Page 48

The vibration in my lap caused me to draw my eyes open.

Looking around in a daze, I realize I’d dozed off for a little more than an hour.

As I picked up the phone, I sighed at the unknown number.

I knew it was no one but Chandler calling to threaten me.

Since the day I left—or rather escaped—his home, he’s been threatening to kill me.

I wasn’t stupid, so I let my brothers know in case he wanted to make good on his threats.

I knew all about him popping up at our building, causing a scene, but he hasn’t made any noise since.

He’s even been going to work and fucking his worker bitches like usual.

“Hello…” I stuck a finger in my ear so I could hear over Dre getting his praise on. He was singing Willie Neal Johnson at the top of his lungs. “Who is this?”

“Bitch, when I get my fuckin’ hands on you, I’m going to murder you,” Chandler screamed into the phone as soon as the question left my lips. “How dare you disrespect me the way you have, Noemi?”

“I don’t love you, Chan.” I sighed as we turned down a dirt road. I knew we were closer to our destination. “You don’t love me either. We will get an annulment and?—”

“You think it’s that simple?” He cut me off and chuckled.

Whap!

I heard a woman cry out. I cringed at the fact that she could have been me. “You’re my wife, Noemi Gourneau. Sooner or later… you’ll be back home where you belong. You’d better hope I have mercy on you, whore-ass bitch.”

Disconnecting the call, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I really was hoping my brothers would find him soon. I shivered, thinking about what would happen to me if he ever got his hands on me.

“Hey, you good?” I popped my eyes open to see the guys had their eyes glued on me. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing…” I hurriedly answered, undoing my seat belt so we could get answers on Gianna. “Let’s head inside.”

The men looked skeptically before doing as I asked. We had other things to worry about at the moment; dealing with Chandler could wait.

Parking near the rear of the trailer, Dre nodded for us to go toward the front while he continued to trek to the back.

“You know I’m not going to let nothing happen to you, right?” Jordan asked as we crept up the front porch steps. “I will kill that nigga before you go back to him.”

Sighing, I gave him a quick nod before our guns led the way. My brothers would be proud and pissed if they knew what I was doing right now. The only thing saving me was being with Dre.

As we reached the top step, I stood and watched as Jordan crept over and peeked into the window that flickered a small amount of light. Waving me over, I looked on as a small group appeared to be watching television. Too bad that movie night was about to be cancelled.

Boom!

I snapped my head to the door and noticed Jordan had kicked it in. I hurried inside and watched as they all screamed. Dre came in through the back with his gun raised toward anyone who thought they were leaving out the back door.

“Mi, keep your gun on them while I do a sweep.” I nodded at Dre’s order. I watched as he dashed down the hall and searched the three bedrooms. Jordan’s glare was on one of the girls, and I could tell they knew each other.

“Skip?” she cried as she held on to a child who looked to be around Gianna’s age. “What is this about?”

“Where the fuck is Gia and my daughter?” he inquired, causing her to stiffen. “By the way you reacted, you know why I’m here.”

“Clear.” Dre re-entered the room. “There’s no sign of anyone or Gianna here.”

“Here’s what we’re going to do…” Jordan paced as the house residents were seated and lined up on the sofa.

“You’re going to tell me where the fuck that nigga Lew and your hoe of a cousin took my child…

” He pointed his gun toward the oldest lady there, causing the five of them to gasp.

“Or I’m killing all of y’all while I make the youngest watch. ”

Upon my research, we were standing in the home of Jess, Gia’s cousin.

She was the one who rented out the small house for them.

The house was up in smoke now, so she could forget about getting her security deposit back.

Jess lived here with her mother, two brothers, and her son.

From what I discovered, she and Gia were close, so I’m sure she knew what was going on and where they could’ve possibly been with Gianna.

“You should have given Gia the money when she asked!” she jumped from her seat and yelled.

“You live in penthouses and mansions while we penny-pinch to get by! We want to live good, too, and you were the key!” She stepped closer to him, and so did I.

If she touched my man, it was lights out for her cartoon-looking ass.

“You have the money, and Lew was going to make sure we all lived well when you were gone! You want Gianna? It’s going to cost you. ”

“All y’all muthafuckas are delusional!” Skip roared. “I was good to her! I would have taken care of her and my daughter had I known about her! Gia would have been good if we were together or not!” He stepped toward her, causing her to retreat. “I’m going to ask you again. Where. Is. My. Child?”

“Get out of my face!” she yelled, pushing him backward. “When she wants you to know, she’ll call you. Hopefully, it’s before she or Lew hurts her.” She smirked, crossing her arms. “Gia hates the little brat?—”

Pow!

“Ahh!”

They all jumped as Jess screamed and dropped to the floor, wailing as she grabbed her right knee. All eyes were on me as I held my smoking gun.

“What?” I snapped at everyone as they stared.

“She shouldn’t have touched my man.” Walking over, I gripped her by the dry-ass braids hanging on by a threat to her scalp.

Before I could punch the bitch, I felt my phone vibrate in my back pocket.

“Tell my man where the fuck his daughter is, or it’ll be me that will end you. ”

Letting her go, I pushed her away as I pulled my phone from my pocket. Seeing it was another unknown call, I silenced it. Before I could pocket it, it buzzed once more. This time, there was a text message with an attachment. Tears immediately sprang to my eyes as my hands began to shake.

Unknown:

Since you want to play games, how about we have more players? Who loses is up to you, wife.

“Sis, what’s wrong?” Dre asked as he hurried over to me, grabbing Skip’s attention. “Why the fuck are you crying?”

“We have to leave!” I grabbed Skip and ran out of the door. “Now!

“Wait!” he yelled, pulling from me. “I need this bitch to tell me where the fuck my kid is at!”

Glancing over his shoulder, I locked eyes with Jess. Although she was still crying, the smirk on her face pissed me off. The bitch knew Skip needed her to give him the information, and he wasn’t leaving or hurting her until he got it.

“We have to get to Florida, baby,” I pleaded with him as I dragged him out the door. “I will explain it in the car. We have to get on a plane right now!”

Running to the car, I couldn’t help but drop to my knees and cry.

Chandler was ruining my life. Not only mine but the ones around me.

If I had just stayed with him, maybe all of this wouldn’t be happening.

Feeling arms around me, I was lifted from the ground.

I dropped my head into Jordan’s chest and cried as he pried the phone from my fingers.

“What the fuck!” he bellowed into the night. “How the fuck did that nigga get my daughter?”

Handing the phone to Dre, I heard him curse under his breath as he dialed my brothers. Not only did Chandler have his daughter, but he’d kidnapped my mother as well.

“I’m so sorry!” I cried as I peered up at him. “If I had never left him?—”

“This ain’t on you, Mi,” he cut me off, kissing my forehead.

“Now we know where Lew and Gia got the money to pull off the bullshit they did.” Looking down at me, the anger in his eyes scared me.

“We’re going to get your mother and my daughter back, and we’re going to make them all pay for fucking with us. ”

Holding the back door open for me to get inside the bulletproof Escalade, I wiped my tears and slid into the back seat.

Once in, I could hear Rosier’s voice booming through the speaker.

He was pissed and barking orders, wanting to know how our mother was taken.

Thinking back to the woman getting slapped when he called, the tears fell faster.

I knew he was hurting her. This psychotic nigga was harming our mother.

Pop! Pop! Boom!

Looking out of the window, Jordan let off shots at the gas tank near the mobile home, causing it to go up in flames.

I wanted to say something—to feel sorry for the possible innocent lives lost—but I couldn’t.

They didn’t give a damn about what was happening to his child, so he didn’t give a damn about what happened to theirs.

“Get me to the airstrip,” he said into the quietness of the car. “I’m about to show y’all Florida niggas how we handle business in the Grove.”