Chapter 5
I opened my eyes to slivers of light between the blinds, but I had no idea what time it was or how long I’d been out. The pain in my jaw reminded me of the events that happened earlier.
I tried to open my mouth, but there was tape covering it. The soreness would have made it difficult anyway. I had no idea where I was, but I knew I was no longer in my apartment.
Preston’s bitch ass!
I tried to sit up but realized my ankles and wrists were wrapped in what felt like duct tape. My bladder was full, and I could taste blood in my mouth, but my body didn’t feel like it had been violated.
Thank God!
As soon as Russell found out I was missing, he’d burn the city down to find me, and I prayed it wouldn’t be long. It didn’t feel like my phone was still in my bra, and that was the only way anyone could track me.
Lord, protect me!
“You did what!” I heard a male voice shout.
“She pissed me off, so I had no choice,” Preston yelled back.
“Nigga, do you know who she’s connected to?”
“No, and I don’t give a fuck. That ho was disrespectful as fuck, and you know I don’t tolerate disrespect.”
“That’s why your ass got ran outta Chicago. You can’t control your fucking temper, and it puts you in fucked up positions. I see why the Riders put your ass out.”
The Riders? Shit!
“Don’t act like the Riders are upstanding citizens around this bitch.”
“I’m not acting like shit, but the shit we do won’t have the whole city on our ass. Damn near this whole fucking city ride for Mayhem, nigga. You started a fucking war with this shit!”
“You sound like a bitch! The Riders scared of Mayhem now?”
“Do you know how many men and how much territory we lost the last time we snatched up one of those Mayhem bitches? Now here you go with this bullshit.”
“I can’t believe what I’m hearing. I thought y’all ran shit in Onyx City, and it turns out, y’all ain’t shit.”
“We do what we do, but we’ve learned to keep the peace. Our numbers are too low, and our members are too old to go to war with Mayhem.”
“Recruit some younger ones!”
“You don’t think we’ve tried? Don’t worry about what the fuck we got going on. You need to figure out what the fuck you gon’ do with that bitch.”
“I’m gon’ take the pussy she owes me and—”
“Nah, fuck that. You ain’t doing that shit here. Y’all gotta go.”
“I always knew you was a bitch, hiding behind the Riders to make your ass look tough.”
“Fuck you! Get that bitch and get the fuck out.”
Shit!
I was sure by now Russell had used his connections to find me, so I couldn’t let Preston take me to another location. I closed my eyes and took deep breaths as I waited for the door to this room to open.
Preston pushed the door open so hard, it slammed against the wall. I remained calm and pretended to still be unconscious. He lifted me from the bed, and I let my body go limp.
He moved through the space swiftly, and as soon as I sensed that we were outside, I lifted my hands, ripped the tape from my mouth, then screamed and squirmed in his arms. It happened fast, catching him off guard, and I fell from his arms to the ground.
“Bitch!” he shouted.
He bent to pick me up, and although my wrists and ankles were taped together, I used them to defend myself as best I could. I probably didn’t hurt him, but my tussling made it hard for him to pick me up.
Unfortunately, he got a hold of my waist, picked me up, and threw me over his shoulder. I hit his back repeatedly, but he kept moving. When he tossed me into the back of his car, I panicked.
My screams echoed through the car while he yelled threats, demanding that I shut the fuck up. The car moved but stopped suddenly, causing me to roll from the seat to the floor.
“Fuck!” Preston shouted.
He turned, put his arm around the passenger seat, and looked out the back window. The car went backward at an alarming speed. I had to find a way to get out of this car before he crashed into something or took me somewhere I’d never be found.
My body was in a horrible position, and the space on the floor between the front and back seats was tight. Suddenly, I heard a loud crash, but my body didn’t move much.
“Fuck!” came from Preston again.
I tried to turn my head to see what was going on, but with my hands and ankles secured, I could barely move. Gunshots rang out, and I almost pissed my pants.
“Lord, please send someone to save me. I’m not ready to die today,” I whispered as tears gathered in my eyes.
A door opened, and I instinctively screamed, wiggled, and kicked as much as I could in the small space.
“It’s me, baby. Rose, it’s me.”
Russell’s voice immediately calmed me, and I cried uncontrollably. He lifted me from the car and carried me bridal style to his truck. After placing me in the front passenger seat, he wrapped me in his arms.
“Are you hurt?” I shook my head because I was too emotional to speak. “Let me look at you.”
He released me and cupped my face as I looked up at him. He studied my face, and when he bit his bottom lip, I knew it looked as bad as it felt.
“He hit you,” he said in such a way that I knew it wasn’t a question. “Did he do anything else?”
“No. I’m fine.”
He kissed my lips before gently removing the tape from my arms and ankles. When I was free, I wrapped my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist and bawled my eyes out.
“I knew you would come for me,” I said through my tears.
He let me cry for a few minutes before he kissed the top of my head and removed my arms from his shoulders.
“He’s a dead man walking, Rose. When I see him again, it’s on sight.”
He didn’t have to tell me, because that was a given.
“You can’t go back to your apartment until I take care of him,” he continued.
“Okay.”
He pressed his lips against mine again before securing me in the seat.
“I’ll be right back.”
He closed the door and walked to where Rocky, Rowdy, and Officer Downing stood a few feet in front of his truck. I pulled the sun visor down to look at my face and gasped at the sight of it.
The whole left side of my face was swollen, and even on my dark brown skin, the purple bruise was clearly visible. I slammed the visor closed and let my head fall back onto the headrest. The tears came again, but this time, it was the relief that overwhelmed me.
This situation could’ve been much worse, but by the grace of God and Russell’s love for me, I was out of danger. A few years ago, Rue was kidnapped by her ex-boyfriend, who was my nephew Briar’s biological father.
Rocky didn’t waste a moment rescuing her, and we hadn’t seen or heard from Deacon’s bitch ass since. No one spoke about it, but we knew he died at the hands of Rocky, and unfortunately for Preston, he would meet the same fate at Russell’s hands.
The door opened, and I lifted my head and opened my eyes. Russell slid behind the wheel with a serious look on his face. When he glanced at me, his expression softened.
“You good?”
“I’m okay, but I have to pee.”
“There’s a gas station not too far from here. Can you hold it for two more minutes, or do you need to go in the bushes?”
I gave him a weak smile. “I think I can hold it.”
“I love you, Rose, but don’t piss on my seats.”
On the way to the gas station, his phone rang, and Melvin Rogers appeared on the display. Russell answered the call, and because it was connected to Bluetooth, I heard the conversation.
“Wassup, Melvin?”
“Mr. Rush, I’ve been trying to contact the security company, but—”
“It’s cool, Melvin. I got what I need. Thank you for trying to help.”
“Oh, okay. I guess I’ll see you next month—”
Russell ended the call and kept his focus on the road.
“Why will you be seeing my apartment manager next month?” I asked.
“Because I paid your rent for the whole year when you moved in, and he gives me the money you pay him each month. I put it in an account for you.”
“Russell—”
“We’re here. Do you still have to pee?”
“Do you know how he got into your apartment?” Rue asked.
“He must have picked the lock because I had to unlock the door to get inside.”
“Where were you coming from so early?” Daisy asked suspiciously.
“That’s a story for later.”
Russell brought me back to The Compound and took me to his house. After cleaning my face and forcing me to hold a bag of ice against it, he ran me a bubble bath. Although he sat with me in the bathroom, I could tell his mind was elsewhere.
When I finished soaking, he showered with me, helping me wash my hair and bathe. Once that was done, he literally fed me a bowl of tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich, made sure I was comfortable in his bed, told my sisters to come and sit with me, kissed my forehead, and left.
All five of my sisters surrounded me on Russell’s king-size bed. It was rare for us to all be together at once these days, especially since Sage and Violet were in their second and first year at Onyx City University and staying on campus.
“Russ called the apartment manager to get the security footage pulled. I’m not sure if he ever got back to him because the information Officer Downing had was enough for them to find you,” Daisy said.
“Melvin called him while I was in the truck with him. He didn’t get a hold of anyone at the security company, but I found out Russell paid my rent for the whole year, and Melvin has been taking my rent payments and giving them to Russell.”
“Oh! That’s why he had Melvin on speed dial,” Blossom said.
“Yeah. I wouldn’t be surprised if he had a key to my place, but none of that matters now,” I said.
“I still can’t believe two of my sisters have been kidnapped. It’s like we’re living in a thriller or suspense miniseries,” Sage said.
“Our lives weren’t nearly this exciting before Rocky and Russ came on the scene. I mean, not that getting kidnapped is exciting. I’m not trying to glorify it. I’m just—”
“We get it, Violet, and you’re right; being kidnapped is serious and scary as hell. I’ve never been more afraid in my life, but I knew Rocky would burn this city down to save me, and Russell was prepared to do the same for Rose,” Rue said.
“Rose has always said that she wanted a man who would break another man’s neck over her. I’m sure Preston’s days are numbered, and he’ll have more than a broken neck when Russ is done with him.”
“Are you and Russ back together?” Sage asked.
“That’s a good question,” Blossom said.
“Is that what you wanted to meet with us about this morning?” Rue asked.
“Wait. What meeting?” Violet questioned.
“A meeting without us, apparently,” Sage said with an attitude.
I loved my sisters, but when all of us got together, it could become overwhelming. After the day I’d had, I wasn’t sure how much more stimulation I could handle.
“Calm down, and I’ll tell you what you want to know,” I said.
“We’re listening,” Blossom said.
“Me and Russell hooked up last night at the gala, in his office,” I confessed.
Everyone was surprised except for Rue.
“They disappeared for thirty minutes and came back looking disheveled but satisfied. Rose’s lipstick was smeared, and some of it was on Russell’s shirt,” Rue added.
“Oh my God. This is too much for my young ears,” Violet said as she covered her ears.
“Not mine. Continue, please,” Sage urged.
“Well, Preston was my date, and he suspected something was up. He confronted me as we left, and Russell and Gayle weren’t far behind us. When Preston raised his voice, Russell handled him,” I told them.
“Handled him how?” Daisy asked.
“He just roughed him up a little. I ended up leaving with Russell, and—”
“What happened to Gayle?” Rue asked.
“Gayle?” the rest of my sisters chimed.
“Gayle was Russell’s date,” I told them.
“Oh hell. You and Russ play all day,” Blossom said, shaking her head.
“Whatever. Let me finish. Gayle hopped her happy ass in the back seat because Russell was her ride home. When he got to her place, she had a few choice words for him, but y’all know he didn’t care. I ended up coming back here with him, and we made up for lost time.”
“You were coming from here this morning?” Daisy clarified.
“Yeah. I left while Russell was asleep because I needed some time alone to figure out how I would tell him.”
Rue, Daisy, and Blossom knew what I needed to tell Russell, but Sage and Violet were clueless.
“Tell him what?” Sage asked while Violet looked confused.
I slowly inhaled and exhaled from my nose to calm my nerves. Although this had been on my mind until Preston ruined my day, the thought of saying it out loud made me feel nauseous.
“Sage, Violet, this will be the first time you’ve heard what I’m about to say.
I didn’t keep this from you because I didn’t want you to know, but you two were babies when it happened.
I was in an accident when I was eight years old, and I was injured pretty badly.
Mommy waited several years to share how much the injury truly affected me. ”
“You’re scaring me, Rose,” Sage said.
“Me too,” Violet added.
“It’s nothing you need to be afraid of. It’s just something I’ve been carrying for ten years.”
“Ten years?” Violet questioned.
“How did it affect you?” Sage asked.
I nodded before continuing. “I can’t have kids, and I think I’m ready to tell Russell.”
Sage and Violet gasped, covering their mouths with their hands. Rue, Daisy, and Blossom didn’t say anything, but their expressions showed their surprise because I’d vowed never to tell Russell my secret.
“Are you sure?” Rue asked.
“He won’t let me go, and I don’t want him to. I’m in love with Russell, but I’m afraid he won’t want to be with me anymore when he finds out I can’t give him the family he wants.”
“And I keep telling you that Russell isn’t that kind of man. He loves you, and I’m positive that won’t change when you tell him,” Rue assured me.
“I don’t know how he’ll react, but I’d rather tell him so he’ll understand why I couldn’t fully commit to him. Once he knows, he can make an informed decision about how he wants to move forward.”
“Russ has been miserable since y’all broke up. He’s literally been a shell of himself. Mama Rush has been trying to talk him into going to therapy. He’s been sick about it, and the only cure was you,” Rue shared.
“That man cares about nothing but being with you. As long as he has you, nothing else will matter,” Daisy added.
“I hope y’all are right because after last night and today, I can’t go back to living without him. I may have hidden it better than him, but I’ve been miserable too.”
“Aww, Sissy,” Blossom cooed.
They all came in for a hug before continuing our conversation.
“I’m glad you and Russ are working things out, because like Rocky and Rue, y’all were made for each other,” Sage said.
“If it’s not too much for you to talk about, can you tell us more about the accident?” Violet asked.