by Tosha Damaya
"I'm happy," he replied honestly. "There’s a little person growing inside of you that we created. I'm feeling very blessed and happy."
She kissed him on the lips. "You're going to be a good daddy."
They turned the lights off in the bedroom and laid down in bed. Jonathan spooned her from behind and placed a hand on her flat tummy. So many thoughts were running through her head as she finally dozed off to sleep.
While Jonathan was gone to the store earlier, she came up with a plan to help Destiny get away from Trenton. She just hoped that Demetrius received her message. She wasn't going to tell the man holding her about it. She knew that Jonathan would never allow her to risk herself to save Destiny.
Chapter 26
Sean and Yolanda were walking in downtown Austin holding hands. They got up early and had breakfast before heading to 6th street where entertainment spots and shops were located.
Yolanda was tired of being cooped up in the hotel. It was driving her insane. She was almost to the point of going from door to door to search for Destiny. She was ready to find her baby.
"Stop thinking so hard," Sean stated. He tugged Yolanda's hand to pull her closer.
"How did you know?"
"Because I know you. We’ll have our family again.”
She stopped them from walking. Sean faced her, wondering what was going on.
"You said we’ll have our family. How? We live across the country from one another."
"We can make it work. I want us to work. We deserve a second chance at happiness. I'll even move to D.C. if that’s what it takes. It will be a fresh start for all us."
"You would do that for me?"
"Yes," he replied wrapping his arms around her. "I'm committed to us. I'm going to do whatever I can to keep us together. If I fall into my old ways, just let me know and I'll work on it."
Yolanda couldn't believe what Sean was saying. He was usually more selfish when it came to relationships. "I'm committed to us too and our daughter. I just hope that Destiny knows that we love her and are here waiting for her to come home." Yolanda started to cry. "I hope she’s okay.”
Sean held Yolanda while she cried. "Me too, baby. Demetrius is working hard to find her.”
↔
Destiny woke in shock when the bucket of water splashed onto her face.
“Wake up.”
Destiny rubbed the water from her eyes. She had gotten a good hour of sleep while Trenton was gone. The man never let her rest. If he wasn’t having sex with her, he was beating her.
“Smile.”
She covered her eyes. She didn’t want to take any pictures. “Please stop.”
Trenton didn’t care what she wanted. He ripped Destiny’s shirt to reveal her flesh. “These pictures will get her attention. I want my wife back.”
“Why? I don’t understand why you want her. You should just move—”
Before Destiny could finish her sentence, Trenton’s hand was wrapped around her throat. She tried to fight him off, but it was useless.
“Don’t ever talk about her.”
Trenton let go of her. There wasn’t a spot on her body that he hadn’t touched. Whenever something went wrong, he took it out on her.
He kicked, punched and slapped her. The choking was a new addition to the abuse. She was an idiot for ever getting involved with him.
“I’m sorry.”
He lifted the camera. “Say cheese.”
Chapter 27
Demetrius drove to Sydney's store to meet with Johari. On the phone, she told him to pretend as if he was there to get flowers for Avery and then come back to the office where she was located. Demetrius didn't know why he needed to be so secretive.
He walked in and spoke briefly with Ethan and then went to the back under the pretense of saying hello to Johari. Ethan didn't see it as suspicious, so he stayed up front. Demetrius walked into the office and observed Johari pacing.
"What's going on? You said there was an emergency."
Johari threw her phone at Demetrius. He was confused. "Look at the picture," she told him.
He looked and had to avert his eyes. Destiny was in bad condition. He'd seen corpses that looked better than her.
"Where did you get this?"
"That sick bastard sent it to me last night. I didn’t see it until I woke up.”
Demetrius wanted to beat the shit out of Trenton. "I'm taking the phone to see if I can trace it. Have you contacted him?"
"No. That's not his normal number."
"He probably has one of those cheap track phones," Demetrius concluded.
"Most likely. He's not stupid, Demetrius. He contacted me knowing that I would turn it into law enforcement. I've been thinking a lot and I want to take him down.”
"We all do, Jo," he commented
"No! I want to personally be the one to set him up. You don't know how much mental and physical pain I went through when I was with him. He wants me. I want to use myself as bait."
He understood how she felt but didn't want to risk her life. "We can't do that, Jo."
"If you don't help me, I'll contact him myself,” she replied without hesitation.
“I don’t want you to get hurt. Jonathan would never forgive me.”
“Either help me or leave me alone.”
Demetrius stared back at the determined woman standing in front of him. "If we do this, we need to do it the right way. I'm not going to have you putting yourself in danger. We'll need backup. We're not going in there alone."
Johari nodded her head. "Of course, I'm not stupid. But Demetrius, I don't want anyone else to know."
He knew that she was referring to her family, specifically Jonathan. "Jo, I don't know if I can do that; I consider them my close friends. I can't betray them like that."
"If they knew what I was planning, they wouldn't agree with it. Jon would definitely stop me." The only person who would probably agree was Sierra with her crazy ass.
Demetrius sat down in one of the office chairs. He needed to think hard about this situation. Looking at Johari now, he knew that she would still do it without his help.
"Are you going to help me?"
Demetrius sighed. He felt like he was stuck between a rock and a hard place. "Yeah, I'll help, but I'm suggesting that you tell Jon what's going on. If my woman kept something this big away from me, I don't know if I could ever forgive her." Demetrius had a far off look in his eyes and Johari knew he was thinking about Nina.
"I'll consider telling Jon."
He nodded his head. "Okay, let's get to work. We need to be smart about this."
Johari and Demetrius started plotting and planning the perfect way to get Trenton and save Destiny.
Chapter 28
Johari and Demetrius plotted for over an hour. He spent majority of the time vetoing most of her ideas. She understood his feelings on wanting to keep her safe, but all her thoughts were focused on helping Destiny.
She didn't particularly like the girl at first, but now she felt like they were kindred spirits. They were both victims of Trenton Livingston. Both had been beaten and sexually assaulted. She was 100% sure that he was taking advantage of Destiny. Johari couldn't continue to let it happen.
Tomorrow afternoon, she was calling Trenton to meet. She was going to force him to take her to Destiny. Austin Police and Demetrius were going to follow her there to arrest Trenton. Johari had to wear a microphone with a camera so that the police could record everything that was said so they could have evidence.
The plan sounded simple enough, but she was still nervous. Her nerves were out of control. She was currently in the car with Ethan heading home, but her mind was focused on tomorrow.
"I need a drink," she voiced out loud.
"You can't drink in your condition."
Johari turned away from the street and looked at Ethan. "What condition are you referring to?"
Ethan realized his mistake, so he tried to back track. "You know, you shouldn't drink when you're stre
ssed out. You got to find a better way to cope. I heard that taking deep breaths help," he rambled.
"Did Jonathan tell you I'm pregnant?"
Ethan shook his head adamantly. "Nooooo."
"Ethan!"
He sighed and pulled into the driveway of the house. "Jonathan told us. Don't get upset, JoJo."
"I'm not upset. I've only done a home test and I'm worried that it was a false positive. He's getting so excited and I might not even be pregnant. I wanted to announce it to the world after my doctor's appointment next week."
"It's a strong possibility that you are knocked up, but I understand your need to have a doctor confirm it." He opened the car door. "Don't be mad at Jon. That man loves you to death and is just excited about the prospect of being a daddy." They got out of the car together and walked towards the house.
"E, who else knows?" Johari asked before they could walk inside.
He scratched the back of his neck. "The question should be, who doesn't know."
Jo was confused. "What?"
When Ethan opened the door, she realized what he meant. Inside was a room full of people. "Congrats!" They shouted when they saw her. In that moment, she made the mental note to kill Jonathan when she saw him.
↔
Johari was hiding out in the bedroom. Hiding from the many people in the other room. Everyone was so happy for her and Jonathan. Everyone included Sierra, Sydney, Zeke, Mr. and Mrs. Adams, some employees from the store and some of Jonathan's friends.
It was too much to handle.
After speaking with everyone briefly, she escaped to her room under the pretense of not feeling so well. She assured Jonathan that she was fine. Johari instead told him to go back out to entertain their guests.
She just needed to lay down for a moment and clear her head. A soft knock on the door interrupted her solace. She thought it was Jonathan but after a second, Sierra and Sydney came walking into the room.
"Jo, are you alright?" Sydney asked. She walked into the room and stood near the bed.
"Yeah, why are you in here playing hide and go seek?" Sierra asked before coming to sit on the bed.
Johari sat up. "I'm fine. I just needed a little break. Jon wasn't supposed to tell anyone about the baby. I wasn't expecting any of this," she stated about the party. "It was sweet of him to do this. I just wish he would've waited. My mind is so preoccupied right now." It was consumed with thoughts of Destiny tied up in that bed.
"How about I get rid of everyone," Sierra suggested. "I'll tell them to get the fuck out of my house."
Johari laughed. "You can't do that."
Sydney shook her head. "If you do it, please don't use those words."
"I can do whatever the fuck I want," Sierra replied. "I’m grown."
Johari stopped her rant. "I'm not going to let you do that. I promise to be out in five minutes."
"You and Sydney are too nice."
Johari laughed. "I love you, Sierra," Johari professed. She loved how Sierra could brighten her mood with just a few words. "I love you too Syd. I'm happy you guys are a part of my life."
Sierra wrapped her arm around Jo's shoulder and gave her a side hug. "We love you, too."
Sydney sat on the bed and joined their hug. The women released each other after a couple of minutes. "I know our brother jumped the gun a little earlier. You need to understand where he's coming from. Did he ever tell you about Danielle?" Just saying her name put a bad taste in Sydney's mouth. She still hated that woman and was glad she was in prison.
"Only that she used him to get back at you. He didn't go into detail," Johari stated. She knew about the trauma that Sydney went through before she started working at the store. She didn't know all factors that went into it.
"Syd and I like to joke that Jon falls in love easy and Danielle used that to her advantage. She manipulated Jon and tried to tear our family apart. She even pretended to be pregnant. It hurt Jon when he found out the truth," Sierra added.
Johari's heart broke for Jonathan. She had no clue about that. "That's so horrible."
"I know. I should've beat that bitch's ass before she went to jail," Sierra stated.
Sydney chuckled. "Jo, you're the first real relationship that Jon has had in a long time. Sierra and I are parents and, even though he loves being an uncle, I know he's dying to be a daddy. You can't blame the man for being so happy. Zeke had the whole baby room done the day after he found out I was pregnant. We're all lucky to have supportive men. Don't punish Jon for being excited."
"Ditto," Sierra chimed in.
↔
Johari thanked Sydney and Sierra for their advice. She quickly freshened up and walked back out to the party. She found Jonathan talking with his parents Samuel and Theresa. She joined them at the end of their conversation.
"I don't care what the sex of the baby is, I just want he or she to be healthy," Jonathan informed his mother.
Johari slipped under his arm. "I would love a little girl," she confessed.
Jon was surprised to see her out of the room. He was getting ready to end the party because she was unhappy. He pulled her close and kissed her forehead. "Well, if you want a little girl, then I want one too."
Mrs. Adams gushed with happiness. "My first granddaughter. I hope it happens!"
"Me too, Mrs. Adams."
Johari pulled Jon to the kitchen to get a little privacy. After she made sure no one else was in the room, she pushed him up against the wall and kissed him.
"What was that for?" he asked afterwards. He wasn't expecting that type of action from her.
"That’s my way of apologizing. I'm sorry, baby. I didn't mean to be a grouch earlier."
He pecked her lips again. "It's okay. It's my fault. I shouldn't have invited anyone over. It was supposed to be just family and then it got bigger and bigger. I'm sorry."
They shared another kiss. Jonathan held her close in his arms. A few people passed by, and he ignored them.
"How about we have some alone time tomorrow night. We can get another hotel room, make love for hours without interruptions," Jon stated as he nuzzled her neck.
It sounded so tempting, but Johari couldn't do it tomorrow. "I can't baby. I made plans with Avery. In fact, Demetrius is going to be at the store with me tomorrow and then he’s taking me over to her house afterwards," she lied. She hated being untruthful to Jon but felt like she didn't have a choice.
That was news to him. He would call Demetrius to confirm it. "Okay, well afterwards your ass is mine," he replied before kissing her again.
Chapter 29
The next afternoon, after her shift ended, Demetrius picked Johari up and took her to his apartment. They walked inside to meet two officers from the Austin Police Department.
"Jo, this is Jason and Brice. They're going to be helping us out today. A few other guys will be coming soon."
Johari greeted them. Demetrius took her to the table where they had everything set up. "Okay, are you ready to call Trenton?"
"Yes." She wasn't going to back down. She took a deep breath and called Trenton. She used the number that he sent the picture from.
Palms sweating, heart racing, she dialed his number. He answered after the second ring.
"I was starting to think that you didn't care about your step daughter."
Just the sound of his voice gave her chills. She looked to Demetrius for support. "You can do this," he mouthed to her.
"I do. Where are you Trenton? I'll take Destiny's place."
"Good. I'm getting tired of her crying. I miss having you, Jo. You never complained. I taught you well." Trenton provided an address for her. "If you bring the cops, I'll kill her."
Trenton ended the call quickly.
Johari looked at Demetrius. "Were you able to track it?"
He shook his head. "No. He ended the call too soon."
"Well, we got the address he gave us, so let's go." She needed to get this over with before losing all her nerves.
Demetrius made a phone
to call to get some additional officers to pitch in. "Okay." He nodded his head towards Brice and Jason. "Jo, can I talk to you in private?"
"Sure." She followed him down the hall.
Demetrius opened his bathroom door and gently shoved Johari. He shut the door before she could say anything. Before they arrived at the apartment, Brice changed the locks so that the door was secured from the outside. There was no way for her to get out.
Demetrius ignored her protest. "Jo, I can't let you put yourself at risk. Brice is going to stay here with you. I'm going to get Trenton and Destiny."
Johari continued to bang on the door. "Don't do this! I need to be there!" she yelled.
"Jo, think about your baby. I couldn't live with myself is something happened to you. I lost my wife and it broke me. I can’t do the same to Jonathan. I'm sorry."
Demetrius quickly left the apartment, ignoring Johari’s yells. Jason followed him. On the way to meet Trenton, he called Jon. "She's at my place. Come get her."
Jonathan sighed with relief. "We're on our way now." Jonathan ended the call and grabbed his keys. "Let's go get her," he announced to Ethan and Zeke. Jonathan was angry with Jo and was going to let her know it as soon as he saw her. What she planned was stupid and irresponsible and he was grateful that Demetrius called them.
They ran out to the car and was shocked at what they saw. Every tire was slashed on Jonathan’s car. It was the same situation for Sierra's and Ethan's car. "What the fuck?" Zeke asked.
Alarms started going off in Jonathan's head. Something wasn't right. It wasn't a coincidence. "Zeke, let's take your car. I think Jo is in trouble." They started running through the woods to Zeke and Syd's house. On the way over, Jonathan tried to call Demetrius, but no one answered. "Shit, we need to hurry and get to Demetrius's apartment."
↔
Demetrius wasn't answering because he was making his way into the home of the address Trenton provided. He and ten members of the Austin PD surrounded the large two-story house. On his signal, they entered the home in search of Destiny. They found her naked, tied to the bed in one of the spare rooms. She was gagged and unable to speak. After they made sure the house was all clear, they covered her with a blanket and untied her. A female officer helped Destiny sit up in bed.