Chapter 2
I heavily sighed as I pulled up to my parents’ house.
Today had been a long day, starting with my visit to the gun shop. I never imagined I would be in this space. I never thought I’d end up with a man like Patrick LaStrange. He went from Prince Charming to the devil, all within a year’s time. Now I was being harassed and stalked.
It was sad that my baby had to stay with her grandparents because she couldn’t be safe in her own home. Growing up, I was always a good girl. Aside from getting pregnant at eighteen, I did what I was supposed to. I never hung with the wrong crowd or disrespected my parents. I got good grades and graduated with honors from high school and college, despite having a child. Korri changed my life.
She gave me even more of a reason to go harder for myself. When I found out I was pregnant, I was devastated. I was terrified to tell my parents because I was convinced they would kick me out of the house and disown me. When I finally came clean, it went so much better than I anticipated. Of course, they were disappointed that I’d gotten pregnant so young, but they told me that life wasn’t over, and it didn’t stop with a baby.
They committed to helping me every step of the way so I could still go to school and work. Sarah and Carlton Mitchell were blessings to my baby and me. Korri’s father, Corey Jeffries, had been so excited for her birth. I didn’t think I’d ever seen him nervous about having her, and never once did he mention not wanting her.
He was my high school sweetheart and graduated a year before me. When I told him I was pregnant, he was away at school. That man transferred to a school closer to home so he could be here for me and our daughter. He was at every doctor’s appointment. He made sure I was comfortable and taken care of throughout my pregnancy.
When she was born, it was love at first sight for him. My entire hospital stay, he was right by my side, feeding, changing, and just loving on her. The four years that he was a part of her life, nothing about that changed. She was a true daddy’s girl, so much so it was like I didn’t exist when he was around.
Tragedy took him from us.
He was on his way home, after working a double shift, when he fell asleep at the wheel and ran into the back of a semi-truck. The coroner said he died on impact, and it gave me a little comfort knowing he didn’t suffer. Still, my heart ached for years after losing him. My daughter lost her father, and I lost the love of my life. It took me three years to even open my heart to dating again, and the first thing I did was hook up with a man like Patrick.
This couldn’t be life.
A knock on my window broke me out of my trip down memory lane. I looked up to see my older sister Renay standing at my window, beckoning me to get out. Grabbing my phone and keys, I opened the door.
“Come on here, baby mama,” she said, reaching for my hand to help me out.
“Hey, Nay.”
“Hey, boo.” She stooped to rub and kiss my stomach. “Hi, auntie Nay’s baby! Did you and mommy have a good day?”
I smiled softly. “She had a good day. Mommy… not so much.”
“What happened? Patrick still on his bullshit?”
“Not today, sis. I uh… I went to buy a gun.”
“A gun! Romi, did something happen that you aren’t telling us?”
“No. I’ve told you everything. I’m just… I’m scared, Nay. Patrick has been on this kick for months now. What if he actually hurts me? I can’t leave Korri. She’s already lost her dad. She can’t lose me too.”
Renay sighed. “I get it, baby, I really do. But a gun? Romi, you don’t know shit about guns.”
“That’s why I’m taking a training class.”
“Where? Maybe I’ll go with you.”
“You can’t. He’s offered it to me for free after I had a whole fucking breakdown in front of him.”
“Who is him?”
“His name is Devin. He owns Smoke’s downtown.”
“Devin… Devin Dillinger?”
“I didn’t ask his last name.”
“What does he look like?”
“What does it matter?—”
“Romi! He might be who I think he is, so answer the question.”
I sighed and crossed my arms as I leaned against the car. “He’s a medium brown complexion. Brown eyes. Full lips. He’s big but not like fat. Big like built, slightly stocky but not in a bodybuilder kind of way. High-top curly fade. A thick beard and mustache combo… oh! He has tattoo sleeves on his arms. I think one of them said something about revenge and justice. I can’t remember.”
“That’s Smoke Dillinger, well, Devin Dillinger.”
“Like the Dillinger Dillingers?”
“Yes, girl. Oh, I have to go now. That man is fine as hell. Shit, the whole damn family is fine. Well, at least the ones I’ve seen.” I need me one of them.”
“They are dangerous!”
“Even better. You’ll be getting a lesson from a nigga that’s trained to go.”
“Now you have me nervous, Renay.”
“Girl, don’t be scared. That big, fine ass nigga is gonna get you right. Girl, you need to flirt a little bit and let that man fall in love so he can protect you.”
I rolled my eyes. “You do the most. First of all, I’m pregnant.”
“So. Pregnant pussy is good, and niggas love to be stepdaddies.”
I shook my head, not bothering to dignify that with a response. I pushed off from the car and made my way up to the house with her following behind me, laughing. The moment I stepped inside, my baby ran up to hug me.
“Mommy!”
“Hey, baby! Mommy missed you.”
Even though I visited her every day before I went home, I missed her terribly. I’d been with her almost every day since she’d been born. Being away from her was killing me.
“I missed you too. How is my baby sister?”
“She’s good. She’s been active today. I can feel the little flutters.”
Taking her hand, I placed it on my stomach and felt around until a flutter appeared. Her eyes widened and so did her smile.
“Hi, Juri! I can’t wait to meet her, Mommy.”
“Me either, baby. Did you have a good day at school?”
“I had a great day. We had show-and-tell, and this boy brought his pet snake to class.”
“See, I would have said deuces to all of y’all ’cause no,” Renay said.
Korri giggled. “It was a baby, Auntie Nay.”
“It’s a snake. Anyway, is that homework done, KoKo?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“That’s auntie’s smart girl.”
Grabbing my hand, Korri led me into the kitchen where my mother was at the stove cooking and my father sat in front of a checkerboard. Korri took a seat in front of him and went back to playing.
“Hey, y’all,” I said, making my rounds to hug and kiss my parents.
My mother kissed my cheek and rubbed my belly. “Hey, baby. How are you two feeling?”
“We’re okay, Mom.” I moved to my father. “Hey, Daddy. You aren’t cheating my baby, are you?”
He chuckled. “Just teaching her a lesson.”
I looked down at the board and smiled. Leaning in, I whispered in my baby’s ear. She nodded, then jumped three of his pieces.
“Gotcha, Grandpa!”
“’Cause your mama cheated for you.”
I giggled. “I was just evening the playing field with my experience.”
He waved me off but reached for a hug. “I know your mama already asked, but how are you, baby?”
“I’m okay, Daddy.”
“Hmmm….” Renay mumbled.
“Don’t start, Nay,” I warned her.
My father eyed me suspiciously. “We’ll talk. Have a seat. Dinner is almost done.”
I sighed as I took a seat next to Korri. My hands went to my belly, rubbing subconsciously as my thoughts drifted. In a few months, I was going to be a mother for the second time, and I hadn’t done a thing for this baby. I still had Korri’s crib, so that was one thing I didn’t have to buy, but I had nothing else.
Yes, I love little Juri as much as her sister, but I’d been miserable this whole pregnancy. All I wanted was for Patrick to disappear somewhere and never show his face again. I thought back to the day I met him. I’d just left the post office from picking up a few packages when I stopped to get gas.
There I was, paying for my fuel and a few snacks, when he walked into the gas station. Our eyes met, and he smiled at me. Patrick stood a little over six feet with a muscular build. He sported a low haircut with deep, thick waves. Tattoos peeked from beneath his Polo shirt, and diamonds glistened on his neck, ears, and wrists.
If I was being honest with myself, he looked like a typical dope boy. He was so devilishly handsome that I couldn’t help but blush as I looked away. He ended up behind me in line. His scent was captivating, and I could feel his eyes on me.
When it was my turn to pay for my things and as I told the cashier how much gas I wanted, he placed his on the counter as well.
“I’ve got hers,” he said to the cashier.
“You don’t need to do that,” I said, looking up at him.
“I know I don’t, but I don’t mind. Ring it up, bruh.”
The cashier didn’t give me a chance to protest further before he rang up everything together, and Patrick swiped his card.
“I guess I should say thank you,” I said, grabbing my bag.
“I guess you’re welcome, beautiful.”
I left him with a smile as I headed out to my car to pump the gas. As I lifted the nozzle, he took it from my hands.
“You don’t think I’d pay for your gas and not pump it, do you?” he asked, leaning against my car.”
“I’m fully capable of pumping my own gas, sir.”
“I’m sure you are. But I’m a gentleman.” He extended his hand. “I’m Patrick.”
“Romi.”
“Romi… I like that. You got a boyfriend, Romi?”
“I don’t.”
“So would you mind me asking for your number?”
“Um…”
“I promise, I’m harmless. I think you’re beautiful, and I’d like to get to know you a little and you get to know me.”
He’d finished pumping the gas as he waited for my answer. Hesitantly, I’d pulled out my phone and handed it to him. We exchanged numbers, and shit went from there. If I’d listened to that hesitation… that small inkling that I needed to stay away from this man, I wouldn’t be in this position right now.
He love-bombed the fuck out of me.
I was talking dates, gifts, meeting the family, meeting Korri… everything. He did and said all the right things that had me falling in love with him. I waited five months before introducing him to my baby, and when I did, she fell in love with him. She was his little princess, and he acted like he loved her so much. We were ten months into our relationship when his true colors started showing.
It started with him questioning where I got my products for Pure Glow Beauty Bar . He wanted to know the days, how big my shipments were, who delivered them, and all kinds of shit. His line of questioning had me raising my eyebrows. When I told him that, he damn near cursed me out.
“Bitch, you acting like a nigga is asking your ass for something. I just asked a muthafucking question with your stupid ass.”
His reaction caught me off guard so much that I didn’t even have a response for it. It was so unlike him and completely threw me for a loop. Days went by before I heard from or saw him again. I didn’t even bother to reach out to him because I wasn’t tolerating being spoken to like that.
It wasn’t until he showed up at my beauty bar that I found out his true intentions behind the question. I was sitting at my desk going over inventory when he came in.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, sitting back.
“I need you to do something for me.”
“Um, no. Not after the way you spoke to me. As far as I’m concerned, this relationship is done.”
“This shit is done when I say it’s done, Romi.” He tossed a small duffel bag on my desk. “Since you want to be secretive about the shit, I did a little research of my own. You should really do a better job of vetting your employees, baby. A little dick will have them telling all your business.”
“What?”
He unzipped the bag and exposed the bricks of cocaine.
“Patrick, what the fuck do you think this is?” I asked, shoving the bag toward him.
He stared at me with a stoic expression. That’s when it clicked. This man told me he owned a barbershop and a diner, both of which I’d been to, so I knew that was true. This… this was news to me.
“Are you fucking serious!” I yelled, jumping to my feet. “I’ve had you around my child, and this is what you’re doing!”
“Pipe the fuck down.”
“Don’t tell me to pipe down, Patrick. Anything could have happened to us while we were with you if this is the type of time you’re on.”
“You here, ain’t it? Ain’t shit happen to you, and nothing is going to happen to you as long as you do what I ask.”
“I’m not doing shit!”
He reached across the desk and grabbed me by my shirt. “You heard what the fuck I said, Romi. I’m not playing with you. Get on board, or you’re gonna wish you had.” He shoved me away and walked to the door. Looking back at me, he said, “I’ll be back to pick that up.”
The whole thing shook me up so bad that I closed the shop down for the rest of the day. That bag sat in my office until he came back. Of course, he was livid when I told him this shit wasn’t going to continue. For weeks after that, he tried to make me stash his product, but I refused. He went from threatening me to using scare tactics to get me to comply.
I’d been followed.
My tires had been flattened.
My shop window had bricks thrown through it before it was broken into. Nothing was taken, but the place was ransacked. My house was broken into, and again, nothing was taken, but the place was all fucked up. I called the police, and every time, the video surveillance footage was mysteriously lost during the investigation after I gave his name.
Patrick’s father was a city official, the chief administrative officer, to be exact. I’d met him three times, and they had an estranged relationship, but apparently, he loved his son enough to cover up his transgressions. It was clear that Patrick simply wanted me to know that he could have me touched whenever he wanted, and there was nothing I could do about it.
That was the nightmare I’d been living for months now.
When I found out I was pregnant, I’d been doing my best to keep it from him because I knew he would use our child to finally force me into compliance. I couldn’t do it… I wouldn’t do it.
“Mommy, did you hear me?” Korri asked, breaking my thoughts.
I snapped out of my trancelike state. “I’m sorry, baby. What did you say?”
“I asked if you could read me two bedtime stories tonight.”
I smiled and kissed her temple. “Of course.”
I knew that was her way of getting me to stay longer, and I didn’t mind. I was ready to have her back home. Hopefully, this would all be over soon, and we could go back to regular life.
No running.
No being scared.
No. Fucking. Patrick LaStrange.