RedBone 2

by T. Styles

  “Farah, can you please tell this man you haven’t killed anybody?” Elise said, waving her over to her direction. “He’s hell bent on listening to whatever this cop Nadia Gibson had to say to him.”

  Farah trudged up to them and stood next to her grandmother. She could smell her beefy odor, but she was so used to it that it no longer mattered. Her mind was wrecked as she counted the people who could be responsible for her undoing. Eleanor, Rhonda, Lesa, Randy, Dr. Martin, and then Officer Nadia. Just when things were going good, one of them mothafuckas was bound to make things bad again.

  “Hello, Dr. Martin,” Farah said softly.

  “Farah.” He nodded. “You look well.”

  Thinking about the blood she consumed, she smiled. “I’m very well. That was, until I came home to all of this drama.” She paused. “Look, I don’t know what that bitch told you, but whatever it was, I promise you it’s a lie. The only reason she is out to get me is because she wanted to room with me and I wouldn’t allow her. Had I said yes, none of this would be going on.”

  Dr. Martin laughed. “Farah, when are you going to stop lying to yourself and your family? Why would the officer want to live with the suspect of a crime? It doesn’t make any sense.”

  “You really do believe I’m some sort of sick monster don’t you?” she asked him, still able to taste the Slave’s blood on her tongue. “Where do you get all of this shit from anyway?”

  Everyone looked at Elise, who held her head down and cleared her throat. “I’m sorry, baby,” Elise said to Farah. “I didn’t know you were drunk after you told me all them crazy stories about you drinking blood to get well a while back.” She observed the doctor. “I was wrong, but that still don’t give you no reason to be on this witch hunt you’ve been on regarding my granddaughter. Now, she answered your question, so can you please just leave my family alone?”

  “I wish I could do that, Elise. I want nothing more than for all of this to be behind us. Unfortunately that isn’t possible.”

  “If I can prove to you that the officer wanted to live here and is only trying to sabotage me after I denied her, would you believe me then?” Farah asked.

  “If you can provide proof, I’ll believe there’s more to the story than what the officer told me,” Dr. Martin said. “That’s about all I can say to you for right now.”

  In the hopes of getting rid of him, Farah dodged into her room and returned with a stack of papers. She extended her arms and said, “It’s all there.”

  Reluctantly he accepted the pile of paper. “What are these?”

  “Why don’t you read it, mothafucka, instead of asking a bunch of dumb-ass questions?” Shadow popped off. “Now, she told you what she went to get. What else do you think they are?”

  “Shadow Cotton!” Elise yelled. “I dealt with your mother’s foul mouth all of her life before she died, but I will not tolerate this type of disrespectful behavior from you. Do I make myself clear, or do I have to make you feel me?”

  “Sorry, Grams.”

  The doctor walked over to the sofa and sat down. He removed his eyeglasses from the case in his shirt and placed them on. Then he scanned over the documents Farah handed him. Although he appeared to be reading them, it was obvious that he didn’t understand what was before him. “What exactly am I looking at?”

  “The officer’s address, name, and personal info.” Farah pointed at one sheet in particular. “Look at that one. Everything you need is right there.”

  He scanned the papers again with disbelieving eyes. What Farah was saying made no sense to him. “How do I know this is true?”

  “Drive to her house. Call her home number. I don’t care what you do. I gave you everything you’re looking for.” When he still seemed doubtful, Farah said, “How else would I get her home number and address unless she gave them to me? Trust me, she doesn’t want you to know, but she applied for a room here and I told her she couldn’t stay.”

  With narrow eyes, he pulled his cell phone out and dialed the number on the sheet. He waited impatiently for the phone to answer, and everyone in the room was on pins and needles. After a few more seconds he cleared his throat and said, “Nadia Gibson, please.” He paused and looked up at Farah. “Okay, thank you.” He hung up and stuffed his phone back into his pocket.

  “Well?” Mia asked. “Did you find out what you wanted?”

  He removed his glasses and stuffed them in the case. “A woman answered and said she doesn’t live there anymore.”

  Farah exhaled and stepped back. “Now can you leave me alone? Please.”

  Dr. Martin stood up and looked at the Cotton family. Without a response, he walked out of the apartment, leaving Farah’s question unanswered.

  When Elise left, Farah sat in the living room with her brother and sister on the couch. They were sipping vodka and whiskey mixed and the half-empty bottles sat on the table. “Farah, what’s going on with Eleanor?” Shadow asked, shaking the liquor in his cup. “You been gone a lot lately, but this bitch is still out on the streets. Aren’t you worried about what Slade and them will do to you? Every time I turn around, I see another member of his family living in this building.”

  “I don’t give a fuck about what Slade or anybody else in his family do,” Farah lied. “And I don’t know where Eleanor is. Anyway, I thought you said you would help me find her.” She looked at him and then Mia. “You too.”

  “We been trying to find this bitch, but the last I heard, it wasn’t a solo job. You were supposed to be helping also,” Shadow said. “But the only thing on your mind lately seems to be the streets. She’s not our responsibility, Farah, and unless you want to get arrested, you better start helping us out around here.”

  “I am helping.” She sat back in the cushions of the sofa.

  “I hear you, but your actions are telling us otherwise. So where have you been?”

  “I have to do what I have to, to save myself.” She looked at her siblings. “You know that.”

  “So basically you still doing the blood thing?” Shadow frowned. “You really are sicker than I thought. I don’t understand this person you are anymore.”

  “Look at me,” Farah said as she sat up. “Don’t I look beautiful? Isn’t my skin clear and refreshed? It may be a joke to you two, but I need to do this to survive.”

  Shadow and Mia observed her, and neither wanted to validate her statement. If they were being honest, they would definitely say she looked more radiant and almost glowed. They knew at that moment that unless something happened during one of her blood adventures, she would never stop or change.

  “That’s not answering the question,” Shadow persisted. “Where have you been?”

  “I’m around,” Farah responded dryly. “But I have a question, Do you think Lesa is responsible for the picture?”

  “No. I really don’t. To be honest, I don’t think it’s Eleanor either,” Mia continued. “And hopefully by Lesa being afraid, you won’t have any more problems.”

  “Then it has to be Rhonda. I have to find her,” Farah continued.

  “I saw that bitch the other day on Benning Road,” Shadow said. “She may be a lot of things, but sane enough to send you pictures ain’t it.”

  “I still want her gone. Even if I have to do it myself.”

  “Well, there’s one good thing that came from all of this,” Mia said, pouring some more liquor into her cup.

  “And what’s that?” Farah inquired.

  “Dr. Martin said before you got here that Lesa moved out of state and nobody knows where she went,” Shadow replied. “He said she rolled out after you came over her house.”

  Farah grinned at the news.

  “I can’t be sure, but something tells me she’s one less person you have to worry about.”

  “The way shit been going on for me lately, I’ll take that.”

  “Don’t get too comfortable. Shit always gets worse before it gets better,” Shadow responded.

  “Tell me about it.”

>   Chapter 19

  Farah

  “Thanks to them, I’ve been treated like a queen.”

  Farah walked into a dining room within the mansion with Mayoni, Carlton, and Bones. A large spread of food—which included fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and greens—sat in the middle of the table on expensive cream-colored chinaware. As they all took their seats, Bones sat next to her, and she noticed a place setting at the head of the table.

  Who will be joining us?

  “You seem nervous,” Bones said softly. He was so close to her that their arms touched and she could feel his body heat. “If you are, there’s no reason to be. You’re among friends now.”

  She looked up at him and smiled. His strength and confidence turned her on, and for some reason, she felt safe around him. She couldn’t recall having a feeling close to this since Slade. “I’m not nervous.” She scrutinized her surroundings. “I don’t like not knowing what’s going on. Maybe it’s the control freak in me.” She paused. “So when is everybody gonna tell me why I’m here?”

  Carlton laughed as he wrapped his arm around the back of Mayoni’s chair and looked at Farah. “You mean, after all this time, you still have questions about why you’re here? I’d think we’d be over that bridge by now.”

  “You know what I mean.” She laughed, playing with the fork next to her empty plate. It was just as well. She wasn’t hungry anyway.

  “It’s nothing too deep,” Carlton said, checking the red G-Shock watch on his arm. “It’s just that since you officially joined us, we’ve wanted you to meet somebody. He should be arriving any minute.”

  The moment he said that, a tall black man entered the room. The red Versace shirt he wore wasn’t tight, but it did reveal his muscular arms. Two beautiful women flanked him, wearing black tight dresses and extra red lipstick. His eyes focused on Farah’s the entire time he moved toward the table. He took a seat at the head, and the women pushed his seat closer to the table before taking their own seats.

  There was something about him that put Farah immediately at ease, and she liked him before he even opened his mouth.

  “I’ve been waiting to meet you, Farah Cotton. I trust that you’ve been treated well so far.” Then he observed the way Bones seemed to possess her with his closeness. “I see you have a fan already.”

  She looked at Bones, who stared at her like she was a superstar. “Thanks to them, I’ve been treated like a queen. Thank you.”

  “That’s great, and hopefully I’ll continue to give you the royal treatment. Welcome to my home, Farah Cotton.” One of the women stood up and poured a wine as red as blood into their glasses. When she was done he said, “Let’s toast.” They all grabbed their glasses and pushed them toward the air. “To pleasurable times and a long, prosperous relationship. For everyone.”

  She sipped the wine. It was thick and tasted like cherries. “This is good,” she said, licking her lips. “Very . . .”

  “Sweet?” He raised his eyebrows.

  “Yes,” she said softly, placing the glass down. “When you did the toast, you said to a prosperous relationship. Can you tell me why you said that?”

  “First, let me tell you who we are. My name is Dr. Weil, and some years back, about ten to be exact, I was in charge of an organization that was put in place to assist the mentally challenged. I saw a lot of things, Farah, some things that would make your heart ache if you even heard about them.” He shook his head. “Things like men being castrated simply because they complained about hearing voices in their heads.”

  “Castrated?” she repeated. “As in dicks cut off?”

  “I wouldn’t have put it quite like that, but yes.” Everyone laughed. “Back then, they believed castration would prevent them from procreating and passing the same mental illness they possessed to their offspring. All of this was done illegally.”

  “Wow,” she said, shaking her head.

  “The women weren’t spared either. Females were circumcised to prevent the male workers from being tempted. And if they were raped, they were eventually killed and disposed of. It was total chaos, Farah. And I couldn’t stand to go to work most days.”

  Farah was so stiff listening to his story that she could barely move. “So what did you do?” She swallowed. “When you worked there?”

  He sighed. “A lot of things. I would hold meetings, try to get the families involved to help the patients, but nothing seemed to work. After a while, I made a decision to do something different about it myself.” He sipped his wine. “It was Christmas Eve, and I knew most employees would be gone to spend time with their families, so the first thing I did was release fifteen patients.”

  Farah thought about the first time she entered the mansion. Including Mayoni and Carlton, there were about fifteen people present. Her body trembled, and she felt herself about to break out in hives, until Bones placed his hand softly on her thigh. “Relax,” he said softly. “It’s okay.”

  “What were the patients in for?” she asked in a faint whisper, trying not to look at Mayoni, Carlton, and Bones, although they were all focused on her.

  “The fifteen I freed were inside for what I considered treatable illnesses. Or sexual preferences.” He chuckled. “Things like sadism and masochism: those who enjoyed inflicting pain on others for sexual gratification, and those who enjoyed receiving. The patients left in the facility, who were originally entered for minor illnesses, were so destroyed due to the medications and neglect by hospital employees that there was no saving them. I had to put them out of their misery, so I injected them all with a general anesthesia and placed the facility on fire. I knew with that move, there was no looking back.”

  Farah moved around in her seat. “What . . . I mean . . .”

  Answering her unasked question, he said, “Everyone there died, and we escaped, free to start all over again.”

  She looked at everyone who was now smiling at her as if she’d just been let in on a precious secret. “Why do you tell me this now?”

  “Because there’s no turning around for you. You are a part of us, and we can’t let you go. I’m sure you know that if we were to find out that you betrayed our trust, there would be no use for you. And if there is no use for you, we have to dispose of you. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

  She trembled and said, “What do you want from me?”

  “We want you to be a part of us, but it is important that you understand how we make our living. Since leaving the facility, we had to get creative in what we did to earn money. After some time, we found a career in homicide and space to be lucrative.”

  “I know what homicide is, but what is space?”

  He chuckled. “Quite often people want things to disappear, but not necessarily gone forever. For instance, bank robbers hire us to hide their money until they are released from prison. Or we come upon someone who wants to disappear themselves to avoid prosecution of various crimes. The possibilities in the space business are endless. I own property in every state, as well as overseas.”

  “So what do you want from me? Since it’s obvious it’s not just about what I’ve seen over the last few days.” She couldn’t help but feel slightly lied to.

  “We want your services.” He smiled. “You’ve succeeded at getting away with quite a few crimes on your own, and to do that, you must be very smart and resourceful.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Sure you do,” he said, removing his smile. “If there is one thing I hate, it’s people playing dumb with me.” For the first time since she met him, she felt fearful. “And if we’re going to have a relationship, it’s important that you realize that honesty is the key.”

  Farah looked at Mayoni, Carlton, and even Bones. She hadn’t connected with anyone on this level before, besides her sister and brother, and even with them, she had to hide who she was. Destroying the new relationship would leave her alone with her boring life, and she didn’t want to turn back now, especially since Slade made
his position clear that they were officially over. She decided it was better to be real than to continuously lie. “Okay, now what?”

  “For now we enjoy the food and drinks,” he said, raising his glass again. “And when the time is right and we need your services, we’ll let you know.” One of the women stood up and started dishing out plates.

  “I’ll do it on one condition,” she blurted out.

  Bones moved a little in his seat. Farah was pushing her luck and she didn’t even know it. Dr. Weil was fair, but even he had his limits. “Babes, hold off on how you coming at him,” Bones said. “We can discuss business later.”

  “It’s okay,” Dr. Weil said, raising his hand. “Either she’s too stupid to realize the person I am or she’s very brave. Either way, I’m intrigued.” He focused on Farah. “Go ahead. What do you want from me?”

  She thought about all of the people causing her problems. She considered Eleanor, but decided against getting them involved with her, because she wanted to make sure she was murdered herself. Lesa was out of town, and for now appeared to be too scared to cause her problems. There were two people left. “There’s a girl. Her name is Rhonda. I can’t find her and she’s causing me problems. The other person is Randy, and I don’t know what he’s capable of either, so I want them both taken care of.”

  “Give Bones the information and we’ll see to it that your problem is solved. Anything else?”

  Farah smiled. “One last question.”

  “Shoot,” Dr. Weil responded.

  “What was the name of the facility that you all escaped from?”

  “Crescent Falls. Heard of it before?”

  Chapter 20

  Slade

  “We ain’t got shit but time.”