Pain, Pleasure, and Lies: An Urban Romance Thriller

by Qiana London

  *****

  I was dusting all of the picture frames while my brother fluffed the pillows on the couch. My mother was a neat freak, and her home was to be in order when she returned. Donte was about to start cleaning the bathrooms when rhythmic knocks began to beat on the front door. My brother immediately stopped what he was doing and ran to answer it. I hadn’t seen him this excited in a long time. On the other side of the door stood his childhood friend Khalil who had left to join the US Marine Corps.

  “What’s up, Tay?”

  “My nigga! What’s up, Khalil? What are you doing here?”

  “Can’t a brotha return home every once and a while?”

  “Of course! Man, it’s been way too long.” They embraced. “How long will you be here?”

  “I’m here for good.”

  “You’re done? Aww shit, Khalil. It’s about to be on and crackin’!”

  “Dawg, can I come in?” he laughed.

  “Oh, my bad. Come on in. Dezzy and I were just in here cleaning up.”

  Khalil stepped through the door, and we locked eyes.

  “Damn, Dezzy the last time I saw you was at your high school graduation. Look at you. You’re all grown up.”

  He scanned my body from head to toe and nodded his head.

  “I saw that, Khalil. You better watch that shit.” Donte said as he punched him in the arm.

  “What?” he laughed, as he grabbed his arm.

  Khalil set his bag down on the floor as Donte closed the door. While Donte’s back was turned, Khalil winked at me and smiled. I smiled back and shook my head. Some things never change.

  “How're you doing, Khalil? It’s been a long time.”

  “Yeah I know. Those were four of the most life-changing years I’ve ever experienced.”

  Time with the Marines had done Khalil very well. Seeing him in his uniform was giving me life right now. Damn. He was my first crush, but I had never told him. I’m sure he had his suspicions, though. If he was anything like he was back when we were growing up, he was definitely the ideal man. Any woman fortunate enough to get him should count her blessings. I checked him out from head to toe the moment he stepped through the door. There was no ring to indicate he was taken. My interest was piqued, and the urge to flirt was there, but I quickly dismissed it. I needed time to work through everything I was dealing with first. Rushing to get involved with another man on the rebound wouldn’t be good for either one of us. I had done that before, and clearly things didn’t turn out well.

  Donte and Khalil took a seat on the couch and began catching up on all of the lost time. They had always been the best of friends. I was happy Khalil was back to be there for my brother because he was definitely going to need him. Fearing the house wouldn’t be in order before my mother got back, I continued to clean. I took occasional pauses to chime in a word or two when Donte asked for me to validate something he said, but otherwise I minded my own business. Once I’d finished cleaning, I joined them in the living room.

  We had a good time reminiscing about the good old days. I needed to laugh. Khalil being there with us took my mind off of everything that I was dealing with. In this moment, nothing else mattered, and that was a great feeling. Donte received a call from Raijean. He stepped away to talk to her in private which gave me and Khalil the opportunity to talk.

  “So what’s up with you, Dezzy? How have you been?”

  “I’ve been hanging in there. I’ve been dealing with a lot.”

  “Yeah, I know. Tay was telling me about some of it. Are you alright?”

  He looked me in my eyes. I could tell he was genuinely concerned about me. Growing up, Khalil had been just as overprotective as Donte.

  “I’ll be much better once I receive the call from Mr. Sutter.”

  “Yeah, I know,” he shifted around on the couch before continuing. “None of this would have happened if I had been around.”

  “It’s my own fault. I had my nose wide open and ignored the signs. Donte blames himself too even though I constantly tell him not to.”

  “That’s not what I mean. None of this would have happened if you were with me.”

  My heart skipped a beat. I turned to look at Khalil, who looked directly into my eyes. He never broke our gaze.

  “What?” I asked through nervous laughter.

  He placed his hand on my knee. A flutter went throughout my body.

  “Desrinique, I was feelin’ you a long time ago, but I never stepped to you because of that dude in there.”

  He smiled and gestured toward the kitchen with his head.

  “Khalil, I don’t know what to say.”

  I was stuck. I wasn’t sure how to respond. Yes, I had a crush on him back in the day, but he had always treated me like a little sister. This was definitely what I wanted to hear, but the timing was all wrong.

  “It’s good. You don’t have to say anything. Just know that if you were mine, I’d never treat you that way.”

  Truer words had never been spoken. I knew the kind of guy he was which was why I always wished Zereck could be more like him. I began to blush, and he smiled at me.

  “Now that I’m back, how about you let me take you out sometimes?”

  Everything in me wanted to shout ‘Yes!’, but I knew I needed to proceed with caution.

  “Are you sure you’d want to? I mean, I’m not certain I’d make the best company right now.”

  “Let me be the judge of that. What do you say?”

  “If you’re open to it then I am too.”

  Donte was wrapping up his call as he headed back toward the living room. Khalil gave my knee a gentle squeeze then he winked at me before taking his hand back.

  “Cool. We’ll finish this conversation later.”

  “Okay,” I replied, softly.

  Donte came back into the living room carrying two beers, and a bottle of apple juice. He sat everything down on the coffee table. I grabbed the apple juice while they cracked open their beers.

  “No beer for you?” Khalil asked.

  “Nah, I’m not a fan,” I replied.

  I didn’t need to volunteer any extra information at this point.

  Khalil began to tell us stories about being in the Marines. I listened intently. If I liked him back then, I definitely loved him now. Everything about him oozed strength, confidence, and respect. From what he had shared with us, he’d certainly been through a lot. He said the Marines made him a better man. I listened to a few more stories before politely excusing myself, so I could take care of a few more things before I showered and relaxed.

  I put away everything I had purchased for the baby. Once I finished, I made calls to all of my clients who were booked for the next day, informing them to return to the salon. With my work out of the way, I walked over to my bookshelf and pulled out one of my journals before plopping down on my bed. It wasn’t long before I began pouring my heart out onto the pages. It had been a while since I had written anything, and it was long overdue. There was plenty I needed to get out. When I felt I didn’t have anything more to say, I put the journal back on the shelf and hopped into the shower. As the water ran down the drain, I imagined all of the pain I had experienced going down with it. I intended to start fresh, beginning now. Once I was out of the shower, I dried off and put on a pair of flannel pajamas. I put my hair into two braids then returned downstairs.

  Donte and Khalil had changed into basketball shorts and t-shirts. Khalil spun a basketball on one finger while Donte sat on the couch and tied his tennis shoes. He double-knotted the laces then jumped up from the couch.

  “Are y’all leaving?”

  “We’re just going up the street to shoot some hoops,” Donte started. “We won’t be gone long. Put the alarm on when we leave, and stay by the phone. My father should be calling any minute.”

  “I’ll be fine. You guys have fun. Tay, don’t forget your key.”

  “It’s in my bag. Lock the door behind us, okay?”

  “Yes, Donte,” I said,
sarcastically.

  I locked the door behind them and took a seat on the couch. I picked up the television remote, made myself comfortable, and began flipping through the channels. I could feel my eyes getting heavy, and I fought to keep them open. I was exhausted. As much as I didn’t want to move from my spot, I remembered I needed to set the alarm. As I headed for the keypad, the phone began to ring as three knocks banged on the door. I figured I’d have enough time to let Donte in and catch the phone. I unlocked the door and opened it slightly then walked away toward the phone.

  “What did you forget?” I asked without turning around.

  Donte didn’t respond. I turned to face him and was prepared to give my brother a hard time for not using his key. Instead, I stared down the barrel of a gun. The phone call rolled over to the answering machine. Donte’s father sounded distraught as he spoke through the machine and explained that Diandre received a tip and had gotten away before they could get to him.

  “Hi, bitch.” Justine taunted. “If you scream I won’t hesitate to pull the trigger.”

  She cocked the gun and aimed it at me as she walked over to the coffee table and dropped a manila envelope. She headed back in my direction, but stopped and walked toward the answering machine. She never took the gun off of me. She played the message once again then erased it. I wanted to run, but I was certain I had nowhere to go. She walked up to me, pressed the gun into my side then forced me out of my house.

  “Don’t try to be a hero or I’ll cancel yo’ ass.”

  I cooperated with her and walked over to a rusty brown car with no plates. She forced me into the back seat and slammed the door shut behind me. Once inside, I noticed there were no door handles. Diandre was sitting behind the wheel. He turned around and looked at me with disgust while Justine got into the car. She hadn’t closed the door all the way before he sped away from the house. Once we reached the corner, Diandre instructed me to blindfold myself with the bandana lying on the seat next to me. Justine kept the gun on me, so I did as I was told. Seconds later, I felt a pair of handcuffs fall into my lap.

  “Put those on too,” Justine demanded.

  We rode in silence for what felt like decades. I tried to rely on the swaying of my body for a sense of direction, but it was pointless. Diandre was clever and was going out of his way to make sure I had no idea what was going on.

  When the car finally came to a stop, I began to tremble. As much as I wanted to conceal my fear, it was impossible. Two car doors slammed shut then there was silence. I didn’t know what to expect, so I remained frozen. Moments later, the back door opened, and Diandre’s strong grip yanked me out. He pinned me against the car as he removed the handcuffs and blindfold. It took a few seconds for my eyes to readjust, but I immediately realized we were back at his cabin in the middle of nowhere! Justine stood in the doorway of the cabin as Diandre pushed me over.

  Once we were inside the cabin, I noticed that all of the furniture had been removed from the living room except one wooden chair which Diandre forced me into. Justine headed over to assist him in tying me to the chair. When they were finished, the only movement I was capable of was breathing.

  “So, did you miss me, baby?”

  My eyes bore into Diandre’s. I hated him with every fiber of my being. I didn’t mutter a word.

  “You hear me talking to you. Open your fucking mouth!”

  My eyes left Diandre long enough to notice Justine. She leaned against the wall, arms folded, appearing very nonchalant. She seemed the least bit phased by what was taking place. She looked on with gratification. I could forget about her having a change of heart and helping me.

  Diandre had begun yelling since I failed to acknowledge him. When he realized raising his voice wouldn’t bring a reaction out of me, he began slapping me repeatedly. Justine walked over to hand him a burner phone. He paused from the beating to acknowledge her and took it. Blood was pouring out the corner of my mouth. I wasn’t sure what they were up to. I only prayed it didn’t get much worse than this. Tears streamed down my face as Diandre informed me he was calling my brother. He dialed the number then placed the phone to my ear.

  “Dezzy?” Donte asked.

  I hadn’t heard the phone ring.

  “Yeah,” I said, sniffling.

  There was blood running from my nose.

  From the sound of Donte’s voice, he had been crying. That tore me up inside. I could hear Khalil cussing and threatening Diandre in the background.

  “Tell your brother to look in the envelope,” Diandre said. “I want his punk ass to be here when you die.”

  Donte heard him and quietly told me he had already looked in the envelope and given the address to his father. The police were on their way.

  “He wants you to look in the envelope,” I repeated, attempting to stall.

  I could hear that Donte was driving.

  “I’m on my way, Dezzy.”

  I prayed someone would get here before Diandre turned homicidal. He snatched the phone before I could say anything else.

  “Hurry the fuck up, bounty boy!”

  “Nigga, you better not touch my sister!”

  I could hear Donte yelling.

  “I’ll do what the fuck I want! Ain’t shit you can do!”

  “I swear on everything I love, you hurt my sister and-“

  Diandre ended the call.

  He handed the phone back to Justine, who returned to her position on the wall.

  “Now what?” she asked.

  “We wait. In the meantime, Dezzy, why don’t you and I have a little talk?”

  He gently wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth with his thumb. I tried to dodge his hand the best way I could, but I was unsuccessful. Diandre noticed my attempts and pushed my head back into the chair. I was terrified, but if I was going to die, there were some things I needed to know.

  “Diandre, was everything a lie?”

  “Yep.”

  “You never cared about me, did you?”

  “At one point I did.”

  Justine rolled her eyes and sucked her teeth.

  “Diandre, why are you doing this to me? I am carrying your child.”

  Justine looked surprised, which was her first display of emotion. He hadn’t told her.

  “I don’t care about that baby.”

  “Diandre, how can you say that? This is your flesh and blood.”

  “Out of sight, out of mind.”

  This conversation was pointless. There was no reasoning with him. I decided to remain silent because I didn’t want to say anything that might set him off any further. He paced back and forth, and Justine remained against the wall. No one spoke. Soon, I could hear police sirens in the distance growing near. I started to feel like everything was going to be okay.

  “I told him no police in the letter!” Justine yelled.

  She had totally lost her cool.

  “Your brother didn’t fuckin’ listen, Dezzy!” he said.

  Justine panicked and ran out the back door. Diandre seemed shocked at her reaction. For the first time, he appeared nervous. It was unusual because Diandre always remained in control of everything.

  “Well, Dezzy this is where the shit ends.”

  He reached into his waistband and pulled out a 9 millimeter.

  “Diandre, you don’t have to do this!”

  “Shut up!”

  I did as I was told. He double checked the clip before slamming it back into place. I was saying silent prayers. I could see the lights outside the window. My heart felt like it was going to jump out of my chest. I heard footsteps rushing up to the door. Diandre cocked the trigger.

  “Please don’t do this, Diandre.”

  He looked me straight in the eyes. His eyes were filled with hatred. I didn’t know this man. I knew it was over. I was prepared to meet my fate.

  “It’s been fun.”

  The police broke down the door as Diandre fired the gun. At the same time, I used every bit of energy I had left to f
orce myself backward in the chair, hitting my head hard in the process. Several officers wrestled Diandre to the floor while Mr. Sutter ran to my side.

  “Desrinique, can you hear me?” He was untying me as quickly as he could. “I need an ambulance, now!”

  I heard an officer informing the others that the female accomplice had been apprehended. Mr. Sutter freed me from the chair as Donte rushed through the door and over to my side. Khalil was right behind him. I attempted to lift my head to speak, but I couldn’t. The room was spinning.

  “Dezzy, I’m right here. You’re going to be ok.” Donte said.

  I tried to focus on his face, but it wasn’t working. I closed my eyes.

  “Was she hit?” Khalil asked.

  “No, but she’s beat up pretty badly,” Donte said, standing up.

  I opened my eyes when I realized my brother was no longer by me. The police had Diandre cuffed, and Donte was out for blood. He hurled at him and began to beat the shit out of Diandre. Several police officers pulled Donte off of him and took him outside of the cabin. Diandre laughed as he spit blood out onto the floor.

  I slowly began to sit up, and Khalil bent down to help me. He raised me to my feet and put my arm around his shoulder to provide me with balance. Paramedics rushed through the door pushing a stretcher. Khalil helped me sit down on it then stepped back to let them do their job. I looked at Khalil while they began to tend to my wounds, but he didn’t pay me any attention. I followed his glare. He was fixated on Diandre, who was being escorted out. Before he hit the door, his eyes met Khalil’s.

  “And who are you supposed to be?” Diandre asked.

  “You’ll find out soon enough. Trust me,” he promised. “You fucked with the wrong one.”

  to be continued…

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Qiana London has spent her career as a writer moving from genre to genre; first as a poet with the inclusion of her poem Homeless in the published anthology Dreams Gone By, then as the writer-producer of the dramatic stage play, The Path Less Taken, and finally as a fiction novelist with the 2003 release of her debut novel Scandalous Love. She is also the founder and creative force behind London Creations, an organization dedicated to preserving and presenting high quality, lesser-known, original theatrical and literary works. Also a gifted actress, she holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre from the University of Southern California and is currently pursuing her Masters degree in Business Administration. She resides in Hayward and Los Angeles, Ca.