by Edwina Fort
“Look! He’s leaving!” Bria screeched from beside me, bringing me back to the present. I lifted the binoculars and watched as Michael stumbled to his car. The drug was working. Right then a horrible thought came to mind.
“Oh no! What if he tries to drive?” She and I both jumped out the car at the same time. Kidnapping is one thing, murder was a whole other ballgame. We hurried across the busy street to the restaurant parking lot just in time to see Michael sit down heavily in the driver seat of a car that looked like it came from another planet.
“Damn, that’s a nice car!” Bria said sounding winded. We slowed down to a walk waiting to see what he was going to do next. He never lifted his legs into the car.
“I think he’s out, come on!” Quickly we crossed the parking lot.
“Help me get his legs in.” I cried as I tried to lift them with no success. Bria went around to the passenger door and pulled while I pushed.
“You ladies need a hand?” A deep voice asked from behind us.
We whipped around to see a dark man in a cowboy hat that cast half his face in shadow leaning casually against a tree watching us. He looked like a bonified black cowboy.
“Ummm,” I opened my mouth to tell him this was my brother and he was drunk. But for some reason I couldn’t lie to him. It was something about him I couldn’t put my finger on. He straightened and came towards us. Bria and I moved out his way as he leaned in and effortlessly lifted the sleeping man moving him into the passenger seat.
“Thank you,” I told him when he stood back up out the car. He tipped his hat.
“You’re welcome, daughter.” He lifted one side of his lips in a smile before he just moseyed on away. Both Bria and I stood there for a second staring after him, astonished that the stranger had just made this kidnapping breezy.
“What the hell was that?” She asked after a while.
“A blessing!” I said snapping into action. “I’ll drive him, you take my car.”
“Wait!” She called after me. “How we gon’ get him up the stairs to your place? We couldn’t even get his legs in the car.”
“Larry should be there, he can help us.” She nodded before turning to head back to my car. I slid behind the wheel and for the first time in my life, experienced pure luxury. Don’t get me wrong, Mitch had a nice car, but it was nothing like this.
At first sight I thought it was a Jaguar, but now that I was in it, I saw that it was a Benz by the logo on the steering wheel.
“Michael, you have a really nice car here.” I told the sleeping man as I reached over him to put on his seatbelt before putting on mine. As I led the way back to the hood I couldn’t help but give the car a little gas to see what it could do, but then I thought better of it bringing it back to the speed limit. Last thing I needed was for the police to pull me over.
When we got to my place I pulled the car around back in the alley. My small apartment was located over Larry’s Afrocentric Book Store and Juice Bar.
“Wheeew! Look at this ride!” He said in his heavy Jamaican accent coming out wiping his hands on a towel. The sounds of Bob Marley’s Redemption Song followed him out the door. Larry was a middle aged, ganja smoking Rastafarian, who wore his long dreads wrapped in a head wrap, because he didn’t believe in letting them go free in the heart of Babylon, which is what the Rastas called America.
“Hey Mon, you can look later, I need you to help me get this mon upstairs to me place.” I said mimicking his Jamaican Patwah.
He shook his head. “No mon, me don’t want to be an accessory to this crime.”
Folding my arms, I looked at him as if he had gone crazy.
“Are you kidding me? Don’t forget this was your idea. Also, don’t forget that you made the little elixir that I poured in his drink.”
He stood there for a minute looking at me through his blood shot eyes.
“Oh!” Was all he said before he came and helped get the man out the car.
It took Larry, Bria and I damn near an hour to get the big body upstairs. The whole time Larry complained that his heart was going to give out due to lifting such heavy weight with a chest full of ganja smoke.
“What now?” Bria asked as we all breathing heavily stared down at the body sprawled on my kitchen floor. The man was big, even passed out he carried an air of authority, making my little apartment feel even smaller.
I chewed on my nail as I thought about it. Rain was at Bria’s mother’s house, who wouldn’t be bringing her back till morning, which meant I had all night to try and convince Michael here to give his big brother a call and tell him to release his hold on my child if he ever wanted to see him again.
“Help me get him up in the chair.” Together the three of us got him in the chair. Larry went back down stairs and came back with rope. After we had him tied securely I let out a sigh of relief.
“I can’t believe I went through with this.” I told my two friends as we stood staring down at the man who still slept.
“Me cant’ either.” Larry muttered. “Well now ladies, I will leave you. The interrogation is all yours.” I reached for his hand.
“Thank you, Larry.”
“Don’t thank me yet. There is a good chance you will end up in prison for this.” Bria’s mouth fell opened as she shook her head.
“Why would you say something like that? If this man get free I doubt if he calls the cops. He seems like the type that handle things like this on his own. It’s a good chance she gon’ end up floating at the bottom of the Bay for this.”
Larry looked back at the sleeping man. “You know what Bria Bria, me think you’re right.”
“Thanks guys for all your votes of confidence. Get out, Larry.” I went to push him out the door.
“Will you be showing up for work tomorrow?” He asked on his way out.
“If I’m not dead or in jail.” I shut the door in his face. “Okay, let’s wake him.” I told Bria clapping my hands together. I was ready to get this over with and this man out of my small space.
“Wait!” Bria screeched. “What’s the plan? I mean, we got to get our tough faces going right? We got to be intimidating.” I nodded.
“Yeah we do, let me see what you got.” She frowned her face up really good.
“Wake up, fool, you being kidnapped!” As she spoke she grabbed the front of her pants.
“Umm, Bria…What you grabbing?”
“My gat, fool!” I shook my head as I went to my kitchen drawer to take out the matches. We were in trouble.
Melech
The acrid smell of smoke brought me to. I jerked up in the chair blinking as the two beautiful women came into focus. When the hell did I go to sleep? The last thing I remember was suddenly feeling very tired, so much so that I had to tell Michael and his business partner Jeff that I will have to meet with them another day to go over the proposition for the hotels they wanted to open in the East Bay area.
I remembered Mike telling me I needed a vacation as I stood. I chuckled telling him he was right, I was just thinking that very thought this morning. It had been nearly ten years since my last vacation. After that I don’t remember much else. I think I must have been drugged.
“The waitress.” I muttered.
I had been so caught up in how breathtakingly beautiful she was that I let the fact that she was awfully nervous slip my notice. I narrowed my eyes on the light-skinned woman with the cornrows. She had been the waitress. She must have been wearing a wig. But it was something else about her. Even earlier when I saw her she felt familiar. I knew that beautiful face from somewhere.
They were both doing something strange with their faces. It looked like they were trying to give me threatening looks. That’s when I realized I was tied. My first response was to burn the rope, but something made me pause.
I just remembered where I knew the pretty light-skinned girl from. Her name was Earth and she was Mitch’s wife. How could I forget that when I secretly lusted for her the whole time they were married?
“What’s going on, why do you have me tied to this chair?” I raised my voice a bit and took in the fact that it frightened both of them.
What the hell? Now I was good and curious.
Earth inhaled, gathering her courage before she took a cautious step forward.
“Listen, Michael. I’m going to give you some instructions and you’re going to follow them, no questions asked.”
She thought I was Michael
I nearly smiled as I settled back in my chair. Just this morning I had been thinking that my life has gotten mundane and I needed a new scenario. I looked around Earth’s apartment. It was small, but cozy. It had stamps of her personality all over it. From the colorful curtains, to the mud cloth pillows on her couch. A couch that was old, but still looked quite comfortable.
The apartment screamed of somebody making do with what they had. She had taken her lemons and made a pleasing-to-the-eye cup of lemonade.
“Whatever you say, ma’am. Just don’t hurt me.” Why not have a little fun with it? She drew herself up and I nearly laughed out loud when her little friend gave her a look that said. Yeah, you told him!
“Now, I’m going to pick up this phone and dial your older brother’s number. And you are going to tell him to release the hold he has on my daughter Rain.”
I had no idea what she was talking about. “What hold?”
“Custody. Your family’s lawyers took me to court to get custody of my daughter.” I shook my head.
“Are you sure? ‘Cause I know nothing about it.”
“Well, maybe they don’t tell you everything, with you being the youngest, but it’s true. I was married to Mitch and he and I had a daughter. He died before she was born. I’ve been raising her by myself for the last five years.” As she spoke her beautiful eyes flashed with the passion of her words. My gaze fell to her full lips. It was those plush beauties that had caught my attention the first time I saw her picture. I licked mine as a ravenous hunger to taste hers fell over me.
“Somehow your big brother found out about her and sicked his lawyers on me. The judge ruled in his favor and told me I have thirty days to say my last goodbyes. To my child!” She yelled the last of her statement.
“Do that sound right to you? I’m not a bad mother. I mean no, I can’t afford a mansion.” She gestured to her humble apartment around her. The way she opened her arms caused her shirt to draw tight over her full breast.
“But Rain has everything she needs. Her room is full of the toys and clothes that I bought for her. How is it fair your family can now show up out of nowhere and take her from me?!” She was getting herself good and worked up.
This woman was amazingly beautiful. When I first saw her I wondered, how in the hell had my screw up of a brother found a woman like this? She wasn’t his type at all. Mitch was known for going after the fast girls. What was it about this innocent beauty that had caught his eye? No doubt knowing Mitch, it was for a nefarious reason.
“It’s not fair.” I told her.
Her eyes brightened as a look of relief settled on her face. She was very naive. She had no clue of what she’d just done. Hell, even I was having a hard time wrapping my mind around it. This woman had just given herself to me. She’d flat out fell right into my hands.
“So, you’ll do it? You’ll make the call?” I lifted one side of my mouth in a grin. The girl woman next to her put her hand on her chest.
“Gracious!” She muttered to herself. But I didn’t look away from Earth’s beautiful gaze. She was Mine!
“No!” I finally spoke.
About the Author
Author Edwina Fort is a writer who writes with a passion and purpose. She was born and raised in Chicago, but now resides in the South. Although she is new to many, this author has been writing for many years and has given her unique style of writing away freely at no cost to those who would receive. Her passion for writing came about at an early age and developed into what it is today based on her experience and life lessons. With her stories, she wants to redefine all that we’ve been taught to believe and shed light on our truths and potential. Writing is her calling and she wants to share that gift with you through the pages of her work. Each book will take you on a memorable journey you will find hard to forget.