My mind started running and my stomach turned. What the fuck was happening? How did he get pass the guards? I looked at his attire and immediately my eyes caught the skull and chain tattoo on his right hand. He must have had it drawn. I got to hand it to him, he did his home work well. He couldn’t possibly think he could get away with this. I needed to calm my stomach that was churning and focus. Mom and Lincoln were upstairs and I needed to keep the focus on me so there would be no attempt to get to them. It was still early, just pass 9 o clock it was way too early for Nick to get home.
“Why you look so shocked Gypsie? You think me wouldn’t find you inna you fortress? You know how long mi siddung in ya a wait pan you cause mi hear di housekeeper a tell di man dem nuffi stay inna da room ya cause a in here yu study.” He said waving his gun.
My eyes widened and I gasped when he said my stage name. How the fuck did he know about Gypsie?
“Oh right you think me nuh know bout Gypsie,” he laughed. It sounded strange and deranged coming from someone I knew for so many years. He didn’t wait on my response, “Leah me pay a bredda fi watch you one night cause me go a Burger King one day fi surprise you and dem tell me say no Leah nu work deh. Imagine my shock when me hear say you a whine pan stage a night time. Mi did affi go see you miself. Mi neva know a so you flexible. And mi neva know say a so you love whine pan cocky.”
“Mark you are writing your obituary by coming here. This is fucking suicidal!” I spoke for the first time trying to put on a brave face. Talking to him like I usually did.
“Suicidal? Di only smaddy a go dead a you. Di boss send mi fi yu! Mi only sorry say mi nah go get the chance fi put the cap inna yu raas fi gi mi bun.” His eyes were wild as he looked around him.
“Mark me and you neva de. We neva even a fuck! As a matter of fact yu cyah fuck yu nu have nu fucking use!” He walked over to me and slapped me across the face. My eyes dimmed as the sting of the blow registered.
“Hey gal watch yu bomboclaat mouth!” He pointed the gun at my head and pulled cable ties from his back pocket. He ordered me to put my hands behind me and fastened my hands together.
“Yu tink yu man well into you don’t it?!” He laughed bitterly. “See him ya wid a gal a boom pan him cocky dung a Candy Fantasies.” He grabbed his phone from his pocket and shoved it in my face and sure enough there was Nick sitting in his usual spot and Monique grinding her ass on him. He swiped showing me several pictures, one with Moniques’s ass in Nick’s face and him grabbing it, and one with her grabbing his dick. I closed my eyes as the pain lanced through my heart. So that’s where he was every night for the past couple of weeks?! I prayed for inner strength. This was too much. Why was this happening to me?
“Come ya! Mi hope di boss make me watch when him a push him cocky dung yu throat since a big man cocky yu want.” I noticed he looked behind him several times and he was now in a hurry. I tried hard to keep back the tears. I was fearful for anything happening to Mommy and or Lincoln I just wanted us to leave quickly before he decided to take them hostage too. I thought about screaming, but again if my mother came down I didn’t want to imagine what would happen. He must have read my mind about screaming because he took a needle from his pocket and stabbed it into my neck and immediately the room started to spin. He then placed a handkerchief over my nose and mouth and the potent smell of chloroform assailed my senses. My last thoughts were of mommy, Lincoln and the pain in my heart.
The darkness was so thick I thought I would suffocate. I felt like I was stifling and vomiting at the same time. I was drifting on a cloud of blackness, scared and crying. I must have been crying hard because my throat felt parched and scratchy. There were brief images of my mom, Lincoln and Nick smiling. I could hear muffled talking. It sounded like far away and I couldn’t make out much of what was being said. I heard my name , ransom, Neeko, dead. It was hard to concentrate the darkness was too much I drifted back into oblivion.
The water was cold, I was drowning in pool of cold water. I tried to lift my head above water to draw what little breath I could but I couldn’t breathe. I guess this was it. At least when I died my mother and Lincoln could live off my life insurance. Everything I ever did, I did for them, to make sure they got the care they required. I was better off dead and they would be better off if I were dead. I made one last gasp drawing in as much air as my lung could hold and I started coughing and sputtering water. I heard the talking again and this time I could hear more clearly; the darkness was not so thick.
“Look like she wake now boss!” I couldn’t move my hands to wipe my face I shook my head to clear the water from my eyes. My eyelids felt heavy, my face felt numb and I felt so weak but I pried my eyelids open. I was sitting in a chair in what seemed like an empty room with very bad lighting. There was a basin filled with ice cubes and water at my foot and three men stood around me. I slowly moved my head from Mark, to the tattooed face guy and then my eyes landed on an older man. He was dressed in a brown suit with matching brown shoes. He had dreadlocks and it was clasped back in a ponytail.
“Good, you decide fi join us finally, Gypsie. Mi did a wonder if me affi go dump yu body inna di fire over the dump. Two whole days yu knock out cold,” he said with a sinister smile revealing a gold front tooth.
I just looked at him, I couldn’t speak even if I wanted to. The effects of the tranquilizer, chloroform, coupled with maybe screaming and ice cold water did a number on my throat. I felt so weak I could barely hold my head up to look at them. I was still wearing the black t-shirt and shorts that I was wearing when Mark kidnapped me. They were soaked through.
“Well look like me need fi introduce miself, I am Denval the real don roun town.” His name didn’t ring a bell. Who the fuck was a Denval? I was thinking hard to see if I heard the name at any point.
“Only one don can run these streets and since mi cyah get to Neeko, mi wi make Neeko come to me.” I still stared at him blankly remembering the picture of Nick with Monique. I wished he would just kill me and be done with it already.
“Neeko, won’t come for me,” I managed to croak. My throat hurt so badly.
He turned to Mark at that and said, “Mi think you say you sure him ago come fi har.” Mark looked a little uncertain shifting his weight from one foot to the next.
“Har modda and har brother deh a him yard. Him ago come!” He said with not as much confidence as Denval expected.
“So why di bloodclaat Yu neva tek di modda and di brother den?! Cause it wudda seem to me that dem value more than dis bitch!” Denval’s voice got loud and stern.
“Boss a she a him woman, him carry har home di day inna di BMW” Mark was rambling as he was clearly scared.
“Mi want Neeko at whatever price! Yu tell me you can guarantee me Neeko and mi pay yu mi pussyclaat money! Maybe you need fi go back fi di mother and di brother!” Denval opened his jacket and adjusted the pistol in his waist as he walked off. I gasped inaudibly and prayed a silent prayer that they would not consider kidnapping my sick mother and brother. I didn’t know Mark was such a sick fuck. I wondered briefly what Denval’s beef with Neeko was and when did Mark become so desperate and violent.
I looked from tattoo boy to Mark, they were both young and looked a little scared of this Denval person. Tattoo boy who was so talkative when he tried to kidnap me did not say a word. He seemed genuinely scared. Mark started staring at me. “You see wah yu cause? Leah you a mash up mi money ya now enu!” He came up into my face shouting. I just stared at him. He didn’t look like himself. He looked like a shell of the person I knew growing up. He looked like a crack head. “Which part yu man wudda de right ya now?!”
“You know more bout him dan me. Check your cellphone. Haven’t you been taking pictures of him like yu love man! Fucking batty bwoy!” I forgot about the soreness in my throat and I was fueled by rage and the fact that I didn’t care if I died. The handle of his gun connected with the same side of my face with all the power he had snapping my head to the side. I tasted the blood in my mouth.
“Mark yu better make sure yu bloodclaat kill me!” I shouted at him. “Yu hurt cause me go fuck a next man cause yu nu have nu fucking use! Wah you did expect?!” I spat at him.
“Mark yaah saps” tattoo face laughed. “Yu have a woman like dat and yu couldn’t fuck har!” He laughed. Mark got really angry he pulled his gun and pointed it at me.
“Mi nu care if me dead or live at this point so pull the trigger pussyhole and mek sure you aim straight!” I shouted at him remembering the picture of Nick. My heart was aching. The way I saw it, I was in love with a man who didn’t love me back. If I died my family would be better off, so what was the point in staying alive? Life had done nothing but deal be rotten eggs since birth and the one thing I found and wanted to clutch at for dear life; the thing that brought me the most joy in the world was just a farce.
Tattoo face continue to laugh hysterically and a single deafening gunshot rang in the room. I jumped with fright as his body collapsed in front of me, his eyes and mouth open, his body unmoving.
“Get on top a mi fucking nerve now!” Denval said placing his pistol back into his waist.
“Clean dat up!” He shouted to mark turning his back and walking to a window to stare into the darkness.
Marks eyes grew wide and he quickly sheathed his own pistol. He grabbed the body and started dragging it toward the door smearing blood on the floor. The door opened and slammed behind him as he struggled with the weight by himself. I could not believe this was the same holy righteous, sanctimonious Mark that I new. This shows that you can be with a person and you think you know them but you really don’t know them at all. Jealousy drove him to this point where he’s now a murderer and a kidnapper. Who knew that he had it in him? I could feel my face swelling from the impact of the hits to my face. My heart was so heavy and numb at the same time. I didn’t know what to feel. I wanted to die.
Denval walked over to me slowly, the heel of is pointed toes clicking on the concrete ground. We were alone in the room. He stopped in front of me bent to my level and said, “Mi wah one a dem lap dance weh yu give Neeko a night time.” His breath reeked of marijuana.
“Mr. Denval you make Mark bring you a stripper claiming that I’m Neeko woman. Mi anu Neeko woman. Why would Neeko deh wid a stripper? Mi whine pan cocky fi money, dat a wah me do. Mi can give you a lap dance yes, one that you will neva figet.” I said looking up at him. He seemed to be considering for a moment.
“Alright,” he said suddenly smiling lasciviously.
“You’ll need to untie me. You ever see a Gypsie dance? I can’t ride you with my hands tied.” I looked at him seductively. He reached into his socks and pulled out a knife cutting the cable straps without thinking.
Adrenaline rushed through my veins as I jumped off the chair and pushed him onto it. He was no where near as tall as Neeko, nor did he have any muscles. I straddled his lap caressing his chest while pushing his jacket from his shoulders. His pistol was in the front of his pants waist, he seemed to have forgotten it as his dick rose to my whining and grinding. I grabbed my breasts squeezing and pulling my nipples, moaning deeply. I watched him with half shut lids and he grabbed unto my waist. I hated when men touched me unwarranted, but I held my composure and continued my ministrations on his dick. He closed his eyes clearly enjoying himself and that’s when I moved into action grabbing the gun from his waist I jumped off him and pulled back the clip and fired blindly. I heard his howl of pain. I turned my head away and fired again backing away toward the door. He was holding his crotch and howling, blood gushing everywhere. I grabbed the door handle and flung it open and ran into an open yard. There was no sign of Mark as I ran through the gate as fast as my bare feet could carry me.
I’m not sure where I was but I got to a main road quickly where there were many cars going to an fro. I’m not even sure what time it was. but I kept running and running, the pistol still in my hand. I saw the big blue and white building from a distance, that police station was my target. When I got through the door I collapsed on the floor gasping for breath.
“Miss, wah happen...” the police man who approached stopped when he saw the gun in my hand. I dropped it to the floor and pushed it away from me as the tears streamed down my face and loud sobs rocked my body. I was still wet, bleeding and distraught. A police woman with a blanket came and wrapped it around my trembling shoulders and she along with two other police men helped me up and brought me into a room to sit. It was difficult to breathe, remnants of the tranquilizer and the chloroform were still in my system.
“Miss what happened?” the police lady urged but when I tried to talk nothing came out it was as if I stopped breathing and there was just that thick blackness again and their faces disappeared from my view.
There was a beeping sound and hushed talking as I slowly tried to push through the thick blackness. Why even bother pushing through? I thought. Your mom and brother would be better off if you died. But I could hear my mom’s voice calling me crying. Why was she crying? Was she hurt? Did somebody hurt her? Was she sick? I pushed through the darkness and my eyes fluttered open.
My mom was at my bedside sitting, her head in my lap, she was crying.
“Mommy,” I croaked.
“Lee!” She said excitedly through her tears.
I wanted to lift my hands but I couldn’t move them, they felt as heavy as my eyelids. My head, my face, my entire body was hurting.
“Where am I?” I asked puzzled.
“Hospital Lee. Police bring you come here,” she answered wiping her eyes.
Then I remembered collapsing at the police station with the gun. I gasped and shot upright pain radiating in my head and through my body, I winced in pain.
“Lee take your time,” my mother said. “You need fi lay down back.”
“Leah...” my body stiffened at the sound of his voice and I slowly laid back on the pillow. I was obviously in a private room. I laid eyes on him for the first time in what seemed like weeks. He looked worn and tired as if he hadn’t slept in a while. And all I wanted to do was wrap my arms around his neck and take comfort from him but I remembered the images and my heart broke some more.
“Why are you here?” I asked not looking at him. I couldn’t see his reaction but he didn’t respond to my question.
“Lee is what happen?” My mother asked. She was a bit more calm now.
“Nothing mommy. I’m sorry,” I held her hand.
A female doctor, who introduced herself to me as Dr. Randall came in at that point and asked me general questions to see if I was thinking cohesively. She was an older lady, maybe my mother’s age with kind brown eyes. She checked my vital signs to make sure I was stable and ordered medicine for the pain I was feeling. She told me that they had injected enough tranquilizer inside my body to kill a horse, I was lucky.
My mother held my hand and kissed it. She stood slowly. “Lee I have to go see to Lincoln, later me come back and see you. You need to rest.” She kissed my cheeks and she walked to the door and one one of Nick’s guys was there to escort her home. Home? Where was that? I just realized that we didn’t have anywhere to go. I didn’t want us back in that community and we certainly couldn’t stay at Neeko’s. I didn’t know what we were going to do, but I had to figure something out since I was still alive and there would be no insurance money for my family to get. Maybe I could run the bar at Candy Fantasies if Peter would allow me back.
Tears pooled and ran down the side of my face. I could only turn to the side of my face that was not swollen. Hell. My life was hell. I searched for hope and I couldn’t find it. My tears turned to full blown sobs. Sobs of hopelessness and despair. He came to the side of my bed where my mother had vacated and he knelt down. I tried to turn away but there was just too much pain.
“Leah...baby...” he held my hand and I slipped my hand out of his. He looked shocked, hurt.
“Why are you here?” I asked softly.
“Baby, I searched these streets high and low for you. By the time I got to the yard where they were holding you, you were already gone...” I cut him off.
“Let me ask you something. What did you plan on doing with us when you got tired of fucking me?” He was taking aback by the question. His eyes widened.
“What?”
“I resigned myself to a fate of death. I hoped and I prayed that they would kill me or I would die in the process.” I cried shouting. My words probably sounded cryptic to him. “Pheromones aren’t strong enough to conquer unrequited love, Nick. I hope you enjoy your life with Monique. Please leave.” His face was in total shock, he was speechless. He got up, his movements robotic and walked out of the room leaving me and my sobs…
