Page 56

Bailey

F our hours earlier…

I nearly skipped to the elevator after leaving Titan’s office moments after getting my back blown out in the best way. I wondered if this was normal. I always wanted to have Titan in these guts, but since learning I was pregnant, I’ve been on that man like white on rice.

I waved to Royce as I passed his desk, and he winked at me, giving me a knowing smile. I felt my cheeks heat in slight embarrassment. I guess it didn’t take a rocket scientist to put two and two together about what we were doing in Titan’s office, Lord knows I was loud enough.

When I got to the elevator, I pressed the call button and seconds later, I was stepping on and riding it down to the lobby. Once I went through the revolving doors, Lloyd was waiting for me at the curb with the back passenger door open to Titan’s silver Mercedes Maybach.

“Hey Lloyd!” I greeted him as I got into the comfortable seat.

“Good afternoon, Bailey.” He tilted his head in greeting. When he got behind the wheel, I gave him the address of my meeting I had on the Eastside in Anderson Township.

I t took us close to an hour to pull up to the bakery storefront due to traffic.

The owner reached out to me after she saw me at the Tech in Black women’s panel and wanted to do business.

She was interested in expanding her bakery business to the location we were meeting at today and wanted to go over my proposal on how to market her business.

I checked my watch and noticed that I was still ten minutes early, which was a relief.

This would be my first time meeting this potential client in person, so I wanted to make a good first impression.

“Thank you, Lloyd, for dropping me off. I can text or call when I’m finished,” I said, reaching for the door.

“No, ma’am. Titan was clear on his instructions; I am to wait for you to be finished.”

“What? I’ll be at least two hours.”

“I’ll be fine, I have a book I can listen to while I wait,” he said, smiling at me in the rearview mirror as he got out to open my door.

When I stepped out of the back seat, he tilted his head, and I walked to the front door of the storefront and rang the bell.

I noticed the windows were still covered in brown paper and the signage on the front said Tastee Treats.

I rang the bell again after a few moments, then I reached for the handle; when it opened I shrugged and walked inside.

“Mrs. Howard? It’s Bailey Henson, I let myself in!” I yelled as I walked past tables that were covered in canvas drop cloths. There was a pastry case covered in thick layers of dust, and I coughed.

“Mrs. Howard? It’s Bailey, we have a meeting at two!

” I yelled as I made my way toward the stainless-steel swinging doors behind the counter.

When I went through the doors, I was now in a dark area.

Once my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I saw from the faint light coming from the front of the bakery that I was in the kitchen.

I walked around the perimeter of the wall, feeling for a light switch because I saw another door toward the back corner.

Once I felt the switch, I flipped it up and now that the room was illuminated, I saw more drop cloths and layers of dust. I started feeling weird about this and my spidey senses were tingling.

“Mrs. Howard, I’m going to leave my card for you to reschedule!” I yelled, keeping the nervousness out of my voice. When I turned around my blood froze.

“Leaving so soon, Bailey? I’m sorry my mother wasn’t able to make it.

” Angelo was the last person I expected to see as he stood there blocking the only exit.

He was dressed in a black jogging suit with white residue on the jacket.

Looking at him closely he looked disheveled, his long braid was coming undone in some places.

His face looked pale, his nose was red, and it was hard to miss the white residue rimming his nostrils as he continued to sniff like he had a cold.

“What are you doing here?” I was surprised my voice didn’t hold any traces of the fear I was feeling crawling up my back as I stood rooted in place. “And what the hell do you mean your mother?”

“Mildred Howard, your meeting. This was my mother’s bakery.

After she and my father divorced she didn’t want anything to do with us, so she went back to her maiden name.

She moved to Florida months ago, but she hasn’t sold this place yet.

I had my sister pretend to be her over the phone to bring you here.

” He went in his pocket and pulled out a small vial half filled with a white powder that I knew was cocaine.

I watched as he poured a little between the space of his thumb and index finger and sniffed it off his hand.

I wanted to vomit as I watched his eyes his roll to the back of his head after snorting the powder.

Then he groaned and tilted his head back, like he just released the best orgasm in the world.

When his head came down, he looked at me with a lazy smile on his face as the drugs started to hit his system.

“What the hell do you want, Angelo? You’ve left me alone for all these years… why now? Why are you popping up now like the roach you are?” I said, feeling anger taking over my fear.

“Isn’t it obvious? I want you back, Bailey.

I’ve watched you all these years, date here and there, and I know it was because of me.

You didn’t date because you couldn’t find a man like me, and I was ready to come back and claim you…

but then you settled for Titan and now you and that big ass gorilla are getting married!

Why, Bailey? Why are you getting married when you know you belong to me?

!” He shouted and spit flew out of his mouth.

I tried to calm myself as I processed what he just said.

“What do you mean watched me? You’ve been stalking me?” My eyes bulged out of my head, and I fought like hell to choke back the vomit I was feeling coming up my throat.

“No, baby. I was looking out for you, protecting you.” He looked at me like he was surprised that I called him a stalker as he walked over to me, and as soon he reached his hand out to touch my face, I jerked my head back.

The fear I felt that kept me frozen in place dissipated, and before I realized it, I gave him a straight jab to his nose.

I wanted to smile when I heard the bone crunch on impact. Angelo jumped back and grabbed his nose with both hands as blood leaked through his fingertips.

“You fuckin’ bitch!” He shouted angrily, and like a raging bull, he came charging at me, but I was ready for his ass.

I widened my stance, and as soon as he was close, I shin kicked him in the balls and he crumpled like folded laundry as he grabbed his nuts and cried out in pain.

Soon as he was on the ground, I kicked him in the head and stomped on his ribs with my sharp heel.

The moment I turned to run for the door, I felt something hard hit me on the back of my head and everything went black.