by Deja King
When my flight landed at LAX, the moment I got off the plane I was swarmed by the news media. "Mrs. Mills, how are you dealing with the kidnapping of your daughter?" "Has a ransom been demanded?" Another reporter asked, shoving her mic in my face. I kept walking as the reporters kept tossing one question after another in my face. "Do you think your daughter is still alive?" After one bold reporter hit me with that I stopped dead in my tracks, looked straight in the camera he had on me and said, "She better be!" They all seemed confused by my response, but I wasn't. I was sending a warning directly to Mike and whomever he had assisting him. My comment seemed to make the reporters thirstier. They followed me to my car and trailed me as I drove home. The only thing that kept them from walking with me to my front door and having a seat in my living room was the iron gate at the end of the driveway. By the time I got home it was after midnight, and I hoped Supreme was sleep because I wasn't in the mood for a confrontation. I opened the door quietly, ready to punch in the code so the security alarm wouldn't go off, but the entire house was lit up as if it were the middle of the afternoon. I dropped my bags and walked towards the living room. I heard intense voices that came to a halt when my presence was felt after I entered the room. Supreme, Clip and Maya all stared at me as if seeing a ghost. "You finally decided to bring your ass home. Do you know how fuckin' worried I was? How the fuck you not gonna answer yo' fuckin' phone and not return my calls? I been stressing over my daughter and then you got me stressing over you too. You on some bullshit, Precious!" Supreme roared, throwing his glass of Hennessey across the room. When the glass shattered against the wall, all I could think about was the awful stain it would leave. "Precious, where have you been? Supreme is amp, but we all been worried. You should've called," Maya said, trying to be the voice of reason. "You think I'm not worried? I'm tryna bring my daughter home, so excuse me if I didn't have time to call and pacify you and my husband." "I guess you didn't hear," Supreme said in that calm voice he used when he wanted to break your neck but was using restraint. "Hear what? That everybody now knows that our daughter has been kidnapped?" I shot back. "I thought the detective said he would hold off on letting the media know that we're the parents so it wouldn't turn into a major freaking circus. So much for that!" I said sarcastically. "When I got off the plane damn near every media outlet was waiting for me, and they followed me home. I wish they'd put all that energy into tracking down Aaliyah." "Off the plane..." Supreme paused as if in disbelief, then continued, "Our daughter is missing and you're taking fuckin' trips?" Supreme's solid frame stood frozen with fists clenched like he was Rubin "Hurricane" Carter ready to get his box on. "But fuck that! We have bigger problems than your disappearing act and the media. Detective Moore called earlier today to inform us that Mike had escaped. He didn't have the details, but a guard at Clinton was alerted of the prison break and now there's a manhunt for him. And, Precious, I don't want to hear it," Supreme said, raising his hand. "Hear what? That I fuckin' told you so? See, if you'd listened to me maybe the cops could've stopped Mike before he had a chance to break out with Aaliyah. Because they wasted time, who knows where the fuck Mike is?" "Look, the cops are now on it, but we don't know for a fact that he kidnapped Aaliyah." "Oh, so now you want to still act like that call I received wasn't from him either? I guess the other one I got today was from a bootleg Mike too." "Mike called you?" Supreme obviously hadn't told Maya based on the surprise in her voice. "So wait, you spoke to Mike today but you couldn't talk to me after I left you a fuckin' trillion messages?" "Supreme, he has our daughter. Are you seriously trying to have one up on whose phone call I accepted?" "What did he say?" Maya wanted to know. "In the first phone call he admitted to having Aaliyah, and I heard her crying in the background. When he called earlier he was talking bullshit, acting like he was still locked up. I knew he was lying." "That nigga is so fucked up in the head. What type of sick fuck would steal a little baby? I can't believe we share the same blood. I'm so sorry, Precious. I hope his foul-ass actions don't come between our relationship." "As long as you understand that your brother is a dead man, we good. What I want to know is who the fuck is helping him on the outside, because he didn't pull off this shit solo." I zoomed in on Clip, who hadn't put his two cents in the conversation. "You been dead silent. You don't have any words of encouragement for me, Clip?" "Umm, I mean, that's fucked up what happened and I pray Aaliyah comes home soon. I hate seeing my boss messed up like this," he said, looking over at Supreme. "I knew Mike was capable of some fucked up shit, but never did I think he'd take shit this far," he added. "I can't believe this man is destroying my family again," Supreme said as if in his own world and talking to himself. "First, he tried to take my life, then my wife, and now my daughter. This bullshit got to stop." I needed some alone time with husband, so Maya and Clip had to go. "You two can go home. I need to speak to Supreme." For a second they didn't move, and then Clip went over to Supreme and patted him on the shoulder, not knowing what to say to console him. "Precious, be strong. I know you'll get Aaliyah back." "Thanks, Maya. I'll talk to you tomorrow." When I knew Maya and Clip were gone, I went and sat down next to Supreme. "Mike is not going to destroy our family, because we will get our daughter back. It don't matter how many casualties are left behind in the process."
I didn't realize how heavy a toll my trip to New York had on my body until I woke up and it was the afternoon. Supreme was sitting in the chair watching CNN, and when I heard a reporter mention a prison break I immediately sat up in bed to see if she was talking about Mike: "... The details from Clinton Correctional Facility are still sketchy. Yesterday, the prison 's spokesperson did confirm that one of their inmates, Michael Owens, had escaped. From what we're hearing, they are looking to question a key witness who sources say alerted prison guards of the escape, but haven't been able to do so. The only information being released on this witness is that she is a female. Unconfirmed sources are saying she was Mr Owens 'attorney, and others are saying she worked for the US District Attorneys office, but we can 't substantiate what is fact at this time. We will continue to cover this story and keep you updated on any breaking news... They continued to show a picture of Mike for a few seconds until cutting to a commercial. Supreme shut off the television and slammed the remote down. "Where the fuck can this nigga be?" He stood up, and all he had on was his briefs. His anger had every muscle from his neck to his chest and calves bulging as he paced the room. The imprint of his dick was protruding, and he looked sexy as fuck, but this anger I had towards him made my husband seem like the plague to me. I took in a deep breath and wondered what I could do next, because staying in the captivity of this house with Supreme would be unbearable. "Was the detective able to trace that call from Mike?" I asked, wanting to redirect my anger. "Nope, he used one of those anonymous prepaid joints." "That figures. Do they have any new leads they're following?" "No, they don't," Supreme cracked with an attitude. "Why are you acting hostile towards me? Maybe if you spit that same fire to the white man, he would stop bullshitting and find our daughter." "Because I'm not married to the white man. You lying up in this bed questioning me like you haven't been gone for two days, so yeah, I'm more than hostile." "You really want to know where the fuck I was? I was out finding answers. If it wasn't for me, this investigation would be going nowhere. At least the cops know Mike has escaped and he can now be considered a prime suspect. So instead of riffing, you need to be thanking me." "Thanking you for what? You didn't have nothing to do with that guard at the correctional facility realizing Mike was gone." "I had everything to do with that. You know the socalled missing witness that the news reporter was talking about? That's me." Supreme stood dumbfounded, waiting for me to connect the dots. "I was in NewYork getting the necessary identification to visit Mike at the prison. When I got there, a look-alike was posing as him. It was me who alerted the guard that he was dealing with an imposter. It was also me who contacted the media letting them know that Mike escaped while Clinton Correctional facility tried to hold off on releasin
g the information until they could do damage control." "Why didn't you tell me what you were up to?" Supreme asked as he sat down on the edge of the bed. "You basically called me delusional when I told you Mike was behind this bullshit. I couldn't waste anymore time trying to convince you ofwhat my gut was screaming out to me. Maybe next time you'll listen to me." Supreme seemed to be digesting what I said when our silence was broken when my cell began ringing. It was Maya, and I was more than happy with the interruption. "Hey, Maya." "I was checking to see if you were coming by Clip's video shoot today with Supreme, because my car's in the shop and I wanted to catch a ride." "I didn't even know Clip had a video shoot today." "Fuck, I forgot all about that," Supreme said, hearing my response to Maya. "I got some other shit to handle." "Sorry, Maya, Supreme's not going." "I understand, especially with what's going on, but umm..." I could detect the begging about to come out of Maya's mouth. "But, Precious, I really don't want to go by myself. Plus, I don't have a ride." "Then maybe you should stay home." "I can't. I want to sneak up on him and see what he's doing. I told you I think he's creeping. He ain't expecting me to come to the video so I might catch him in some shit." "What does any of that have to do with me?" "You know you're my only support system. I need you with me." "You're so fucking selfish. My daughter has been kidnapped. Do you really think I feel like running up on some damn video shoot with a bunch of niggas and video hoes? I think not!" "You right, I'm way out of pocket right now. I'm sorry, I'll just stay home." "Yeah, do that." Without a goodbye, I hung up the phone with Maya and got out the bed. "Did you really have to be so cold towards Maya?" Supreme questioned as I was walking towards the bathroom. "Excuse me? I think under the circumstances I han died her with kid gloves." "I'm sure Maya is upset about Aaliyah too, but it doesn't mean she shouldn't go support her man on his video shoot." "Then why don't you fuckin' take her, since you so concerned?" "I would, but like I said I forgot. That shit was planned weeks ago and I got some other shit I have to handle here." "Here, meaning at home?" "Yeah," he answered, elevating his arms up and being all extra. "Fine, I'll take her. Anything not to be stuck in this house with you!" I slammed the bathroom door and sat down on the toilet. If I was a smoker, I would've run through a pack of Newport's right now. I dug my nails in my scalp, frustrated by the sight of my own husband. Maybe getting out the house and spending some time with Maya would take the edge off, because anything was better than here, I thought as I stripped out of my embroidered flyaway baby-doll nightgown. Maya was standing in front of her building when I drove up to her condo. She damn near ran to my car so I didn't even need to pull up in a parking space. "Girl, I was so shocked when you called back and said you were coming. I know it must've been hard, but thank you so much." "Actually, it was pretty easy. I had to get the fuck out that house before me and Supreme killed each other." "Aaliyah's kidnapping is really straining ya's relationship, huh?" "Pretty much. I heard a traumatic incident in a marriage can either bring a couple closer or tear them apart. It seems to be doing the latter to us." "It's making me ill inside that my brother is the cause of all this bullshit. Aaliyah being gone is hurting me too, but I'm trying to keep myself busy so I don't have to think about it every second. Because when I do, I just wanna cry and then I get angry because Mike is the one who's responsible." "Who you telling? Between the police and the private investigators Supreme has working on it, I be hoping that any minute they'll catch a break. Then I get pissed because they were wasting time looking in every direction but the one I told them to. They say the first twenty-fours are the most essential in a kidnapping. Who knows where Mike is right now with my daughter?" "I know this ain't gonna make you feel no better, but Aaliyah is going to come home safely, I feel it in the pit of my stomach." "All I can keep saying is she better, because the world will come to an end if she doesn't." "You ain't got to tell me. I've seen yo' ass in action. God willing, it won't come to that, but if it does, I'll be right by your side making the world end with you." "That's what's up!" Maya gave me a pound and I knew she meant that shit. We had been through some battles together, and once she even saved my life, that's how we became tight. She was my soldier. "I apologize for being harsh with you earlier." "Nah, you were right, I was being selfish. Between Aaliyah and Clip, I'm bugging out." "Clip still giving you problems?" "Girl, you know how that female intuition is, and mine is going berserk." "Well, you're holding it together well. You giving off major sex appeal like you ought to be playing the leading lady on set." "Is that a stamp of approval I'm getting from you?" I nodded my head letting Maya know I was. The slim fitting V-neck, intense blue silk charmeuse top with black lace trim and low-rise ass-hugging black jeans were on point. The outfit highlighted her newly developing assets without screaming "I'm desperate, please stare at me," although any straight nigga would. "You'll definitely catch Clip's attention when you walk in wearing that." "That's cool, but I'm really trying to catch the attention of whatever hoochie has her eye on my man. You know, send her a message that I'm not one of those ole frumpy chicks. If she tries to fuck with mine, there will be some stiff competition." "I feel you," I said, pulling into the driveway of the mansion on Marilyn Drive where they were shooting the video. "This crib is ridiculously hot. They giving Clip a serious budget to work with." "Yeah, they using that director who's done videos for Kanye West, T.I., Ne-Yo, you know, a lot of major hitters." "Supreme definitely thinks he's gonna blow, so this a good look for him." "True, but yo, its mad cars out here. Where are you going to park?" "I was wondering the same thing. Wait, I'ma squeeze in on the side next to that Porsche truck." "Be careful, I don't want you fucking up your Bentley. You barely even had this shit for six months." "You right, I ain't taking no chances. I'll back up and park on the side of the street." "Do you think we should walk around to the back or use the front door?" Maya asked, anxious to find her man. "I think we should walk through the front." The door was unlocked to the European-style house and opened up to a dramatic entry with exquisite designs at every turn. With a marble fireplace and cherry wood finished wood paneled walls, the house was official. We followed the noise to the back where they were shooting a scene around the Infinity pool. The home was extraordinary, but the view outside resembled the typical ballin' out of control rap video. You had a trickle of other entertainment celebrities stopping through for some airtime, then of course a dozen or so of Clip's so-called friends, and last but most importantly, about fifty pieces of half-naked eye candy. Maya cut right to it and swooped in on her man and the two buxom vixens that were slithering their curves against him. I grabbed her arm as Maya moved forward. "Chill, the camera is rolling. For now all he's guilty of is playing the role of a rich player. Relax." Since everybody was cheesing it up for the camera as if it were their starring role, it was easy for Maya and me to find a couple of empty seats. I kept my shades on keeping a low profile, not wanting to be recognized. I was overjoyed when I left my house and only a couple of reporters were out front. They tried to follow me, but I purposely drove crazy so I could lose them. But unlike me, Maya did want to be noticed, and she stayed on the edge of her seat waiting to hear the word "cut". Instead she heard the director say: "Tina, put your breasts closer against Clip's arm and whisper in his ear being real flirtatious." "Those chicks are having too much fun with this, and so is Clip." "I know how you feel, but its part of the game. I remember dating Supreme before we got married, and I hated every pretty or semi-pretty female around him. I was so jealous and I used to love to fight, so I was ready to break a bitch off, but I quickly realized it ain't worth it. Either he was going to be with me or be with them. You can't control where a man puts his dick, only what you're going to do if you ever find out he put it someplace else other than up in you." "I'll be back," Maya huffed and then jumped up to get her man after she finally heard the word cut. I laughed as she put an extra twist in her walk, determined to make it rain on them hoes. The two females remained by Clip's side as if the camera was still rolling. The giggles and smiles vanished from all three of their faces w
hen Maya rolled up on them. I couldn't hear the words that were being exchanged, but the two vixens did scoot off leaving Clip and Maya to handle their business. Maya seemed a bit hype, and it appeared Clip was doing his best to calm her down. I observed the two vixens go over to a young woman who was in a chair getting her hair and makeup touched up. I assumed she was the principal. She reminded me of a classier version of Angel Lola Luv without the butt shots but with plenty of ass nevertheless. All I peeped was the vixens' mouths running nonstop as the chick eyed Clip and Maya without blinking. About fifteen minutes later, Maya and Clip ended their conversation with a kiss and she came back over to me. "You get everything straight?" "Yeah, we good. Like you said, it's only business. He ain't thinking about them hoochies. But I'm glad I came through and showed my face. The only reason we stopped talking was because he has to go change into a new outfit for the next scene." "I'm glad you feel better." "Me too. I told Clip I was going to stay longer, but I made my presence known so I'm ready to bounce." "You sure? Because we can stay a little while longer if you like." "I'm good, but thanks for being such a trooper. Wait right here, let me go tell Clip we about to bounce." "Cool." Maya was about to walk off when we both heard a cell phone ringing. "Is that you or me?" she asked. "I think that's you." Maya reached in her purse and snatched her phone. "Oh, shit, that's my mother. She probably heard about Mike. Precious, will you go tell Clip we leaving so I can take this call?" "No problem, I'll meet you at the car." "Thanks," Maya said, walking off. I turned around to tell Clip bye and he had disappeared. "Excuse me, do you know where Clip is?" I asked one of the people working the set. "He's over in that bedroom straight ahead." When I knocked on the bedroom door I thought the man was talking about, no one answered. I tried to open it but it was locked. I walked off thinking I had the wrong room, but stopped in my tracks when I heard the door open. The female who was eyeing Maya during her entire conversation with Clip, who I assumed had the principal role came out the room fixing her lipstick and hair. "Is Clip in there?" "Who wants to know?" She stood with her hand pressed against her tiny waistline. "Trick, move out my way," I said, shoving my shoulder against the side of her body as I entered the room. "You need to watch yourself!" I heard her scream as the door slammed in her face. "Precious, what are you doing here?" Clip asked, seeming to be unruffled by my appearance. He continued buttoning up his shirt as if I hadn't caught some groupie coming out this bedroom. "Maya's mother called so she wanted me to tell you we were bouncing." "Okay, that's cool. Tell her I'll see her tonight when I get home. How are you and Supreme holding up? I wanted him to come through but I know he ain't up to seeing nobody, which is understandable. I'm keeping Aaliyah in my prayers." "I appreciate that, Clip, but why was that chick in this room with the door locked? "You talking about Destiny?" "Yeah, unless another chick up in here," I said, scoping the room. "She had to use the bathroom." "This the only bathroom in this big-ass house? And why was the door locked?" "The bathroom was available and I told her she could use it, and I didn't know the door was locked." "Oh really?" "Yes, really. I know you and Maya are close, but I promise you no shady shit was going down in here. That's my word." "At the end of the day, that's all you got so I'm going to take it." "It's the truth. And please don't say nothing to Maya. She's already feeling insecure I don't want you to spark it up any more." "You said it was nothing, so I'll leave it at that. But Clip, whatever you do, be clean about your shit." When I left the room, I caught Destiny eyeballing from a short distance away. I was tempted to go whip her ass, not because I knew for a fact she was fucking around with Maya's man, but just for making me think it. Then I thought about all the eyewitnesses and the lawsuit the trick would slap on me and decided to go the fuck home. The sunlight that was streaming through the windows when we first arrived was now slowly setting as I walked out the front door. As I walked down the driveway and got closer to the car, I could see Maya leaning on the back of the Bentley, still on the phone. I thought nothing of the dark gray car easing down the street doing less than five miles per hour. "You're still talking to your mother?" I asked, hitting the remote to unlock the door. "Yeah, I'm about to get off," Maya mouthed as I walked passed her. That's when I realized the dark gray car had turned around and was deliberately coming back in our direction. I made a mental note of the California license plate number. When it coasted to a stop, I knew it was about to be on. "Maya, get down!" I screamed, pushing her to the ground and sending her phone skyrocketing out of her hand. The rapid succession of bullets pierced my ears as they sprayed my space, busting out windows and leaving shattered glass on the concrete beneath us. I crawled behind the car and grabbed Maya's hand to follow me, as she seemed frozen from shock. For what seemed like an eternity, the sound of gunshots blaring ceased and were replaced by screeching of tires as the car drove off. Maya and I remained on the ground for a few more minutes to make sure the imminent danger had vanished. "What the fuck was that about?" Maya asked, visibly shaken. We both swallowed hard before standing up. "That had to be the scariest shit I've ever experienced in my life. And damn, ain't nobody come outside to see what the hell was going on? Is the music so fuckin' loud that nobody heard this war zone?" "And a fucking war is exactly what this is," I said, picking up a bullet ridden pink stuffed animal. "This is the teddy bear Aaliyah had with her when she was kidnapped." "Are you sure?" "Yes, you see the bracelet around the wrist? It has a tag with the letter `A' on it. Supreme got it for Aaliyah the day we brought her home from the hospital." Staying on task, I looked in my purse for a piece of paper and pen, then jotted down the license plate number before I forgot. I sat down on the concrete with glass surrounding me, holding on tightly to Aaliyah's teddy bear. Instead of this attempt on my life leaving me with a shroud of fear, it flooded me with unimaginable strength. A TASTE OF HOPE