by Wahida Clark
When he stepped into her kitchen he looked around before going into her refrigerator. He poured two glasses of Krug and headed back for the living room. As he was sitting down, Nina was coming down the stairs. Her feet were bare; she had a diamond anklet dangling around her ankle. His eyes gleamed with approval at her shapely legs and rested on the booty shorts she was wearing. Her pussy print was staring back at him. She had on a tank top, and her luscious-looking breasts were damn near spilling out the top. Her ponytail was pinned on top of her head. He fired up a blunt as she stood there teasing him.
“I see you got something to drink. Was I that long?” She took the blunt from him and took a couple of pulls before putting it out.
“Come here.” He held his hand out for her. When she grabbed it, he guided her small frame to straddle his lap.
“Thank you,” she whispered as she kissed him lightly on the lips.
“For what?”
“For everything up to now and for everything to come.” She rocked subtly on his dick, making it harder. She was already on fire and was ready to ride that pole. They began hugging and caressing each other. Nina leaned in for a kiss and he started easing the tank top up over her head. She raised her arms and he tossed it on the floor. He licked his lips as he admired her breasts and juicy dark nipples. He leaned in and began teasing one of her nipples with his teeth as she massaged his neck and released sexy moans in his ear.
Knock! Knock! Ding! Dong! The bell rang. “Nina!” Cream yelled. “Open the door, baby,” he slurred.
“What the fuck? It’s damn near five o’clock in the morning. Why is he here?” Rick spat.
Knock! Knock! Ding! Dong! Cream was banging and pressing the bell again.
Rick slid Nina off his lap. She bent over and snatched up her tank top and put it on. Rick had already grabbed his piece and was at the door. He was pissed, his dick was hard as hell but it wasn’t deep up in some pussy. Rick mumbled to himself, “I’m about to fuck him up.”
Nina dashed over to where he was. He stopped and turned to her. “You said ain’t nothing up between y’all, right?”
“Nothing,” she firmly stated. “But what I told you on the plane, he knows about it and he’s been threatening me with exposure.”
“Then let me handle this.”
Nina backed up and sat on the couch.
Cream was still banging and ringing the bell. Rick looked out of the window. “This nigga got flowers, a bag of groceries and he’s holding a stack of papers. It looks like mail or something. This fool is crazy.”
“He’s probably high off something, Rick.”
Rick unlocked the door and as soon as he yanked it open, he pounced on Cream and started beating him down with his burner. Groceries, mail and the flowers went everywhere. Cream didn’t know what or who hit him. He went down after the second blow to the head, tumbled down the steps and stayed down.
Rick started towards the house but he stopped. Nina was standing in the doorway. “You want any of this shit?” He pointed to the groceries and everything else on the ground.
“My mail. I need my mail.”
Rick grabbed up the mail that was scattered around and came back into the house.
“Should I call his boy Mo to come get him, or the police? You didn’t kill him, did you?”
“Call his boy. He’ll be aiight. I just put my foot in his ass. One for interrupting us and two for giving you all that grief. He had that shit coming.” Rick slammed the door shut.
Nina called his boy Mo and told him to come and get Cream. Rick passed her the mail. “He must have been taking my mail for a while. Look at all of this stuff. Some of this is two, three weeks old. This is why I didn’t know about my mother’s check bouncing. That bastard!” she spat as she thumbed through the mail. When she came across a large green and white first-class envelope she started shaking. Rick noticed her drastic attitude change and came over to where she was.
“Oh my God. Oh my God. This can’t be what I think it is.” She was tearing frantically at the envelope but couldn’t get it open. Rick took it out of her hands and opened it for her and handed it back. Not before checking out that the envelope came from a private investigation firm, being the detective he is.
Nina sat down on the couch like a robot, took a deep breath and dumped the contents out onto the coffee table. Just as she anticipated, pictures of Jatana at the house, at another house marked BABYSITTER and shots of her playing in the front yard. “My baby.” She started crying. “Jatana. Look how big she’s gotten.” She sat there crying as she looked at the pictures.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
THE DECISION
The Suburban cruised down Calhoun Street. Nina’s mother just recently moved into a new condo. With the help of Nina, of course. Trenton was building new condos in several areas and Nina was impressed.
She couldn’t wait to see the look on her mother’s and children’s faces when she announced that she was here to take them with her. They flew down to Philadelphia and rented a truck to drive the kids and their things back.
The GPS instructed them to turn left and their destination would be on their left on Louise Lane. Nina squeezed Rick’s hand. She wouldn’t have wanted to share this moment with anyone else but him. He leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Everything’s going to be all right.”
Her mother’s condo was the third one on the right. Nina looked up and saw that a male figure was walking towards the same house where she was headed. He was holding the hand of a young girl.
The Suburban came to a stop and Rick deaded the engine. Nina’s eyes were glued to the back of her daughter’s figure. Who was this man? She sat there staring out of the window.
“Are we getting out or what?” Rick asked her.
Nina’s mother came to the door and let the man and the young child in. The three of them disappeared inside.
“What’s up?”
“That was my daughter,” Nina mumbled. “She has gotton so big.” Nina’s heart was fluttering.
“Is that the house? These are nice,” Rick commented. The entire block was brand new.
Nina got out of the truck, took a deep breath and started walking towards the front door. Rick jumped out, shut the door and caught up with her.
“Who was the man with your daughter?”
“I have no clue. But I’m getting ready to find out.” Nina took another deep breath and rang the doorbell. She was excited, nervous and full of anxiety all at the same time.
The door flew open and Nina’s mother stood there. She looked at Rick and then back at Nina.
“Nina, is that you?” She opened the screen door. “Nina?”
“Hi, Mom.” Nina stood there unsure of what to do next. How is everyone going to receive me? Shit, why am I so fucking paranoid? Will she put up a fight when I tell her I am taking my kids?
“Lawd! Lawd! Lawd! Come on in. Children!” she yelled out. “Look who’s here. It’s your mother. Lawd! Lawd! Let me call your brother. The prodigal child has returned.” She grabbed Nina and gave her a hug.
Rick stood there watching the exchange. Her mother was an older Nina with a little more weight on her. Her hair was long and twisted up into a bun on the back of her head. She looked to be around forty-five.
“Deacon Rutherford, this here is my daughter. This is Nina.”
Deacon Rutherford stood up and came over to Nina and gave her a hug. “My, my, my. Emma, she looks just like you. And that youngin’ you got looks just like her mama.”
Nina cringed. Deacon Rutherford was creepy.
“Why didn’t you tell me you was coming?” her mother asked.
“I wanted to surprise you and the kids. Plus, it was sort of a spur-of-the-moment thing.” And that was true. For the last couple of days Nina had been having funny feelings. Call it a mother’s intuition but Nina got a strong urge to come right then. The original plan was to leave in two and a half weeks when everything else was in place. But her gut was saying go now.
Jermichael was at the dinner table throwing down. At first he didn’t bother to look up. Nina stood there watching her son eat. He looked just like his father. So handsome, and he obviously had his appetite. When he finally glanced up he froze, mouth hung open, and then he jumped up, knocking the chair backwards. Nina couldn’t help but laugh. He ran and jumped into her arms, yelling, “Mommy, Mommy!” She rained kisses all over his face and then they hugged each other. Tears streamed down Nina’s cheeks.
Then she noticed she didn’t see Daysha. “Where is Daysha?”
“Daysha,” her mother yelled out. “She’s in the bathroom. She stay in that bathroom. Go right there and turn left. Let me call your brother.”
Nina went to find the bathroom. She tapped on the door. Daysha didn’t answer. “Daysha, it’s Mommy. Can I come in?”
Daysha cracked the door and said, “Mommy?” as if she wasn’t sure. Nina pushed it open.
“Hey baby, you all right?”
“Mommy!” Daysha screamed and jumped into her mother’s arms.
Nina couldn’t stop crying, so glad and relieved that they were glad to see her. “I’m sorry, baby. Mommy came to get you.”
Daysha reached back and locked the door. “You mean today?”
“Yes, I’m here to get you today.”
“Now? Because I don’t want to stay here anymore.” She was whispering and peeking around Nina as if she thought that someone would come in any minute.
“Why were you with that man in the kitchen?” Nina knew something was wrong. Now all she needed was confirmation.
“Grandma makes me go with the deacon.”
Nina stiffened up. “Why don’t you like going with him?”
Daysha shrugged her shoulders, obviously hesitant to say what she was thinking.
“Did you tell your grandma you don’t like going with him?” Daysha nodded her head yes. Nina could tell she was scared to death. “What did Grandma say?”
“Don’t tell nobody and she gonna pray on it.”
Nina tried her hardest to remain calm. All she could see was red. “Daysha, tell Mommy what the deacon do. Does he touch you?”
Daysha shrugged her shoulders.
“Daysha, you can tell Mommy. I won’t tell your grandma. Plus, you are leaving here tonight.”
Daysha stood there, head hung low. Nina could tell she was trying to figure out if she should trust her or not. “Daysha, please, just tell me why you don’t want to go with him.” Nina knew but deep down she didn’t want to hear it but at the same time needed to hear it.
“He touched my poo poo.”
Nina hugged her daughter tight. Oh my God. “Everything’s gonna be okay. Mommy isn’t going to let anything happen to you again.” Nina mustered up a smile when she really wanted to throw up. “Go to your room and pack whatever you and Jermichael are going to want to take with you. Don’t pack a lot. Mommy is gonna buy you all new stuff.”
Daysha smiled a huge smile and headed for her room. Nina dropped her fake smile and headed straight for Rick. When she got in the living room, her mother was in the kitchen.
Nina snatched Rick by the arm and took him outside. He noticed that she was shaking like a leaf. “Give me your burner, Rick!” She pushed him towards the car.
“What?”
“Rick, you heard me. Give me the fuckin’ burner. I’ma kill that muthafucka,” she gritted.
“Who? What the fuck is the matter with you?”
Nina burst into tears. “That fucking preacher been touching my daughter.”
“What?” Rick was hoping that he heard her wrong.
“Rick, I can’t let the shit go. No. I can’t.” Nina started pacing back and forth. “Hell no.”
Rick thought about it. “We need to take her to a hospital.”
“I gotta get my kids.”
“Does your mother know?”
“Yeah, that bitch know. She probably selling her for price,” Nina spat. “Rick, give me your burner, I’ma kill both their asses!”
“No, I’m not gonna do that, Nina. Think about what you’re saying.”
“Rick, I know exactly what I’m saying. Just give me the fuckin’ gun!”
“And again, I’m telling you no. Your emotions have you thinking illogically. What you gonna do, march in there and kill them both? Then what? You’re going to jail and the kids are gonna be a part of the system. And what about Jatana? I’m telling you. Think about it for a minute.”
Nina paced back and forth like a tiger in a cage. Rick could see that she was not trying to hear what he was saying.
“Aiight look,” Rick gave in. “Your brother is on the way over here, right? Aiight. Look. I’ma go ahead and bounce, but I won’t be far away, I’ma make sure the preacher doesn’t get outta my sight. You take the kids and go with your brother. I’ma call you when I got the preacher somewhere and you can handle him. But you gotta let your mother go, Nina.”
When Nina didn’t respond, Rick said, “It’s either my way or no way. I know how you feel and you’re gonna get the preacher, but you gotta spare your mother.”
“We still gotta get Jatana,” Nina said, her anger finally subsiding.
“We are going to get Jatana. But first we deal with the preacher. You with me or what?”
“I’m with it. But it doesn’t mean I have to like it. My mother is just as guilty as the preacher. You go ahead and bounce. And you better call me when you have him.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
THE TAKE AWAY
What started as a lovely family reunion trip to pick up her children turned into a battle. When Nina’s brother Peedie arrived at her mother’s, Nina and the kids packed his car with their things and went to his house. But not before Nina went back into the house and repeatedly slapped the shit out of the woman who brought her into this world. The deacon had to tear her off of Mama Coles. Nina knew that this would be the last time she would see her mother. Her mother felt it as well because she didn’t so much as attempt to protest. But deep down inside she knew she would have to live with her guilt forever.
Rick was camped out in his ride, waiting for Deacon Rutherford. After he spent time consoling Ms. Emma he finally said good night and got into his Cadillac and left. Rick followed him and was happy when he stopped at a liquor store, and in the hood of all places. When he came out Rick got behind him, hit him on the head and dragged him into an alley.
“Let me go!” Deacon Rutherford yelled. “Somebody help me!”
“You like raping little girls? It’s bitches out here who will fuck for free.” Rick was contemplating on whether he should break the preacher’s neck or simply blow his brains out. But that would be breaking his word to Nina and denying her the right to avenge her daughter.
“What? What are you talking about?” Deacon Rutherford protested.
“You know damned well what I’m talking about, you filthy muthafucka. The gig is up, holy man.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” the preacher pleaded as he stared into Rick’s eyes. “You got the wrong person. I swear to God, you do.”
“Leave God out of this, preacher man. You didn’t invoke his name when you were molesting that little girl. Besides, I’m not the one you have to convince. C’mon, you’re taking a ride with me. If you try anything on the way to my car, I’ma kill you. You got that, preacher man?!”
“You got the wrong person.” Deacon Rutherford couldn’t stop trembling.
The taxi let Nina out one block away from Cadwalder Park. When she got to the entrance, she pulled out her cell phone and dialed Rick’s number. He picked up on the first ring.
“Start walking towards the back of the park. Count four poles. It’s dark as shit so—”
“I’ll find you.” She hung up.
Rick, dressed in dark clothes and long dreads loosely swinging as he moved, wasn’t hard to spot. Nina approached and saw that the preacher was on the ground, handcuffed and gagged. As soon as she saw his eyes pleading with her, the fire that b
urned inside her the night she killed Darlene returned and it roared and crackled as if it could sense a meal. Immediately, Nina started kicking the preacher.
“You like feeling little girls on their coochies, huh? You sick, perverted muthafucka! Take whatever that is out of his mouth.”
Rick pulled out the dirty rag that he had found from the man’s mouth.
“Please! Please… I didn’t do it! I didn’t do nothing! I…”
“If you would’ve been reading your Bible more and touching my child less, you wouldn’t be in this situation. So you can save the innocent plea and the tears. Tell it to God… better yet, the devil when you see him.”
“Cuff him in the front. Then put the gag back in his mouth and turn him over onto his stomach.”
Without saying a word, Rick did as Nina asked.
Nina reached under the now struggling preacher and undid his pants. Then she snatched his pants and briefs down until they were around his ankles. With one foot on the preacher’s back and one on the ground, Nina put the burner between the man’s buttcheeks. She shoved the barrel of the gun until she figured it was as far as it would go. The rag in his mouth muffled his agonizing scream.
“My daughter told me to tell you, Fuck you!” Nina pulled the trigger repeatedly until she was sure the preacher was dead.
She smiled.
When they pulled up in front of Supreme’s aunt’s house it was obvious that no one was home. They sat there for almost an hour. Nina was crying uncontrollably. They weren’t going to bring Jatana home. But around twenty minutes later, just when Nina had given up, a Volvo station wagon pulled into the driveway. The trunk popped open and they could see the grocery bags. Supreme’s aunt let Jatana out of the car and she ran straight for the sliding board and started playing in the dark. While his aunt was distracted unloading the trunk, Nina jumped out of the Suburban and ran over to Jatana and took her. They got into the truck and Rick pulled off. Supreme’s aunt was left standing there. She pulled out her cell phone and began dialing. She already knew who had just taken Jatana.