by Rhonda Shaw
He returned the smile and pulled me in for a kiss. “Absolutely.”
“If only the world saw this side of DOA.” My tone was teasing, but I realized I was serious. This is what I wanted the world to see. Maybe if they saw this side of him, all the negative commentary would stop, and the constant feeling that all eyes were on Dani and me would go away. But he wouldn’t, so it would continue.
I smacked my lips against his again and turned to walk out of the bathroom.
“Where do you think you’re going?” He grabbed one of my arms.
“Oh.” I glanced over my shoulder. “Downstairs?”
“I don’t think so. I think you’re going to lock the bedroom door and get right back here. I’m not done with you.”
“Lock the door, huh? You don’t think she will give you ten minutes?”
“I’m not taking any chances this time.”
He dropped his towel again.
Later, I walked into the movie room and took the time undetected to observe Dani and her father snuggling on the couch. I wished he would show this side of himself to the world and prove everyone wrong, so we weren’t the only ones who knew how he was behind closed doors. It would help so much, erase so much of the negativity around him—and us, as a family—but he refused to do so. He was an amazing father, regardless of what anybody said. Yes, he had a rough side to him, a gruffness that came off as callous and harsh, but he cared, he loved us and would do anything for us; of that, I had no doubt. But all the baggage trailing behind him made everything so hard, made me question if I could do this, even with as much as I loved him.
His head turned, and he spotted me standing in the doorway. Our gazes held as he ran a hand over Dani’s hair, a small smile curving his lips, and my heart melted.
“Get in here, Mom. Why should I be the only one tortured by two brats singing about building a snowman?”
“Daddy, shush!” Dani scolded.
I laughed and sat on the other side of him. He wrapped his other arm around me and pulled me down to kiss my forehead.
“I wouldn’t give this up for the world,” he whispered in my ear, and I believed him.
Chapter 31
~ Gabrielle ~
“Come on, Dani.” I grabbed my purse from the table and walked around the corner, where Danny sat on the couch watching television. “We’re going to go.”
He glanced up and muted the sound. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah. We haven’t seen Kat in a while, so it will be good to catch up with her. Besides, you’ll be locked away in the studio all night, so you won’t even notice we’re gone. We’ll be back before you show your face again.”
He crossed the room and pulled me against him. “That’s not true. I’ll know you’re gone the whole time, and I’ll worry until you’re back safe and sound.”
I squeezed him tight. “Nothing to worry about, especially with all the extra security.”
“I worry about you, baby. You can’t fault me for that.”
I gave him a quick kiss on his lips. “You’re right, I can’t. I love you.”
“I love you too. Hurry back.” He turned when Dani came around the corner. “Come give your old man a hug, baby girl.” She smiled as she launched herself into his arms and laughed when he gave her a loud smacking kiss. “I love you, baby.”
“I love you too, Daddy.”
He shoved his hands in his pockets like it was killing him to let us leave the house, but he didn’t try to stop us. “Have fun with Kat.” He watched us walk out, and when I glanced over my shoulder, he gave a little wave. “Hurry back.”
After loading Dani into the backseat of my car, a new Cadillac CTS Sports Wagon—which Danny insisted on buying to replace my old beater despite my protests, claiming I needed to think about Dani’s safety rather than my pride—I drove down the driveway with my security detail in tow. I chuckled about how Danny believed he’d slipped it by me. One day, one car followed me, the next day, two, and both stuffed with men. I wasn’t sure what prompted him to make the change, but I’d stopped questioning him or protesting the protection, especially after strangers had approached me while shopping. People recognized me, much to my dismay, and I was never sure how they would react when they did. The last time, to my horror, when an older woman yelled at me about raising a young girl with the devil, I was thankful my security had jumped in to pull the screeching woman away from me. I’d been so shocked by her outrage that I hadn’t been able to turn away, frozen in place by her anger.
Danny must have had a good reason to ask for a couple more guards on my detail, and I assumed the motive behind the increase was due to extra publicity around us. I didn’t like it, but understood it came with being a part of Danny’s life. Moreover, I wanted all the protection I could get for Dani’s sake. As long as she was safe, that was all that mattered.
~ Danny ~
“D!” Big T came rushing into the studio.
I turned off the beat I was messing with. “What?”
“Did G already take off with Dani?”
“Yeah, they left a little while ago.” I frowned, taking in T’s concerned expression. “Why? What’s going on?”
“I just got the information you were asking for. About Terrell.”
I shot up out of my chair. “And?”
“He’s back, hanging in the old hood, and people are saying he’s dissing you, blaming you for everything because you disrespected him.” He shook his head. “I don’t know, D. I don’t think we should assume it’s safe. We need to warn everyone that he’s hanging around. Especially G.”
“Fuck.” Apparently, Terrell held grudges, and for a very long time. I sighed and hung my head. “I need to let G know.”
I grabbed my phone off the counter and dialed.
~ Gabrielle ~
The car phone rang, and Kat’s name and number appeared on the in-dash display.
“Hey girl, what’s up?” I answered. “We’re on our way.”
“Oh, good. I’m running a little late, but let yourself in. I’ll be there in a jiffy.”
“Okay, sounds good.” A beep sounded through the speakers. I glanced down and Danny’s cell number blinked on the screen. “Sorry. Danny’s trying to call.”
“I’ll let you go.”
“Oh, it’s fine. He’s probably calling to tell me he misses us already. I’ll call him back when we get to your place.”
Kat giggled. “You two are silly.”
I smiled. It was nice to feel wanted and loved. “Anyway, we’re almost there. We’re looking forward to girl time together.”
“Me too!” she squealed. “I’ll see you soon!”
I hung up and a few minutes later, we pulled into Kat’s complex. I walked over to the lead car of my security detail where they were parked on the street.
“She’s not here yet, but we’re just going to go in,” I told the head of my security team, Joe.
“Okay. We’ll be right here if you need us.”
“Thanks, Joe. I hope you guys don’t get too bored hanging out here all night.” I always felt guilty that they spent their time watching my less than exciting life. “You should go get something to eat and come back.”
“We’ll be okay, Gabby. This is what we do. You enjoy yourself and let us know when you’re ready to go.”
Using my key in the front door, I ushered Dani inside. “Make yourself at home, kiddo, but don’t touch anything.”
“I know, Mom.” She headed to the couch and hopped up. “You tell me every time.”
“I tell you every time, because every time, you pick up something you’re not supposed to.”
She worked at the buckle on one of her shoes and rolled her eyes, letting the shoe drop to the floor.
I threw my purse on the table and pulled out my cell phone. Danny had called again and sent a text message. I frowned, wondering what could be the emergency, when a noise caught my attention. I turned toward the hallway at the same time a silhouette emerged from the guest r
oom. When the shadow became solid, the blood drained from my face and spots clouded my vision, my cell phone slipping out of my grasp.
He shouldn’t be here. Why was he here? How did he get in here? He was supposed to be in jail, not standing here in front of me. My mind whirled, trying to make sense of what my eyes were showing me.
He couldn’t be here, not when Dani was with me. I wanted her nowhere near him. Somehow, through the fear racing through me, locking me in place, the thought of my daughter propelled me into action.
“Run, Dani!” I shoved her toward the door.
She hesitated, and that slight pause cost her. I pushed her again, but she tripped over her sandal on the floor and hit the deck.
Terrell strolled over to stand in front of the door with a sneer on his face. “You ain’t going nowhere.”
Tall and thin, with an evil glint in his eye, nothing about him had changed. He’d lived hard and aged, but he looked the same; even gave me the same leering smile as he had in the past. “Hello there, sugar. Long time, no see. I’ve missed you.”
I found my voice as I reached down and shoved Dani behind my legs. “What do you want?”
He glanced down and smiled at Dani, who peeked out from around me. “Well, hello. You must be little D. You look just like your daddy.”
“Don’t talk to her,” I snapped at him, catching him by surprise. “You leave her out of this!”
“Well, well. Aren’t you the little protective momma? I like that, I like that.”
I breathed hard and my gaze followed him as he wandered around the room, like he was out for a Sunday stroll, and when he turned at a wall, I didn’t miss the gun stuffed in the back of his pants. “Please, just leave us alone,” I begged, hoping to reach his compassionate side, if he even had one.
He pretended to think it over. “I could do that.” He saw my eyes dart around the room, searching for something to use as a weapon, or a way out. “Don’t bother trying anything.” He smiled and patted his gun. “I won’t hesitate to use this.”
He paced again and rubbed his chin with his long fingers, as if he was contemplating something. “You see, the way I see it, sweetie. You owe me.”
“Why do I owe you?”
“Well, first you took my boy from me.”
“I didn’t take him from you. He didn’t want to be a part of anything you represented.”
“True, true,” he agreed. “At first, yes, but he would have come around.”
I scoffed. “You wish. He despised what you stood for.”
He lunged at me, his stale breath hot on my cheek, thrusting me back to the night in front of the dance studio. My throat tightened and my head swam.
“He would have come around!” he yelled.
We eyed one another, both of us breathing hard for different reasons—me, because of fear, and him, because of rage—before he inhaled and leaned away.
He cleared his throat and paced again. When there was space between us, my muscles relaxed, but only a fraction.
“Secondly, you and I, we didn’t finish what we started.”
My stomach churned. I dreaded where this was going. “We didn’t start anything.”
“Oh yes, we did, honey. You and I, we gonna finish.” Terrell peered down at Dani and smiled again. “And she gonna watch.”
“You won’t get anywhere.” I tried to put conviction into my voice, even though I wanted to curl up into a ball. “Kat will be home any minute now, and I have a whole security detail right outside the door. One word from me and you’re dead man.”
He shook his head again, like I was a sad little girl. “We won’t be going out that way.” He nodded toward the back bedroom of the apartment. “We going out that way. They won’t even see us.”
I swallowed hard. If we went with him, who knew how long it would be before anyone noticed we were missing. I glanced down at Dani and tried to think of an escape, but my mind was empty. I had nothing. All my hopes of getting away depended on going out the front door, but he was going to make us climb out a window and go straight into the woods that lined the back of the apartment complex.
He pulled the gun from his pants and pointed it at Dani, should there be any thoughts on my part of trying anything. “Let’s go.”
Dani cried out and gripped my legs. I pulled her into my arms, her little body shaking with fright. “Please don’t point that at her.”
“Any funny business and she’s…poof.”
“You’re sick.” When he lifted the gun again, I held up my hands. “Okay, okay. We’re going.”
I willed myself not to let the tears fall as I led the way out of the apartment. I had no idea what lay ahead for Dani and me, but one thing I knew for sure. The nightmare was only beginning.
Chapter 32
~ Danny ~
I walked into the kitchen when my cell phone rang. When I saw it was Joe’s number, I didn’t like the unease that settled in my stomach.
“What?”
“D, I think we’ve got a problem.”
I stopped cold in my tracks. “What do you mean, ‘a problem’? Where’s G?”
He cleared his throat. “That’s the problem. We don’t know. She’s not here.”
“What do you mean, she’s not there?”
“I don’t know.” He let out a sound of exasperation. “We saw her go in, and then Kat came running out later, saying they weren’t in there.”
Icy fear froze my heart. My warning to her had been too late. “I’m on my way.”
Big T walked in at that moment. “What’s going on?”
I glanced at him as I raced toward the garage. “G and Dani are missing.” I put the phone back to my ear. “She and my kid better be alive, or you’re going to wish you’d never met me!” I ended the call.
Big T was right behind me. “Did you tell her about—?”
“I tried.” I jumped into the Hummer and waited as Big T climbed into the passenger side. “I called her a few times, left her a message, even texted her, but she didn’t get back with me. Fuck!” I slammed my hand on the steering wheel and tore down the driveway, my security right behind me.
“We will find them, D,” T said.
“We better. Get my piece and make sure it’s loaded.”
“D,” he protested, but stopped when I pierced him with a look that said I wasn’t fucking taking no for an answer. “Fine, fine, but you should let the team do the dirty work. Not you. You’re no good to anybody behind bars. There’s too much at stake now.”
“And look where that got us. Even with them, he still got to her. What the fuck!” I slammed my hand against the steering wheel again, ignoring the pain that seared my palm.
Heavy silence fell in the SUV before I broke it again. “I can’t lose them, T. I just can’t.” My voice cracked, and I turned toward the window.
“You won’t, man. You won’t. We’ll find them and get them back to you, I promise.”
Despite Big T’s promise, I didn’t believe I would be lucky twice, and had an ugly feeling this time when I found Gabrielle, she wasn’t going to be unconscious. She was going to be dead.
* * *
We rushed into Kat’s home. She jumped up from where she’d curled into a ball on the couch when we came through the door.
“Did you find them?” she cried. Her tear-streaked face held an ash gray pallor, and her eyes threatened to overflow again.
“No,” I answered. “You hear anything?”
“Oh God.” She held a shaky hand over her mouth. “No. Nothing.” She cradled a little sandal to her chest. “What happened to them?”
I snatched the shoe from her and squeezed it in my hand as I closed my eyes against the sharp pain in my heart. I forced myself to take a deep breath and shoved it in my pocket, praying this wasn’t my last glimpse of my little girl.
I peered up at Big T. “Where would he take them?”
Teddy shrugged his big shoulders as Kat asked, “Who?”
“Terrell,” I answered. I g
lanced at Joe, who had stepped inside the door. “Anything out there?”
“Nothing.”
Kat held up her hand. “Wait, how do you know Terrell is involved with this? I thought he was still in jail.”
“No, he’s out.” I pulled out my gun and undid the safety.
Her wide eyes watched me. “D, you’re not going to shoot him, are you?”
“I might.”
“Perhaps we should call the cops?”
“No! No cops. They’ll just fuck everything up, and who knows what will happen to Gabby and Dani then. No,” I repeated, when they appeared ready to interrupt. “I’m doing this on my own. It’s all because of me, anyway.”
Big T and Kat both protested, but stopped when my cell phone rang. I snatched it out of my pocket and studied the display. “I don’t recognize the number,” I told them, but answered anyway. “Yeah?”
Silence crept across the line before hard breathing.
“I can hear you. Who the fuck is this?”
“Danny.” Her weak voice was barely audible.
“Gabrielle!” My skin flushed cold, mixed with fear and relief. “G, baby, where are you?”
“Danny, you have to find her,” she sobbed, her voice cutting off at the end.
“Baby, you need to tell me where you are. Tell me where you are.”
“Dance…”
“Come on, baby.” I squeezed my eyes shut, silently urging her to tell me where she was. “Hold on, don’t pass out on me. Where are you? Please tell me where to find you.”
“Ballet…dance…” The line fell silent.
“G? Gabrielle? Dammit, G, don’t you go quiet on me!” Fresh waves of terror swamped me as visions of her bleeding out somewhere filled my mind. I glanced at Big T and Kat, who were both eyeing me with concern. I shook my head as I fought the surge of emotions washing over me. I wanted to cry like a little girl while ranting and raving like a mad man out of control. “She went quiet,” I told them. “Gabby?”