by Nikki Brown
Siya sat on the other side of the table just watching her two sons interact with the women in their lives. She loved that they were taking steps to build their own little families within their big one.
She could see that AD was trying his best to move on with his life but she knew that it would be hard. Having to hear something like that could really mess with a person’s mind but he was proving just how strong he was. When their eyes connected, she smiled at him and surprisingly he returned one.
“Man, that nigga somewhere fucking,” Cassidy said out of nowhere. Mega looked at him and just sighed. He knew how his son was and there was no need in trying to correct him because it wouldn’t do any good. “How the fuck he gone tell us to be on time and he ain’t on time?”
“This restaurant is going to be amazing,” Key said trying to reel Cassidy back but he grilled her and shook his head.
“How we gone build something and you going against me?”
“What are you talking about?”
“If I’m flipping you flipping, don’t be trying to defuse the situation. If we come as a force then they can’t stop us.” Cassidy’s face was so serious that Key couldn’t help but to laugh.
“I’m sorry, I’ll do better.” Her eyebrows dented in and Cassidy leaned in and kissed her lips. “What the hell have I got myself into?” she said against his lips.
“Ion know but you stuck pretty girl,” Mega said and the rest of the table laughed including Cassidy. “His mother was a hippy back then, and she smoked a lot of dope.”
Agitation briefly flashed across AD’s face, Icelynn immediately caught his change in demeanor and covered his hand with hers that was still on her leg. He looked at her and instantly felt at peace. He nodded his head and kissed her lips.
The door of the restaurant opened and everyone turned in that direction. Icelynn gasped causing everyone to then turn and look at her. Tears filled the rim of her eyes and AD could feel her hand shaking underneath his. Her eyes darted back and forth between the two people.
“We’re closed,” Siya said standing up, she felt the shift in the atmosphere. Whoever those people were didn’t need to be here, and she needed to get them out before shit got ugly.
No sooner than the thought left her mind, Cassidy, AD and Mega were already on their feet and headed in their direction. Icelynn had AD’s hand and was trying to pull him back. He looked back at her and kissed her lips. Reassuring her that everything would be okay but she knew Salem, it wouldn’t be okay.
Salem knew that his eyes had to be deceiving him, he was looking at the love of his life, sitting there hugged up with another man. Even though he had a weird way of showing it he really did love Icelynn. She was the only woman that he had met that he didn’t want to put on the track. She was special, he knew the minute they met each other.
“Salem?” AD asked the minute he was in the man’s face.
“So, my beautiful baby girl told you all about me,” he smiled and AD balled his fist by his side. This was the one time that he hated that they decided to put the restaurant in a heavily trafficked area. People were out on the town and walking by to see what was going on with the restaurant.
“You can leave my nigga,” AD’s teeth were pressed tightly together.
“Sorry, my nigga, no can do. She has something that belongs to me and I don’t know if I want to forgive her just yet.” He laughed. “I’m sure you know how sweet that pussy is, I was the first one ever in it so I can tell you it’s something spe-” his sentence was cut off with AD hitting him straight in the mouth.
Salem wasn’t a slacker in the hands department so he quickly countered but with everything that AD had pent up in him, Salem was no match for him. He got a few hits in, stunning AD for a second but the smile that appeared on his face let Salem know that he was in over his head.
“AD that’s enough,” Mega said off to the side.
AD ignored him and began to swing at Salem harder and faster. He hit him in the jaw so hard and fast that he fell back and AD didn’t miss the chance to take over the situation.
“Stay…the… fuck…away from her and Isis muthafucka!” AD said between kicks to his face and stomach. The only thing that went through his mind was what he overheard Icelynn tell Sutton. To think that this muthafucka let men rape her in front of his daughter was sickening to AD.
Cassidy snatched AD up and pushed him back toward the other end of the table where Icelynn was crying her eyes out.
Salem made his way back to his feet. He held on to his side, AD had done a number on him and he had it in his mind to make the both of them pay for what they did. He looked past everyone and his eyes landed on Icelynn.
“This ain’t over bitch, I want my money.” He pointed at her and everyone looked her way. Embarrassment flooded her and her face showed it. “Oh, and I’m coming for my daughter.” He laughed because he knew that was the one thing that would get to her and he was right because she was on her feet with a steak knife in her hand in minutes.
“You stay the fuck away from my daughter!” Mega caught her before she could get to him. “I will kill you myself Salem.” She shook as tears poured out of her eyes. She hated the man that stood in front of her, she hated that he was here, that he took so many years of her childhood. “And you bitch, I can’t wait to catch you. I’m about to show you how I get down.” Icelynn pointed at Dimples.
AD hadn’t even realized that she was the one that came in with Salem, all that he was focused on was the fact that Icelynn was scared and Salem was the reason why. When AD’s attention turned to her a chill ran down her back, her eyes stretched, and she knew that she had fucked up. With wide stretched eyes she made her way out of the restaurant as quick as she waltzed in.
“You will see me again,” Salem said as he reached for the door.
The sneaky grin on his face caused panic to slither its way into Icelynn’s mind. She reached for her phone and sent a message to the babysitter that Isis was with. Her mother was still out of town.
AD pulled his gun out of his waist band and fired a shot in Salem’s direction. He fired again and again, the people that were walking on the sidewalk screamed and ducked for cover.
“Bro you can’t do this shit here!” Cassidy yelled out but AD didn’t hear anything he was saying. He was trying to get around him as best he could. Not only did Cassidy have him by two inches, he cleared him by at least sixty pounds. “Chill the fuck out Adoreé!”
Cassidy was losing the battle slowly but surely. He reached for the gun, but AD did a move and Cassidy somehow got crossed up and he pushed him to the side causing him to go tumbling to the ground.
AD took off out the door and fired a few more shots at the car that Salem and Dimples had just got in. He fired until he was out of ammo and then he headed back in the direction of the restaurant. He went straight to Icelynn who was crying in the corner of the room.
“Hey baby, baby.” He leaned down and scooped her up in his arms. Sitting down with her in his lap he held on to her with all his might. He wanted to absorb all the fear, hurt or pain that she may have been feeling. “I got you, he’ll never hurt you again.”
“I’m so sorry!” Icelynn sobbed.
“You have nothing to be sorry about Ice, but he’s dead. I need to know that you’re okay with that.” She sniffed and looked up at AD.
“I want to pull the trigger.” There was so much power in her words that it took AD aback, but he nodded his head. He wouldn’t let her do it, he wouldn’t want that on her heart. Salem should count his days because he wouldn’t be breathing long.
“Be careful, he sneaky. I don’t want you to get hurt because of me. I wouldn’t be able to live with that and-”
“Shhhhh!” AD hushed her by pressing his lips against hers and she accepted. “You don’t know what I’m capable of baby girl, but he will soon enough.” Again, he kissed her lips.
“What the hell is going on? It’s crazy out there, somebody said that someone was shooting.” Kahlen
o looked around and noticed the shattered glass. His eyes turned dark as he began to push Sutton to the back of the restaurant. “Everybody okay?”
“Yeah, I’m sorry bro we got to go get the baby,” AD said helping Icelynn to her feet. “I know you wanted to tell us something but I gotta move.” AD dapped his brother up. Icelynn looked down at her phone and realized that she hadn’t got a message back from the sitter.
“We just wanted to let y’all know that we were having twins.” Kahleno beamed and AD hugged him again and told him congratulations. “Go handle your business and call me,” he told AD who headed out of the restaurant with Icelynn.
“We gone bounce too because the police gone be here soon,” Cassidy said grabbing Key, he hated that their first date ended like that and he would be sure to get in AD’s shit the minute he saw him again. The two made their way out of the restaurant.
“Siya you want to go ahead and head to the house? I’ll be on my way shortly; I just need to holla at Kahleno for a second.”
“Actually, yeah, I’m not really feeling to good right now. I’m gonna go lie down.”
“You want to wait on me and I’ll just drive you?” Mega asked making his way to his wife. She shook her head no and patted his chest.
“I’m okay I just need to lie down. Plus, we drove separate cars so just go ahead and talk to Kahleno and I’ll see you when you get home.” She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him. Something she hadn’t done since they got here. Mega smiled and brought her into him and kissed her on her forehead.
“I love you Siya, I love you more than the air I need to survive. If you feel up to it, I would like to talk when I get home.” He smiled at her and she nodded her head.
“I’d love that,” then she leaned in and whispered in his ear. “But if you wake me up you better do it the right way.”
Mega leaned back and looked her in the eyes to make sure that she wasn’t joking. When he saw how serious she was he looked back at Kahleno, “Son just call me tomorrow.” Siya laughed and shook her head.
“Boy go talk to your son, and I’ll be home when you get there.” She pushed him in Kahleno’s direction.
“Man, you know that nigga long winded.” Mega damn near whined making Siya laugh and shake her head. She kissed her husband again and left out of the restaurant in the direction of the farm house.
Her and Mega had been through so much over the years and it made them that much stronger. She wanted her kids to feel that same love and commitment to make it work with the women in their lives. She prayed that they saw the things that they went through and learned from it.
She was tired of fighting with Mega over Ziva. When it came down to it, he was as much of a victim as she and the kids. She just needed him to make all of this go away so they could heal as a family.
As bad as she wanted to run up and hug AD she didn’t, she kept her distance and when he was ready to come and talk, she would be ready. She had to force Mega not to approach him, he wanted to lay everything on the line but she begged him not to, she told him to let AD come on his own.
She just wanted her marriage and her family back on track and tonight she had plans on starting with her marriage. Getting out of the car she walked up on the porch of her home and opened the door. The first thing she did when she passed the threshold was to take the new Louis she had just bought off. She would definitely be sending those to goodwill.
“This fucking headache,” Siya said out loud and then stepped towards the kitchen. When she got to the kitchen, she felt a presence behind her. Stopping in her tracks she didn’t miss the smell of cheap perfume, the same smell that she smelled that day in the restaurant when their lives were flipped upside down.
“If you don’t get the fuck out of my house, I know something,” Siya said not even bothering to turn around, she knew that if she could get to the kitchen and to the second drawer, there was a gun in there so she took steps in the direction but something came crashing down on her head sending her to the floor.
“All of this should be mine!” Ziva gritted. She hated that Siya had everything that she wanted. She had the family she wanted, she had the man she wanted, even the way she carried herself, Ziva wanted that too. She wanted Siya’s life and it killed her that no matter what she did she would never have it. “The next time I see you, one of us won’t be breathing.” Ziva mocked what Siya said the last time they saw each other. “Looks like that one of us is you.” Ziva laughed.
“You won’t get away with this bitch!” Siya said still scooting towards the kitchen. “When Mega catches you he’s going to bury you alive after he tortures you.”
“Fuck him and your bastard son, they wouldn’t even acknowledge the fact that I carried him.” She scoffed and picked the bat up and swung it across Siya’s knees.
“Ahhhhh fuck you bitch!”
“Do you know what I had to go through to get pregnant with that little bastard?” Ziva laughed. “Then he gone tell me I’m not his mother. Tuh!” she stopped and looked down at Siya who was still inching her way into the kitchen. “Do you know why I tried to kill him in the that bathtub?” Ziva laughed.
“It doesn’t matter because you will never be his mother.”
“I never was his mother bitch.” She kicked Siya in the side. “My body won’t produce eggs like normal women like you. Something called Primary Ovarian Insufficiency or some shit, my body doesn’t produce FHS like it should. Stop moving bitch and listen.” She brought that bat down on Siya’s rib and the impact took Siya’s breath away. “Oh, you think that took your breath away wait till you hear this.” Ziva threw her head back and laughed.
“You crazy bitch,” Siya hissed out in between short breaths.
Ziva grabbed her by the leg and pulled her back in the living room where Siya noticed the gas cans that lined the wall. Ziva started to pour gasoline all around the room while she talked, the more she said the more anger filled Siya’s veins.
“When Mega told me that he would always choose you and his kids over anything, I knew that if I could have his child that he would love me too. So, I went to the clinic where your eggs were and I paid that doctor to implant your embryo’s into my uterus. He did it too.” She smiled and put the last can down. “I told Mega that I was pregnant and he told me to get rid of it. My step dad is a bastard and he helped him make me get rid of my baby.”
“You stole my embryos.” Siya tried to sit up but Ziva swung the bat and hit her in the chest making her fall flat back.
“Yep sure did, I went back to that same doctor and paid him another two million to implant another one, and this time I hid until it was too late for anyone to do anything about it. When that still didn’t work, I tried to kill the little bastard because he didn’t belong to me,” she shrugged.
“He’s my son.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know bitch. Didn’t you hear what the fuck I just said?” Ziva swung the bat but this time she missed and it flew out of her hand due to the force that she swung it. Siya rolled over and tried to grab her foot but she slid back. Pulling out the book of matches she lit one and threw it on the ground. “Too bad you won’t live long enough to tell him. He’ll forever be fucked up off of that one.” Ziva laughed, turned, and left the same way she came in.
Siya went into a fit of coughing as she inhaled the smoke from the flames. Between the pain she was feeling and the smoke, Siya couldn’t take it.
“I love y’all,” was the last thing she said before she closed her eyes and succumbed to the darkness.
***
“Why the fuck ain’t she answering the phone.” Icelynn realized that Amber, the sitter never messaged her back. So, she decided to call her and didn’t get an answer. “Fuck!” she cried with a face full of tears. Something was wrong, she could feel it.
“Baby calm down, I won’t let shit happen to you or Isis,” AD said as he broke every traffic law trying to get to Icelynn’s house to get Isis. They didn’t want to risk him knowing where she stays and getting to h
er before they did.
“You don’t know him Adoreé, he’s evil.”
“But you know me, right?” AD glanced at her and she nodded her head. AD was her safe haven and she knew it. Whenever she was in his presence, she felt nothing or no one could touch her, except for Salem.
Pulling on the street that she lived on with her mother, Icelynn jumped out of the car before it even stopped moving. When she got to the door her heart stopped the minute she touched the knob and the door came right open.
She could hear soft wails coming from the back of the house and she headed in the direction. The kitchen held an eerie feeling, Icelynn’s heart dropped to her stomach, it was like she couldn’t breathe.
“Amber!” she called out to the babysitter and moaning filled the room. She ran to where she thought the sound came from. Opening the laundry room door, she found the babysitter tied up and beaten. “What happened Amber?”
“They broke in right after you left and they took her. I couldn’t do anything. She cried and she screamed but they drug her out of here. I couldn’t help her!” Amber cried into Icelynn’s arms as she went stiff.
“H—he’s got my baby!” she screamed to the top of her lungs. “Nooooooo!”
TO BE CONTINUED…
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