18. Rayzor
Eris barely slept. I had a doctor come by and give her medicine because she was on edge and crying since yesterday. My family was fucking torn apart. Erin was in her room crying herself to sleep. She was also on medicine because she had a couple of anxiety attacks.
I felt like I was losing control of the life around me.
My son was fucking missing. He was fine when we left him a few days ago.
We had just spoken to him, then I got a call he’s missing.
How the fuck did that happen? I kept replaying the conversation we had with him, seeing if anything was out of the ordinary.
I couldn’t find anything. He was chipper, talkative, and ready to do whatever him and Rhea had planned.
The house had a heavy presence in it. His room was empty. All you heard through the silence was sniffles from either Eris or Erin crying. I stayed up all night making calls and shit without having to leave Eris’s side. This had made her physically ill. She was throwing up most of the night as well.
The fact that I couldn’t put my hands on anybody yet had me ready to spiral.
I wanted to choke Rhea’s ass out, but that wouldn’t do any good because she has more answers than we did.
I didn’t wanna believe she did something to Levi.
She was a jealous, hating ass mothafucka, but she loved him just like Suki did.
She cried just like they did. She was the one who called the police.
I didn’t put shit past anybody, but what the fuck happened?
I blamed her for letting him out of her sight, but that was an oxymoron.
I also left him in the backyard a time or two to run in the house, make a call or just to step away for a quick minute because I knew he was safe.
Suki was coming back in the hall after checking on Erin.
“Is she asleep?” I asked.
“She’s trying to fight it.”
She leaned against the doorframe.
Suki looked like she hadn’t slept much either.
“I appreciate you for sticking by E.”
“That’s my girl. What she goes through, I go through.”
I nodded.
“Has Rhea called her?”
“She texted last night apologizing for what happened and pleading her case, but that’s it.”
“I just can’t wrap my head around this. Like, who would wanna kidnap Levi?” She asked the same question I’ve been trying to dissect myself.
“I don’t know, Suk.”
“Well, I’m gon’ call her because if her ass ain’t here then she needs to be outside looking for him.”
“As long as you’re right here, I’ll handle the streets. She needs to stay at her crib in case something or Levi shows up.”
“You need to be trying to get some sleep too. I’m sure you haven’t slept all night.”
“I’m good. I’ll sleep when my son is home.”
“I know. I figured I’d give it a shot.” She let out a small giggle.
I half-smirked. “’Preciate it.”
I went to check in on Eris. She was sleeping hard with her hands tucked under her cheek.
Her protruding baby bump rose and fell as she breathed.
I sat on the edge of the bed and just watched her.
While she slept, I saw the tension in her jaw and eyes.
She couldn’t fight the medicine, but her mind was still going.
I rubbed her leg, feeling like I fucking failed her and my family. If my wife didn’t have to be with me in New York, then she’d be with him. She could’ve protected him. I felt like without me by their side caught them lacking. I guarded my family with my life.
Eris’s phone kept going off. It had been on vibrate since the doctor left, although she didn’t want to turn the ringer off because she feared missing alerts on Levi.
Whoever had her number had mine too. I thought she’d never go to sleep.
I didn’t need her going further off the deep end like I was trying to prevent myself from doing.
She doesn’t know that she’s kept me sane through all this.
The reason that the streets hadn’t started to bleed yet was that once I turned it on, there was no turning back.
There were going to be consequences for my actions, but that’s the thing about the love I had for her, Levi and Erin.
I was willing to sit behind bars and wear a jumpsuit for them.
The vibration went off again. I unlocked the phone to see Phillip’s name popping in and out of her screen.
Phillip: You wanted to be out in New York posing on camera with that nigga then you left Levi at home. I saw Suki on the TV behind you. She went with you. Why you ain’t take Rhea?
Phillip: It’s your fault he’s missing.
I balled my fist into the covers to refrain from crashing out.
Phillip: Ever since you got with that nigga, you’ve been lacking responsibility. When you were single, you weren’t dumb. You got with him and thought he was supposed to make life easy for you.
Phillip: That nigga don’t know shit about being a father. Yet, he wanted to tell my son that he was his daddy. Where’s daddy at now? A father is supposed to protect his son.
There were dozens of messages since yesterday. Her nerves were already shot; she already blamed herself, but to see how he dogpiled on her repeatedly, there’s no wonder she couldn’t sleep and was crying.
Messages went back to before our engagement. He didn’t like her with me. Even said he wanted his family back–all kinds of shit. She ignored him, but he kept on. He’d go a few days, then disappear, but it’s been consistent since our engagement leak on forth.
Since Levi’s disappearance, he went on an episode.
I sent the messages to my phone, got up and kissed Eris.
“I love you, baby. I might not be back tonight. I gotta bring our son home.”
I checked in on kissed Erin’s head, then went for the front door. City and Suki were in the living room; I didn’t have to say shit as he followed out behind me.
“Y’all know your jobs, right?” I told security.
“Yes, sir. Nobody is to come in or out. And to call you at the first sign of distress.”
I pulled the head of security to the side.
“And if Rhea comes by, keep an eye on her. Watch her every move, when she pisses, eats, who she calls, how many times her phone rings. Every move should be documented.”
I nodded, then we headed for my truck.
“Where we going?” he asked once inside.
“A possible connection.”
“To whom?”
That got his attention.
“Rhea.”
I started the truck and crept toward the gate, waiting for it to open. The sun was particularly bright this afternoon. Hopefully, that’s a good sign. My phone sat in the cupholder, ready for some more tips. The music was down low as I needed to concentrate.
“Nah, for real?”
“They say it’s her brother.”
“That tip wasn’t random. Rhea being connected to it don’t seem far-fetched it.”
He stroked his chin hairs. “I mean, she was the only one around who knows what happened.”
“I didn’t wanna say shit to E. I needed to get her calm, but I’ve had eyes on Rhea since we left yesterday. The tip came in last night.”
“Is she at home?”
“Been in all day.”
“I know the girls have their issues and shit, but damn, you think she’d do that to E?”
“I don’t put shit past nobody.”
“I’m already knowing.”
I gripped the wheel, thinking about Rhea being behind this shit. I knew when a mothafucka hate they’ll do some unthinkable shit, but she wanted to hurt E. And she fucked up by touching Levi. I wondered what she wanted to gain by doing this dumb shit?
For the next thirty minutes, we rode in silence.
We pulled up to a townhouse complex over in Marietta. It was a slum-type of complex; abandoned cars, trash everywhere, rotten wood on the panels, and the grass unkempt. It’s an older subdivision tucked discreetly off a main road. You would’ve passed it if you weren’t sure what to look for.
An older ’14 black Malibu with Georgia license plates set in the driveway of the dirty white townhouse.
“This it?” City asked.
The windows were dark. Blackout curtains.
From the outside, you didn’t see anything suspicious. I thought about running up in that mothafucka, but if Levi was in there, I didn’t want to put his life at any more risk than it already was. If something happened while I was trying to rescue him, I wouldn’t be able to deal with that shit.
I rode past the house, parking at a neighboring house two houses down, so I still had a good view of the house.
For over an hour, nobody came outside.
My phone buzzed. It was Instagram. I barely used that shit.
User8879584: Rayzor. It’s Naya.
She’d been trying to contact me since Vegas. I blocked her ass. I don’t even know how she got my contact information.
User8879584: I know I’m the last person you wanna hear from, but I want to apologize for Vegas. I didn’t know what to do. Please call me. I need to tell you some things in person but can’t say it here. I should’ve said something a long time ago.
She left a number in the message. Said it was urgent.
This wasn’t shit but her trying to make her way back into my life.
I had a man down moment and let her slip back in, but that shit was over before it started.
She was dead to me when she let mothafuckas in the room and didn’t even help when shit went down.
After the shit I’d done for her, that’s what she go and do? That shit felt like a setup.
I had my wife and kids, didn’t need nobody else. Naya needed to move around. I was happy.
I ignored her messages and was putting my phone down when security called.
“Sir, I think there’s something you should see. It’s gotten Mrs. Kirkland upset.”
That was Big OG’s doing. He was the sign not to listen to that shit with Naya, and I didn’t take it lightly.
He sent me a message. I forwarded over to City’s phone so I could view it while he explained what was happening with my wife. Just from the headline I knew why she was pissed. I was too.