Truth or Consequences

by Sharon C. Cooper

  “I didn’t think so since you’re not the silent, quiet type, but what else should I think? You haven’t said two words to me. Are you upset because I was out with Ray, or would you be like this about any man?”

  Malik debated on how to answer her questions. She made it sound like her and Ray went on a date or spent more time together than just hanging out at the gym.

  “Both,” he finally said. “I don’t like you hanging out with the motha—” He stopped himself. “I don’t trust him. I can’t put my finger on it, and I know I said it before … there is something about him that doesn’t sit right with me.”

  “Malik, he was kind enough to give me a ride. I might not know him well, but I know a few things about him.”

  “Like what? Tell me what you know about this man. Do you know where he lives? Do you know his favorite foods?”

  “I know enough.” Natasha sighed. “I know he’s really nice to me.”

  “You’re a beautiful woman, of course he’s nice to you,” Malik said. She gaped at him. “Don’t look so shocked. There’s not a man on this earth that would see a woman who looks like you and not come to her rescue any chance they got.”

  Natasha turned her head and stared out the front window. “He grew up in Chicago. He has a sister who lives in Detroit and a brother who just moved to Texas. These days he’s working a few jobs and he looks after his mom, who is recovering from a stroke.”

  “What else?”

  “I don’t want to talk about this anymore. Let’s just go back to you giving me the silent treatment.”

  “You asked me whether or not I was upset because you were out with Ray, or if I would be like this with any man you were with. My answer is yes. I can’t stand that punk, and I don’t like the idea of you going out with anyone who isn’t me.”

  “Malik.”

  “And since we’re on the subject,” Malik divided his attention between her and the road, “it’s only a ten damn minute ride from the hospital to the gym. Why’d it take so long for you to get there?” He’d told himself that he wasn’t going to bring up what Victoria told him, but his concern for Natasha’s safety and his wariness of Ray wouldn’t let him keep it inside. From the moment Victoria expressed concern for Natasha, he’d been worried sick about her and that was before he knew who’d taken her to the gym.

  She sat back in her seat and scratched her head. “He stopped by his mother’s house first.”

  “Wait. Let me make sure I understand,” he said, trying like hell to keep the frustration mixed with anger, out of his voice. “You got into a vehicle with a man you don’t know, thinking that you guys were going to the gym, but instead he took you to his mother’s house.”

  “Malik, it wasn’t like that,” she said defensively.

  “Then how the hell was it?”

  “I told you, his mother recently had a stroke. He’s one of her caregivers and needed to stop by to make sure she’d taken her medication.”

  “Did he tell you this before or after you were in his car?”

  Her silence was his answer. She wrapped her arms around her midsection and turned her head toward the passenger window. It was safe to say he wasn’t getting anymore answers.

  Malik turned into the parking lot of the Italian restaurant they had visited weeks ago. His plan was for them to grab a bite to eat before heading to her house, but instead he’d get something to go. Her reaction to his questions, as well as what Victoria said about her sounding upset on the telephone, made him want to know everything that happened.

  He shut off the engine and debated on his next words. As far as he was concerned, if this Ray was on the up and up, he would have been forthcoming about having to make a stop before going to the gym. And Malik wanted to believe that Natasha wouldn’t have climbed into his car had she’d known he wasn’t going straight there.

  “Natasha.” When she didn’t turn or respond, he rubbed her arm. Being gentle wasn’t his nature. Yet the feelings he had for her, the feelings that pulled at his heart strings whenever he looked or thought of her, made him want to be gentle. “Tasha, I need you to look at me.”

  She turned slowly to face him, and when she lifted her gaze to meet his, the sadness in her eyes nearly broke his heart. “Baby, why are you so upset?” He cupped her cheek, the pad of his thumb caressing her soft skin.

  She accepted his comfort for a moment, but quickly pulled away. “Because I feel so stupid. During my career, I have treated rape victims, women who’d been beaten by men, and I have seen women who have been emotionally traumatized by an experience. The thought that I could easily be one of them didn’t come to mind until I was sitting in a filthy alley, waiting for Ray to return to his van.”

  Malik’s mood veered sharply to disbelief, and he gripped the top of her headrest and the dashboard to keep from exploding. Anger seared the corners of his control, thinking of her sitting in this man’s vehicle, alone and in an alley. Alarm rippled through his body imagining the type of danger she could have been in.

  “I was scared, but mostly disappointed in myself,” she continued, shaking her head as if she couldn’t believe what she’d done. “Ray was a perfect gentleman, but I’m smart enough to know that the situation could have easily turned bad.”

  Malik released a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. Part of him wanted to shake her and scream ‘what were you thinking?’ The other part wanted to hold her in his arms and never let go.

  “Where were you?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Where did he take you? What part of town?”

  She hesitated, lowering her eyes before looking at him again. “Englewood, near 65th.”

  Malik just stared at her. Not because he was in the same area probably around the same time, but because he knew the crime rate in that neighborhood was one of the highest in the country.

  “Do you have any idea how dangerous it is for you, a woman, to sit in a car alone, especially in that neighborhood?” His voice was low and controlled, but his insides were a jumbled mess. “Even I’m slow to hang out in a parked car down there and I always have my piece on me.”

  She sighed and rested her head against the headrest. “I know. It won’t happen again.”

  He dropped back against his seat. “You’re damn right it won’t happen again, because I’m not letting you out of my sight.”

  A soft laugh came from her. “So what you gon’ do? Follow me around like a shadow?”

  “If I have to.”

  She reached over and laced her fingers with his. Staring down at their joined hands, the contrast of their skin tone jumping out at him, he brought her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it.

  “I want you to get to the point where, if you’re caught in a jam, need someone, or just want to talk, you call me. If I’m not available, you call one of my people, people I trust and count on.” He leaned across the center console, meeting her gaze. “People you can trust and count on.”

  Malik placed his hand at the back of her head and pulled her toward him. His mouth covered hers and he kissed her slowly, wanting the message from his lips to reveal just how much he cared for her. His tongue traced the fullness of her lips before slipping inside her mouth and tangling with her tongue. Though he loved kissing her, it wasn’t enough. Tonight he wanted all of her. Every soft, curvaceous, luscious part of her.

  He held her face between his hands. “Come home with me tonight,” he said against her mouth before lifting his head.

  She batted those big brown eyes of hers and the corner of her mouth lifted into a smile. “Okay … but can we get something to eat first? I can smell their garlic bread all the way out here and I’m starving.”

  He laughed and placed a kiss on her nose. “Yeah, I guess the least I can do is feed you.”

  “Good. We can get it to go, and then swing by my house so that I can pick up some clothes.”

  Malik chuckled and released her. “I thought you were hungry. Add stopping by your house to the
mix and it’ll be at least an hour and a half before you eat.”

  “I can eat in the truck while you drive.”

  He shook his head and couldn’t help smiling when she wiggled her eyebrows at him. “I see you have it all figured out.”

  Thirty minutes later, Malik pulled up to her house, surprised to see there were no lights on except for the floodlights along the walkway.

  “Why’s the house so dark?” he asked as they undid their seatbelts. “I thought the lamp in the living room was on a timer.”

  “It is, but the light bulb might’ve blown.”

  Malik’s cell phone rang just as he took the key out of the ignition. It was Wiz.

  “What’s up, man?”

  “Did you talk to Sheldon today?”

  “Nope, but he might’ve called when I was away from my phone.” Malik lifted his finger, silently asking Natasha to wait a minute when she opened her door to climb out. “I haven’t checked my voicemail in the last few hours. I take it he had some news.”

  “Yeah, he did. The social worker you and I planned to see tomorrow is dead.”

  Malik cursed under his breath. Wiz had wanted to visit her earlier in the day, but by the time Malik received his message, he and Travis were sitting in front of Street’s apartment.

  “Even if we would’ve paid her a visit …”

  Malik glanced at Natasha when she touched his arm.

  “I’m going in to grab some clothes,” she whispered, “give me five minutes.” Malik nodded and watched as she jogged up to the house.

  “I’m not sure if we would’ve gotten much information out of her anyway. If this lawyer guy is overseeing this baby stealing organization, he has deep pockets and a long reach.”

  “When did they find her?” Malik asked, rubbing his forehead. He was frustrated that each time they got close to getting answers, something happened.

  “A few hours ago at her home in Englewood. Her throat was slashed.”

  Natasha used her remote to unlock the front door of her house and deactivate the new alarm system, finding the handheld device convenient. She told Malik she’d be five minutes and this time she wanted to be ready by the time he finished his call. According to him, her five minutes were more like twenty, but tonight she intended to prove him wrong.

  She walked into the semi-darkness and out of habit, dropped her handbag into the living room chair. She hated entering a dark house, hence the timer on the living room lamp, but she could get through the house with her eyes closed.

  She went toward the hall that led to the bedrooms, managing to bump into only one of the large floor pillows along the way. She flipped the hallway light switch, but nothing happened. Repeating the gesture, she had the same result.

  “That’s weird,” she murmured, surprised that both the lamp and the hall light weren’t working. Crap, something must have tripped the circuit breaker. She normally didn’t have that problem unless she had too many appliances going at one time. She debated on whether to go down the basement to the circuit breaker or grab the flashlight in her bedroom.

  Not wanting to keep Malik waiting, she headed down the hallway that led to the three bedrooms. She’d get him to run downstairs and turn everything back on. Yet another nice thing about having a man around. Since he’d come into her life, she hadn’t had to take out the trash, put gas in her car, and rarely had to cook. Add those qualities to his sense of humor, take-charge attitude, and his strong, hot body, she had the perfect man. She smiled at the thought. In such a short period, he’d made himself at home in her life and she liked it.

  She hurried down the hall, but slowed when she walked past the bathroom door, noticing it was closed. Unless she had guests or someone was using the bathroom, the door was always open. She backed up and reached for the knob, but the door swung open. Before she could react, someone lunged at her. The side of her head hit the wall and she stumbled. Stars floated in front of her eyes and a hand slapped over her mouth.

  Oh God, oh God. Her heart pounded loudly in her ears, her eyes blurring from the throbbing in her head. She tried to break free. Struggling against the hard body, she kicked her legs, which connected with the hallway table and sent the glass vase tumbling to the carpeted floor.

  “Stop fighting me,” he said in a low rumble, his voice deep and his heated breath brushing against the back of her neck. The front of his body rubbing against her butt sent a different type of fear through her. God, please don’t let him rape me. A whimper escaped her lips and she fought to get free, but his grip grew tighter around her waist. “Damn you feel good. It’s no wonder that boyfriend of yours is so protective.”

  Her heart thumped violently inside her chest. She wanted to scream for Malik, but the hand covering her mouth was too tight; she could barely breathe.

  “I have a message for you, love.” Despite her struggling against him, he dragged her backwards down the hall and around the corner toward the kitchen. “Tell your boyfriend to stop asking questions, otherwise he’s going to be sorry. Now nod if you understand.”

  She gave a jerky nod, her head feeling as if an explosion had gone off inside of it, her eyes blurred by tears.

  “If he doesn’t back off he’ll be a witness … to your death. And then I’ll kill him.”

  “No, please … don’t hurt him,” she said against his hand, her words sounding like gibberish as she kicked her legs frantically to get free. “Please …” Tears filled her eyes and tumbled down her cheeks, her sobs growing louder.

  “Shut up!” he growled in her ear, the hand he had over her mouth gripping her face harder.

  A beeping sound came from the alarm keypad near the back door and her assailant jerked toward it.

  “Times up.” He dragged her closer to the back door and Natasha dug her heels into the floor, fighting to keep him from taking her out of the house. “Stop fighting me!” He lifted her effortlessly, carrying her to the back door, but stopped at the edge of her kitchen counter. “Remember what I said. Get your boyfriend to back off. And so that he knows that I’m serious …”

  He released her suddenly, and Natasha’s only thought was to run. Before she could take a step forward, a searing pain ripped through the back of her skull, raced down her spine, and left her immobile. Her knees buckled as a deep black cloud settled, spinning her in slow motion into a bottomless abyss.

  “Sheldon agreed to meet with us in the morning,” Wiz said.

  “Good. I think it’s time for us to compare notes. I don’t …” Malik’s other line beeped. “Wiz, that’s my other line, hold on a sec.”

  “Actually, I have to get going. Hit me up later or I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Malik clicked over. “Yeah.”

  “Malik, something’s going on at Natasha’s house,” Victoria said.

  “Something like what?” He glanced at the house, surprised to see it was still dark.

  “Reuben set up the system for her to get in and out of the house with a handheld. About twenty minutes ago, the keypad near the back door was deactivated. About ten minutes ago, the system shows that the handheld was used and someone entered through the front door. It might be nothing, but …”

  Malik tuned out the rest of her words. He had specifically chosen the system Natasha had because of its ninety-nine percent fail proof rating. To date, Quinn had been the only person to penetrate the state-of-the-art circuitry.

  Malik’s chest tightened. There was no way someone had hacked her security system, but the slight prickling at the back of his neck told him otherwise. His eyes zoned in on the house and he reached for his 9mm Glock in the glove box.

  “Vicky, let me call you back.”

  Seconds later, Malik nudged the front door. It opened easily. He stepped into the semi-dark entrance, a sliver of moonlight shining through the window blinds. His eyes eventually adjusted and he gave the room a once over before easing farther into the space.

  He listened, only hearing the ticking of a clock in the distance and a soft beepi
ng coming from the back of the house, the kitchen. Other than that, it was quiet. Too damn quiet.

  Malik tried to control the erratic beating of his heart as he silently went from room to room, but with every minute that ticked by the feeling of dread intensified. He turned the corner that led to the kitchen and eased toward the opened back door, adrenaline racing through his veins. There was no way Natasha would leave the house without letting him know. When he reached the end of her center island, his heart stuttered. Panic spread throughout his body and came to rest in the pit of his stomach.

  “Tasha.” Her name came out in a whisper, but inside he was screaming her name at the top of his lungs. He collapsed at the side of her body, her face against the travertine tile. “Tasha. Oh God. Tasha!” Gently pushing her hair away from her face, he saw the blood. Terror gripped him and a throbbing knot formed in his gut. He checked for a pulse. With shaking hands, he pulled his iPhone from his pocket and his trembling fingers dialed.

  “911, what is your emergency?”

  “I need … I need an ambulance.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  “They’re not going to let you back into the hospital until you calm the hell down!” Wiz yelled. “You shouting, threatening the doctors and the nurses is not going to get you anywhere. I get that you’re mad, but don’t you want to be in there when Natasha wakes up?”

  Malik didn’t bother responding. Like a caged animal, he paced back and forth outside of the hospital’s entrance. The waiting was killing him. Two hours and they still hadn’t told him anything about Natasha’s condition. He had to admit, now that he was out in the night air, he at least felt like he could breathe. Whereas moments ago, the walls were closing in around him. He ran his hand over his head, his gut twisting in agony.

  “I talked with her friend Layla.” Wiz leaned against a concrete block separating the hospital from the parking lot. “The moment she knows anything, she’ll come out here and get you. But, man, you were like … like crazy waiting to happen in there! I don’t know if I have ever seen you this out of control. And mind you I’ve seen you at your worst.”