The Circle: Dayvid

by Ty Marshall

  “He’s alive?” she shouted in disbelief almost unable to accept it as the truth. How is he alive? Why would he let me think he was dead? She thought her eyes flamed with hatred.

  It had taken everything in Nova to remain even keel and consistent throughout the night, trying not to tip her hand or set off any alarms in Saint. Just hearing Dayvid’s name threw her out of whack mentally and she struggled all night to keep her focus. Continuing her sex filled weekend with Saint became extremely difficult, the mixture of emotions was almost too much to bear. Nova thought back to the many nights she had to check out mentally and numb herself in order to deal with the sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of Redd. That allowed her to feel nothing as she put on a performance that put Saint into a deep slumber. Once she was sure he was out cold, she moved quickly, putting her plan in motion. She fought back tears gathering her things not wanting to second guess herself. Her and Dayvid’s hearts were like magnets and she would go to the ends of the earth to find him. The revelation of his resurrection was somewhat bittersweet though. She had allowed herself to dream again, to feel, to open up to the chance of being loved again. It was now Saint she visualized when she thought about her future. But to hear him on the phone with another woman, speaking about her true identity and mentioning Dayvid made fear overtake her and question his intentions, making the decision to flee an easy one. She had let her guards down and unknowingly let an enemy in her gates. “How could I be so stupid,” she yelled. “I should’ve known better.”

  Nova knew Dayvid better than anyone and figured that if he was back in Baltimore, willing to risk all the effort he had put forth in convincing the world of his demise, he had good reason. “Or least he better had,” she thought out loud. As she entered the city limits, Nova prayed that she was the reason. The money in her trunk was more than enough for them to start a new life in Mexico like they had planned. But finding him would be a problem. Dayvid had mastered the ability to move in the shadows when needed. She tried to get inside his head and think like him. Where are you Dayvid? She racked her brain and finally it hit her. Nova flicked on her turn signal and exited the highway.

  The sun had just begun to creep across the morning sky when she pulled on the block; parking in front of the United Methodist Church on the corner. Nova took a series of deep breaths trying to reel in her jittery nerves. Looking at her reflection in the rearview mirror, she saw red and puffy eyes staring back at her. She began wiping away the tears, preparing to come face to face with the man she’d spent the last decade of her life loving. She didn’t know exactly how to feel, what she would say or how she would react; it had been months since she laid eyes on Dayvid.

  Did he move on with his life? Why the fuck didn’t he try to find me? Maybe that letter about me moving on was all bullshit, just a way for him to move on with his life. So you fake your fucking death? Her mind was overloaded with questions. Nova didn’t know what she would see or who for that matter when she knocked on the door of the hideout. If there’s a bitch in here I’ma kill him myself. She wasn’t certain he would even be there but it was worth a try. The apartment wasn’t in the prettiest of neighborhoods, but Nova knew if shit got hot this was one of the many places he might go. She scanned the block, searching for the old Acura he used when he wanted to keep a low profile but it was nowhere in sight. Popping open the glove box to retrieve the gun she had hidden inside, Nova cut off the engine and exited the car. “Bitch, get yourself together. Your fucking man is alive. Fuck all the questions, save that shit for later,” she gave herself a quick pep talk before she walked in on something that would change her life again. Her hands shook nervously, feeling as though she would choke from the anxiety but she was determined not to let it defeat her. Nova was on a mission to find Dayvid. She knew in her heart that no matter what he was going through or who he was with, she was what he needed.

  Keeping a firm grip on the gun in her handbag, Nova powerwalked up the block until she reached the rundown home. Her heartbeat quickened with every step. Nova pulled the gun from her bag as she walked to the back of the home, prepared for anything. Reaching the door she knocked a few times. The seconds seemed like hours as she stood there waiting for it to open. After knocking a few more times Nova began looking around to see if she could find where he might have hidden a key. Kicking the trash and leaves on the ground, hoping something would jump out or look out of place. Come on Nova, think. She looked down at the slab of concrete wedged against the side of the house and crouched down trying to move it. After a few tries she was able to lift it up and saw the key peeking out of the dirt underneath.

  She slid the key in, unlocking the door and slowly pushed it open. “Hello,” she said proceeding with caution into the dark apartment. Feeling along the wall, she located the light and clicked it on. She could feel his presence. It was almost like a ghostly spirit and she knew he had been there. As she walked deeper in the basement apartment the remnants of him were everywhere. A pair of pants and a shirt hanging on the back of the couch and a half empty 2-liter Root Beer sitting out on the counter let Nova know for sure that he had been there. She picked the shirt up off the couch and smelled it, inhaling his scent. Tears began to form in her eyes again as all the memories they shared played in her head like a flipgram clip. Though he had been there, it was obvious that he wasn’t coming back. She was so close but yet still so far away. Feeling overwhelmed she exited the apartment not bothering to close the door behind her.

  “This wasn’t supposed to be like this,” Nova spoke through tears as she rode around aimlessly trying to figure out her next move. “We’re supposed to be in Mexico, living happily ever after and shit.” All out of ideas and exhausted Nova decided to head to Towson. The rent on the condo was paid up for a year. She figured she could get some rest and stash the loot; riding around with all that money wasn’t smart. A soft dinging sound broke her train of thought. Nova looked at the dashboard and the orange fuel light was blinking. “Damn!” There was no way she was making it to Baltimore County without stopping for gas. Nova spotted a gas station a block away and switched lanes.

  Nova turned her Cadillac ATS into the gas station parking lot on South Caton Avenue and pulled up to the pump. She jumped out, hit the alarm and hurried inside. Entering the store, she headed straight to the back to grab a bottle of water.

  “Will that be all ma’am?” the man behind the counter asked smiling at the beautiful woman standing in front of him.

  “Can I get 25 on 2,” Nova answered casually.

  ***

  The music was blasting as Jaz whipped the Yukon Denali into the gas station parking lot pulling into one of the parking spots in front of the store. “Yo, get a box of swishers,” he instructed his homie exiting the on the passenger side. “Strawberry nigga!” he yelled turning down the music and rolling down his window. Jaz adjusted his posture in the seat to get a better look at the bad bitch with the plump ass strolling out the store as his man held the door open for her.

  “What up ma, you looking good,” he complimented. “Come fuck with a real nigga,” he offered.

  Uninterested in his advances, Nova kept it moving straight to her vehicle. That young nigga can’t be serious, she thought to herself, continuing her trek to the pump.

  Jaz kept his eyes glued to her ass through the rearview following it all the way to her vehicle. “That bitch got ass for days,” he said to the nigga in the backseat breaking up some weed.

  ***

  Nova yawned, leaning up against the car waiting for her tank to fill up. The rush of excitement had worn off and she was exhausted. The comfortable bed at her condo was calling her name and she couldn’t wait to snuggle under the covers. Nova stared angrily at the gas pump total rise, wishing it would move faster. She was ready to go.

  “Yo ma, you out here pumping your own gas?” Jaz shouted out the window.

  Nova hadn’t noticed him pull up on the side of her.

  “See I told you, you need to fuck wit’ a real nigg
a. I would have took care of that for you.”

  Nova, growing tired of his attempts to spark a conversation, turned her back to him and waited for her gas to finish.

  “Damn, how you gonna act like that,” he continued.

  Before Nova could answer the back door of the truck flew open. Pharaoh and the dude who held the door open for her hopped out waving guns. Nova screamed but Pharaoh grabbed her by the neck, shoving his gun in her face. Nova’s eyes grew wide and round as dinner plates.

  “Grab her keys,” he ordered the other man with the gun.

  Pharaoh pushed Nova forcefully into the backseat of the truck. “Shut the fuck up bitch,” he yelled hitting her in the back of the head with the butt of his gun as she screamed trying to draw attention. Nova instantly became disorientated and dizzy. Reaching for the back of her head she felt the wet warmth of blood on her hand. Pharaoh jumped in next to her and Jaz then slammed down on the gas pulling out of the parking lot as the other member of their crew followed in Nova’s car.

  ***

  “Meet me at the spot on North Ave,” Saint barked instructions into the phone.

  He hung up and immediately scrolled through his contacts until he reached Taj’s number. Dayvid had her phone and he figured it was worth a shot to see if he would answer. Saint pressed send and listened as the phone rang once… twice…and a third time before it picked up on the other end. There was a deafening silence as the two men waited to see who would be the first to speak. Almost thirty seconds passed before Saint broke the dead air. “Dayvid Porter, it’s been a minute.”

  Still he received no response but the faint sound of Dayvid’s breathing, letting him know he was listening. “I’m gonna keep this short and sweet. I got something I know you want and real talk I can see why,” Saint jabbed. “That’s some real good pussy.” He continued trying to get a rise out of Dayvid.

  “Get to the point?” Dayvid finally chimed in.

  “Haha,” Saint laughed knowing he touched a nerve. “I gotcha money and I gotcha bitch. Now the money is mine, I figured that makes us even for the shit you and your sisters got out the storage spot a year or so ago, you feel me. But what I wanna know is how much you love ya bitch?” Saint questioned, then paused waiting for an answer.

  “What you waiting for me to beg you to let her go?” Dayvid said calmly. “If you was gonna let her go you would’ve done it already. So what you want Slim? You got Nova and you got my bread but you called me, so what’s up?”

  “I just wanna know if you love her enough to die for her? Cause that’s what has to happen to make all this right. Somebody gotta die, your choice. You want your bitch to live, you gotta come trade your life for hers. No way around it. I’ll be at the auto shop on North Avenue, you got an hour.” Saint informed him then hung up.

  Saint pulled up to the shop in East Baltimore and drove around the back. He owned the place and used it to fix the vehicles he used for his car rental business. It was a perfect place to hold Nova since they were closed on Sunday’s. He came to a stop in front of one of the garage doors and honked his horn. The door slowly began to lift up and he pulled his BMW in as Jaz let the door down behind him. Pharaoh’s truck was parked just across from his and Nova’s sat next to it. Saint stepped out, slamming the door behind him and bopped across the shop with his signature strut. Pharaoh and his men stood over a battered Droop, who was balled up on the floor with his clothes covered in a mixture of blood, oil and grease. One man was kicking and stomping him while Pharaoh stood laughing with a crowbar in his hand. They turned their

  attention to Saint as he approached.

  “Look at chu,” Saint said squatting down next to Droop. “On your belly like the snake you are.”

  “I don’t know what the fuck you talking ‘bout my nigga,” Droop said with blood dripping from his mouth. “You got it all fucked up! Whatever it is you thinking, you wrong my nigga.”

  Chuckling a bit as he rose to his feet, Saint let him in on the reason he was there. “Oh I’m wrong huh? So you didn’t put King Dayvid on to me and my whereabouts to save your own ass?” Saint quizzed.

  “Nah, my nigga it wasn’t me, maybe it was one of these niggas,” he said trying to shift the blame. “You know these B-more niggas all stick together,” he claimed, only to be hit with the crowbar by Pharaoh.

  “Nah, it was you Droop,” Saint said with a menacing smile picking up a large chain from off the floor. “You wanna know how I know? Taj told me…yeah, your baby moms, who by the way gives the best head I’ve ever had,” Saint mocked grabbing his dick sharing a laugh with the rest of the men in the room. The look on Droop’s face spoke a million words. “Yeah nigga,” Saint taunted.

  “Fuck you,” Droop shouted.

  “Nah, Fuck you,” Saint replied followed by multiple blows with the chain in his hand. Blood splattered everywhere as Saint delivered the beating leaving him covered in Droop’s blood. “Yo string this nigga up,” he said to Jaz and one of Pharaoh’s henchmen.

  The two men lifted Droop off the floor and hooked him to an engine lift, elevating him off the ground slightly, suspending him in the air.

  “Where’s the bitch?” Saint asked Pharaoh referring to Nova.

  “She’s in the office,” he replied.

  “Go get her, I want her to see this,” Saint said as he removed his shirt and picked up the propane blow torch on top of a tool chest.

  Pharaoh wheeled Nova out the shop’s office. She was duct taped to the office chair and her mouth had a strip over it as well. The panic in her eyes seeing Saint standing in the middle of the shop, covered in blood and holding a blow torch, spoke volumes. The sinister look on his face sent a chill up her spine and she was overtaken with fear.

  “What’s up Nova, I want you to have a front row seat. So you can see what will happen to you if Dayvid don’t show up,” Saint declared.

  He turned his attention back to Droop, ripping the front of his shirt open, exposing his bare chest. The sound of the blow torch cutting on was like music to Saint’s ear. But the sight of the blue flame made Droop start screaming before it ever touched his flesh.

  The blood curdling cry Droop let out as Saint scorched his skin with the flame, made Nova look away unable to take the gruesome sight of the charred and blistering flesh. Saint stopped briefly, looking down at the floor at the puddle of urine beneath where Droop hung, he burst into laughter. “This nigga done pissed and shit on himself, son.”

  The rest of the men joined in the laughter.

  Saint returned the flame to his skin, this time on his face. “Arrgh! Oh God,” Droop called out, the pain too much to withstand.

  “Don’t be yelling to God now nigga,” Saint ridiculed.

  The side of Droop’s face began to bubble and the seared smell of burning flesh and feces filled the air of the auto shop, making Nova sick to her stomach. Droop stopped screaming after a while and Pharaoh finally spoke up.

  “Yo G, I think that nigga dead.”

  ***

  U.S. Marshals Torrence and Palmeri managed to stay close but out of sight as they tailed Saint through the streets of Baltimore. Following him for almost 2 hours as he made drop-offs wasn’t exactly what Palmeri had in mind. He felt like they had been chasing their tail. Turning on North Avenue, they observed him pulling into the parking lot of a closed auto shop and parked across the street with a perfect line of sight to the front of the building.

  “We need to see what’s going on inside that building,” Torrence said in frustration. Chasing the fugitive family across the country had taken a serious toll on her physically and mentally, something that hadn’t gone unnoticed by her partner.

  “Have you been sleeping any, Roni?” Palmeri asked ignoring her statement. “You look like shit,” he scoffed.

  “Fuck you. It’s none of your business,” she snapped back.

  “My ass is on the line out here every time we step out this car. I need to know you are clicking on all cylinders and have my back. Whether you care to or
not, I want to make it back home at night,” Palmeri explained.

  “I’m just fine. Now we need to see what’s going on inside that building.”

  “He’s a drug dealer Roni. What do you think is going on inside there?” Palmeri sarcastically stated. “I’m not here to make any drug bust. I’m here because you said this will lead us to the Porters somehow. So unless Fallon or Autumn are inside, I could give two shits what’s happening in there,” Palmeri said as he leaned his seat back and closed his eyes. “Wake me up when you see some movement.”

  Torrence let out a long sigh. “You’re a fucking asshole.”

  “Thank you.”

  True be told, a stakeout wasn’t what she had hoped for either. Torrence’s gut was telling her she was on the right path and in her 16 years in law enforcement, that feeling had never deceived her. Renee was the key to locating the Porters, Torrence knew it and Saint was the key to getting vital information on Renee. Maybe this is where he keeps all the drugs, she thought to herself. If we can bust in and catch him we’ll have leverage and can make him tell us what he knows. Now she just had to convince her partner it was worth the risk.

  The pedestrian traffic on the block was unusually busy for a Sunday, Torrence noticed as she assessed the landscape, trying to weigh her options. Too many innocent lives had been affected in the government’s pursuit of the Porters. But Torrence was drowning in despair and bordering insanity. Her lack of sleep made her irrational and willing to go to any limits to not feel defeated by the lawless siblings.

  ***

  Dayvid careened up the block with a wobble in his gait, his face and clothes covered in filth. The raggedy beard, ripped sweat suit, fingerless gloves, oversized beanie and worn out sneakers he wore, blended in perfectly with the many crack and heroin addicts scouring up and down the block for their next fix. Dayvid sold it well, scratching fiercely pretending to suffer from early stages of withdrawals. He had spent many nights as a child studying the movements of junkies on his block from his bedroom window and had all the mannerisms down. Convincingly, Dayvid was able to stagger past the two U.S. Marshals staked out in an unmarked car in front of the auto shop, unnoticed; assuming them to be nothing more than local detectives trying to build a case on Saint and his crew or at the most feds trying to do the same. Dayvid had no idea he was standing only a few feet from the woman who was the Porters arch enemy and had chased his sisters all over the country trying to bring them to justice.