Chapter 13 #3
I followed her through the modest yet clean house.
Neutral tones adorned the walls, soft lighting cast a warm glow, and a few framed quotes about “gratitude” and “favor” dotted the spaces. The atmosphere was oddly comforting, yet for some reason, it made me feel a little sick.
“This will be your room,” Zonnique said, pointing to the last door on the left as she opened it.
The room was small but neat, decorated in soft, neutral shades of cream, beige, and warm brown. Nothing about it was extravagant, but it was clean, comfortable, and far nicer than anywhere I had stayed in a long time.
“I’ll let you go home so you can pack a few things and give you time to take all of this in, but tomorrow, come ready to stay,” she instructed with an air of authority.
I nodded as if that worked perfectly for me.
I had been driving Talia’s car around since placing her in the basement.
Yeah, it was risky as hell, especially if anybody had reported her missing, but I was tired of walking everywhere and I damn sure wasn’t about to keep wasting money I really didn’t have on rides.
And giving Zonnique the address to the apartment Dr. Loomis had gotten for me was completely out of the question.
The last thing I needed was her knowing where I stayed in case that arrangement took a turn for the worse.
And with the way my life usually worked, things didn’t just take turns; they flipped over, caught fire, and rolled straight into traffic.
“In the coming days and weeks, we’ll make changes to the room to suit your liking,” Zonnique added. “And when you come back tomorrow, I can give you a tour of the rest of the house, but no time today. I gotta get to work.”
I reared my head back in astonishment. “You work?”
“Yes,” she giggled. “You sound so shocked.”
“I am,” I admitted. “You just seem like the type who doesn’t have to… like you probably got men falling out the sky trying to pay your bills or some rich family making sure you never struggle a day in your life.”
No shade there.
Truthfully, everything about Zonnique screamed polished branding and expensive taste.
She chuckled softly. “I’ve heard that before. But looks can be deceiving. Don’t get me wrong, I love a man with money, but I like having my own too. And one thing I learned about relationships is that love feels a lot different when staying is a choice instead of a financial survival.”
That actually sounded wise as hell.
I nodded slowly. “So, what do you do?”
“I own the boutique élitaire House on Magazine Street,” she explained proudly. “Mostly women’s fashion, luxury streetwear, handbags, shoes… stuff like that. Surely, you’ve heard of us before.”
I almost said no before catching myself. I had to remember I was Talia, not Haelyn in that moment. Talia had lived in New Orleans far longer than I had, so she would’ve, or at least should have, been familiar with the boutique if it was as popular as Zonnique claimed.
I waved casually. “Of course, girl. I just never made my way over there. I gotta check y’all out.”
“Not really a need to do so… at least not anytime soon if you’re going looking for clothes. All, well, majority, of the clothes I bought you came from there.”
I smiled faintly while looking down at my outfit.
“Now maybe once you get a little bigger, we’ll have to shop again,” she continued thoughtfully. Then her eyes narrowed slightly. “You know what? I might need to start selling maternity clothes.”
Before I could respond, she was already typing notes into her phone like a woman possessed by capitalism.
“Maternity lingerie…”
Tap tap tap.
“Luxury pregnancy loungewear…”
More typing.
“Cute rich-baby-mama aesthetics…”
Once Zonnique finished typing, she slid her phone into her purse before pointing toward the door.
“Okay. Let’s go before I forget I have a business to run and I take these clothes off, soak in a nice bath, and pour myself a glass of wine. And after the morning I’ve had?” she scoffed. “That bottle damn near deserves me.”
***
It had been three days since I checked in with Talia.
All the chaos with Jace—well, not chaos for me, more like alignment—had me distracted. But I hadn’t forgotten about her… not really.
I parked two blocks away, keeping my distance just in case things had changed, and took the back-alley entrance. As I opened the basement door, a wave of grimy air slammed into me. The bitter stench of sweat, urine, and poop overwhelmed my senses.
Talia was curled in the corner, her hair a tangled mess.
The moment she noticed me, she sat up with a furious glare, the fire in her tired, red eyes unmistakable.
“Where the fuck have you been?!” she spat, her voice thick with irritation. “It’s one thing to kidnap me in my own damn house, but you’re not even feeding me now?!”
I paused at the top of the steps, cocked my head, and couldn’t help but smile at her outburst.
“You’re right. My bad,” I remarked nonchalantly. “Life got in the way.”
I held up the greasy takeout bag like it was a trophy.
“I brought you something, though.”
With a flick of my wrist, I tossed the bag at her, watching it hit the ground with a sad thud.
“Eat.”
Talia stared at the bag like I laced it with arsenic.
I rubbed my forehead tiredly before walking over to her. “Talia, use common sense for a second. If my goal was to kill you, food would be the least of your problems right now. This isn’t a Dottie situation, okay?”
Talia looked away briefly before lifting her bound hands.
“Can you untie me first? Please?” she asked stiffly. “I can’t eat like this.”
I smirked. “Well… since you said please.”
When I got close enough, I leaned in, feigning a light-hearted tone.
“Gosh, you stink!”
Talia’s expression shifted from anger to a hint of embarrassment.
Once her wrists were free, she snatched the bag so quickly that the greasy contents smeared across her wrist. She tore into it like a starving raccoon, eyes wide with hunger as she stuffed fries into her mouth.
I took a seat on the edge of an old trunk near the boiler, watching her ravenous consumption with a mix of amusement and pity.
I need to get her washed. The last thing I need is for her to get sick down here. She’s not dying… not until I said so.
“So much progress since I saw you last! You’d be proud of me!” I exclaimed, peeling my jacket off, “Okay, so I wasn’t going to tell you, but I guess I can trust you to keep a secret… since we’re sisters and all.”
Talia didn’t look up from her meal, but I knew she was listening.
“I’m pregnant!” I announced, the excitement bubbling in my voice.
Talia’s chewing gradually slowed, her focus shifting from the food in front of her to me. Her eyes narrowed skeptically, and I could almost see the gears turning in her mind as she studied my face intently.
“You’re lying,” she assumed.
I gasped dramatically, feigning offense as if she’d just thrown the most outrageous accusation my way.
“Really? You think I’m that desperate?”
Then I paused, a sly grin creeping across my face.
“Okay…” I shrugged slightly, admitting with a hint of vulnerability, “Maybe I am.”
As I rummaged through my purse, I started mumbling to myself, the words flowing out in a somewhat frustrated stream.
“You always gotta prove stuff to people these days. Nobody believes in manifestation anymore.”
Talia kept a watchful eye on me, her expression a mixture of caution and curiosity, while I finally managed to dig out the ultrasound.
“Here!” I exclaimed, holding it out proudly, but in my excitement, I quickly snatched it back after noticing the sauce smeared across her fingers. “Oh, wait. Hold on.”
I backtracked as I fished around in my purse once more, pulling out a small packet of Kleenex.
“Wipe your hands first,” I instructed firmly, thrusting the tissues in her direction.
Talia shot me with a glowering look, but she complied, slowly wiping her fingers clean while I cradled the ultrasound protectively against my chest. The image felt sacred to me.
“I’m probably gonna frame this,” I admitted, my voice taking on a dreamy quality. “Like one of those expensive floating glass frames with soft lighting around it. Maybe right above the fireplace.”
Talia interrupted me, her tone a mix of incredulity and amusement. “Really, Haelyn?”
“What?” I responded defensively, a smile playing at the corners of my mouth. “It’s my first baby!”
Talia finally took the ultrasound from my hands.
For a second, she just stared at it silently. Then she let out a soft chuckle.
I couldn’t tell whether her reaction stemmed from amusement, disbelief, or genuine amazement.
“Well, I’ll be damned. You really pulled it off.”
I couldn’t help but beam with pride. “Yup! I told you I would, silly! Never underestimate a determined woman with good timing and cooperative ovaries.”
Talia raised an eyebrow, pointing out the obvious flaw in my narrative. “You’re the surrogate though. Why would they give you this?”
I snatched the ultrasound back quickly, guarding it like a treasure.
“Because they didn’t give it to me... I stole it. Duh.”
Talia stared at me pure disturbed disbelief.
“What?” I shrugged, completely unfazed. “Zonnique put the ultrasound pictures in this little memory box in her closet like I don’t snoop when I’m bored.
Well, technically, she doesn’t know that because I just moved in.
Still, that’s beside the point. She needs to be more careful about where she leaves important shit.
You can’t invite somebody into your house, give them free time, and expect them not to go through your belongings. That’s unrealistic.”
I slid the ultrasound picture back into my purse.
“If I really wanted to, I could probably find her Social Security card, birth certificate, bank statements, and the password to her Wi-Fi… and not because I’m nosy. I’m observant. There’s a difference.” Another pause. “Okay, I’m nosy too, but she still needs to tighten up.”
Before she could say anything else, I gasped dramatically, my eyes lighting up with excitement.