Daddy's Home (Firebacks Book 1)

by Linda Verji

  By age seventeen, Nadifa had already lost her first husband and twin sons to the Ogaden War in Somalia and was pregnant with her third child. She came to the US as a refugee and was immediately married off to Sharif – Lucky’s father. Her new husband changed almost immediately the wedding vows were said. He turned from the kind older man who’d promised to protect and love her to a physically and sexually abusive animal.

  Nine years later, Nadifa packed up and ran away with her two children. Not because of the abuse but because Sharif had raped Jamilah, Lucky’s old sister. At twenty six, she was stuck looking after two children with no education, the barest comprehension of English and the constant threat of her husband finding them. Nadifa never complained, worked two jobs, and brewed traditional alcohol on the side to put them through school. Yet somehow, she still managed to attend every one of Lucky’s games.

  When Lucky tried his hand on the streets in an effort to help with the bills by selling dope, she was there to pull him back by his ear. She set him on the straight and narrow. His mother was determined that he wouldn’t end up like Jamilah, rebellious and determined to throw her life to hell. When he was drafted to the Firebacks in New York and Zain was still in Medical School, Nadifa had sold her small restaurant and joined him. Talking back to her was against his nature. Giving in to her demands was the least he could do to repay her for everything she’d sacrificed for him.

  “After the hard life she’s had,” Nadifa added, “Sonia deserves some nice things.”

  Unlike Zain, Lucky wasn’t surprised that his mother was being so nice to Sonia. He’d blatantly lied and he’d told Nadifa that Sonia was a waitress he’d met in Atlantic City. He couldn’t very well tell his mother that she’d been a stripper, could he?

  “What restaurant did you say she worked at?”

  “She worked…at…” Lucky stumbled. He hadn’t really ironed out the details of Sonia’s job. Luckily, Dr. Franklin appeared and quickly took up Nadifa’s attention.

  “Is she alright?” Nadifa stood up to meet the doctor.

  “We’re going to keep her in for the next two days.” Dr. Franklin reassured them, “But I’m sure she and her son are going to be just fine.”

  “God be praised,” Nadifa sighed in relief.

  Son was all Lucky heard. He sat dazed as he tried to wrap his mind around the fact that he was going to have a son. It – this – was very real.

  “We’ll need to put her on bed rest for a couple of weeks,” the doctor added. “She’ll need someone to look after her.”

  “That’s okay.” Nadifa smiled. “She’s moving in with my son and he’ll take care of her.”

  His wife wasn’t going to like it. She wasn’t going to like it at all.

  * * *

  Zain didn’t like this one bit! Lucky was crazy for even asking it of her. They were seated on their bed with their backs to the headboard, clad in their sleepwear as they talked. They’d been back and forth on the same issue for the last hour and she was damn tired of it.

  “I can’t believe you’re actually trying to convince me to let this woman into our house.” Zain stared at him in wide-eyed incredulity.

  “She’s not coming into the house,” Lucky said defensively. “She’ll be in the pool-house.”

  “The pool-house is part of the house, fool,” Zain returned angrily. “Get her an apartment or something.”

  “She needs someone to take care of her.”

  “Hire her a maid.”

  “Baby,” he pleaded, “if she stays here it’ll save us money.”

  “Save us money? That’s your best excuse?” She shook her head in disbelief. “I can’t believe you’re trying to do this, Halake.”

  “My mom -”

  “I should’ve known this was Nadifa’s handiwork!” Zain interrupted with a sneer. “Why can’t she keep her old ass out of our business?”

  “Don’t disrespect my mom.”

  “Do you tell her that when she’s disrespecting me?”

  “We’re getting off topic.” It was easy to see the conversation was frustrating him just as much as it was aggravating her because the vein at his temple stood out and throbbed. “Look, Sonia is moving into the pool-house. Just stop arguing about it.”

  “Oh, that’s how we’re doing it these days?” Zain asked, waving her hands between the two of them. “You say it and we do it?”

  “As long as I’m paying the bills.”

  “Halake…” Zain was shocked that he’d thrown her lack of income in her face.

  “I’m sorry,” he apologized after a deep breath as he ran a palm over his face. “I didn’t mean it that way.”

  “Yes!” Sadness suffused her tone. “You did.”

  Zain switched the lamp on her side of the bed off and slid deeper into the sheets. She tucked the covers over her shoulders as she turned her back to him in an effort to hide her tears.

  “I’m sorry,” Lucky whispered in the darkness as he curled up behind her.

  “You know this is wrong and you’re still doing it,” she said, shoving his wandering hand away from her hip. “You’re not sorry.”

  Two days later, Zain, Maari, Lily and Iris sat on the steps leading to the pool, watching as Lucky and Nadifa supervised the movers. Apart from the things Lucky had bought her, Sonia didn’t have all that much to move. It, however, didn’t mean that Nadifa was making any less of a fuss. You would’ve thought the queen was moving in next door.

  “Mommy…” Lily tagged at Zain’s linen pants. “…why is Daddy’s fat friend going to live in our small house?”

  Zain wondered the same damn thing.

  CHAPTER 10

  “Do you like being a waitress?”

  The question caught Sonia off guard and she stared at Nadifa in confusion.

  “Halake said you were a waitress in Atlantic City,” Nadifa clarified, shaking a blanket over Sonia’s prone body.

  “It was okay,” Sonia lied. She had no idea what the old lady was talking about because the only way she’d ever made money was on her back and on the pole. Her life had been set the moment her mother and little brothers had died from hypothermia. Still reeling from their deaths, Félix had picked up a twelve-year-old Sonia off a street corner. He’d immediately put her to work and selling her body was all she’d ever known.

  “Well you won’t have to work anymore.” Nadifa straightened to her full height with a warm smile. “Lucky will take care of you.”

  Sonia hoped so. After the incident with Félix, she’d take all the protection she could get. The Fords could afford it, she could tell by just looking at the way they’d set her up. It was the only reason she’d agreed to move into the same house as his crazy ass wife.

  The pool house was small when compared to the main house, but it was nothing to sniff at. For one, it overlooked the swimming pool with the only barrier being the floor-to-ceiling glass windows that stood as a separator between the two areas. They sat in the den, where she’d had cushioned wicker couches arranged in an L formation.

  Two doors sat to one side and her explorations had revealed that one door led to a steam room and sauna while the other led to a gym and changing room. Behind her seat, another door led to a spacious bedroom. There was no kitchen so the Ford’s housekeeper, Marilynn, or Lucky’s mother brought in her meals.

  She could get used to this kind of pampering – even if she had to deal with the old hag’s unending questions.

  “Where did you grow up?” Nadifa asked, taking a seat next to Sonia.

  “Minnesota,” Sonia said the first state that popped into her mind. Anything but Portland, Oregon because the woman looked like the type to investigate and Sonia had a prostitution rap sheet in Portland as long as her arm.

  “Really?” Nadifa exclaimed excitedly. “That’s where we originally settled.”

  “That’s nice.”

  “What school did you go to?”

  Shit! Where was Google when you needed it? Improvising, Sonia shifted uncomfortabl
y on the seat and faked a wince. Nadifa predictably jumped to her feet, plumping the pillow beneath Sonia’s head as she worriedly asked, “Are you okay?”

  “Just a little pain,” Sonia sighed. “Those reporters really did a number on me.”

  She’d already snitched on Félix once and wasn’t trying to repeat the mistake. Where the hell was she going to get two hundred grand to pay him back? Lucky? If she used the baby as leverage, there was a possibility. That, however, was a double edged sword. He could very well give her the cash she needed, but he might become angry enough to kick her out and right back into Félix’s path. She wasn’t too panicked because it wasn’t like she was going to give birth any time soon. She had time.

  “Would you like me to get you something?” Nadifa fussed with Sonia’s pillows.

  “I’d really like a glass of—” Sonia caught herself as wine almost slipped out of her big mouth. Out of thin air, she cherry-picked, “Juice. I’d love a glass of juice.”

  “Of course.” Nadifa nodded eagerly.

  “I’ll go get it. Hopefully that girl isn’t there.”

  That girl, as Sonia had found out, was Zain. Nadifa wasn’t a fan of her daughter-in-law. Sonia watched her rush off with a contemplative look. She hadn’t found a way to use the Nadifa vs. Zain feud to her advantage, but she was sure she’d find one soon. She decided to keep Nadifa close.

  * * *

  Zain was watching Sonia!

  She didn’t for one moment believe the quiet, sickly façade the woman had put up for Nadifa and Lucky. Her instincts said the woman was up to something and they were usually right. If Sonia so much as tried anything she was ready to cart her ass out of the house, hair first.

  “It’s okay to tell us you know,” Chryssa said. Though her eyes were covered in gold-rimmed sunglasses, Zain knew she was looking at her.

  “Tell you what?” Zain’s eyes never swerved from the pool house as she asked the question.

  “If Lucky has a dick of gold,” Chryssa said. “I want to know how the hell this nigga has you – Zain Davis Ford – and his trick living in the same house.”

  Zain, Tasha, and Chryssa sat on the chaise lounges by the pool, though none of them wore swimsuits. Zain sported a white maxi dress with a Rastafarian print v-neck, Tasha rocked her typical sexy-church-mom uniform, and Chryssa had replaced her tight jeans and tops for a business suit. Zain had invited them over to mug the pool house and put the fear of God in Sonia.

  It was amusing. Every time Sonia stepped out the bedroom three pairs of eyes confronted her, glaring at her through the thick glass. She quickly darted back inside. Now Zain appreciated Lucky’s insistence that the pool-house didn’t need drapes. The whore couldn’t hide from her glare. In fact, Zain was thinking of installing cameras in every room just to up Sonia’s discomfort.

  “You have to be married to understand.” Tasha came to Zain’s defense. Nobody really understood how much the situation was hurting her, but because inside her she had this demon – the one called love – she kept quiet. If she didn’t love Lucky so much, she’d have already walked away.

  “At least tell me you’re keeping Lucky away from the pool house,” Chryssa said.

  “He can’t even come down those stairs. I told him that if he wants to swim he can dip himself in the bathtub,” Zain replied. “Then he had the nerve to ask me what if they had issues to discuss.”

  “Discuss what? Please!” Chryssa sucked her teeth. “Tell the bitch to send an e-mail to stupidbitch@hoemail.com.”

  Tasha and Zain laughed.

  “Lucky is a good man. Believe me, I know what a bad man is,” Tasha said, causing Zain and Chryssa to look at her contemplatively as they tried to figure out the veiled meaning behind her words. Everyone knew Polo was a douche, but this screamed something more.

  “How long are we doing this?” Chryssa said as she looked at her watch. “’Cause I need to get back to the office. My lunch break is almost over.”

  “What kind of lunch is that?” Tasha asked. “It’s two thirty.”

  “Heffa, I was having a business lunch with a client,” Chryssa said pointing to Zain. The Ford’s retained Chryssa’s firm, Harrington Shultz, as their counsel but had never used Chryssa since she was in the Family division.

  “You can leave,” Zain said. “I think I’ll stay ‘til it’s time to get the kids.”

  One of the perks of being a housewife was that she could do this all day if she wanted. Zain had every intention of keeping her eyes on Sonia every free minute she had. Turns out she was watching the wrong bitch!

  Zain came back to the house later than usual because of Maari’s soccer match. After the game, Lucky had taken he and his team for a treat and Zain brought the twins home.

  “Iris!” she yelled as the girl ran up the stairs. “Pick up that bag from the floor.”

  “Mommy!” Iris whined as she trudged back down for it.

  “Remember to put your uniform in the basket, not on the floor.” She’d be damned if her kids ended up entitled brats who couldn’t pick up after themselves.

  The house was quiet as she bathed Iris and Lily. Marilynn had left early the previous day for some type of family function and wouldn’t be back until the next evening. Zain and the twins were on their own. Like typical five year olds, bath time was an opportunity to splash around and by the time it was over, Zain looked like she was about to sign up for a wet t-shirt contest.

  “Can we help you make dinner?” Lily asked as Zain helped her into her baby green onesie.

  “Yes you can,” Zain nodded as she turned to help Iris button up her pink onesie. “But first Mommy has to change out of her t-shirt.”

  Once she had them both dressed, she led them by hand towards she and Lucky’s room. She expected it to be empty. Surprise! Surprise! Nadifa was in the room, in Zain’s closet, comfortably sifting through it and shifting Zain’s clothes around.

  “Nana!” Iris rushed to her for a hug.

  “Hey sweetie,” Nadifa said as she bent over to envelop Iris in a hug. She turned her megawatt smile to Lily who still held Zain’s hand. “Aren’t you going to say hi to your Nana, honey?”

  “Hi,” Lily said shyly, staying put next to Zain.

  Why did Nadifa think it was okay to put her hands on her things? When had she even arrived? Zain certainly hadn’t seen the woman’s car when she’d parked hers in front of the house. Had she parked in the back? Next to the pool house? Why wasn’t she there instead? Wasn’t the pool house her new home?

  Zain wanted to ask many questions but settled for, “What’re you doing in here?” Nadifa ignored her and continued rummaging through the closet as she chatted with Iris.

  Strike One!

  Zain’s first instinct was to snatch her up, but the bitch was her mother-in-law so she took a deep breath and watched as Nadifa held up one of her maxi dresses to the light. It was the light blue one – the one she didn’t like too much because it wore her instead of the other way around. After nodding appreciatively, Nadifa flounced out of the room without a word to Zain, Iris on her heels.

  Zain couldn’t believe the nerve of her. The woman was so unappreciative! They’d had their ups and downs with her not wanting Lucky to marry Zain. Nadifa felt that Zain was too uppity, too into her career, and too spoilt. Lucky was too young at twenty-two to be tying himself to a high maintenance woman like Zain. When the couple had eloped in Las Vegas, she’d placed the blame squarely on Zain’s lap even though it’d been Lucky who’d insisted on marrying her as soon as possible.

  However, surely time and the fact that Zain had taken in her grandchildren as her own should’ve healed part of that rift. And if that wasn’t enough then the fact that Zain had quashed her dreams for this woman’s family should have. But Oh No! Not to Nadifa. Nothing Zain ever did would be enough to make up for ‘stealing’ her precious son.

  To cool off and keep from doing something stupid, Zain delayed her own descent to the kitchen by rearranging the clothes Nadifa had messed up.
Once calm, she headed downstairs with Lily. It was only when they reached the foyer that Zain realized that she’d forgotten to change out of her wet t-shirt. Oh well! She needed the cooling anyway.

  Nadifa wasn’t in the kitchen and Zain assumed that she’d gone to the pool house to chat up her new best friend taking Iris along with her. She got to work cooking dinner while Lily helped – or tried to. Soon after, Lucky and Maari stepped through the front door.

  “Ma, look what Pops hooked me up with.” Maari held up a gold medal.

  “Baby, that’s really nice,” she said, trying to infuse enthusiasm she didn’t feel into her voice as she looked the medal over and hugged Maari. “You deserve it.”

  Maari was satisfied with her performance, but Lucky wasn’t fooled. He threw her a questioning look over Maari’s head. Zain ignored him and turned back to the vegetable stir-fry.

  “Help your sister set the table.” Lucky stood behind Zain as he sent Maari off. She didn’t turn even though she could feel his body’s heat warm her back. It’d normally turn her on, but she just wasn’t in the mood. Lucky stroked her bare lower arm, “What’s the matter baby?”

  The sizzling of carrots, green beans, bell peppers, and onions in oil was the only response to his question.

  He pushed her hair to one side of her neck before kissing her right below her ear and murmuring, “Talk to me.”

  “You need to check your mother.” Zain pushed away from him to help Maari get the plates from the top cabinet. “Otherwise I’ll have to check her for you and you won’t like it.”

  “Zain, you need to give my…” Lucky stopped speaking when a giggling Iris rushed into the kitchen, closely followed by Nadifa and Sonia who wore Zain’s ugly maxi-length dress. The black fabric draped over her distended tummy like a banner, asking for a beat down. Nadifa had explicitly been told not to bring the other woman into the main house.

  Strike two!

  Her first instinct - snatch the bitch - but the bitch was still her children’s grandmother. Zain took another deep breath.