cognac in one gulp.

  "I haven't given up. I believe Precious will be back soon," I said, pretending to be optimistic.

  "I hope you're right."

  "I am."

  "Maya, I know I've been harsh with you since Precious went missing and I'm sorry. Honestly, I don't know what I would've done without your support, especially for Aaliyah. You've been wonderful with her these last few days."

  "It's nothing. You know how I feel about Aaliyah. I love her as if she was my own daughter," I said, cuddling Aaliyah as she bounced on my lap.

  "It's so hard for me right now because every time I look at her I see Precious. My little angel is the only thing keeping me sane right now."

  "Have you gotten any new leads on what happened to Precious?"

  "Hell no! It's like she vanished into thin air. The surveillance tapes the cops confiscated showed nothing and the private investigators I hired can't come up with shit. I don't want to think it, but I have to wonder if once again Pretty Boy Mike is behind this."

  "Sony to interrupt, Mr. Mills, but the front gate called up and said that Detective Moore is here to see you."

  "Thanks, Devon. You can send him in when he gets here."

  "Were you expecting Detective Moore?" I asked as a feeling of anxiousness hit me.

  "No, but maybe he has some news about Precious."

  What the fuck is that fucking detective snooping around for this time? He ain't got no news. If anything, he's coming over here trying to dig up some news. That sonofabitch is about to work my very last nerve.

  "Mr. Mills, Ms. Owens, nice to see you, although I wish it was under different circumstances. I heard about your nanny, Anna. It seems to be one tragedy after another in this family," Detective Moore commented as he took it upon himself to sit down.

  "We're handling it. What brings you by here today?" Supreme put his glass down and folded his arms.

  "Mr. Mills, I'm assuming still no word on your wife's whereabouts?"

  "You're assuming correctly, but I hope you didn't come all the way over here to tell me something that I already know."

  "Well, let's see. Did you know that your wife's cell phone records show that the last person she spoke to was Nico Carter?" I watched as the vein in Supreme's forehead pulsated and every muscle from his jaw down throbbed. "From what I understand, your wife and Nico Carter share a long history together."

  "What's your point, detective?"

  "I don't have a point ...yet. Merely trying to connect the dots. But I have reached out to Mr. Carter. Unfortunately my office hasn't been able to get in touch with him yet."

  "Are you saying you think he has something to do with my wife's disappearance?"

  "Maybe, maybe not, but from what we've gathered so far he is the last person she spoke to on her cell phone. We're also looking into the possibility that Ms. Owens' brother, Mike could be behind this," Detective Moore said, turning his mug directly towards me. "Have you had any contact with your brother, Ms. Owens?"

  "No I haven't. But with all the heat on him, I doubt he would take a chance and come back to LA."

  "In my twenty years of detective work, I've learned you can never underestimate what a deranged, sick criminal is capable of, which includes your brother. He seemed to have a strong fixation on your wife." Detective Moore now turned back to Supreme. "Maybe he threw caution out the window and came back to finish the punishment on your family that he had started."

  "I thought about that, but he would need resources, money, and with Clip dead I don't see how it's possible."

  "Maybe he had more than just Clip and that young woman, Destiny helping him out. I mean somebody had to be behind the wheel of the car during that drive by, and I seriously doubt it was Mike. And who knows? It may also be the shooter from the unsolved murders of Terrell and Nina Douglas."

  "Oh, so I guess that means you no longer suspect that Precious had any involvement with either one of those murders?" I inquired.

  "I never said Mrs. Mills was a suspect."

  "But you did imply that last time you came over, Detective Moore," Supreme reminded him.

  "I simply wanted to ask your wife a few questions because I was made aware that at one time Mrs. Mills was friends with one of the victims."

  "Precious doesn't have any friends besides me. Nina pretended to care about Precious because she was working for my brother."

  "Right. Well again, this is all speculation. I'm gathering as much information as possible in hopes that it will answer all of our unanswered questions," the detective said, standing up from the couch. "I'm sure I'll be in touch soon. But of course if either one of you come across any new information, give me a call."

  "Will do, detective," Supreme said as he poured himself another drink.

  "By the way Maya is it okay for me to call you Maya?" Detective Moore asked, catching me off guard because he had practically reached the front door.

  "Of course. It is my name," I smiled as I continued to hold Aaliyah.

  "Do you recall seeing Nina Douglas on the day she was murdered?" he asked, walking back towards my direction.

  "Uh, no I don't."

  "I only ask because I know you were an invited guest to the wedding but never showed up."

  "And who told you that?"

  "I had an opportunity to speak with Jamal Crawford, Nina's fiancee at the time. He specifically remembered that you were supposed to come to the wedding with Precious but neither of you showed up."

  "That's right, but, umm, it was so long ago. If I'm not mistaken, I was planning on attending the wedding with Precious but I had some boyfriend issues. Precious stayed with me to work them out and it ended up getting too late for us to make the wedding."

  "And who was your boyfriend at the time? Would that have been Clip?"

  "I don't believe so. I think it was another guy. But what does any of this have to do with Nina's brother's murder?" I was about to end my statement with a four letter word but kept my tongue intact. I knew the sneaky detective was dying to get a reaction out of me but I wasn't about to give it to him.

  "As I stated before, I have a hunch that the two murders are somehow connected. But I could be wrong. I would ask you for that boyfriend's name but I'm sure you've forgotten it by now," he remarked, not bothering to wait for my response. "Again, I must be going, but like I said, I will be in touch."

  My blood was boiling as I watched Detective Moore finally stroll out of
the door. "That man has a lot of nerve."

  "Yeah, he does, but Maya, do you know anything about Nina's murder or her brother's?"

  "Of course not."

  "What about Precious? Did she ever mention anything to you about what happened to Nina?"

  "No, but..." I cut my sentence off to give Supreme the impression I was holding something back.

  "But what?"

  "It doesn't matter. We need to be focusing on finding Precious not letting Detective Moore stir up trouble."

  "Listen, Maya, if you know of Precious having any involvement in a murder let me know so I can do what's necessary to clean the shit up before it gets out of hand."

  "I don't know anything specifically about Terrell, but after Nina was murdered Jamal came by the house to see her. He was vexed. He and Precious had a heated exchange of words. When he left, Precious said that she hoped he would let sleeping dogs lie when it came to finding Nina's killer. I did take it as if she was trying to protect herself."

  "Did she say anything else?"

  "No, and I didn't ask. If she was involved in Nina's murder I didn't want to know anything about it." I reflected back on that day I put a bullet in Nina's back trying to protect Precious. After that, I won her over because I proved my loyalty. It was the exact loyalty I needed Precious to believe I had in order to take her down.

  "I understand," Supreme said, shaking the ice cubes in his glass. He seemed to be drifting off into some sort of trance. But I didn't believe it was so much the possibility that Precious might've killed Nina that had him stuck. Finding out that Nico was the last call Precious received, I felt, was the real reason he was in a daze.

  "Supreme, it's so beautiful outside I thought it would be nice to take Aaliyah to the park, if you don't mind." He remained completely silent. "Supreme," I called out again snapping him out of his trance.

  "I apologize. What did you say?"

  "I wanted to take Aaliyah to the park, is that okay?"