I got in my car, revved up my engine, check my gun, and powered on my cell phone. Twenty-six missed messages from…Honey? “Aw shit! What happened?” I yelled.
I listened to my voice mail. In one message, Honey said, “Sapphire, I’ve been kidnapped from my Atlanta home. I’m in the back of an SUV,” she whispered. “I have no idea where they’re taking me. I need you to take care of my girls. I’m going to get out of this alive, but I need your help. Please don’t call me back. Wait until I call you again.”
Alphonso Allen, that lucky bastard. He’d get to have his freedom for another few days, but I’d be back to kill him personally. I drove to LAX, parked in the daily parking lot, and got on the first direct flight to Atlanta.
I guess being a cop was in my blood. Anybody who fucked with my family fucked with me. And Honey was now my family.
CHAPTER 38
Valentino
Driving back and forth on the 85, with Honey in the trunk, I looked over at Benito, who was digging in his shitty ass. That nigga tried to act like he had leverage ’cause his cell phone had service and my shit was now terminated. Same fuckin’ difference. Service or no service, that nigga’s battery was dead, and I wasn’t buying him no charger. Summer was wrong for leaving me out here like this.
I stopped off at a Wal-Mart to get one of those prepaid phones. Benito hopped out of the car and walked bowlegged and shit. “That’s what you get for talking ’bout what you don’t do, nigga,” I said.
“You wrong, V. I’m supposed to be your boy, not your bitch,” Benito, said tugging at his pants.
We started laughing. I could never fuck Benito. Yeah, he was different. He was annoying at times. But that nigga would do anything for me. “Cut that shit out. Walk straight.” Entering the store, I asked him, “Nigga, did you remember to poke a hole in the plastic bag so that bitch won’t die in the trunk?”
“Yeah, man. I took care of my business. You gon’ get me a phone, too. I need to call my mama.”
I swear I wanted to slap his ass. I hurried up and paid for two phones with one hundred minutes. I might have to send that nigga home early if he fucked up.
Driving to an abandoned lot, I powered on my phone and dialed information. “Atlanta, Georgia. Sweeter Than Honey,” I said and asked to be connected.
“What’s sweeter than honey and more valuable than money?” said a female voice.
“Who is this?” I asked. Her voice sounded familiar.
“Who is this?” she asked, with attitude.
“Bitch, don’t fuck with me. Who the fuck are you?”
“Oh, my, God. Valentino? How long have you been out? Does Honey know?”
“I been out long enough to have kidnapped Lace, Honey, whatever the fuck she calls herself. Listen up and listen righteous, because I’m only going to say this one time. I want my fifty million dollars delivered to me in cash by tomorrow night, or this bitch is dead, and all of your asses are next. You can’t run. You can’t hide from me. I’m going to kill you first, then the rest of my bitches, you hear me! Y’all are my bitches! But I’ma kill every last one of you, one at a time, until somebody gives me all of my fuckin’ money!”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said calmly. “I can get you as much as I can before the bank closes today, but Honey is the only one who has direct access to her account. Where is she? How do I know you’re serious? For all I know, you could be calling on a three-way from prison.”
“I got your prison, bitch! Hold the fuck on,” I said.
Looking at Benito, I said, “Here. Take my gun. Get that bitch out of the trunk. If she tries anything funny, shoot her ass.”
The minute I said that shit, I got out of the car, too. Benito’s dumb ass was guaranteed to fuck something up. I walked around to the back of the SUV with Benito. He raised the hatch. Staring down the barrel of that bitch’s gun, I dropped the phone. Why the fuck had I given Benito’s stupid ass my piece?
Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow!
CHAPTER 39
Grant
Oneness in love was key. Oneness in love was the key. When I looked at Honey, I saw a perfect imperfect being. I saw her shadow in my reflection. Our journeys differed along the same path. We saw things through our minds’ eyes. We felt with our hearts. We touched with our words. We sung with our eyes. We cried with our souls.
When all else failed, and the world around us crumbled, we drifted apart, but love sustained us. If I had no money, no place to live, no shoes on my feet, no food to eat, no place to go, no mother, father, or ignorant adopted brother, if none of the people I loved were around me, and if I had one last breath to take, it wouldn’t matter as long as I had Honey. I’d exhale my last breath with everlasting love for her.
I sat in my car, in my parents’ driveway, watching my father wave to me. “Son, you been out there too long. Come in,” he called. “Your mother and I want to know where you’ve been the last few days.”
I smiled, but not from my aching heart. “Give me a minute. I have to respond to a few e-mails,” I lied.
I dialed Honey’s phone for the tenth time. It went straight to voice mail. Maybe I’d delayed responding to her too long. Maybe she really was done with me. But I wasn’t done with loving her.
I texted her again. Baby.
There was no reply.
Exhaling, I dialed her office number. I didn’t want to disturb her at work, but her silence was driving me crazy.
She answered, “What’s sweeter than honey and more valuable than money?”
“Baby,” I whispered into the receiver.
“Yes?” she answered.
“Baby.” I exhaled a sigh of relief.
“Yes?”
I didn’t want to put it off another second. I was tired of playing games. Honey was right. We did have an emotional relationship. I was ready to acknowledge all my love for her. I asked her, “Will you marry me?”
“Who is this?”
“Well, I guess you have so many men proposing to you, you don’t recognize my voice. Has it been that long?”
“Grant?”
“Yes,” I responded. “Of course. Who else?”
“You sitting down?”
I was so caught up, I was listening more to myself. Suddenly, I realized I wasn’t speaking to Honey at all. I said, “Yes. Why?”
“This isn’t Honey. This is Onyx.”
“Well, I figured as much by now. What’s up? Honey isn’t speaking to me. You’re her messenger now?”
“Grant, Honey might be dead.”
“What the hell! Is this some sorta sick-ass joke she’s playing?”
“No, I’m serious. Someone kidnapped her from the house. They called, demanding fifty million dollars. When I asked to speak with her, all I heard was four gunshots.” Onyx started crying really loud.
“Onyx, calm down. I’m on my way right now.”
The phone slipped from my hand. Benito’s voice replayed in my head. You’d better pray Lace doesn’t have my money or she’s one dead bitch. I hadn’t taken him seriously. No one had.
“Fuck! I should’ve told her,” I yelled.
This was one situation my dad could not talk me out off. I backed out of the driveway and headed straight to Reagan National Airport. I’d never killed a man before, but I swore that if Benito had killed my sweet Honey, brother or no brother, I’d have his blood on my hands.
CHAPTER 40
Red Velvet
“Mommy, stop it! Stop tickling me! Mommy, you’re not playing fair!” Ronnie screamed with laughter.
Not having to worry about money for a while felt good. I’d set aside sixty thousand dollars to develop and implement my business plan. Never again would I work for a man. And I might not get another penny from Alphonso, but getting such a large lump sum made all of us happy.
“Okay. I’ll stop,” I said. I hugged my son tightly, then smothered his face with kisses.
“Ooh! That’s enough sugar, Mommy,” he said, wiping his cheeks. �
��Let’s go visit Grandma. I want to give her her surprise.” Ronnie pulled me to our front door.
Opening the door, I looked to my left. No one was there. I glanced to the right and saw Mrs. Taylor.
“Hey, Red. You can come on out,” Mrs. Taylor said. “That sure was a nice thing you must’ve done for that woman that she brought you all them beautiful roses.”
I had had no idea what Tolliver’s wife was going to do. She could’ve tried to beat me over the head with the one hundred roses she’d personally delivered. That wouldn’t have been a good thing for her, ’cause I would’ve beaten every single thorn into her ass.
“Yeah, it was,” I agreed.
I couldn’t imagine what spending one hour in jail felt like, but I was sure Tolliver’s wife saw her marriage differently.
Ronnie was so excited, he was in my mother’s house before I locked my front door. I walked into my mom’s kitchen, and I gave her a hug.
“Calm down, baby. What’s all the commotion about?” Mama said to Ronnie. “Velvet, what’s gotten into him?”
“Mommy, can I tell Grandma pleeaaaassssee? Can I tell her?” said Ronnie.
“Tell me what, child? Spit it out before you bust,” demanded Mama.
“Mommy’s going to Hollywood! She got the part in the movie! And…she’s taking us with her!”
My mother looked at me from the corners of her eyes. “Come here, Velvet.”
Here we go. I knew she wouldn’t be happy for me. I was still going to start my business. I just wanted my big break in Hollywood. But if my mother wasn’t going, neither were we. I wasn’t leaving her behind. I couldn’t make it without her being there to support me.
“Aaahhhhh!” Mama screamed.
She scared the shit outta me. “Wait, Mama. You’re pulling my hair.”
“Baby, I’m so happy for you! This is what you’ve always wanted,” said Mama. “It’s your time to shine, baby.”
Ronnie hugged me from the side.
“Mama, thanks for always believing in me. I love you,” I said.
“I love you, too, Grandma,” Ronnie said, with tears in his little eyes. I wasn’t sure if he understood how I felt, but I knew his love was pure.
“Ma, I have to make a quick run. Can you watch Ronnie for an hour?”
“Of course, Velvet, but where’re you going?”
“I want to tell Honey in person. I want to thank her for all she’s done for me,” I said.
Mama said, “For us. Tell Honey thanks from me, too.”
“Me too!” Ronnie yelled. He didn’t have to yell. I was still in the kitchen with them. But my baby was just as excited as I was.
“Invite Honey to go to church with us on Sunday,” Mama said. “You’re going, too. To give thanks. Never forget where your true love and blessings come from, baby. Now go on. Take your time getting back. Ronnie and I are fine.”
“Thanks, Ma,” I said, skipping out the door.
I was so excited; I couldn’t believe what was happening. What if I froze up? What if I couldn’t gain the twenty pounds they wanted me to for the part? What if Ronnie didn’t like L.A.? With Disneyland, Magic Mountain, Universal Studios, he’d love L.A. I’d put him in the best schools. I’d take damn good care of my mother. Buy us a big, fancy house. Maybe she’d meet one of those Hollywood producers and fall in love again. That would be nice. To see my mother in love again.
Driving to Honey’s business, I wondered if she’d gotten back together with Grant. I bet they had. Those two couldn’t stay away from one another long. They made a good couple. I parked in front of her place, then ran inside.
“Onyx, where’s Honey?” I said, with a big grin on my face.
Onyx’s eyes looked so sad.
My heart pounded against my breast. I inhaled, then exhaled. “What happened?”
“When she didn’t show up, when she didn’t show up…I went back to the house to get her.” Onyx started crying, and I started crying, too.
“Where is she!” I screamed, holding on to Onyx.
“We don’t know. We’re afraid that Honey might be dead.”
I fell to my knees. “Nooooo!” I screamed. “If anybody hurts Honey, and I don’t give a fuck who it is, I swear I’m nailing a stiletto in their clit or their motherfuckin’ dick.”
They ain’t seen how hot Red Velvet can really get down.
CHAPTER 41
Honey
People refused to leave me the hell alone. The closer I got to doing the right thing, the more of a setback I experienced. How in the fuck did I end up in the back of a SUV? And who in the hell had kidnapped me? Was I going to die? Was this my payback for all the horrible things I’d done?
Using my acrylic nail to poke a hole in the tape, I removed the tape from my wrists, balled it up, and then left it behind me on the floor of the SUV. I ripped away the plastic bag covering my head and slowly eased the tape from over my lips. Whoever kidnapped me definitely weren’t professionals. But who was bold enough to enter my home? How did they get in? In my mansion, of all the rooms in my house, how did they know exactly where to find me?
Was it Grant? If he knew how much money I had, he could have arranged to have someone kidnap me. This was not the time to allow love to overrule my senses. I never put anything past a man. A jealous man would turn on a woman without hesitation.
Was it Sapphire? Maybe. She had threatened me. And she was capable of manipulating anyone she wanted. Was one of my girls working for Sapphire?
Was it Red Velvet? She was one bad bitch, but I didn’t believe she was bold or heartless enough to set me up. Was she?
Was it Girl Six? Justifiably she was at the top of my list. What was the real reason she decided to come live with me?
Was it Benito? Nah, he was too scary. But he was also a foolishly bitter man desperate for money. Hmm.
Was it Valentino? He was in jail. Or was he? Had he found a way to get out? Did Sapphire get him out? Oh, fuck. Summer. With so many things happening, I’d neglected to keep my promise to check on her. If Valentino got to her…fuck.
Was it Rita? My mother always hated me but did she dislike me enough to kidnap me? No, but her trifling-ass husband did. Maybe he wanted revenge for my stomping on his nuts with my stilettos.
Damn, stilettos. Was it Trevor? He was quite angry that Red Velvet had quit working for him. Maybe he held me responsible for influencing his top moneymaker.
Was it Jean? My father. Good or bad, he wouldn’t invest time in me.
Exhaling, I curled into a fetal position, trying to remain still. The fast movement of the car made me nauseous. I wanted to cry. The seemingly endless list of people—some I could name, others I knew only by face—that would have a motive to kill me was ridiculously long.
I wasn’t ready to die. I refused to die. I had too many women to help, my girls depending on me, and I hadn’t given up on marrying Grant and having his babies.
The car stopped. The engine silenced. The opportunity I was waiting for came sooner than expected. I removed my gun from the holder and pointed it at the trunk, praying someone was stupid enough to open it expecting to find me in bondage with that fucking plastic bag over my head.
The moment the hatch on the trunk opened, I saw Benito holding a gun and Valentino with a cell phone at his ear. I had to make a quick decision. Either shoot Benito’s dumb ass before he fired at me, or shoot Valentino before he grabbed at me or my gun.
As shots fired, I had only one thought. I was not going to die like this.
Book Club Questions
In the beginning of most relationships, there’s infatuation, lust, and/or attraction. At what point did you fall in love? Before you answer that question, how do you define love? Have you experienced true love?
In Chapter 8, Red Velvet says she loves her son unconditionally, but it’s because of her mother that she didn’t commit suicide. Can a person who contemplates suicide love themselves? Do you believe a parent can love their children unconditionally and not love themse
lves? Explain. Do you believe your parents love you unconditionally? Why?
Has love or a lack of love from your parents played a part in your relationships? Do you feel your parents love one another unconditionally? Have they given you good relationship advice? Would you marry a person with the characteristics of your parents?
Have you ever been molested or raped, and did you fail to tell someone? If so, why didn’t you tell? If you’ve ever been violated, how has that impacted your relationships?
What is your position on adoption? Do you believe adopted people should be treated the same as birth siblings? Would you adopt Benito’s offspring?
Has a pimp ever approached you and asked you to work for him? If so, what happened? Do you think prostitution should be legalized? Are you attracted to the fast life (i.e., money, cars, the nightlife, etc.)? Explain.
If you have children, do you love them in the way your parents showed you love, or do you show them love in a completely different way? Why?
Do you have a Benito in your family? Have you dated a Benito? Would you date a man like Grant? Why or why not? Do you believe Grant truly loves Honey?
Love or the lack thereof is a constant theme in the novel. Which relationships do you believe are the most conducive to an overall healthy love life?
If you were given fifty million dollars to do something with, what would you do, and why?
Have you dated a man who was in jail for a while? If you did, did you make him get tested before having sex? Do you practice safe sex at all times?
Do you love yourself first?
Have you ever invested quiet time in looking into your eyes? If so, how does the experience make you feel? What did you see? Have you looked into the eyes of your partner for more than five minutes straight? Do you glance at, or look into, the eyes of strangers to read their emotions?
Lagniappe Section
The lagniappe section offers a little bit of this and a little bit of that. I’m sharing my thoughts and views about relationships, and I’ve invited a few friends along. Enjoy!
Whos Loving You Page 24