Felicia, who had just taken over as the driver, yawned and she pulled into the driveway of her three bedroom home on Harbor Island. It normally took anybody doing the speed limit almost ten hours, but Dre who drove over eighty-miles per hour the entire time got them there in nine, including the two times they’d stopped for restroom and food breaks. She pressed the garage remote and pulled into the two car garage, before parking the car and turning off the ignition. Instantly all the memories of the many summer vacations she and Justice spent there flashed into her mind. When Felicia felt the water building up in her eyes, she closed them tight trying to fight back tears.
How did things end up like this Justice? I did everything right in our relationship and you still left me. If you would’ve loved me the way I loved you, we would still be together right now.
Felicia was so deep in thought she didn’t hear Dre calling her name.
“Felicia…Felicia, shake that shit off, we got business to handle. Now ain’t the time to get all sentimental on me!” he warned.
She delivered several sighs, and then rolled her eyes in a manner that should have informed Dre that she didn’t appreciate being talked to that way. Dre was on a mission and had already removed Kareem from the front seat and waited for her to open the door. Even though Dre had decided not to keep him in the trunk very long, Kareem’s hands were still tied and his mouth was still covered with tape.
“Hurry the fuck up, Felicia!” he barked.
Felicia eyebrows rose and her expression went soar. “I don’t know who you think you’re yelling at, Dre. I’m not a child. I’ve had enough of your mouth for one fucking day. Don’t rush me!” she shot back.
She leaned down and put her feet back inside her heels, then got out of the car. When Felicia walked past Dre, she slung her huge designer purse over her shoulder hitting him as she put the key inside the door. Just like her house back in Georgia, Felicia’s vacation home was just as beautiful. The one story home had soaring twenty-five foot ceilings, expensive hardwood flooring and a gorgeous gourmet kitchen. Not to mention the top of the line furniture she’d decorated with.
“Do you have to use the bathroom?” Dre asked Kareem. When Kareem shook his head back and forth, Dre responded with, “good.” He grabbed one of the chairs out of the dining room, told Kareem to sit down, then tied his legs to the chair, “Now, I’m gonna remove this tape, but if you make any noise that I don’t approve of, the shit is goin’ back on.” When he snatched the tape off, Kareem winced from the pain, but didn’t make a sound.
Dre didn’t waste anytime removing the gun from his waist. “Now, time to make that call,” he said, pointing the firearm at Kareem’s forehead with one hand and handing him his cell phone with the other.
Kareem let out a huge sigh before dialing the number.
Felicia, who was still pissed off, walked into the bedroom and closed the door so she could change her clothes. After getting comfortable in a pair of shorts and a tank top, she sat on the bed. She was having second thoughts about the whole thing, especially now since Dre’s intentions didn’t seem good.
“Felicia, come in here. I gotta go meet the nigga, Cruze. I need you to watch him until I get back!” Dre yelled. When she didn’t respond he walked right into the bedroom without even knocking. “Did you hear me?”
Felicia just nodded her head. She was tired and wanted to go to sleep to make this whole nightmare go away.
“Look mannn…I apologize for the way I’ve been talkin’ to you Felicia, but this shit got me stressed out. I need you right now. We almost got what we’ve been waitin’ for. Please don’t quit on me now. Can you go in the livin’ room and watch him,” he pleaded.
Without saying a word, she got up off the bed and walked back into the living room.
Dre followed then leaned over Kareem, whispering in his ear. “Remember nigga, your family is on the line, so don’t fuck up.” He then looked at Felicia. “Don’t worry, I’ll be back soon,” he said just before grabbing the keys and walking out the door.
Felicia was starving but knew it was nothing in the house to eat since she hadn’t been there in almost a year. She didn’t really care about the house being fully stocked with food, but she did care about its cleanliness. Felicia had housekeepers come twice a month to make sure the place was kept up to her standards.
She leaned against the oversized island in the kitchen and crossed her arms trying to decide on what to do about food. When she glanced over at the refrigerator and saw a number for pizza delivery, she grabbed the phone and ordered two large pizza’s and a two liter Sprite. When she looked over at Kareem who was staring her down but not saying a word, she pulled her eyes away from him and walked back inside her room to wait for the food. It was hard enough that she was having second thoughts about the situation, and his saddened puppy dog look wasn’t making matters any better.
“Just remember what Dre said about you making any noise when that pizza guy gets here. Don’t try anything,” she still decided to say.
Thirty minutes later, Felicia emerged from the foyer of the house with two white boxes in her hand. She placed the boxes on the table, grabbed some ice and two cups to pour the soda in from out the kitchen and sat down. Opening the box, Felicia grabbed a slice then reached over and placed it in Kareem’s mouth.
“Thank you Le Le…I mean Felicia,” he said while chewing. “So…you’re a doctor, huh?”
Felicia showed a slight grin. “Yeah.”
“I just thought about the lab coat I saw in your closet. That also explains your bank account balance. The day you left me that note, you must’ve accidently wrote it on the back of your bank statement. I was so excited to have me a paid girlfriend.”
Once again, Felicia grinned.
“Look, can I ask you something? Did you ever have any true feelings for me?”
She looked over at him, feeling bad for misleading someone who obviously cared for her at one point. “I never meant to hurt you, Kareem. I just wanted to know what happened to my husband,” Felicia said, giving him another bite of pizza.
“You didn’t answer my question,” Kareem replied still staring at her.
“Kareem, you’re a really sweet guy, but the only man I have ever loved since I was in high school has been Justice. I just have so many unanswered questions regarding his disappearance and possible death.” Felicia lowered her head.
Kareem chewed the food that was in his mouth before speaking again.“It’s cool. I apologize for putting my hands on you. I promised myself I would never hit a woman after seeing my father abuse my mother for years and I ended up acting just like him. And with that said, I’ll tell you whatever you wanna know Felicia.”
She anxiously sat up and put the food down thinking, finally!
“Do you think Justice really loved your mother?” she questioned.
Kareem shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know, he told her he did all the time. He pursued her really hard and my mother didn’t know anything about you at first. When she did find out that Justice was married she ended the relationship immediately. And he wasn’t happy about it at all. He kept calling, but she wouldn’t take him back. He told her he didn’t love you, he loved her.”
Felicia felt like she’d been stabbed in the heart after hearing that Justice really loved Skye.
“Then somehow Justice teamed up with my dad, for money obviously and led him straight to where we lived. We’d been hiding from him for months. That dreadful night is forever etched in my mind,” Kareem said, closing his eyes and shaking his head.
“What happened? Is that the night Justice was killed?”
“Yes, I remember listening as my mother and Justice argued. She told him to leave and he got up and opened the door. Minutes later my dad walked in and immediately told my mom that Justice had sold us out for money. He was getting ready to try and beat her again, and that’s when I ran out of the room pointing a gun at him. I yelled for him to leave, but of course he didn’t.”
Felicia sat listening in shock. The more she listened, the more upset she became. She could tell Kareem was getting emotional as he continued with the story.
“My dad jumped and tried to grab the gun from me causing it to go off. A few seconds later Justice fell to the floor. He got hit by a stray bullet in his chest,” Kareem admitted. “So, you see, your husband’s death was an accident, in fact it was his own fault for being greedy. My dad used to say all the time that money will make you do crazy shit! I guess he was right about something for once. Felicia, my mother was just the victim. I swear I don’t know what Cruze did with the body. After that night we all vowed to never talk about it again.”
Felicia sat speechless. She’d finally gotten the truth about what really happened to Justice and it wasn’t at all what she expected. She wondered if Justice ever really loved her or if their entire marriage was all a lie and he’d just stayed for the financial benefits.
A single tear raced down her face and traveled into her mouth. She pressed her lips together to catch it. She had her answer and as much as it hurt, Felicia was glad to have closure. Now, it didn’t matter to her either way if they ever found the body.
Maybe you got what you deserved, Mr. Justice Mitchell, she thought.
Dre pulled up at the small bar that Cruze told Kareem to meet him at. It took some time but he had finally remembered where he knew the name Cruze from. Sandino had showed him a picture and frequently talked about Cruze when they were locked up together. He used to say how they’d been friends since childhood and that he trusted him with his life.
“I bet Sandino feels stupid now. He probably never expected his good friend to steal his wife and family.”
Dre parked the car and went inside. Noticing how small and secluded the place was, he scanned the room and spotted Cruze sitting at a table in the corner.
“You Cruze, right?” Dre asked when he walked up.
Cruze looked Dre up and down. “Who wants to know?”
“Kareem wants to know, nigga,” Dre shot back.
“What the fuck is this shit about? Where’s Kareem?” Cruze yelled.
Dre looked around to see if the few people in the bar had heard the loud outburst. When he realized that they couldn’t hear over the music playing he responded. “He’s alive and in a safe place and he’ll stay that way as long as you cooperate. My brother was Justice, and I already know that you killed him. But what I don’t know is what the fuck you did wit’ his body. I need you to take me to him.”
Cruze glanced around the bar making sure no one heard him being accused of murder. “I don’t know what the fuck you talking about. I didn’t kill Justice and I’m not taking you anywhere.’
Dre leaned over in his face and pulled his shirt exposing his gun. “Well, if you don’t take me you can tell that bitch Skye to kiss her son goodbye!”