“What about the mother?”
“She was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“I know you don’t really believe that he could do something as cold as that, do you?”
“My dear partner, there’s a lot of cash involved in this case that needs to be looked at. Sex trafficking is a very lucrative gig, and Mercy Bondz was very good at his job.”
“I have a friend in the FBI. I’ll reach out to her and see if she can tell us anything about their investigation now that their number one suspect is dead. There shouldn’t be any issues for them to disclose that information,” Tabitha stated before heading over to her side of their work station.
Their station was just two cluttered metal desks that had been pushed together so the detectives faced each other while they worked. It was the chief’s way of building better work relations on his teams.
EIGHT
Exasperated and heartbroken, Noeekwol stood under the beaming sun at the edge of his parents’ property line, just staring at the spot where they lost their lives. Heaven watched him for a long ten minutes before getting up the nerve to say something.
“Noe! Noe!” she yelled as she reached out and grabbed the hand of the man for whom she secretly held a school-girl crush. Belonging to his parents made it forbidden for her really even to converse with him without permission from his jealous and controlling father. “You need to come in the house before them police come and take pictures of you or the dirty sons of bitches that took ‘em from us come back and try to get you.”
Heaven’s heart skipped when Noeekwol intertwined his thick fingers with hers. To most it was nothing, but to her it felt like she had been kissed by the prince. She did her best to push down her lust for him as she towed him inside the house. Heaven briefly had a flash of herself being carried into her bedroom and tossed on the bed by him.
“Where are the kids and everybody?” he inquired when his younger siblings did not come running when he entered the house.
“Aunt Tasha came and took them as soon as she saw on the news what happened. I tried to tell her you would be mad about her taking them, because you told me to watch them until you got here. But she told me she was your aunt and to stay in my place and took them anyway,” she explained before she braced herself to be slapped or worse.
“That’s good Auntie took ‘em. It’s best that they’re not around here anyway; plus, she can be the one to explain to them what’s going on,” he said with the sadness loud and clear in his deep voice. “Aww, fuck! I left my food in Jake’s car.”
“Oh, do you want me to cook you some-thing?”
“Nawl, just get me the keys to one of the cars so we can get outta here for a few and get something to eat.”
“You want me to come with you? I mean, do you want me to put on something else to leave out of this house with you in?” she slightly stuttered with surprise.
Noeekwol looked at the way the leggings she was wearing hugged her curves. He noticed for the first time how good Heaven looked without makeup on and with her hair pulled back into a simple ponytail. Something emotional sparked between them. It was like he was seeing her for the very first time as a woman and not a servant.
“No, you good. We’re just gonna go grab something from a drive-through and then maybe just ride around. I need to think of my next move in all of this,” he said while looking at his feet.
Heaven was a little disappointed that he did not want her to get dolled up for him, but she was super excited that he was taking her out with him. What she feared most in all of what was going on was being thrown back out on the streets. This time she would be in a city that she did not really know.
Heaven’s mother had kicked her out of her home in Gary, Indiana, just before her seventeenth birthday. It was right after Heaven had told her that her stepdad had forced her to suck him off because he had come home and seen her alone in her room with her gay friend, Malik, lying across the bed.
Heaven’s dope-head mother took her boyfriend Cory’s word when they had conf-ronted him. He flipped it, saying Heaven had tried to seduce and blackmail him for money to get her hair and nails done. Knowing that was all her daughter had been talking about that week, the dick-whipped mother kicked her out. That was three years ago.
Young, broke, and alone, Heaven started dancing at a hole-in-the-wall strip joint in Fort Wayne, Indiana, that did not care that she was not of age, as long as she shook her tight ass on their stage. That was where she met another dancer named Nitemare. After she told Nitemare her about her story, Nitemare brought the young girl back with her to Milwaukee and into the Mercy Bondz family. That was eight months ago. Heaven was glad Felisha took claim of her before Mercy Bondz could put her to work on the streets or in one of his underground brothels.
Now that Mercy and Felisha were gone, Heaven had to come up with a plan and show Noeekwol that he still needed her around. She would do anything not to go back to that life or a worse one.
“Can I drive?” she asked after choosing Felisha’s Volvo.
Her car choice was not because it was his mother’s, but because she was in love with the car and always dreamed of owning one.
“That might be a good idea, because my head is all over the place right now. So, yeah, take us to get food from wherever except Taco Bell.”
“Yeah, yeah! I already know that you don’t like it. I was thinking more like Wendy’s,” she suggested, remembering how many times she had seen him come over to the house with a Wendy’s cold drink in his hand.
“That’s fine. We need to stop by my crib so I can grab my heat just in case,” he said, following her out to the garage.
Noeekwol wondered if she could feel his eyes on her perfect behind. Heaven’s walk was mesmerizing, so much so that it made him forget about his pains for a hot moment.
“Noe, have you heard from Bey at all?” Heaven inquired about his brother who had yet to show up or get in touch with anybody yet, as far as she knew.
She did not know why Beysik entered her mind while she was maneuvering her dream car joyously through the street. She was trying to make the best of her pretend date with the handsome prince of her deceased proprietors.
“No, but I ain’t even turned on my phones yet,” he admitted, picking up his two cell phones and powering them up. “I can’t believe this shit is really real myself, and honestly, I don’t know how to tell him this shit. Bey was way closer to Pop than I was,” he admitted, sounding a bit sad by the acknowledgment of his relationship with his father. “Don’t trip, I’ll do it before we get outta this car.”
“Okay, but don’t rush yourself. I understand that you got a lot of stuff on your mind. I tried him myself, but he ain’t got back with me. Noe, you should know that Mama always told me you are the only one who could hold things together if anything was ever to happen to Pops. So I trust you to do what’s right. I’m here for you however you need me to be.”
“Thanks! That’s good to know.”
“Oh, when we get back to the house, I got something to give you.
Mama said for me to get it in case of emergencies.”
“What is it?”
“I’m not sure. I never looked inside the box. Mama just showed me where she kept it.”
This was the first lie Heaven had told him. The truth is that after the police cleared out the night before, she had gone and opened Felisha’s lockbox. She found cash and a journal inside.
Heaven’s first thought was to take the cash and run, but she could not just run out and leave the two little ones in the home alone at a time like that. But then Felisha’s sister came over and took them with her, so now the only reason Heaven didn’t leave was because she didn’t know where to go. And a little part of her wanted to see Noeekwol. She wanted to see if he would take her with him instead of letting his little brother take her. It would be a nightmare if Beysik got ahold of her. She felt sorry for the other girls that worked for Mercy Bondz. So for her assurance, Heaven took over half
the money that was inside the box and stashed it somewhere outside the house, just so she could get to it if she needed to make a break for it.
“Alright, don’t forget. You got me curious now. There might be something in it that can be helpful. Ah, damn, man! I ain’t never had to plan a funeral!” He dropped his head against the window in frustration. “Man, this shit is fucked up!”
“I know. Me neither, but I’ll do what I can to help. Maybe you can get your aunt Tasha to do it since she wants to be all bossy and shit.”
“Yeah, Heav, you’re right. You’re just full of good ideas today, ain’t you? I’m glad you didn’t just take off with as much shit as you could carry, like any one of those other bitches on his team would have.”
“Noe, I hope you can really see that I’m not like them other bitches either. I didn’t have to sell myself for Pops. All I had to do was stay loyal, keep the house, and help take care of the kids. You know Mama was thinking about opening up a daycare and letting me run it because I’m so good with kids,” she said proudly.
“Is that something you wanna do?” he asked while looking over at her.
“I don’t know. I wouldn’t mind it, I guess. Hell, as long as I don’t gotta go back to shaking my ass for strangers in a crusty-ass club of fuck for my money, I’m with it,” she answered before she instantly wondered if she should have been so honest with her feelings on the subject. “But I know my place. If you want me to do what I gotta do to help out, I will.”
Noeekwol noticed that she sounded broken when she said that. He just watched her as she turned into the parking lot of his building and swung the car into the visitor’s parking spot. She was just imitating what she had witnessed his mother do whenever they came by his place. All of the times Heaven had been over to his place, she had never once been any further than the parking lot.
“Heaven, I’m sorry. I meant to tell you just to take us to pick up the food then come here, but then we got to talking good, and I forgot too. See, I told you my mind was all over the place,” he said with a smile.
“It’s okay. It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to do something like this.” She then backed the car out of the space. “I think you’re maybe still a little punch-drunk from all of your wins last night too,” she joked.
“Punch-drunk?”
“Yeah, you look puffy and tired right now. Noe, I don’t know what is so special about the gun you got over here, but it’s guns at the house that you can use to keep us safe,” she reminded him. “We should just go back there after we get the food, so I can give you a nice relaxing bath in the whirlpool. Let me take care of you so you can take care of us?”
“Again, you’re right. I do need to soak my body and take a bath so I can get outta this jail shit!” he agreed. “Okay, ma, you got this. Show me how you can take care of me while I try to get my head together. As much as it can be together, anyway,” he added, brushing a single strand of hair away from her eye.
Little did he know the feeling of his finger on her face sent a shockwave down her body. For a moment, Heaven thought about pulling over in an alley and hopping into his lap. Then she wondered how she could be so in the mood for sex at a time like this, and that thought was what kept her foot on the gas.
NINE
On the way back to the police station after their meeting with an FBI friend, Detectives Allison and Sadd made a pit stop at Subway to eat. They discussed the details of the case between consuming a six-inch spicy Italian sub, a small bag of plain chips, and two rainbow chocolate chip cookies apiece. Tabitha smiled to herself as she wondered why her partner had a diet soda. She guessed it was to humor his guilt, because he took a sip of it after every bite he took.
With the needy chief hot on their captain’s ass about the high rate of gun-related homicides in the city, the captain happily passed it down to the two of them. He was pressing them to have someone charged with the double homicide before their forty-eight-hour window of success had closed. Tabitha knew she had to put the rest of the time they had to good use.
She admitted to herself that Heaven directly calling the family lawyer after calling for help, then refusing to talk to them until he was by her side, was a good reason for her partner’s suspicions. If Noeekwol Bondz had nothing to hide, then why not allow himself to be questioned, and why was he not more anxious to find out who had killed his parents?
“Sadd, I’ve been giving some thought to what you said about the son having his father killed to take over the family business.”
“Okay, yeah, and?”
“The way the parents were shot. Well, from what I remember off the top of my head, it suggests more rage to me. But I will need to see the vics’ bodies again to be sure. I was pretty tired when I first looked at them,” she admitted, waving her cookie as she spoke.
“Well, you’re in luck,” he said looking up from his phone. “I’ve just received a text from Amee giving us the okay to come down and inspect the bodies. That’s another thing I had done while you were sleeping. I called ahead and asked to be informed when they were done with the bodies and before they sent in their official report.”
“Great! You drive. I’m too stuffed.” She grinned as they got up from the table to leave.
Tabitha texted back and forth with her boyfriend on the drive over to the morgue. Bret was being strange all of a sudden. He texted and asked her what time she thought she would be home, whereas he would usually just text and say he would be there waiting when she got off work. Tabitha wondered if he was about to propose and if she was ready for it.
“I’m not surprised. There’s just so much violence in this city.”
“Don’t start, Bret!”
“When are you going to give us moving out of here some real thought, Tabitha?”
“Where is this suddenly coming from, Bret?”
“It’s not sudden. You just keep avoiding it. So when?”
“Okay, since you wanna do this, I’m not leaving my job or my career, especially to keep shacking up with someone I’m not married to in a new place.”
“Let’s talk later when you get home. I love you!”
“You too.”
“Is there trouble in paradise?” Sadd asked while parking in front of the city morgue’s entrance.
“Why would you think that?”
“I’m a detective just like you are, and I’ve been doing my job so much longer. I’m good at detecting things, like when you replied more quickly to the texts. That told me you didn’t like what was being said. Look, I know I’m a little rough around the edges, but I have a good ear and some pretty wise words,” Sadd offered before climbing out of their unmarked, gold detective car and then holding open the entrance door to the morgue for her.
* * *
Back inside of his parents’ home, Noeekwol allowed himself to get absorbed in the moment of emotional vulnerability with Heaven. He liked her because he could talk to her in a way he could not talk to almost anyone else. Heaven was sharp-minded and had good common sense, and she knew a lot about MMA, which was a plus. If she did not know about something, she was not afraid to ask or point out a few of his bonehead moves that she had seen him make in his last match.
“Where are you originally from?” Noeekwol asked after taking a bite of his fries.
“I’m originally from Haiti. My dad still lives there, I think. I never met him, at least not that I can remember anyway.”
“Where’s your mother?”
“Uhhh, my mother,” she said as she rolled her eyes. But he could see more sadness in them than anger. “She’s around somewhere in the game.”
“The game?” Noeekwol could see some new emotion in her lovely eyes. “Are you talking about the dope game or the pimp game?”
“Hell, it’s kinda both of ‘em fucking with her ass.”
“I can see that you don’t really wanna talk about her, so just ask me something.”
“Okay! Have you ever been to Vegas?”
“Only to
fight. I don’t like it there because there’s too much going on. I leave that busy world to Beysik.”
“Damn.” She smiled. “There goes my plan of not taking you down in the room.”
“Huh, what was that?”
“Nothing, I’m just being silly.” She giggled. “Hurry up with that last bite so I can give you the bath I promised you I would.”
“No rush. I like talking to you, unless you plan on getting in with me.”
“I like talking to you too,” Heaven answered as she allowed her truth to slip out in that moment. “I guess we can continue to have our stimulating conversation while you soak in there.”
When she tried to get up from the sofa, he grabbed her by the arm, letting his hand slide down her slim forearm. He then clutched her wrist and pulled her close, until her lips touched his in a kiss. Heaven did not resist; instead, she gave in and briefly kissed him back before she stopped.
“Do you like me like that, or did I just over-step?” he asked while looking into her eyes while still holding her wrist.
She did not know how to answer, because his lips on hers made her light-headed with lust. She eased her arm free, not wanting to say anything until she was out of reach to calm herself down.
“I gotta go make your bath,” she replied before she rushed out of the room.
Noeekwol was confused. He wondered if he misunderstood what she wanted from him and read too far into things. He then thought about how she told him that she had been treated by men in the past, and he shook his head at his carelessness. He tossed the last of his meal onto the table, and then went to apologize for kissing her. His plan was to blame it on grief, but in truth, he knew grief had nothing to do with it.
TEN
Loud cheers and rap music boomed from a 42-inch HDTV in front of a bunch of Milwaukee’s finest, including the captain. They all watched the new light heavyweight in action, paying close attention to how he won his title. Detective Sadd told everyone he was watching Noeekwol’s fights as part of his homicide investigation, since he had never seen the Bondz kid fight before. So they all joined in to help him understand what he was looking at.
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