Return to Flint

by Treasure Hernandez

  After a bunch of back and forth and pleading for Tiana to just forget about her stuff and just move in with him, Silam relented and hired a car service to drop her off.

  As soon as Tiana exited the black Lincoln Town Car, she spotted Drake’s car parked outside of the building. She let out a long sigh. I knew this nigga would be lurking and looking for me. He probably been here every day since I been gone. Bastard. Some fucking nerve. She was trying to mentally prepare herself to see Drake without jumping on him and scratching his eyes out. He was already lucky she hadn’t shot his dick off that day.

  Tiana entered the apartment, readying herself for the bullshit she was sure Drake would be kicking. She dug inside her bag, pulled her gun out, and put it on her waist. She didn’t trust Drake anymore. Period.

  “Drake?” Tiana called out. “I know you’re in here. I saw your car outside and I’m not in the mood for your bullshit,” Tiana shouted, heading into the kitchen. “I told you I never wanted to fucking see you again so I don’t even know why you’re here!” she continued. When she didn’t get a response, she walked to the living room and pulled her gun from the holster.

  Not again, Tiana thought, her heart running so fast she could barely keep her breathing steady.

  “Drake? If you’re in here, stop playing. You shouldn’t even be here, much less playing fucking games,” Tiana shouted. She slowly inched toward the bedroom with her gun in hand just in case.

  As she got to the closed bedroom door, Tiana wondered why it was closed and why he wasn’t responding. Watching the bottom of the door, Tiana noticed a slight change in light under the door. It was movement. Fuck! Maybe it’s not Drake! she screamed in her head. Tiana began slowly backing down the hallway leading to the apartment’s exit door.

  Before she could make it to the door, her bedroom door swung open and thunderous footsteps came in her direction. Tiana instinctively raised her gun but the dark figure was barreling at her so fast she couldn’t keep a good grip on it. Tiana didn’t bother to try aiming again. She spun around and bolted for the door.

  “Ugh,” she grunted as the weight of the person came crashing down on her right before she could get all of the locks undone on the door. Tiana’s gun fell from her shaking hand and skittered across the floor as she fell forward.

  “Agh!” she cried. “Get the fuck off me!” Tiana squirmed and kicked.

  “Stop! Stop! I’m not going to fucking hurt you, Tiana!” Drake screamed.

  “Get the fuck off of me!” she yelled back, flipping onto her back and swatting at his face. “Why are you chasing me down like that? What kind of fucking stupid-ass game are you playing!”

  “Ouch! Fuck!” He winced, grabbing his cheek. Tiana had caught him good and dug a deep scratch into his left cheek. “Yo, you are fucking crazy and dangerous! You was just going to try to bust shots out without checking for who it is,” Drake spat, holding his face.

  “Didn’t I fucking tell you to leave me the fuck alone? You lucky I didn’t get a good grip and blast on your ass,” Tiana growled, slowly pulling herself up off the floor. “Get the fuck out anyway. Oh, wait, I forgot this is your place. You don’t have to leave. I’m fucking leaving,” she barked at him. Tiana started gathering up her things.

  “Wait! Wait a fucking minute! I just need you to fucking listen to me for once in your life, Tiana,” Drake said. He stood in her way so she had to listen to him. “I’ve been staying here ever since the day we had our fight. I have some important shit to say and I need you to listen.”

  “I don’t care what you have to fucking say!” Tiana barked, limping over and picking up her gun from the floor.

  “So you’re still mad and I get that. What happened at my apartment was definitely my fault. I said I was sorry and I mean that shit. I’ma take the L on that one. I was trying to cut the bitch off, but I had a few too many drinks and she took advantage of me,” Drake confessed.

  Tiana squinted her eyes at him. “You can’t be fucking serious right now with that fuck boy story,” Tiana retorted. “She just held you down and put your dick up in her pussy, right? So you’re saying she forced you to fuck her ? Tuh, yeah, right. Didn’t look like that to me,” Tiana spat. He was so lucky she had years and years of love for him or else she would’ve had no problem spilling his brains for what he had done to her heart.

  “I know it sounds like a dog nigga’s story, but it’s the truth. I have loved your ass since we were kids. Why would you think I would purposely hurt you like that? I didn’t expect shit to go the way it did,” he explained. “You just don’t know how bad I want to be with you, Tee,” he said, softening his voice. “I’ve been here every day for the past couple of weeks looking for you. I was scared I was never gonna see you again. I been staying here hoping you’d come back eventually,” he said with regret in his words.

  Mentally and physically exhausted, Tiana flopped down on the couch. It was hard for her to resist her best friend’s sorry voice. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes. She had to stay focused. Drake sounded like he was being sincere; but, at the same time, she wasn’t sure if she could really trust what he was saying. She started thinking about Silam. Then she started thinking about Mama Hilda. Then she started thinking maybe it was time for her to get back to her list. Her mind was going a mile a minute.

  “Look, Drake, I don’t know what to make of all this. For real. I got a lot going on,” Tiana said.

  “Tee, I want to fucking be with you more than anything in the world. Shit, I’m risking my life by talking to you right now,” Drake said sincerely.

  “What do you mean?” Tiana asked. His last statement confused her.

  “Did you blow up a car that belonged to a Dr. Syed?” Drake asked her.

  Tiana was taken aback by his question. She really hadn’t expected that at all. “Yes, I did.” She was a little hesitant to admit it.

  Drake looked down to the ground and began to shake his head. He pursed his lips and took a deep breath through his nose.

  “How do you know I did that?” she asked him.

  “Because that doctor was my boss’s brother, Tee. And that little boy who was with him was his son.”

  Tiana gasped and brought her hands to her mouth. She couldn’t believe the bomb Drake had just dropped on her.

  “I told you before, Gates runs the fucking city. So you fucked around and killed the son and brother of the most dangerous motherfucker in the Midwest.”

  Tiana’s eyes widened when he said the words “son” and “brother.”

  “Now, I don’t know why you had a need to go and kill Gates’s brother, but I know your ass is in a lot deeper than you thought. He put out a hundred stack bounty on your head.”

  Tiana let out a long sigh. She didn’t know how to respond to the information.

  “You have to get out of town as soon as possible,” Drake said. “For real. This shit is all fucked up right now. If they found out I know you and I didn’t tell them, I’m a goner.”

  Tiana considered everything Drake had told her. “Nah. I ain’t leaving town. I’m not scared of no fucking kingpin. I have a few more people to see and then maybe I’ll consider it; but, right now, I’m here to stay,” Tiana said stubbornly, shaking her head left to right.

  “You don’t have to do all this shit anymore. You need to go off the grid for a while. I’m telling you, this dude S. Gates is out to get you and he ain’t gonna stop. He has a lot of people looking for you and it won’t be long before shit blows up.” Drake did his best to try to convince her.

  Tiana shook her head. “I love y’all for looking out, but some things I have to do alone,” Tiana said flatly, leaving no more room for discussion. “If he got my name, that means he got the means to come find me, too. I can’t wait to meet him.”

  Drake looked straight at Tiana and shook his head. They knew there was no winning with her. Once her mind was made up, there was no convincing her otherwise.

  “You keep thinking you’re ass is untouchable but, Tee
, if you keep messing around it’s all gonna catch up to you. Some of the baddest motherfuckers out there have messed with Gates and they’re all six feet under now.”

  “I hear what you’re saying, Drake, but I gotta do what I gotta do.”

  “A’ight. I guess there’s nothing else I can say to change your mind. I can’t be around you right now. They can’t find out I know who you are. I’ma do my best to keep them from finding you,” Drake promised with feeling.

  “Thanks, Drake.” They gave each other a hug and, with that, Drake left her to be alone in the apartment.

  “You wanna come for me, motherfucker?” Tiana growled. “Bring it! Whoever the fuck you are! Bring it!”

  Tiana scrambled through the apartment like a madwoman collecting things she needed. When her war bag was filled she stopped, took a deep breath, and said three Hail Marys in Spanish. Tiana knew it was time for her to get back to her original plans.

  Silam was going to have to be put on hold for now. She sent him a quick text saying that she needed to take some time to herself because things were moving too fast between them. She asked him not to respond and to just give her some time.

  Chapter 22

  Tiana rushed out of the Chase bank with her backpack secured tightly under her arm. Her heart raced wildly from being so nervous about posing as Dana Shaw to gain access to the safe deposit box. Tiana jumped into the cab she had paid to wait for her and instructed him to take her to her apartment. She needed to grab the computer Drake had lent her so she could look at the discs she retrieved from the safe deposit box. Tiana prayed silently that they held some clue as to where she could find the very last person on her list, Teema Chambers. After that, Tiana would look for this Gates guy and she would take care of him too.

  Tiana paid the cab driver and rushed inside the building. Once she was inside the apartment, she dumped the contents of her knapsack out on the kitchen table.

  “Fuck,” she said breathlessly as she eyed the stacks of cash in front of her. She hadn’t had enough time inside the bank to really take it all in. Tiana picked up two of the stacks, held them up to her nose, inhaled, and exhaled. She felt exhilarated by the scent of the money. When everything was done she was going to use some of the money to surprise Silam and take him to Jamaica for a much-needed getaway.

  Tiana sifted through the other items. There was a huge diamond engagement ring that had a clear, sparkly emerald-cut center stone that looked to be at least five carats. There were also two Rolex watches with beautiful mother-of-pearl faces.

  “Humph. His and hers?” Tiana examined the watches. Suddenly, she remembered that she’d seen the woman’s watch on Teema at least once during her participating in Dr. Syed’s sick acts.

  “I gotta find this bitch,” Tiana mumbled. She rushed to the living room and picked up Drake’s laptop. Back at the table, Tiana retrieved the first disc and slid it into the side of the laptop.

  Tiana clicked on a couple of the folders that popped up on the screen. Then she found one that said Recordings and she clicked on that one.

  “No! Help me! Please!”

  Tiana bit into the side of her cheek when she realized it was Celeste’s voice on the first recording. Tiana squinted as the camera came into focus and she could see what was happening. Dr. Syed was walking slowly toward Celeste, who was bound to the bed, with a long black rubber object in his hand.

  Tiana could hear Teema laughing in the background. Tiana quickly clicked out of the recording. She couldn’t watch. There were at least ten other similar recordings of Tiana, Celeste, Elizabeth, and other female patients. In the last file, Tiana found something useful to her.

  “Listen, you know that I can’t leave him just like that,” Teema cried.

  “Oh, yeah? Well, how about I tell him whose son it is?” Dr. Syed replied.

  “Why are you doing this all of a sudden?” Teema asked pleadingly.

  “I’m tired of playing second fiddle to a street thug who thinks he runs the world. Fucking S. Gates. That fake bullshit thug name he calls himself. I’ve never been good enough compared to him. Look at me! I became a doctor and yet he still gets everything! Everyone still holds him in such high regard! I loved you from day one, but who do you marry? Him!” Dr. Syed growled.

  “No. I always loved you. You know yourself why I married him. It was an arrangement my father made and I couldn’t break it. Please, don’t do this. He can never know about the baby. Please! He will kill both of us,” Teema cried some more. “I will keep doing everything you ask me to do here, with these girls, the sex, the crazy, freaky things; just don’t tell. I will be with you one day. We will be able to get away together. I just have to wait for the right time,” she begged.

  “I’m not going to keep up this lie for much longer, so you better work it out. You better make sure I am able to continue spending time alone with my son, too,” Dr. Syed threatened.

  Tiana’s mouth hung open. “Ain’t this about a bitch? Fucking Teema is married to S. Gates. So he does fucking exist. What a grimy bitch she is,” Tiana said aloud, completely flabbergasted by what she had just learned.

  Tiana replayed the recording of Dr. Syed and Teema at least ten times before the information settled in her mind. Teema was married to S. Gates who was also Dr. Syed’s brother! Tiana watched two more of the discs and shook her head in disbelief at how Dr. Syed and Teema kept video of themselves and what they were doing to the girls in the hospital.

  “I have to find this bitch Teema before Gates finds me. I wonder what he would do if he found out the truth, since he is supposed to be so dangerous,” Tiana said to herself out loud.

  Her phone buzzing on the kitchen table startled Tiana. She sucked her teeth and blew out a long breath when she saw that it was Drake.

  “This nigga must have a GPS tracking device on my ass,” Tiana mumbled as she picked up the line. “Hello,” Tiana answered dryly.

  Drake didn’t bother with small talk. He was rambling too much and so fast, but Tiana understood everything that he was saying. She gripped the phone until her knuckles turned white as she listened to Drake.

  “Tiana! He knows who you are and he knows where you’re staying! Whatever you do, stay the fuck away from the apartment!”

  Tiana’s entire body turned cold, like someone had pumped ice water into her veins.

  After the initial shock of what Drake said finally wore off, Tiana scrambled up from the table. She gathered the money, the jewelry, and the discs from the safe deposit box and slid them into her backpack. She grabbed her war bag and headed for the door. When she opened the door to step out, Tiana ran smack dead into someone.

  “Oh, shit!” she gasped, her bladder almost emptying into her pants.

  “What, you’re not happy to see me?” Silam said with a sexy, sinister smile on his face.

  Tiana’s lips were white, like she’d just eaten a powered doughnut. Her heart slammed against her chest bone and fine beads of sweat cropped up at her hairline.

  “How . . . What . . . what are you doing here?” Tiana managed.

  “It was easy to find you. I just called my friend at the car service,” Silam said.

  Tiana was too caught up to even think to ask him how he knew what apartment to go to inside the building.

  “Um, I have to go somewhere. Can I meet up with you later?” Tiana said, her words rushing out in quivery bursts.

  “Where do you need to go? I’ll take you. I’m not letting you get away this time,” Silam said, grabbing Tiana’s shaking hand.

  She parted a nervous smile. She didn’t know why she couldn’t just tell Silam to get lost. She was feeling something for him that was definitely clouding her good judgment.

  “Something’s happened to my mother,” Tiana said. “I have to go see about her,” she lied.

  “Oh, good. I would love to meet her,” Silam pressed as they both stepped outside of her building.

  Tiana stopped walking and pulled her hand away from Silam. “Look, Silam. I need to d
o this alone. I promise I will call you when I can,” Tiana insisted.

  Silam’s face suddenly went dark and he lowered his eyes into slits. “I am not letting you get away from me this time. You need to come with me,” Silam growled, grabbing on to her arm.

  Tiana was taken aback by the change. “Get off me!” she snapped.

  Just then a black van screeched to a halt in front of them. Silam smiled wickedly. Three men jumped out of the van. Silam pushed her toward them with a satisfied smirk painting his face.

  “What the fuck?” Tiana huffed, her eyes going wide. She looked at Silam with desperation dancing over her face. It was too late. “What the fuck are you doing?” Tiana screamed as she stared into Silam’s eyes.

  “Your worst fucking nightmare,” Silam said evenly. One of the men from the van threw a black bag over Tiana’s head while the other two forced her, kicking and screaming, into the van.

  “Take her to the warehouse,” Silam said, picking up Tiana’s knapsack and war bag from the street. He wasn’t leaving any clues of her disappearance behind.

  “Yes, Mr. Gates,” the driver of the van answered.

  Lying on the cold metal floor of the van, Tiana kicked and moved her body frantically.

  “Keep fucking still before I tie your ass up,” one of the men growled at her.

  “Fuck you,” Tiana spat. “Agh!” she cried out as a huge, booted foot slammed into her ribs. Tiana coughed, but she kept trying to fight. A punch landed to her face and she saw stars but Tiana still didn’t stop fighting. Another one of the men got close to her and tried to get her tied up. Tiana moved so much the black hood covering her head came up slightly, but the man didn’t see it in time.

  “Argh!” the man belted out. Tiana had clamped her teeth down on his wrist and wouldn’t let go. “Get the fuck off me, bitch!” he hollered. Tiana thrust her foot forward and caught the other man in the balls.

  “Ooof!” he wheezed, rolling over onto his side.

  “What the fuck is going on back there?” the driver screamed.