Ashley's Story: THE LAST CHAPTER (16 page)

The bullet whizzed through the air before entering his head.
Choice pointed the gun at Finesse’s head. He pointed his gun at Ashley’s
mother’s body.

“Bitch, don’t even think about it.”

With tears in her eyes, Choice looked down at Ashley’s mom
sprawled out on the ground. She wanted to kill Finesse so bad she could taste
it.

“Put the gun down, Choice,” Ashley whispered loud enough for
Choice to hear.

Choice could take the shot and prevent the abuse and torture
that she and Ashley might receive if they went with the men but she put the gun
down.

“I knew you weren’t that fucking dumb,” Finesse said angrily
as he approached Ashley and Choice.

Finesse waved the guy over who had been sitting inside of
the van. The man got out and jogged their way.

“Take her and I’ll watch this one,” Finesse said as he
stared Choice down. He seethed with anger “Fucking bitch! You killed two of my
men. I can’t trust you to go with him so you’ll stay with me.”

Choice and Ashley looked at each other with tears running
down their faces. Finesse’s goon opened the back of the van and pushed Ashley
inside before he reached for Choice.

He glared at Choice and said, “This one is hardheaded,” then
he knocked her out cold with the gun.

Wincing in pain, Ashley’s mother opened her eyes. She
brought her hand up to her head and groaned. She sat up in terror. She put her
hand over her chest and tried to focus on breathing while looking around at her
surroundings. She was still in the cemetery. Her breathing was more of a
wheezing sound and it frightened her. The pain in her head was unbearable and
caused her to struggle with every move.

The only thing on her mind was getting to a pay phone to
call Supreme and her husband so she could let them know what had happened.

She wondered through the cemetery for fifteen minutes until
she found the exit. She in pain and wanted to take a seat somewhere but her
determination to get help for her girls wouldn’t allow her to. She walked block
after block and still hadn’t seen a pay phone but she did see three men
standing near a corner. She said a silent prayer as she approached them.

“Excuse me?”

All three dudes turned around and looked at her.

“You a’ight? What happened to your head?” the tallest of the
three asked.

“Fuck what happened to her head! You wanna cop something?
the second one asked. The shorter one said nothing; he didn’t even bother to
look her way.

“I’m not on drugs. This may be a strange request but do any
of you have a phone I can use? Someone just robbed me.”

The short one turned around and handed her his phone to use.

“Thanks you,” Mrs. Harper said on the brink of tears.

 She called Mr. Charlie and told him that she needed him,
what street she was on, and to hurry and get there soon. Knowing that her
husband was on the way, she sighed with relief before dialing Supreme’s number.
He didn’t answer so she hung up. It took Mr. Charlie less than twenty minutes
to get to her.

When she was safe inside of his F-150 pickup truck, she
pointed out the guy who had let her use his phone. Mr. Charlie got out of his
truck and gave the guy two hundred dollars for helping his wife.

“Babe, what are you doing over here? Where are Choice and
Ashley? What the fuck happen to your head? he asked, taking his eyes off of the
road to look at her.

Mrs. Harper sobbed quietly. She told him everything that
happened from the time they left the salon. Mr. Charlie pulled over on the side
of the road and punched the steering wheel.

“Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! You’ve never seen this guy before?”

“No, never.”

He sighed then pinched the bridge of his nose. “Did you call
Supreme to let him know?”

Mrs. Harper nodded her head. “He didn’t answer.”

Mr. Charlie grabbed his phone out of the truck and slammed
the door. Dialing Supreme’s number to tell him that the girls had been
kidnapped was one of the hardest things Mr. Charlie did but he struggled
through it. Supreme answered on the third ring.

“What up, Pops? Everything good?

 “Son, go somewhere quiet. It’s important,” Mr. Charlie
muttered. He could hear Supreme moving around and then his background became
quiet.

“Pops, what’s up? You’re scaring the shit out of me. Mrs.
Harper called me but I couldn’t get to the phone.”

“We’re together now. She told me she tried to reach you.
Son, I was going to tell you over the phone but that’s not the way to do it,”
Mr. Charlie said choking on his own tears. He cleared his throat before
speaking. “Drop whatever you’re doing and meet me at my place.”

“Damn, you got my mind wondering now but I’ll be there,”
Supreme said.

Thirty minutes later, Mr. Charlie was looking out of the
window for Supreme to pull into the driveway. Ashley’s mother was sitting on
the couch in her robe sipping on tea. She’d been crying nonstop since she’d
been home. Looking over his shoulder at his wife, he was saddened. She looked
like she was going to lose it. If something happened to Ashley, he was sure his
wife wouldn’t live to see another day. Shaking his head at the horrible
thought, he looked away from his wife then back out the window as his thoughts
drifted off to Choice, his only child. If something happened to Choice, his grandson
would be motherless.

“I don’t know whose car this is. Baby, go and get my gun,”
Mr. Charlie said.

Car lights beamed on the house until whoever driving parked
and cut off the car. Supreme and Rio stepped out of the car and he breathed a
sigh of relief.

“Hold up, baby; it’s Supreme,” Charlie said.

Supreme didn’t even have a chance to knock. Mr. Charlie
opened the door for them to enter. Both of the guys gave Mr. Charlie dap before
walking over to Ashley’s mom to give her a kiss on the cheek.

“Did you Ashley and Choice have fun? She told me y’all were
supposed to do some shopping,” Rio said. “How’d it go? Is she here? I called
the hotel and Ashley’s crib but neither of them picked up the phone.”

Charlie shook his head.

“What do you mean?” Supreme asked. He took a seat on the arm
of the sofa.

Rio sat next to Ashley’s mom. Both men were staring at Mr.
Charlie with wandering eyes as they waited for a reply.

“Is it okay to speak in front of him?” Charlie asked.

Supreme nodded. “Yeah, it’s cool.”

“It’s about Choice and Ashley.”

“What about them?”

“They went to visit Petey’s gravesite today and some guy
showed up. He took them, son. Choice is gone; she and Ashley both.”

Supreme chuckled then waved the old man off. “You’re fuckin’
with me, right? Please tell me you’re fuckin’ with me.”

Charlie said nothing. The tears running down his face said
it all. Rio put his hand over his mouth and screamed. At that moment, he
remembered what vulnerability felt like. He hadn’t felt that way since his
mother died. . Ashley had been taken away from him. Supreme stood up and
punched a hole through the wall.

“Who the fuck is crazy enough to fuck with my wife?” he
stated angrily. “Whoever did it don’t value their life. Their family and kids
are going to lose their lives behind the bullshit too. They should’ve never
taken her,” Supreme said.

Rio felt bad for Supreme. his emotions were felt because he
was feeling the same way.

“Don’t worry; we’ll get her back. Put your emotions to the
side, B,” Rio voiced with sympathy and pain. “This shit is fucked up.
Yesterday, Ashley told me she’s pregnant. We’re going to get them back. We have
to.”

The room became quiet before he spoke again.

“We know how the game is played. We know the streets. We
just gotta be smarter than them when playing," Rio said angrily. He looked
at Ashley’s mom. “You were with them, right?”

She nodded her head yes.

“Okay. I’mma need a full description of the guy and don’t
leave anything out."

“Shit! My head,” Ashley groaned as she tried to sit up. Her
feet and her hands were shackled by chains.

She prayed that her baby was okay. Trying not to panic,
Ashley felt around the floor with her hand. It felt like concrete. Her butt was
cold and beginning to go numb. She could feel someone next to her.

“Ash, stop moving,” Choice said drowsily.

“Choice? You okay? They didn’t hurt you anymore, did they?”
Ashley asked.

“My head is killing me,” she confessed. She tried to touch
the top of her head but the shackles around her wrist prevented her from doing
so. “I’m sure there’s a knot. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was bleeding.”

“Come closer to me.”

Choice used all her strength to sit up next to Ashley. With
their backs resting up against the brick wall, she and Ashley interlocked their
fingers together. The room was pitch black. It had one window. The only view
they had was of streetlights and the dark sky.

Both girls had one thought on their mind...freedom. 

Hours passed before the lights turned on. They squinted to
look around. They had to be in a basement of some sort.

The only thing in the basement was two chairs, a couple of
cans of paint along, and paint brushes. Other than that, it was completely
clean. It looked like it could’ve been recently remodeled. Ashley and Choice
looked up at the top of the stairs. It was a little darker up there which made
it hard to see the person’s face.

“My boos! I can’t say this is a pleasant reunion but it’s
well overdue,” Blue said as she walked down the stairs slowly.

“It makes sense now. You’re behind all of this shit. Were
you involved with them niggas shooting at me a while back?” Ashley asked.

 “Yes, that was all orchestrated by me. I was actually the
one shooting. I was so close to killing you too but you ducked and I ended up
killing those two old ladies.” Blue chuckled. “As you can see, I’m finally at
boss status now.” She twirled around so Choice and Ashley could get a better
look at her thousand-dollar outfit and expensive pumps.

“That’s great; we’re happy for you. Now can we leave?"
Choice asked.

Blue stopped twirling and looked at Choice evilly.

“Bitch, this is my moment; don’t interrupt me. My man told
me that you killed two of his men. You should be happy you’re still breathing
right now. If I was him, I would’ve shot your dumb ass.”

Blue stopped pacing and bent down in front of Choice so they
could be eye level.

“You know, Choice, I didn’t even know you were here in
Miami. This was between me and Ashley, but, as always, you never let Ashley
fight her own battles. When he brought you in the house and I saw that it was
you, I was elated. I’m going to finally pay you back for doing this shit to my
fuckin’ face! Blue yelled as she pointed to the ugly scar on her face.

 “Do you know how hard it is to get niggas with this nasty
looking shit on my face?”

 The veins in Blue’s neck tightened with every angry word
that spewed from her mouth. Spittle flew in Choice’s face. Instead of waiting
for Choice to reply, Blue slapped her across the face so hard that her
handprint was visible on Choice’s brown skin.

“I fuckin’ loved you, Choice! My brother loved you. We won’t
go down Memory Lane because we already know how that story ends. I found out
who killed Wise. It took me a couple of years but I found out. Do you know who
it was?”

 “Wise...” Choice whispered.

“I guess your silence means you don’t know. Well, I’mma tell
you. It was your husband. Supreme killed my brother and you lay with this nigga
every night.”

 Blue seethed with anger and slapped Choice across the face
two more times.

“Once I’m done torturing you and dump your body, he’ll know
the reason I took your life. An eye for an eye, right bitch? That’s how this
shit works. I feel bad for your son but then again I don’t. Supreme’s nana is
still alive, right? He’ll have her to play the mother role until she croaks
over and dies.”

“Bitch, my son has nothing to do with our problems so please
don’t talk about him. Your beef is with me and his father.”

Blue waved her off then looked over at Ashley.

“I never really liked you, Ashley, but I think you already know
that. Profit and Royce should be here already. They’re late,” Blue fussed as
she checked the time on her watch. “I hate when muthafuckas are late but you
two already know that, right friends? I’mma so enjoy watching Profit rape you,
Ash.”

Ashley and Choice stared at Blue like she was a stranger.
The hate she had for them ran deep. They were once three teenage girls dreaming
of a way out of the hood and now they were enemies.

“Hold up; where are my manners? Y’all want to meet my man?”

 Blue walked over to the bottom of the staircase and yelled
for Finesse to come downstairs.

“I was waiting on a proper introduction,” Finesse said with
a smile.

Ashley stared back at him. He was evil. Nothing but bad
intentions hid behind his smile. Choice was so scared. Her heart was beating so
fast she knew for sure she was going to pass out.

Ashley looked at Finesse with hatred and then Blue before
looking over at Choice. Just a couple of seconds ago, Choice was as cool as a
cucumber. now she was freaking out.

“Why are you freaking out?” Ashley whispered in Choice’s
ear.

“He reminds me of Bear. His eyes,” she uttered.

Ashley looked at the smiling man’s features carefully. She
saw exactly what Choice was talking about. The evil that hid behind his smile
also danced in his eyes. 

“Blue, don’t let him near me!” Choice screamed.

“Shut up, Choice. I can’t think when you’re yelling like
that!” Blue yelled.

 “Profit and Royce should’ve been her hours ago,” Blue
uttered to Finesse. “Profit was going to have his way with Ashley.”

Finesse nodded as he eyed Ashley from head to toe. “She’s
bad. Profit’s gon’ have lots of fun. If he’s not here in twenty minutes, I say
let’s get this party started without him.”

Blue looked up at him and nodded in agreement. “I’ll take
over where he was supposed to.”

 “I’m not letting you fuck her! Are you crazy?” Blue yelled.

Finesse licked his lips. “Chill. I don’t wanna fuck her. I
wanna fuck her.” He gestured in Choice’s direction.

“Oh hell no! That's not happening.”

He pulled Blue close to him and whispered something in her
ear. Blue stomped her feet before nodding okay.

“No Blue! Please...please...please don’t let him hurt me. If
you leave me alone with him, he’s going to kill me,” Choice begged. 

 “You stupid bitch! You better not let him touch her! Ashley
yelled hysterically. “She’s here because of me. Take me. Leave Choice out of
it, Blue. You know how much Choice has been through. Why would you put her
through more when you have me? You don’t have to do this, Blue! You can stop
him from doing more damage to her,” Ashley pleaded.

 Blue had issues with Choice but she didn’t go looking for
Choice. Blue wanted Ashley. She’d always hated Ashley. Choice was just a bonus.

When they were younger, Blue had played nice but now that
they were all grown. Choice was no longer friends with Blue. Ashley knew her
pleas had fallen on deaf ears when Blue rolled her eyes at her.

“Begging isn’t fazing me at all. Fuck her and fuck you too.
You bitches never were there for me when I needed you to be. Honestly, I never
expected much from you, Ashley. I never really rocked with you like that but
Choice was like family. Somewhere along the way, you forgot we were friends
before you even met Ashley. When you met her, you basically said fuck me. how
do you think that made me feel.

“We were kids, Blue,” Choice stated. “You and I were on
different paths. You dropped out of school and became a stripper. That was your
decision and I still supported you. People grow apart; it’s life. This bullshit
you got going on with Ashley is in your own head. You’re acting like a
possessive ass nigga when you don’t have to. You never had to.”

Blue shook her head. “I never liked her. She’s a bully and
she talks too much shit. You ever meet a bitch you couldn’t stand just
because?” Blue asked Choice.

 “I’ve never felt like that. With a fucked up mother and
stepfather, I still I knew who I was. I’ve never felt inferior to another
bitch.”

Blue sucked in her lip and walked over to Choice then
slapped her in the face.

“Take this bitch and have your way with her. When you’re
done, you can have your way with Ashley too. Don’t take too long; we need to go
to bed a little early. Saks is having a sale tomorrow and I want to be there
bright and early.”

“Blue! Please don’t go! You’re going to let him do this?
Blue, why do you trust him? he’s evil? He’s going to turn on you!” Choice
screamed.

Blue never looked back at Ashley and Choice; instead she
shook her head as she walked up the steps.

“If you make it out of this alive, which I know you will not,
make sure you seek some professional help!” Blue yelled over her shoulder.

Tears slid down Ashley’s face. She was beyond terrified. She
could hear her heartbeat as her body trembled slightly. Thinking about her
child never getting to take its first breath broke her heart into pieces. It
would be her fault if she and her child died tonight. If there were a way to
change things, she’d change so many things she’d done in her life. However, in
life there aren’t any do-overs. Her choices were exactly that...hers.

Ashley’s happily ever after would never be.