by Mz. Robinson
“I got this. I love you. Octavia”
“Damnit!” I screamed aloud, before grabbing my keys and walking out the door.
Chapter 21
Octavia
There was no way Damon was going to leave me behind while he addressed Tabitha about me and Amel. I loved my hubby’s protective nature, but there are some things a woman must do for herself. I reminded myself of this as I pulled up into the gated community where Tabitha lived. I had stored Tabitha’s address inside my phone and had the building and unit number memorized by the time I arrived. I grabbed my hand bag, preparing to exit my car, but halted my stride when I saw a figure coming out of the darkness under the street light. I waited until I had a clear view and that’s when I realized it was Doctor Aurora coming down the sidewalk leaving from building 5000; the building where Tabitha lived. I climbed back behind the wheel of my car while observing the doctor’s every move. I watched him until he walked up, unlocking the door to a red Porsche, climbed in, then sped off. I decided Tabitha could wait. I needed to catch up with the doctor. I revived my engine, then followed in the direction he left.
“Where are you?” Damon answered on the first ring.
“I was sitting in the parking lot of Tabitha’s complex,” I told him. “Until I saw Doctor Aurora coming from her building.”
“First of all, you were dead wrong for that stunt you pulled,” he said. “Second, why would he be visiting Tabitha?”
“That’s what I want to know,” I said.
“He may be the missing link,” Damon concluded. “And our drug supplier.”
“I think you’re right,” I agreed. I could see the Porsche two cars in front of me. He was headed west outside the city limits.
“Okay, so I’ll find out what’s up with the doc,” Damon advised me. “I still want to pay Tabitha a visit, but that can wait. How much longer do you have until you’re home?”
“Um, about forty minutes,” I said lightly.
“Octavia where are you going?”
“I’m trailing the doctor right now, “I said, bracing myself for Damon’s outrage.
“Octavia turn around and come home now!” He demanded. “It’s not safe…” I listened as Damon went on and on about my being reckless and putting my life in danger and how he wanted me to go home immediately.
“Do you understand?” he asked, breathing heavily into the phone.
“Yes,” I said. “I love you too.” I hung up before he could say anything else. The car I was trailing exited off the main highway onto the service road leading further into rural Madison County. I eased off the accelerator allowing my speed to decrease and to put some additional space between the two of us. There were houses along the road, but no street lights and an abundance of winding, deadly curves. The road finally became straight again; leaving room for cars to pull over and out of the way of traffic, but the number of homes close together slowly began to decrease.
Doctor Aurora pulled off the main road onto a long driveway. I stayed on the main road driving slowly pass the drive then coming to a complete stop approximately a half of a mile from the entrance. I pulled over to the edge of the street then turned off my headlights. I waited…peeping out the window for signs of movement from the doctor. I saw the interior dome light come on in the car as the doctor stepped out. There were lights coming from the inside of the home, but the outside was completely dark, covered and shaded by the surrounding trees and the night sky. Once I saw light spilling out the front door, I knew the man who held my interest had gone inside.
The sound of my phone ringing caused me to jump and further troubled my already shaken nerves. I placed my phone on vibrate, allowing my husband to go to voicemail. I grabbed my purse, securing the strap across my body, turned the interior light off inside my vehicle and climbed out with my keys in hand. I stepped onto the paved driveway being cautious and careful of staying close to the large weeping willows aligning my path. As I stepped slowly, moving closer to the home, I quietly wished I had chosen sneakers rather than my ensemble of open-toed sandals and my above the knee—off the shoulder—eyelet dress.
When I got close enough so that the home was in clear view, I saw that the house was two-stories with a long wooden porch that stretched the length of the front of the house. In front of the home, Doctor Aurora’s car was parked next to the Ferrari I saw him standing next to at the ER, and a dark-colored SUV. It was in that moment that I came to the realization that I didn’t have a clue or a plan of what I should do next. In my mind, a little voice I’d like to refer to as common sense, was telling me to haul my ass back to my car and get home. However, there was something, probably my sick-curiosity, pulling me closer. I chose to listen to the latter of the two.
I started to move in closer towards a window facing the west side of the property when the door opened, I quickly ducked behind a tree easing down in the damp grass. My heart was beating so loud I was certain whomever was coming out would discover me.
Get it together Octavia, I told myself. Sweet Baby Jesus, if you get me out of this alive, I promise I will never be this stupid again! I prayed. I was hoping I hadn’t recited that prayer previously when I was caught in an awkward position, but knowing me; I had!
I heard the doctor talking, along with the voice of a woman. I couldn’t make out what they were saying, and finally I heard the door shut and later the sound of an engine starting. I held my breath as light from the headlights of the car were cast over the property surrounding me and finally, I heard the car moving down the driveway. I was scared as hell to look, but I did anyway and I saw the red glare of the taillights as the vehicle pulled out the driveway, making a left, and turning onto the main road. I sat in my position waiting to see if the car might come back or if someone else may exit the house.
When I felt the coast was clear, I eased back up, standing straight, then tipped toed over to the window. I peeked inside the window scanning my eyes across the room. The living room was exceptionally decorated with dark furnishings and glass. From my position at the window, I could see a glimpse of what looked like the kitchen and a shadow moving around the room. I could also see another window. I stepped slowly along the side of the home hoping the other window would give me a better view of whomever was inside.
The full moon gracing the sky illuminated the back side of the home with just the right amount of light, to allow me to see where I was going. I cautiously stepped on to the air conditioning unit, so that I could reach the higher window. The woman in the kitchen moved back and forth across the floor, dancing while clutching her arms close to her breast. She had her back to me as she spun around and around on her heels. The skirt of the white dress she wore swayed and flowed with her movements like water flowing through a calm stream. She spun around facing the window and giving a clear view of her face and her body.
“Shayla!” I whispered.
I removed my phone from my bag only to discover I had no service. I wanted to call Damon and let him know I had found the woman we had so many questions about, but my call would have to wait until I reached my car. I watched Shayla as she hurried out the kitchen towards the stairs. I jumped down off my perch landing on the ground below. I eased along the side of the house staring at the screen of my phone. As I came past the side of the house, I was stopped in my tracks when Shayla stepped in front of me.
“Hello Octavia,” she said politely. “I’ve been expecting you. Why don’t you join me inside?”
“You know you look really busy,” I said lightly. “It’s probably best if I come back later.” I heard a light click as the moonlight bounced off the chrome nose of the gun she held in her hand. I looked down at the weapon, then back up at the woman.
“Or now is as good a time as any,” I said.
She snatched my phone from my hands then pushed me in the direction of the house. Inside Shayla ordered me to sit down on the sofa. My cell phone let off a light chirp indicating I once again had service; followed by several additional to
nes notifying me I had a voicemail message and text. It was clear that I was back in service, however, as I stared at Shayla’s weapon, it was clear that said service was just a little too late.
Ain’t that some shit! I thought to myself. America’s most reliable my ass!
“Who knows you’re here?” Shayla asked watching me.
“No one,” I said honestly. She looked at me then shook her head.
“Call Damon,” she said, extending the phone to me. “Tell him you’re okay.”
“I’ll pass. If you’re going to kill me,” I said, staring her in the eyes, “just get it over with.” I was afraid hearing my husband’s voice would evoke tears and quite possibly fear in me; not the fear of dying, but the fear of never seeing him or our daughter again. Despite my circumstances, I was extremely calm. I guess my feelings of peace derived from the fact that it wasn’t the first time I had been on the other end of a gun, and I knew that whenever my time on earth was up, there would be nothing that could be done and fear would be a useless emotion. Maybe in some scary way, all the death and mayhem I had seen and experienced had made me numb.
“If you don’t call, I will,” Shayla said coldly. “Then when he gets here, because you and I both know he’ll come” she paused for a moment before continuing, “I‘ll make sure he’s dead before his feet hit the ground.”
I snatched the phone from her hand and dialed my husband’s number. When our conversation was over I told him I loved him then handed Shayla the phone. She grabbed the phone then tossed it on the leather chair adjacent to the sofa where I was sitting.
“Octavia, what do you know about karma?” she asked. I looked at her confused about where she was headed with our conversation.
“I know what you put out is what you receive,” I said playing along.
“Yes,” she said. “What goes around comes around.” I looked at her curious as to if she realized that karma also applied to her.
“Where are you going with this?” I asked impatiently. She looked slightly offended that I was ruining her moment.
“Patience,” she said coldly. “You’ll be dead soon enough.”
“Who are you?” I questioned. “And why are you doing this?” She walked over to the chair then eased down sitting on the edge.
“My name is Venetta,” she said. “Venetta Bailey.”
I thought real hard trying to remember where I had heard her name before. She looked at me with low, dark eyes.
“You don’t even have a clue?” she asked. “Do you?”
“I’ve heard of you from somewhere,” I said, still processing my thoughts. “I just can’t put my finger on it.”
“Maybe you’re more familiar with my family name,” she said, “Douglass.”
I remembered in an instant where I had heard of her.”
“You’re Gator’s sister.
“Yes,” she said proudly. “I prefer to call him Leon, I’m not big on nicknames.”
“But you’re big on making up a whole identity,” I said frowning. “Wow…”
She cocked her head to the side while looking at me.
“I didn’t make up Shayla’s identity,” she remind me, “she’s very real. I’m just not her.”
“Why?” I asked.
“Everyone deals with pain and loss differently,” she said. “When my son died, my husband Terrance dealt with the pain by declaring war and seeking revenge on the ones responsible.”
I remembered all too clearly how Terrance handled their son’s death; by helping hold me captive, plotting to murder Damon, and blowing Lena’s brains out. The man flipped completely out! He was the poster child for therapy.
“I tried to cope by being a better person and trying to keep my focus on the positive.” I remained silent. “But you know where that thinking got me?” she asked. “It got me to bury my husband less than eight months after I buried my child. It lead to my brother, who was my best friend, going to prison for life. All the family and support that I knew and loved instantly diminished to shit, and the bitch who claimed she would always be there for him and always be my sister, ran off with his attorney!” She took a quick breath then continued. “So all that positive bullshit went down the toilet and I decided my husband was right…sometimes the best way to mourn is through revenge.”
“I’m not responsible for what happened to your family,” I said calmly. “I was a victim in the whole mess.”
“You were,” she agreed. “But my husband would still be alive, and my brother would be free if Leon had just killed you when he had the chance. ”
“Why didn’t he?” I asked.
“Our mother was murdered,” she informed me. “When Leon established his organization he made a pledgethat he would never make another child suffer the pain that we experienced growing up without our mother…that’s why.”
I would have found Gator’s code honorable, but he had probably ordered the hit on hundreds of men. So, children don’t need fathers? Gator was twisted and crazy as hell; there is nothing noble about that.
“So, I saw an opportunity,” she continued. “Infiltrate your team like you did ours. Slip into your business and see if I could recoup some of my losses, if only financially.” She crossed her legs then reclined in the chair. “I reached out to Amel and made her a proposition; if she could get me inside your business I would give her a free pass...her life. However, she was quite adamant about not betraying you, even after I sent a friend of mine to visit her mother in Selma.”
“Get to the part when you decided to kill her,” I said.
“That came when I found another one of your little peons who was willing to assist...”
“Tabitha,” I concluded.
“No,” she frowned. “Kaitlyn.”
Kaitlyn? I thought.
“Yes, Kaitlyn,” she said, reading my mind. I listened as Venetta described in detail that Kaitlyn had been the one who drugged Amel and myself while making it appear as Tabitha was involved. She had been the one who turned off the camera and even pretended to be Tanitha when the security company called.
“Tabitha was an innocent bystander,” Venetta continued.
“What do you mean was?”
“She’s dead now. But that’s only due to the fact that she learned a little too much and was planning on exposing me.” she explained. “So, I had Aurora take care of her.” I felt the wells of my eyes filling with tears.
“You killed her?” I asked.
“Don’t worry,” she said. “We gave her a little something that will help her sleep permanently. But it was completely painless.”
I couldn’t believe the woman’s complete disregard for life. The more I looked at her the angrier I became.
“So we had our game plan and our players,” she continued. “Amel was to come in sick and once you arrived I would take care of you—do what my brother should have done long ago. However, we had an interesting turn of events that evening.”
“When Amel killed herself,” I said.
“That too,” she said. “But no, the ultimate turn came when you entered the office and I saw you were pregnant.” She smiled brightly. “You were positively radiant. So I decided to let you live a little longer. Well, as karma would have it…you went into labor.” She paused then laughed. “As if shit couldn’t get more interesting or better for me!”
She looked genuinely thrilled as she reminisced. I listened as she went into detail, filling in the blanks of what I had been missing. Venetta explained when she came to my assistance in the middle of the road she knew everyone would be distracted and caught up in the chaos, which was her perfect time to drug me. I remembered the pain in my arm.
“I got you to the hospital in record time,” she said. “And I made sure you had the best care money could buy.” I knew she was referring to Doctor Aurora. “However, when I left the plan was that you would be dead. So simple, but you made it.” She stood, then walked over to the sofa. “Quite naturally, I knew I had to finish the job—”
“So you came back later that night,” I concluded. “But Damon was with me.”
“Bingo,” she grinned. “Needless to say when Aurora advised me you didn’t remember and we were safe, I decided simply to count my blessings and let bygones be bygones. I believe in giving second chances. But now we’re here and it’s clear I should have followed my first instinct…” She rose from her chair then walked over to me. “Let’s go,” she said grabbing my arm and pulling me up from the couch. Venetta pulled me close, holding on to my arm with one hand and poking the nose of the gun against my ribs with the other. “Another thing I believe in is wrapping up all loose ends.” She continued. “Saying the proper goodbyes. I didn’t get that with my son or my husband, but I’m going to show you that despite everything, I truly have a good heart.”
“That’s all a matter of opinion,” I said dryly.
“Now is not the time to be cute,” she said. As we made it to the top of the stairs, I could hear sounds of music playing. “Go,” she said, shoving me in the back. “Third door on the right.”
I hesitated briefly then walked up to the closed door. I turned the handle then pushed the door open and stepped inside. The room was simply painted with white walls and all white baby furniture. There was crib, changing table, and a large rocking chair.
“You see Octavia, I lost my son, but when I met you the winds of fate shifted giving me another opportunity.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, fearful of what she may say next. She pushed me forward, nudging me towards the crib. I stepped forward until I was able to see the baby boy sleeping peacefully.
“Beautiful isn’t he?” Venetta asked. “You and Damon did good.”
I shot my eyes at her confirming that I heard her correctly. She nodded her head.
“Josiah…” I whispered. I felt an overflowing of hope inside of me as I came to terms with the fact that my son was alive.