by T. Styles
Nine considered what Fran said but her mind was made up. “When I am ready, I will kill him.”
Fran looked deeply into her eyes. “I know.”
“Can I talk to you about something else?”
Fran swallowed the rest of her liquor and tossed the bottle in the bucket. “Just ask.”
“Lately I’ve been having the desire to…to…touch myself,” she stuttered. “And I don’t know why.”
Fran moved uneasily in her seat. She always knew this moment would come and she hoped she’d have something good to say. But she didn’t. Instead, she rubbed her hands together and her eyes darted around the room.
Finally she cleared her throat and said, “When you get this feeling, what are you thinking about?”
Now it was Nine who was uncomfortable. She didn’t want to say how she was aroused by thoughts of violence or the bad things she read in her books. Or that the way Leaf rubs his hands down his thighs when he’s sitting down makes her horny. Anyway, he was not supposed to be in her room and every time Fran asked if he had visited, she would lie. “I don’t really think about anything.”
Fran nodded her head up and down. “Okay, okay, let me tell you about your body then.” She stood up and released one of the buttons on her soiled maid uniform.
“What are you doing?” Nine asked confused. “I don’t want you to—”
“Just sit down there,” Fran ordered. She pulled her uniform off until it was lying at her feet. She stood in front of Nine wearing a graying white bra and purple panties. What Nine noticed immediately was the scar on her belly.
“This is the scar Kerrick gave me,” Fran said rubbing her hand over the old wound. “Remember the story I told you? About not being able to have kids?”
Nine nodded.
Fran didn’t wait for Nine to say anything; instead, she sat down on the chair and removed her panties. Nine could smell the sour scent of Fran’s vagina radiating through the room. The brown hair on her vagina was speckled with gray hairs. Fran looked up at Nine and said, “I’m going to show you how to make yourself feel good so that you will never have to depend on a man.”
Nine’s eyes looked as if they would pop out of her head. “O…okay,” she stuttered.
Fran pulled the lips of her vagina apart with her index finger and middle finger. The flesh of her pink vagina glistened and her tiny clit was tucked inward as if it were trying to hide.
“This is where you would allow a man to enter you,” Fran said pointing at her hole. “You can be stimulated if he takes the time to learn your body but if not, you won’t have much pleasure here.”
“Stimulated?”
“Yes. I’m talking about an orgasm.” Fran pointed at her clit. “Now by rubbing this repeatedly, it will stiffen and you will reach one. Do it as much as you want and you will have many.” To demonstrate, she spread her legs wider and rubbed her clit. It hardened and before long it stuck out like a tiny button.
Fran, under the influence of alcohol, forgot where she was and she continued to rub it as she escaped into the moment.
Nine never took her eyes off of Fran and she watched her juice up as if she were urinating on herself.
Before long, Fran moaned out an orgasm and bit down on her bottom lip. Because she was not clean, the room held a rotten odor. It didn’t bother Nine too much. A similar odor came from her own body when she wasn’t hosed regularly.
What her family didn’t know was that since Leaf came into her life, she had started sneaking showers when everyone in the house was gone. She wanted to be clean for him. During these times, she would pretend to be not only a member of the Prophet family but its leader.
After Fran reached an orgasm, she saw Nine looking at her as if she were a movie. “I’m sorry about that,” Fran said jumping up and sliding on her panties, followed by her uniform. “It was important for me to show you how to please yourself.” She cleared her throat. “Because if you can satisfy yourself, a man can’t have control over you. What’s the second rule of seduction?”
“Control your body, mind and soul and you will rule the world.”
“Good,” she smiled.
“Well let me go,” she paused, “I’ll be back later if I can.”
When she left, Nine quickly removed her nightgown. She lay back in the bed and rubbed herself the way Fran had taught her. She couldn’t believe the feeling that came over her body as she moved her fingers briskly. She did it five more times that night and she didn’t think about food, her parents or the condition of her life. She was forced into a coma-like sleep.
Fran was right.
She felt powerful.
****
Leaf sat on the chair across from Nine, smiling at her. He had been spending more time with her when he was able, and the two of them built a stronger bond. Since there was so much secrecy surrounding the Prophets, they avoided certain topics like who he was and who she was. And as a result, they didn’t know they were cousins.
“I bought you something,” he said taking a brown paper bag out of his North Face book bag. He opened it and handed her a honey bun. Although he wanted her to have the treat, that wasn’t the real purpose of giving it to her. He wanted to find out how isolated she really was from the outside world. “I got it from 7-Eleven.”
“7-Eleven?” she repeated.
“Yeah,” he said getting his answer. She had no clues about the world outside. “It’s a convenience store.”
“Well what is it?” she asked looking at the white iced bun through the plastic.
“Eat it and find out.”
She pulled and tugged at the plastic wrapper but it didn’t open quickly enough. “Here, let me get it for you.” He gently took it out of her hand and ripped it. When it was open, he handed it back. “There you go.”
Nine snatched the bun and took her first bite. Her eyes opened and she looked at him excitedly. A smile spread across her face and she started giggling and food hung out of the corners of her mouth. It was the most amazing thing she had ever eaten in her life. “Oh, my goodness, it’s like heaven.”
Her excitement over the honey bun caused him to laugh too. “I take it you like it.”
“I love it,” she said with her mouth full as she took bite after bite, fearing someone would take it away. “Do you have another?”
“Not right now,” he said wishing he had bought two.
Leaf had given chicks gifts in the past. Purses, expensive trips and the like. But this was the only time he got enjoyment that had nothing to do with sex.
Nine sat on the bed Indian style and devoured the honey bun until it had vanished before his eyes. She smiled at him the entire time. “Thank you,” she said when she was done, before licking her fingers. “Thank you so much for thinking of me.”
Leaf looked at her pretty face and grew angry. Why was this obviously intelligent and beautiful girl living in a basement? Why was he able to make her day with a honey bun? There was so much in the world to see and she was being kept from it.
In the past, he promised himself he wasn’t going to pry but he was prepared to break it now. But he heard his name being called faintly upstairs. If he heard it in the basement, it meant they were calling him loudly.
Nine’s eyes widened and she was fearful again. “You’d better go,” she said in a whisper. “They can’t find you down here.”
He moved quickly not because he was scared for himself. He moved swiftly because he was starting to care about Nine and he was worried for her. “I’ll be back tonight,” he said before leaving.
“Can you bring me one of those honey buns if you do?” she asked.
He winked. “You got it, mami. Anything you want.”
When he left, Nine sat on the edge of the bed and considered what she was feeling in her chest. It was a squeezing sensation that seemed to rush to the pit of her stomach. It always intensified whenever Leaf was around. Was this the emotion Fran warned her about? The one she read about constantly in Shakespeare’s boo
ks?
Was number Nine in love?
****
Leaf didn’t walk directly into the living room from the entrance leading out of the basement. Instead, he went out the back of the house and came around the front and rang the doorbell. He was trying to be sure that no one knew he was in the basement.
The moment he pushed the doorbell, Kerrick snatched him inside as if he were in the Matrix. His expression was tight and when he was pushed into the den, there were three men who Leaf didn’t recognize.
Justin was present too, sitting on the sofa with a glass of scotch in his hand. He looked as if he’d seen a ghost.
Leaf’s heart thumped because Justin, his father, was never upset. He was cool and easy going, which was where Leaf got his disposition.
“Autumn, this is Riley, Mox and Jameson,” Kerrick said interrupting Leaf’s gaze on Justin. “They’ve been protecting me for years and now they will be protecting you.”
He frowned. “Protecting me for what? I thought we had nothing to worry about. And that I was going to turn myself in next week to answer to the charges.”
“Son, that girl you killed was the daughter of an important man,” Justin said.
Leaf didn’t doubt that. She was always dressed nicely and wore the finest perfume. “What does that mean?” He looked at all of them. “Who’s her father?” he asked.
“His name is Johnny Gates. The girl you killed was Chloe Gates.”
CHAPTER 22
KERRICK
“Play out the play.”
-William Shakespeare
Kerrick met Gates in an oblong three-story house outside of Baltimore. The back and side of the property was plain and unpainted and Kerrick was surprised because for a man of Gates’ caliber, the home was nothing to look at. Gates had told Kerrick that he lived in the rundown establishment but he knew that was not the case. Gates did not trust him, so he did not invite him to where he rested his head.
With serious business at hand, Kerrick, Riley, Mox and Jameson were led into the tenement and out the back by two armed men. Eventually they found themselves in a vast patio, one hundred and fifty feet in length. It was paved with white marble and decorated with imitation plants around the perimeter. Gates was building the house for his seventeen-year-old daughter who never got to see it because she was murdered by Leaf.
Kerrick scanned the patio for his guest. He saw Gates sitting at a rusted table that only sat two. Three of his men stood behind him and a tray with a silver and gold teapot dressed with pink flowers sat in the middle.
Gates waved Kerrick over with a smile that was as lifeless as the condition of the building.
Kerrick strolled toward him as if all of his worries were already over. His five thousand dollar navy blue suit swayed in the wind as he moved. Before sitting down, he unbuttoned his jacket, took a seat and crossed his legs. His men stood strong behind him as ready to protect him as they were when he was a young goon on the Baltimore block.
“Tea?” Gates asked politely.
“No,” Kerrick responded. “I never touch the stuff. Not good for the heart.” He beat his chest once before putting his hands back into his lap.
“Well I hope you don’t mind if I do.” Gates poured himself a cup and took his time placing cream and sugar in it. “My wife bought this set for my daughter. I don’t know why she thought Chloe would like such a feminine thing. She was rougher around the edges, just like me.”
“Where is your wife now?” He looked around.
“With my twin daughters in Mumbai. They’ll be back tomorrow.”
Kerrick sat back in his seat and crossed his legs. “So why am I here? Clearly there are other things to discuss outside of your daughter’s teapot.” He paused. “What do you want to help smooth over your loss?”
“Your grandson murdered my daughter. And I understand that this morning you turned him in to the authorities to answer questions in the case.”
“I did.”
“Well we both know he will get off for the charges. Witnesses are already saying that my daughter was the aggressor.”
“Exactly, which is why I don’t understand why we are here. Autumn will be exonerated and it won’t bring your daughter back. Why can’t we be men about it and let things go? What are you asking in terms of finances?”
Gates took a sip of tea with his pinky finger extended. “Two million dollars.”
Kerrick felt the price was steep but he would pay it if it meant his family would be okay. “And what does that buy me?”
“Your wife, yourself and your business will remain untouched.”
“And what about my grandson?”
“You know I cannot allow him to live,” he sat the teacup down. “Out of respect for you, I waited to speak to you before putting a bullet in his head. Once you leave here, my charity is over.”
Kerrick’s jaw twitched. “Even if you wanted to kill him, he’s protected twenty-four hours a day.”
“There are always ways.”
“If you touch my grandson, there will be war.”
“This is war now.”
Kerrick stood up, and stole a few moments to button his jacket. “I do not make many promises but I will make you this one. During this battle, I will make sure you remain alive long enough to see everything you love die.”
CHAPTER 23
KERRICK
“Company, villainous company, hath been the spoil of me.”
-William Shakespeare
A few days passed since Kerrick visited Gates and the Prophet family had not been the same since. Leaf had beaten the charges when video footage sent by one of the students caught Chloe pulling an illegal handgun on Leaf. But winning his case didn’t mean party time for the Prophets either. For starters, it took fifty men to protect him as he was lead out of the courtroom. But it would take many more to keep him alive.
Nine lay down in the duct leading to the living room. She was peering through the vent and watching Kerrick argue with Leaf. Her mind rambled. Why was Kerrick so protective of a kid who was not his blood?
“I don’t understand what’s going on,” Leaf said as he paced the floor. “My father’s not answering the phone. My mother’s not at the office and she’s not reaching out to me either. Can you be honest with me?”
Kerrick was seated calmly on the sofa with his legs crossed. “Autumn…”
“Leaf,” he yelled.
Kerrick closed his eyes in frustration. The killer in him wanted to yank the kid by his vocal chords and whisper stories of the boys he killed for less in his ear. But the grandfather in him was getting old and tiring of violence. With all that said, at the moment anyway, his patience was water thin.
“We tried to offer Gates money to let you live but he declined. The only thing he wants is your blood. So, as much as I hate to say it, you can’t leave this house.”
Leaf walked over to the recliner and plopped down. “But where are my parents?”
“Somewhere safe. I offered them one of the rooms here but they have something to take care of first before they can come back.” He uncrossed his legs. “You have full reign of the house. The only thing I ask is that you refrain from entering the basement.”
“You said that before,” he exhaled, not wanting to stay away from Nine.
“And I’ll say it again,” Kerrick said firmly. “Everything in that basement belongs to me and I don’t want you touching it. You disobey any order of my command and you’re on the streets. Left to protect yourself. If that’s what you want, try me.”
****
It was midnight. Nine was sitting on the bed hoping that Leaf would not heed her grandfather’s warnings by ceasing his visits. She had gotten used to his attention and craved it to live through her days. He was her escape.
When she heard someone approach the door, she popped up and stood in the middle of the floor. She just knew it would be Leaf. A smile spread across her face and she couldn’t wait to read him Shakespeare, which, thanks to her, he had g
rown to love.
But when the door opened, she was devastated when she saw it was Kerrick instead. He was surprised to see her standing in front of the door but he was more surprised to see her smiling. She lived in his basement and barely ate. What did she have to be so happy about? “Why are you grinning, girl?”
She shook her head from left to right. “No reason, grandfather. Just something I read in one of my books.”
Kerrick stepped closer. “What did you read that got you feeling all goofy?”
“Something Shakespeare wrote,” she lied. “Nothing serious.”
He looked her over with a slow examination. She was changing and he wanted to know how. “You aren’t entertaining people down here, are you? Because I warned you what would happen if you did.”
Nine felt sweat drops roll from her underarms and cruise down the sides of her body. “No, grandfather.”
“Because I don’t want anybody in here,” he said touching her shoulder roughly. “Ever. Now that your parents are gone, you are my sole responsibility. And I take that very seriously.”
“I understand, grandfather. What about Alice? And her friend?” She paused. “Are they allowed to visit?”
His forehead crinkled. “She’s the only one outside of Fran who is allowed in here. No one else. Are we clear?”
Nine sighed. If he had said Alice was not allowed, she planned to tell him about all of her freaky antics. Instead, she kept it to herself. “We’re clear, grandfather.”
“Good. Now where is Fran?” he asked looking around her room.