29
Girl, I should have got me some food to go. That shit was good. I’m mad that I shared it with y’all,” Clo argued.
Clover, Iva and Amina had a much-needed girls day out.
They had a spa day and had just gotten something to eat for the second time.
Amina’s baby was two months old now, and Fonzo was on daddy duty.
His brothers were there with him like it took three men to watch a newborn baby.
Dash was so excited to have a niece and he was there just about every day to see her.
Hank, Diva and Kardi went to Georgia for the weekend to spend some time with the family, so Clover was free.
“That was good. How did y’all find that place?” Amina asked.
Amina had eaten gumbo and noodles more times than she could count. She had never heard of gumbo ramen before, but it was good as hell. Whoever thought of combining the two was a genius and she loved the concept.
“That be Clover finding all these different places that nobody ever heard of. That gumbo stir fry was bomb as hell though.” Iva was licking her lips just thinking about it.
“Y’all know I like trying new places. I be tired of eating the same thing all the time. I be following all the food bloggers trying to get some new ideas.” Clover and Dash had been to the restaurant twice before and they loved it.
“That beignet place was good too,” Amina said.
Clover was making it hard for her to stick to her diet.
They had gone to a place that had beignets stuffed with everything imaginable, including pecan pie.
She couldn’t wait until her and Fonzo started going on their date nights again, so she could let him taste everything.
They wanted to wait until Alexus got a little older before they started leaving her with anyone.
She knew without a doubt that she wouldn’t have any trouble finding a babysitter.
“Girl, yes, that seafood one and the sweet potato were my favorites,” Iva replied.
“We should go get a cookie butter milkshake!” Clover yelled excitedly.
“No ma’am. You’re gonna be big as a house with these pregnancy cravings.” Amina was shaking her head, even though that sounded amazing.
“That bitch got a metabolism like I’ve never seen before. She don’t ever gain weight, pregnant or not. I’m not messing with her ass this time around though. I gained fifteen pounds when she was pregnant with Kardi just from going out to eat with her ass.” Iva frowned, as Amina fell out laughing.
She gained a little weight when she was pregnant but she lost all but eight pounds of it. She and Fonzo had started working out together in their home gym and that helped a lot.
“I can’t even lie, that does sound good,” Amina admitted.
“Come on, Iva, just get a small one,” Clover begged.
“Ughhh, this is our last stop, Clo. I’m gonna be big as a damn house messing with you.” Iva drove towards the café that Clover always took Kardi to. They had some of the best desserts and she was already thinking about everything that she wanted.
When they pulled up, she was surprised to see so many cars out front. They didn’t close until midnight, so it was the perfect place for a late-night snack.
“What do y’all suggest since I’m a first timer?” Amina asked when they walked into the café.
She took a few of their suggestions and saw some things that she wanted to try. She got her husband a few things and Iva did the same. Since Kardi wasn’t home, Clover got her milkshake and stood off to the side while her and Iva drooled over the display case.
“Hit the locks, Iva. I’ll wait for y’all in the car.”
Most of the tables were filled and even more people were coming in.
Iva used her key fob to unlock the door right as Clover walked out.
She’d left her phone in the car, so she was gonna call and talk to her baby for a while.
Clover moved to the side and allowed a man to pass on the sidewalk.
She walked pass him, but he doubled back and grabbed her from behind.
Her breath got caught in her throat when she got a good look at who it was.
She dropped her milkshake and screamed right before he put his hand over her mouth.
He dragged her to an awaiting car that she never even noticed was double-parked right next to Iva’s.
She panicked when she saw him pop the trunk.
“Let her go! Oh, my God! Somebody help her!”
Two women were yelling loudly as they watched Clover seem to get abducted right before their eyes. One of them frantically called the police while the other one memorized the license plate number. It looked like a scene from a movie but it was their reality.
Amina and Iva looked out of the window when they heard the women screaming.
They watched in shock and horror as they saw Clover being thrown into the trunk of a car.
They pushed through the crowd in the café right as Trent jumped into his black Audi and speed out of the parking lot.
Amina burst out in tears while Iva quicky dialed a number on her phone.
She grabbed Amina’s arm and pulled her to the car.
She was scared to death, but now wasn’t the time to fall apart.
Her best friend was in trouble and they needed help.
“What’s up, baby?” Monty asked when he answered.
“Monty! We need help. Trent just took Clover! I don’t know which direction they went in. I’m scared.” Iva’s heart felt like it was beating out of her chest.
“The fuck! What you mean he took her?” Monty jumped up and put the call on speaker.
“That crazy bastard threw her in the trunk of the car and took her!” Iva started crying just like Amina had done just a minute ago.
Dash’s heart dropped when he heard what Iva was saying.
Denny’s son, Tre, had just come over to chill with them and they were laughing with him.
He was with the bullshit, so he was on go the minute he heard what was going on.
Tre had been through some shit in his young life, so he was the only one thinking clearly.
“Do you and Clo share locations, Cuz?” Tre asked while looking at Dash.
“Yeah, we do,” Dash replied, as the three men rushed out of the house and hopped in Tre’s black and silver two-toned Cutlass. Fonzo was nervous but he had to stay put. He had to stay home with his baby girl.
“She left her phone and purse in the car with us.” Iva looked at Clover’s phone that was sitting in the cup holder. Dash’s heart dropped, knowing that Clover was defenseless without her purse that she kept her gun in.
“Fuck!” Tre pounded the steering wheel, already feeling defeated.
“Wait, I can track her watch. She never takes it off.” Clover had a fitness app on her watch to track her daily steps. Dash was fidgeting with his phone until he got what he needed. He saw Clover’s location and was telling Tre where to go.
“What should I do, baby? I’m nervous.” Iva was sniffling.
“Just go back to Amina’s house and wait for me there. Be cool, love, Clo is good.” Monty was trying to convince himself as well as Iva. He knew that his sis could handle herself, but she had another life growing inside of her. He was concerned about that too.
Iva wanted to listen, but she just couldn’t do it. She started tracking Monty’s phone, hoping that she and Amina could somehow help their girl too.
“What kind of car was it, Iva?” Tre asked. It seemed like a stupid question, but she knew that he must have asked for a reason.
“A black Audi,” Amina answered, remembering Trent’s car all too well. He’d had it for years and she knew it by memory.
“And you said he threw her in the trunk?” Tre questioned.
“Yes.” Iva was wondering where his line of questioning was going but she just answered. He was a lover of all cars and he could take one apart and put it back together with his bare hands.
“That’s actually not a bad thing.” Tre nodded.
“What do you mean?” Dash seemed confused. In his eyes, it was all bad.
“Can you text Clover on her watch, Cuz?”
“Yeah, I can text her.”
“Okay, tell her to do exactly what I say. Let her know that we’re tracking her movements and to just stay as calm as she can.”
Dash listened as his cousin gave him instructions on what to tell Clover. It all sounded too daring and he was scared for Clover and his unborn child. Dash closed his eyes and did something that he had been doing a lot of over the past few days; he prayed.
Clover felt like she wanted to start hyperventilating.
She had never experienced claustrophobia before but she felt like she was experiencing it now.
The small, dark closed in space seemed to be getting smaller the longer she stayed in it.
She felt every bump that was hit and she felt like she was gonna throw up.
Trent was even crazier than she thought he was.
She was scared and Kardi was all that she could think of.
She didn’t know if she would ever see her baby grow up and do all the things that girls did.
She wanted to see her off to prom and watch her walk across the stage for graduation.
Even the baby that she was expecting was at the forefront of her mind.
She wondered if Diva was gonna finally get her grandson or granddaughter number three.
She never even got a chance to tell Dash that she forgave him and still loved him like the first day she said it.
Her thoughts were all over the place until she saw a little light.
It was her watch. Clover looked at it and had a small glimmer of hope when she read the message that Dash had sent.
She felt better knowing that she wasn’t just kidnapped and at an unknown location.
Dash was tracking her, and she prayed that he got to her before anything happened.
“Shit.” Clover read another message that came through and looked around the darkened space to see if she could locate the object that Dash said she should look for.
She smiled internally when she saw the glow-in-the-dark, T-shaped plastic handle that she never noticed before.
There was an arrow on it that he told her to push or pull to open the truck to escape.
The only problem was that she didn’t know where she was.
She could have been on a bridge or busy highway and that would have been a disaster in itself if another car was coming.
She didn’t have time to waste, so Clover prayed before she did anything.
She had her hand on the handle, waiting for the right time.
About a minute later, that time came. The car stopped and Clover pulled the handle, making the trunk pop open instantly.
She sat up and looked into the eyes of the driver behind them at the red light.
The lady looked surprised and scared at the same time.
Clover didn’t think about it too long before she jumped out of the car and ran across the street to a gas station.
Cars honked at her, but she didn’t care.
She made it right as Iva’s car came speeding into the parking lot.
Dash jumped out of the car with Tre and Monty, but they kept going after Trent.
“No! Fuck!” Trent saw his truck pop open, but Clover was running away from his car by the time he tried to react. Two cars were in front of him and lots more were behind him.
He looked to his left right as Caprice’s ex-boyfriend and another man pulled up next to him.
They locked eyes, and Monty made the gun symbol with his hand.
As soon as the light turned green, Trent hit the car in front of him and turned the corner.
Horns blared, and it was complete chaos as he sped away with his trunk still open.
He’d been following Clover and Dash for days and an opportunity finally presented itself. She was out with her friends but she made the mistake of walking out of the café alone. That was his opportunity and he took it.
“Don’t lose that nigga, Cuzzo. It’s lights out for his ass tonight.” Monty cocked his gun, ready to put Trent out of his misery.
“Nigga, I do this. I’m ‘bout to make this nigga go exactly where I want him to. Watch me work.” Tre pulled up on the side of Trent and forced him to turn the corner. He was trying to get him away from the hustle and bustle of the night life.
“Shit!” Trent never had to drive so fast before in his life but he didn’t have a choice. His plan was ruined and he didn’t know what was gonna happen. He was still having a hard time trying to figure out how Clover escaped.
He didn’t know where he was but he needed to get back to a main street where people were.
All he saw now was an open field and wide open space.
Every time he tried to turn around, the other car forced him to turn in a different direction.
They were coming up to a park, but it was barely lit.
He was hoping to see somebody outside walking their dog or something, but it was secluded.
“Hit the back tire, Cuz. You can end this shit right here and now.” Tre pulled up closer to Trent’s car, as Monty hung out of the window and pointed his gun.
“Fuck!”
Trent’s back tire exploded and his car started wobbling.
He was going too fast and couldn’t stop.
He lost control of his wheel and his car slammed into a huge Oak tree.
The airbags made a loud noise as they popped out of various places.
He didn’t even have a chance to react to the pain before he was being forcefully pulled out of the car.
“Bitch ass nigga. You must have been tired of living.” Monty grabbed him around the neck and put him in a chokehold.
Trent was kicking his legs and flailing his arms. It was all in vain because he couldn’t break free. He felt like his life was slipping away from him and everything went dark soon after.
“Shoot that nigga and be done with it,” Tre insisted.
“That’s too easy.” Monty was looking around, but Tre was getting impatient. Monty looked in Trent’s open trunk and pulled something out.
“The fuck is you doing! Let’s go nigga!” Tre was looking around nervously.
“Catch and throw it back to me.”
Tre did what his cousin told him to do. He understood what he was doing after a while and made quick work of helping him. Both men lifted Trenton up and positioned him exactly how they wanted him right before he woke up.
“The fuck! Let me down.”
Trent tried to loosen the rope that was around his neck.
He started kicking, as the two men pulled and made it tighter.
His body was being lifted higher the more they pulled and his breathing got constricted.
They were hanging him like a Christmas ornament as he struggled to put his fingers in between his neck and the rope.
Monty and Tre stood back and watched as Trent kicked his legs.
His eyes bulged in fear and panic as he faced what was now his reality.
He lost his bladder right before he stopped moving and went limp.
Satisfied with the outcome of ending Trent’s miserable life, both men got back into the car and drove off into the night.