by Deja King
Now that I had the best bargaining tool possible, when the time was right, I would contact Supreme and see exactly what he was willing to give up to get his daughter back, or who he was willing to give up, because I refused to allow Precious to be happy. She thought she could come back and reclaim her old life as if shit hadn't changed. The nerve of her answering Supreme's phone as if she owned him. But once again, I showed her who the real queen bitch is, and it's me. I'm always one step ahead of her.
I would've given anything to see the look on her face when she got the news that the reunion with her daughter she'd been wishing for was not gonna happen. I couldn't help but laugh to myself. Precious had come up short once again. For a second time, I was the hand rocking the cradle, so that means I rule the world.
Skipping to the car, smiles and giggles continued as I thought about all the misery I was bringing Precious. That bitch is somewhere crying right non and Supreme probably so sick of all the drama that comes with dealing with her ass that he ain't thinking about www ping away the tears. Yep, Precious, )))hen I'm done torturing you, you will have lost it all,•your daughter, husband and mind.
"Oh shi-i-i-i-t!" I bawled as my moment of celebrating was instantly brought to a halt. Right as I put the key in the ignition, I saw Precious in some sort of old school Cadillac, cruising slowly as she looked around the parking lot. There was no doubt in my mind she was looking for me. When the car started, the sound of the engine must've caught her attention, and the evil glare she hurled in my direction made me put the car quickly in reverse and then into drive, and I sped the fuck out of the parking lot. Of course her nerve-wrecking ass was on my shit as I hit South Van Brunt going towards Nordhoff Place. I then suddenly veered to the right on Route-4W hoping to lose the bitch, but when I looked in the rearview mirror, there she was, keeping the fuck up. I then made another abrupt right, which put me on Decatur, and that insistent broad did too.
"Bitch, get off my back!" I screamed out, determined to lose her once and for all. When I tried to make a hasty left on Alfred Avenue, I lost control of the car and smashed into a parked car. The impact was so hard that it caused the airbag to discharge.
"Fu-u-u-u-uck!" I shouted as I tried to start the car back up, but got absolutely nothing. "Fuck it... fuck it... fuck it!" I repeated as I grabbed my purse and soared out of the car, concluding that I would have to lose this bitch on foot.
I glanced behind me briefly and didn't see Precious, which brought a small sense of relief. I cut through some houses trying to maneuver through the back streets.
"Damn, I'm tired," I groaned, almost out of breath. I knew I couldn't run forever, so I decided to call Tashawn. It was either call her, or a taxi, and I was too tired, frustrated and pissed the fuck off to try and get some local taxi information.
"Hello."
"Hey Tashawn," I said, still breathing extremely hard.
"Maya, are you okay? You sound out of breath."
"Girl, somebody just tried to rob me."
"What!"
"Yes, I was able to keep my purse, but they took the car."
"Are you serious? Did you call the police?"
"Yes, I'm waiting for them now so I can file a report. But can you pick me up? I could ask the police officer when he gets here, but I need to go back to the rental car place, and I know that they're not gonna want to do all that for me."
"Don't even trip. I'm sure you don't wanna ride in no police car anyway. Tell me where you at and I'll come get you."
"What about my niece?"
"Girl, I have a car seat. I always keep one in the car because I never know when I might have to go get my nephew"
"Great, I owe you again."
"You gave me five-hundred dollars, so we good. Now where you at?"
"There's this gas station right beside this store on the corner of Hancock Avenue. You know, like if you were going towards Route-4 E."
"I think I know where you talking about, but I got navigation on my phone so I'll be straight."
"Girl, you really are a life saver."
"Don't worry about it. I'll call you when I get near there."
"Cool, I'll be there." I stood behind a house for a few more minutes. I could see a main street, and a gas station right next to a store, from where I was. After making sure there was no sign of Precious, I felt confident enough to walk across the street and wait for Tashawn near the gas station. When I went to the store, I was thirsty and I had to piss, so I figured I'd empty my bladder first, then get a drink.
I dashed inside the stall, almost ripping off my jeans. I didn't even have time to lock the door because I was afraid I was about to urinate on myself. When I bent down over the toilet, I shut my eyes in relief as the pee seemed to flow forever. When I finished, I felt much more relaxed. My mind was now clear enough to figure out my next move. "At least I got rid of Precious' dumb ass," I said, after flushing the toilet.
"Think again, bitch!"
My heart dropped when I realized Precious was standing in front of the bathroom stall with her fists balled up, each resting solidly on her waist. Before I could say a word, her spiked stiletto heel was puncturing my stomach, thrusting me back against the mechanical flush valve.
"Ahhhhhhh!" I screeched out in pain. I thought I heard my back crack, but before I had time to know for sure, Precious was digging her nails in my scalp as she slammed my head inside the toilet bowl.
"You just had to keep fuckin' wit' me and my family!" she yelled, yanking my head out of the toilet bowl water. "You gon' regret the day you ever decided to go up against me!" she continued, then jammed my face back in the water. This heffa had me thinking I was gonna drown in the toilet bowl. I was trying to clench my hands on the floor to get some balance and maybe get Precious off of me, but she was not letting up.
Precious yanked my head out of the toilet again, and I tried to catch my breath thinking she was gonna baptize me once more, but instead, as she maintained the grip on my hair, she opened the stall door and slammed me against the wall.
"I want you to see my face as I beat yo' ass! Oh, and check out the pink diamond heart. Yeah, bitch this shit is where it belongs." Precious barked before taking her knee and shoving it up my pussy, not once, not twice, not even three fuckin' times, but over and over again. I felt like the bitch was giving me a botched abortion, and I wasn't even pregnant.
"I can't take no more.. .please, stop!" I begged.
"Stop! Bitch, we ain't even started!" she boasted, smashing the back of my head repeatedly against the wall. "You ain't so bad when you ain't got Devon holding me while you beat me wit' some brass knuckles, huh? Don't go silent on me. The fun just about to start."
My body was halfway numb from pain by the time Precious hauled me over to the sink. When she swung my face like it was a baseball bat against the bathroom faucets, I just knew I was dead. Blood splattered everywhere as my nose and mouth ripped open. The collision with the sink also caused my two front teeth to come out. Although I wasn't dead, I no longer wanted to be alive.
"Precious, you win... please stop!" I pleaded as blood gushed out of my mouth.
"I'ma be honest with you. I am gonna kill you. But if you take me to my daughter and not a strand of her hair is out of place, instead of mutilating you while you're still alive, I'll simply slit your throat and let you watch yourself bleed to death. You can decide while I'm taking you to the car.
Precious pushed me down on the floor, wrapped my hair around her hand and dragged me out of the bathroom as if I was a bloody ragdoll. I could see the horror and disbelief on some of the customers' faces who were in the store, but she didn't give a fuck about any of them. She kept pulling me down the aisle like this was her world. When she opened the door and I hit the pavement, it felt as if the concrete was ripping the skin from my face.
"Help me!" I called out barely audible because of the excruciating pain I was in, but it was as if nobody cared, or maybe they were too damn scared, because only a crazy motherfucker like Precious
could be this bold. When we got to her car and she was opening the passenger side door, I heard a car zoom up and stop right in front of us. The way Precious had me positioned on the ground I couldn't see shit though.
"Yo, Precious! What the fuck are you doing!" I heard a male voice yell out.
"Before I murder this bitch, Maya is gonna take me to my daughter... ain't that right, Maya?" Precious smiled down at me, knowing I didn't have the strength to reply even if I wanted to.
"I know you're pissed, but this shit right here is crazy. You're dragging a badly beaten woman out in public. I know how angry you are; fuck, I'm angry too, but this ain't the way to get shit done."
As I listened to some man trying to reason with Precious, I heard a car door open and then shut.
"Genesis, can you please try and reason with her?"
I felt Precious shift forward in one swift movement as if reaching for something, because of course, with the hold she had on my hair, when she moved, I moved too.
"Nico, get the fuck away from me! When I spotted Maya's sneaky ass crossing the street, I shoulda' never called you and told you where I was, `cause I don't' want to hear this shit!"
"Yo, I can't believe you took my gun like that! Give me that shit back!"Precious stepped forward, evidently steadily holding the heat.
"Don't make me use this on you, because I will."
"Precious, what are you doing? you're smarter than this."
"Genesis, you need to stay the fuck outta this! You have no idea the hell this bitch has put me and my family through. And when I finally made it back to them, she kidnaps my daughter... again! This sick bitch deserves to die. Now, both of ya' get the fuck out of my way. I'm sure somebody is gon' call the police soon, if they haven't already. So I need to go!"
"Precious, Nico explained to me everything that Maya has done to you and your family, and she deserves to be punished. But I can't let you kill her."
"Excuse me? I didn't know I asked for your permission.
"Listen. I was trying to wait for Quentin to get here, but-"
"Quentin! What the fuck did you call Quentin for? Quentin ain't got nothing to do wit' this shit! Yo, get the fuck out of my way, both of you, before I just start blasting!"
"Precious, that's your sister you're about to kill, and Quentin Jacobs is both of ya's father. I swear it's true. When he saw you at that funeral and you told him your last name-not Mills but Cummings, unlike the first time when he met you with Mike-he had a feeling, but to be positive, when I had you meet me for breakfast that morning, it was to get your DNA so Quentin could have it compared to his."
"So what? You're a forensic scientist now? I can catch you on an episode of CSI!Nigga, get the fuck outta here with that bullshit!"
"It ain't bullshit, Precious. Maya is your sister."
"Let's say for argument sake you are telling the truth... so fuckin' what! I wouldn't give a damn if she came out my own mother's pussy and we were full blood sisters! This ho gotta go!"
"I'm not gonna let you spend the rest of your life in jail because of Maya. You have a fuckin' daughter to live for! You've always been so hard headed and stubborn. Is this piece of shit really worth your life without your daughter in it? Especially since we got the proof we need to send her to jail. I've already been in contact with Detective Moore. He's hungry to lock her ass up, and I told him I have the evidence he needs to do it," Nico continued to try and plead his case.
I wasn't sure what distressed me more; learning that I had a father I knew nothing about, or a sister I despised. Either way, my life was completely fucked, or over. Because, if Precious spared my life, I would still spend the majority of it locked up in a cage, or she could kill me, and honestly at this point, that sounded like a better alternative.
"Precious, Nico is right. You have everything to live for and nothing to gain if you kill Maya. Give Nico the gun so we can go find your daughter. Isn't that what it's really about, being reunited with your daughter? Don't let your emotions cause you to make a bad decision that you'll have to pay the consequences for, for the rest of your life."
Whoever the nigga, Genesis was, he had a profound effect on Precious, because she did hand the gun over to Nico, and right then, I heard what sounded like an explosion.
"What the fuck!" Precious walked a few feet forward, still dragging my ass. I guess when she put the gun down, that didn't include putting me down too.
"Some truck and a car just crashed into each other. I can't see how anybody could have survived that shit!" Genesis said, as I assumed he had the best view of the accident. "I'ma go check and see if anybody is alive and needs some help."
"Precious, can I trust you won't go do no crazy shit to Maya if I go see if I can be of any help to Genesis?"
"Nico, go head. I'm not gonna do nothing. You and Genesis made your point. I'm positive Maya is gonna tell me where my daughter is," she said, yanking my head. And then once we know Aaliyah's safe, we can toss Maya's ass over to the police."
"Night, don't fuck around and do nothing stupid."
"I won't. Plus, Supreme should be here any minute too. I had left him a message letting him know I spotted Maya, and where I was at. See, I think that's him pulling up now"
"Cool. I'ma check to see what's going on with the accident, and I'll be back."
With the fucked up luck I had today, I would deal with it all if it meant that Supreme wouldn't see me like this. The idea that the last image of me inscribed in Supreme's mind was of my cut up mouth and face, missing teeth, and covered in blood, made me want to get a hold of Nico's gun and end it all.
"What is Supreme doing? What is taking him so long to come over here?" I heard Precious mumble to herself out loud. "Genesis, did you see Supreme?"
"Yes."
"Where is he?"
"He's over there by the where the accident was."
"Oh, he's trying to help. That must mean there were some survivors."
"Precious, come with me for a minute."
"Hellooooo... Genesis.. .1 have to stay here and watch Maya, remember."
"Here comes Nico. He'll make sure Maya doesn't go anywhere until the cops come arrest her. Nico, I was just telling Precious that you'll guard Maya while she comes with me."
"That's right. Go with Genesis. I got Maya."
"Ya' worry too much. I told you I wasn't gonna kill Maya. She still has to tell us where Aaliyah is. But if ya' feel better letting Nico play watchdog, then so be it. I wanna go talk to Supreme anyway."
When Precious unleashed my hair from her grasp, my head hit the pavement so hard that my once fading headache was back. I managed to lift my head up and caught a glimpse of lights flashing and sirens roaring from the ambulances that were on the scene. Precious was completely out of my view, and it was Nico who was now beside me.
"Thank you for not letting Precious kill me."
"Don't thank me yet," he said, pulling out his gun and sticking the barrel to my head. "Do you know who was in one of those cars that crashed? Aaliyah! And so help me, if she dies, I promise you, I will kill you myself."
After Nico's warning, a piercing scream filled the air, and I knew it was the cries from my sister... Precious.
"My baby can't die! Supreme, do something!" I screamed, becoming hysterical as we entered the emergency room.
"We're going to need you to wait here," the paramedics ordered as they rushed Aaliyah in.
"Precious, she'll pull through," Supreme said, trying to sound encouraging, but it wasn't working.
"This can't be happening. When will this hell we're living in end?" I wanted to know as my hands were shaking and my voice cracked.
"Your daughter doesn't have any medical conditions or allergies, correct?" the ER nurse asked.
"No, I already told the paramedics that on the ride over in the ambulance."
"I understand, sir. I was just checking, taking every precaution."
"How is she?" Nico asked frantically, walking in with Genesis.
"What the fuck
is he doing here?" Supreme barked, making it clear that Nico's presence was not wanted.
"Supreme, please! Nico is concerned, just like Genesis.
"Mr. and Mrs. Mills," we heard the doctor call out.
"Yes! How is our daughter? Is she going to be okay?"
"I'm Dr. Katz. We're going to do everything we can to save your daughter. She's being prepped for surgery as we speak."
"Are you saying she might die? Oh God, no!" My knees buckled underneath me, and I would've hit the floor if Supreme hadn't been there to hold me up.
"Excuse me, I have to go to your daughter," Dr. Katz told us, rushing off and leaving me in a state of shock.
"Precious, what did the doctor say?" Nico asked, coming near Supreme and I.
"She's about to go into surgery. My baby can't die... she just can't!" My voice sounded almost tranquil. I let go of Supreme's hand and went to sit down. I refused to believe that my daughter would die. If she did, then somebody should walk up to me right now and kill me too.
This was all too much. Nothing made any sense. Right when I was about to kill Maya, I learned that she is supposedly my sister, and that Quentin Carter might be our father. Then some chick who was on her way to pick Maya up gets in a horrible accident that kills her and leaves my daughter barely holding on to her life. Everything that could go wrong had, and now it seemed to be getting worse. This wasn't the happy ending I had envisioned. It was actually more horrible than anything I could've imagined.
"I know that feeling you have right now, but you have to fight against giving into it," I heard Genesis say as he placed his hand on my shoulder.
"How do you do that? Tell me, please, because it hurts more than anything I could've ever imagined."
"When Talisa died, I knew my son's chances of surviving were slim to none, but I stayed in prayer and kept the faith," Genesis divulged as he bent down in front of me and placed my hands in his. "You have to do the same. Aaliyah needs you to be strong, and so does your husband. Because trust me when I tell you, he may not admit it, but the pain he's in has him ready to take out this entire hospital if they don't save his daughter's life."