Holding tight for a few minutes, School Boy text Jakki once more wanting to see if she and Lena had safely gotten away, and if so, where he could pick them up at. Waiting on pins and needles the now on-edge troubled youth got the same response from Jakki as he did with the previous texts: none. Seeing the man reappear from the back of the building, School Boy didn’t know what to think or what to do for that matter. Rubbing both hands back across his head, his heart seemed to be pounding out his chest.
Confused with what to do next, his palms continued to sweat knowing he had to make a move swiftly if he wanted to save the day for his cousin and jump off. Moments later his hand was forced. A thunderous few rounds of gunfire rang out causing him to instinctively take cover in the vehicle not knowing exactly where the close range sounding shots came from and who the mystery shooter possibly was. Starting the ignition, he came to the fast realization the shots fired were inside the confines of the boutique. The time had got for School Boy to shit or get off the pot so to speak when it came to his family loyalty to Jakki. Knowing it was now or never, he placed one hand on the steering wheel and the other on the gear shift. For the first time in a week, his decision was perfectly clear.
Jakki bolted out the front door of the boutique and passed a car, which had to be the owners, parked in the front. With the set of high-beam headlights somewhat blinding her sight, she trusted that it had to be School Boy in her ride signaling for her that he was there to save her from the enraged wrath of the owners who were hot on her trail. Knowing her cousin had to have heard the gunshots ring out as well, Jakki wondered why he hadn’t just rushed inside and had a gun battle if need be to rescue her. After all, he was the one who sent her and Lena into what ended up being an ambush. Hearing one of the men yelling out to the other, her urgency to reach the car increased before she was forced to meet the same fate as Lena and the cat.
“Oh my God, oh my God,” she repeated out of breath. The closer the panic-stricken diva got to the headlights, the quicker she realized it was not her vehicle heading in her direction. There was no School Boy, her favorite cousin to save the day, but instead a flat bed tow truck. Where in the fuck is he at? Why he doing me like this? As the driver changed gears making the engine seem to growl much louder, Jakki ducked behind a parked car a few stores down. Saying her prayers next to the missing hubcap wheel, the winded female hoped no one from inside the store saw which way she went. Oh God, please help me, please. I swear if you get me out of this I’ll do right. Close to peeing on herself, she clenched her legs tightly and braced for the worst. Terrified of taking a possible bullet between the eyes, she raised up just enough to see over the hood of the blue Nissan. Whoa! A warm feeling of gratitude came over her believing her prayers were truly answered. One man was waving his arms telling the tow truck driver to pull behind the building while the other walked up to a police squad car that was just driving up. Seconds later the man followed by the cops went inside the still dark store.
After gathering her thoughts, Jakki then boldly hiked her blood-soaked skirt, took her panties off, and squatted on the otherwise deserted street. Using the thin layer cloth to wipe herself, she took off running for her life once more. Putting at least a good three-block distance between herself and the scene of the crime, she had to think quick knowing it was only a matter of time before the electricity to the boutique was restored and Lena’s unresponsive body was discovered. Stopping at a random house using their water hose to rinse off her hands and some of her skirt and T-shirt still covered with the girl’s blood, Jakki’s anger grew. Where in the hell is this grimy, demented idiot with my car? I swear to God he straight dead to me! That bastard set me and that stuttering Lena up just like it wasn’t nothing!
Reaching her hand into her bra to call School Boy, Jakki became more distraught realizing she’d lost her cell phone. With no money and no other options, she headed toward the hospital that was thankfully located only a half a mile away. She knew it was late and visiting hours were over, but if anyone could tell her what to do next, her father could.
Chapter 14
The seventh floor. School Boy read the numbers brightly painted on the door of each floor in the stairwell. Peeking out the small-sized center window, he continued to be just as careful as he’d been since sneaking passed the preoccupied emergency security guard. With the determination of three men, he cracked the door open as quietly as possible. Poking his head into the dimly lit hallway of the eighteen-story medical facility, School Boy started to grin with a crooked smile knowing he was seconds away from settling a long-standing debt. Caught in his warped emotions, he believed the next five coming minutes of his life was nothing other than destiny, a prophecy fulfilled. Hearing the beeping tones of multitudes of various machines and monitors to aid in saving and maintaining the hospital patients’ lives, School Boy knew his task might not be as easy as he hoped, but stayed diligent just the same.
As he waited for the perfect opportunity to make his move, School Boy thought back on the evening he witnessed his father being brutally murdered at the hands of his jealous mistress. Tired of being second in his father’s life, the spiteful woman vowed if she couldn’t have him, no one could, including his wife and son. So with a sharp kitchen carving knife, the now also dead vixen slashed his father’s throat while he and his younger cousin Jakki were forced to watch. Since that day Ruben stepped up to the plate, but nothing could take the place of a father’s love. School Boy’s mother was never right in the head again or him. Jakki on the other hand got therapy and seemed to readjust to a normal childhood. School Boy was who he was, a ticking time bomb who loved no one but himself, never getting attached to people afraid they’d leave him just as his dad did. Sadly, instead of embracing the loyal family he had left, he secretly hated their daily existence.
Making sure every nurse and night cleaning staff was out the general area, School Boy crept to room 702. Not once wondering if Jakki and Lena were dead or alive, he took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself to finally come face to face with his once beloved and respected uncle, Ruben Crayton. He wanted to see me so bad, well now is his chance.
Exhausted, looking disheveled, Jakki rushed through the hospital’s front lobby. Relieved to make it to safety, the messy-haired female marched up to the information desk after finding out the elevators were locked down for the night. Taking notice no one was there she desperately searched the room for anyone who could help her. Seeing a security guard in the far corner of the room buying himself a cup of coffee from one of the vending machines, Jakki ran up on him.
“Excuse me, excuse me,” she excitedly spoke out.
“Yes, miss, how can I help you?” he replied wondering why a girl so pretty was looking so out of sorts with parts of her shirt and skirt obviously wet.
“I know it’s late.” She tried fixing her hair. “But I need to see my father.”
“Your father?”
“Yes, Ruben Crayton.”
“Was he brought through emergency?” the guard asked thinking this had to be the reason she’d come out the house looking the way she was.
“No, he’s in room 702.” Jakki rubbed at her temples trying to soothe a pounding migraine.
“I’m sorry, miss, but visiting hours are over and don’t start back until ten.” He pointed to the bright red digital clock on the wall. “You will need to come back then.”
“Look, sir, it’s an emergency! I have to speak to my father now!” Her voice echoed off the walls of the empty lobby.
“Okay please listen to me, miss, first things first. I’m gonna need you to please lower your voice.” He towered over her trying to be diplomatic. “The hospital rules say ten and even if I wanted to break them I couldn’t. These elevators are locked down being serviced until daybreak. That’s their policy, not mine.”
“Okay, but, I ain’t crazy! I know that’s not the only way up to the damn seventh floor where my father is at!” She raised her voice yet again not used to not getting her way. “
This is so messed up!
“Look now, I’ve told you once. You have to calm down and lower your voice or leave the premises. I’m done telling you that.”
“Okay, I’m sorry.” She tried another approach attempting to reason with the man. “I know I must look a hot mess, but this is serious. This is very, very important! Please help me. I’m begging you.”
The security guard felt for her, but certainly not enough to risk losing his job. “Hey, I can let you use the house phone and you can call his room and if he’s possibly awake at this late hour and sees the flashing light, he’ll pick up.”
Feeling that may be her only option of speaking to her dad until morning, Jakki ran over to the beige wall phone snatching the receiver off the hook. Pushing in his room number she waited, praying her dad would pick up. Repeating the process several times, she returned to the guard almost in tears. “Look I don’t have my purse with my money and ID. I messed around and lost my cell phone and the only thing I need to do is speak to my dad,” she explained not knowing what to do or say next to convince him the urgency of her getting word to her father that she needed his help.
“I tell you what. I’ll call the nurse’s station and have her check in on Mr. Crayton and see if he’s awake,” he negotiated. “If so, I’ll have her let him know you need to speak to him.”
“Wow, okay. Thank you! Thank you!” As she stood there, tugging at her wet, filthy clothing hoping her father was indeed awake; she prayed the police wouldn’t burst through the hospital doors looking to drag her back to the boutique in handcuffs.
After at least fifteen minutes and not receiving a response, the security guard placed another courtesy call. With the second desk nurse picking up, she carried the cordless phone with her to check on not only the patient, Mr. Crayton, but her missing in action colleague as well.
The hospital room his uncle had been occupying the past week was quiet. With the exception of the heart monitor making murmured beeping sounds every so often sending indicators to the nurses’ station that all was well with the patient, you could hear a pin drop on the sanitized floor. Closing the door to shut out the intrusion of light from the hallway, School Boy stepped all the way inside the private room. Standing in the shadow, perfectly still, the once loyal nephew watched his uncle’s chest slowly move up and down. His forever hero was now reduced to no more than a helpless old man fighting to survive; however, School Boy seemed to have no mercy in his hardened heart.
Momentarily pausing to ensure no one was coming, he bent down removing the telephone cord from the wall. Leaning back up, with ill intentions he wanted to snatch the bedside phone off the nightstand and smash it across Ruben’s head. Feeling confused as to why it had to be this way, his hands shook. Thoughts of why his uncle was trying to push him out of his rightful place in the family and disregard all the dirty work he’d selflessly put in over the years while his perfect princess Jakki was running around still playing with dolls, consumed his troubled mind.
Fuck my cousin and this fake old man too! With evil finally prevailing over good, School Boy grabbed an extra pillow from a chair in the corner of the soon-to-be chaotic hospital room. Standing over his sleeping uncle clutching both ends of the white fluffy pillow, the deranged young killer started speaking his final peace in a whispered but vengeful tone. Out of spite, he then hawked a huge glob of saliva directly into Ruben’s face before raising the soft weapon of death over the ailing man’s head. With no remorse, he lowered his arms.
“School Boy! What you doing!” Awakened by the feel of a warm slimy substance oozing down his jaw line, Ruben, once a strong street warrior in his prime, began using all his strength to stop what was taking place in the darkness of the supposedly quiet and safe hospital room. “Are you crazy?” He panted, out of breath and energy as his IV was ripped from his inner arm as well as the small clamps from the heart monitor. Fighting the good fight, the boy’s uncle was about done.
Thankfully a small amount of light entered from the hallway when a nurse pushed the room door open. On her way to check to see if Mr. Crayton was awake by request of the security guard at the front lobby, she was shocked by the commotion and actions that were taking place. “Hey, hey, what’s going on in here? What do you think you’re doing?” Trying to intervene, she pulled at School Boy’s shirt and was instantly met with an elbow to the face knocking her to the ground. Striking her head on the side of one of the many machines, she blacked out.
Knowing the interruption and noise was sure to bring others, School Boy, out his mind, bolted out the room and disappeared into the same stairwell he’d come from.
“The seventh floor nurses’ station,” the woman’s voice answered.
“Yes, this is the front lobby security desk.”
“Yes, how can I be of help?”
“Well I hate to bother you folks again, miss, but I spoke to someone about twenty minutes ago who was going to check on a patient in room 702 for me. His daughter is down here and says speaking to him is urgent.”
“Oh okay I see. That must’ve been Nurse Simmons,” she quickly replied in an agreeable manner. “She’s not back yet but I can go check for you. Matter of fact if you can stay on the line I will take this cordless phone with me.”
Within minutes of checking on the patient in room 702 as well as her coworker, chaos broke loose as the hospital went into mandatory lockdown.
Jakki, needless to say, was totally beside herself in the midst of the pandemonium. Being told limited information, the distraught female had to be physically detained by two security guards until the hospital, on high alert, could conduct a thorough search for the person who’d attacked one of their nurses and a patient rumored to be her father. With the actual Detroit Police Department now taking over the investigation, the reason Jakki was even down at the hospital at this late hour to speak to her dad had come into question. After a while she and her mother, who was immediately contacted by the hospital administrators, were taken to see their loved one.
Ruben, going in and out of consciousness, was tightlipped claiming he had no idea whatsoever who’d attacked him. Sure he’d gotten a good look at his brother’s son, even argued with him, but telling the law on kin was not in his character or part of his Crayton DNA. School Boy was blood and he’d be handled for his disrespectful, deadly intended transgressions the way family dealt with one another: privately.
With his visibly shaken wife trying to comfort her husband and Jakki now loyally posted at his bedside threatening a lawsuit for allowing him to almost be murdered on their supposedly secure hospital property, Ruben stood strong on his word; he knew nothing. No sooner than they were alone in the room, he had his daughter lean close. Whispering in Jakki’s ear shockingly exactly who his assailant was, the physically and mentally exhausted man had tears in his weary eyes. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing but at this point put nothing past that idiot who’d slept under their roof and eaten their food whenever he wanted since childhood. School Boy actually tried to bite the hand that fed him; however, now he was dead to them and could go hungry for all they cared.
Even more pissed about this act of betrayal than what that creep foul so-called family member had done to her and Lena’s poor dead self, Jakki started to feel the same murderous rage in her heart as her out-of-control cousin. There were rules to the game and he’d recklessly broken them all. Not wanting to upset Ruben any further for the night, Jakki decided to put the information on hold that she too had been set up and victimized by his crazed nephew who her dad always thought should be next in line to stand at the head of the Crayton Clan table. Taking off the still damp T-shirt she was wearing, replacing it with two hospital gowns happily provided by the still upset staff, Jakki stared in the mirror vowing to make School Boy pay for his sins.
Chapter 15
The definitely proven to be stolen pickup was finally removed from its temporary resting place and loaded onto the huge flat bed tow truck. Left with uncertainty over what to do next,
Maino finished speaking to the police officers who informed him there was not much they could do on the premises, especially since there was no electricity inside of the dwelling. Advised to take plenty of pictures and contact his insurance company to put in a claim, there was not much for them to do now but wait for the power to be restored. As he, his best friend, and his woman stood in the front of the building watching the tow truck drive away, they didn’t notice Jakki’s cell phone lying face down on the side of the curb near his driver’s side car door.
Luckily, they didn’t have to wait much longer as an emergency DTE van was dispatched to their location. Explaining what they believed to had taken place, Maino, still infuriated, led the technician to the rear of the building where the damage was done. After inspecting the cut wires, flashlight in hand, the man informed them he could have a portion of the boutique lights back on in a matter of minutes, but they’d have to request a full service work truck on the premises come daybreak to complete total restoration. In less than twenty minutes’ time, the man had kept his word as half of the buildings lights flickered on.
Stunned to find the once perfect store in such disarray was almost more trauma than Maino could stomach for the week. At his wits’ end and his blood pressure steadily climbing, he left his best friend and woman to start the sure to be tedious process of cleaning up and putting things back in order. Having not discovered the dead female body slumped underneath the clothes rack, in the still dark part of the building, Maino headed to his car to sit down and hopefully gather his thoughts. Stepping down off the curb, he saw a small bit of light blinking. Picking the cell phone up, he grinned realizing it must’ve belonged to one of the thieves who’d violated his property. Pushing talk on the only number in the call log, he waited for someone to pick up.
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