Crazy In Love With A Thug: Bari and Seven (26 page)

"Where are you guys going, Bari? I'm going too!" Gucci yelled and ran after us.

"No! Gucci, go back!" I ordered.

"Come on, baby. You have to stay here!" Six told her.

"Bari!" she cried.

I was long gone with Shep at my side.

“Shep, where are we going?”

“I can’t tell you, Bari. Did you get all da money?”

“Yes.” We got on a boat that was small in comparison to Teodore's. "Shep, what's up with Teodore? Why isn't he trying to help us? Doesn't he care about what happens to Seven?” He didn't answer me. That really pissed me off. "You mutha fuckas are some twisted ass..." He looked at me for a long time. I decided to save what I had to say for later. "Why couldn't we call Birdie and Major?"

"We can call no one. Now, pass me that bag, Bari." I gave him the bag with the money in it. "Get ready to jump."

"Jump? What the hell are you talking about, Shep?"

Before I could finish my sentence, he had jumped out and started running. I jumped into the water that only came up to my knees and followed him into some thick brush. He squatted down behind me and held me close to him. Too close. I moved forward, but he pulled my back.

"Shep..."

"Ssh! You ave to stay quiet, an-gel. Make no noise," he whispered. "Lay down slowly."

I laid on my stomach in the trees, scared to make a sound.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" I asked, trying to shake Shep off when he laid his body on top of mine.

"Quiet! Do you want to get us killed?" He whispered. "You ave to trust me, Bari."

He laid his head on top of mine, his body stretched fully out over mine. All I needed was for Seven to stroll up and see this. We would both be dead. I started to scream when a large spider crawled by and stopped by my face. Shep clapped his hands over my mouth.

"It's okay, an-gel. He means no arm to you."

"How long do we have to stay like this?" I whispered after the spider, who figured that I couldn't possibly taste as good as I looked, moved on down into the trees.

"Until we know where they are."

"Who is 'they'?" He didn't answer. "Shep, this is my man we're talking about. Please. I'm scared."

"Don't be scared, An-gel," he whispered.

We heard voices speaking in Jamaican.

"Shep."

"Quiet. Don't make a sound." He slowly got up and crouched down behind a tree. I was about to do the same when I heard my baby's voice. Tears rushed to my eyes. It took everything in me not to call out his name. "Stay right ere, Bari. Don't move."

I nodded. Bullshit. He had moved up about ten feet when I got in a crouched position and pulled the gun from my waistband. I wasn't just Bari. I was Barry's daughter, and he had taught me very well. I released the safety and held the gun out in front of me. I waited until the voices got closer, then squatted down as far as I could.

"Bari?" Shep whispered. I didn't answer. I heard rustling and knew that Shep had stepped out into the open. "I have da money."

"Are you alone?" One of the men asked Shep.

"I only brought Bari, like my nephew said. She's with me," Shep said. "Bari, come out."

"Ooo is dis Bari?" The man asked.

"Shep! What the fuck did you bring her for! Are you crazy?" Seven started going off.

"You said to bring er!" Shep argued.

"I ain't told you no shit like that!" Seven yelled.

"Tell dis Bari to show herself, if what you say is true," my baby's captor ordered.

I closed my eyes and silently prayed that the man with the gun pointed at my head didn't pull the trigger.

"Do not make a sound," he said to me.

"Bari, come out." Shep said. "Bari!"

"Bari!" Seven yelled. "It's okay baby, come out. She's probably just scared."

"I don't see anybody," the man said. “There is no such Bari.”

“Shep, where the fuck is she!" Seven yelled.

"She was right behind me. I left er next to that big tree," Shep explained.

One of the men said something that I couldn't understand. They walked over to where Shep had left me.

"I promise, Nephew, she was right 'ere!"

I stood with my hands up in the air.

"If you even breathe the wrong way, I will kill you."

I stood stock still and concentrated on the sound of Seven's voice.

"I don't know why the fuck you brought her! Give 'em the damn money so we can go."

I squinted through the brush. Shep handed one of the men the bag. Seven shook his hand.

"Where is my baby, Shep? Why did you bring her?”

"I got a call. Ee said you wanted me bring da an-gel, in case it was your last time seeing her."

"Shep, somebody set this up. I ain't told nobody no shit like that, and they ain't called you."

What the hell was going on? Seven said something in Jamaican to the men.

"Now move, bitch," my captor ordered, and started poking me with his gun.

Bastard. I drug my feet the whole way, hoping to leave a trail for Seven to follow. That hope quickly died. I was loaded onto a boat, which immediately sped away. I closed my eyes and prayed that any one of them, especially Seven, would find the gun that was laying on the ground, the barrel pointing in the direction that I was taken.

Chapter 52

Never in my life have I ever been so afraid. I was in trouble, and I had no way of getting myself out of it.

"What are you going to do with me?" I cried.

They laughed. I soon got my answer. What Darshon had done to me was nothing compared to this. Tears poured from my eyes as they backed out of the room and closed the door. Seven would be worried sick, and my uncle, my poor uncle, I thought to myself right before I passed out.

The room was pitch black. I felt my way around. It was no more than four walls and a roof. I tried to adjust my eyes to the darkness. Even that seemed impossible. I lay down on the floor with my back against the door. How did this happen? Why did it happen? I put my ear to the door to listen for any signs of life. There were none. I waited for what seemed like eternity for someone, anyone, to come. This wasn't like in the movies where the kidnappers brought food and water to the victim. These people hadn't even stepped back in to make sure I was still alive.

I'm going to die here, I thought to myself. I'm going to die without ever seeing Uncle Meestake again, without ever feeling Seven's arms around me again, without ever hearing either of them tell me that they love me again. I was going to die alone, and I was scared.

I was hungry, I was cold and I was thirsty. I was in unfathomable pain. They had taken my clothes, my jewelry and my watch, and the windows were boarded over. I had no way of even guessing what time it was.

It was hard to wake my sleeping arms and legs, feet and hands. It was painful. There was no bed, no chair, no dresser, no light, none of the things that I had taken for granted. There wasn't even a rug or carpet, just a stone cold concrete floor. There was no toilet, no sink, no shower. I heard a rustling sound in a corner of the room. A loud squeak confirmed my fear; a rat. His claws tapped against the cement as he skittered across the floor.

I wouldn't cry. Seven would want me to be brave. I'm not going to disappoint him, I told myself. I slid down the door and sat down on the floor. I prayed. It has been too long now. I knew that no one was coming for me now. I knew that these people had hidden me away and forgotten about me.

A long time later, I heard someone at the door. I was weak, so weak. I was starving and dying of thirst. Seven, finally Seven had come. I struggled to stand.

"Seven," I mumbled as the door opened.

I moved into his open arms.

"Get back!" I was pushed so hard that I fell back, my feet flying over my head. I landed hard on the concrete floor. "Don't you move!" They needn't worry. That was impossible. I felt a sticky wetness on my scalp and reached to touch it. "Put your 'and down!"

I put my hand down and stared down the barrels of the two guns pointed at my head. The beam from the flashlight was blinding. I attempted to shield my eyes from the light. My arm wouldn't move. It dangled uselessly at my side.

"Bari," one of them leered.

"How ...my name?" They laughed. "Why am I here?" My voice sounded like I had drank a glass of rusty nails.

"Do you not like our company, Bari?"

They both laughed.

"Is it money you want?"

"Let's just say we are doing a fava for a friend."

What friend? Who would want to hurt me like this?

"Can I have some water, please?"

"Certainly! We'll be right back with your water, Bari. Any ting else? Are you 'ungry?" I nodded. "We'll bring you food, too, and maybe a change of clothes!"

They laughed as they backed out the door.

I touched my hand to the back of my head. I smelled the coppery scent of blood, my blood. I felt my way to the far corner of the room and used the bathroom as I had done quite a few times since I had been here.

I curled up on the floor in front of the door and attempted to get warm. It wasn't long before the rat came in to investigate. I wasn't surprised. The smell of urine, feces, and blood was sure to arouse his senses. I sat up, wide awake, then stood up and leaned against the door. I soon heard raindrops hitting the tin roof. Rain. Water. I needed water so badly. I felt the rat bump against my foot. I kicked at it. It screeched loudly, hissed at me and moved to the far side of the room and began chewing on the wooden walls. The sound was sickening and scary.

I fought to keep my eyes open. My body fought against me and soon won the battle. I was freezing. My body was damp from the wet cement. My chest hurt. My back hurt. Deep coughs wracked my body. I heard voices. I sat up and reeled from the pain in my head, arm and body. The room was silent. There were no voices, no people, only the voices in my head. I ran my hand over my injured arm. It felt perfectly normal, until I got below my elbow. I fought the urge to throw up, faint, or both, as I felt my own bone protruding through the skin. My inner arm was now facing outward. I began to cry. I said my goodbyes to Uncle Meestake, Birdie, Major, Marion, Gucci, Six and was about to start on Seven when I heard a child's voice yelling loudly. It has to be in my head. I went on with my goodbyes. I asked God to please make sure that he let my daddy and Macy know that I was on my way and to be looking for me.

I heard it again. I felt as if all the air were being squeezed from my lungs. I began coughing so hard that I felt blood burst from my nose, and a pain in my eyes that was almost unbearable. Again, the child's voice. I moved over to the corner that had been my makeshift bathroom. I pressed my ear against the slats of wood.

"You know we're not supposed to be down ere, Michael! And b'sides, I'm scared. I want to go ome now!" One of the kids cried.

I beat on the wall as hard as I could. I couldn't scream if l wanted to, and I didn't want to risk alerting my captors. There were no spaces in the slats, no cracks, no openings. I used the strength I had left to kick the wall. I knew I was dead. The noise was so loud. I held my breath and waited for the men to come shoot me. No one came. I was about to give up and go back to my spot on the floor when I heard the words that made me cry out in relief and joy.

"Michael! I 'eard some ting inside der! Ooo is in der?" The boy asked.

"Is anybody der?" A second boy that must have been Michael asked.

"Help me! Please help me!" I yelled as loud as I could and went into a coughing fit.

"Ooo are you?"

"Bari! Please, get someone to help me! Hurry, please!"

"Bari? Der were people looking fa you!"

"Please get help!"

There was no response. They had gone.

"What ah you kids doin' ere!"

Oh God no, don't let this be happening.

"Nothin', just playin'," they answered innocently, but quite loudly.

They were letting me know my captors were coming.

"Get the 'ell away from' ere!"

I laid in the middle of the floor, pretending to be asleep. The door opened.

"She's asleep," one of the men said.

They shined the light on my body.

"Er ahm! It is broken. She's go'in to need a hospi-tal."

"We can't! She doesn't leave dis room!"

"She is goin to die ere if we don't get er to a docta. She 'asn't 'ad food nor wata since we brought 'er ere! I tink we should call Dah-key and see what ee says."

Darkie! Darshon! Even he wouldn't do this. He couldn't be that damn evil, I thought.

"We'll call im."

Somebody please help me. I was coughing so badly that I wore myself out and was on my way to sleep again when I heard yelling.

"It's those kids! And ders some men wit dem! We ave to get out of ere!"

"Do we take er wit' us?"

"We can't! Der is no time! Let's go!"

A few minutes later, the door flew open. I sat up and looked into the faces of the two little boys, an old lady in a straw hat and an old man chewing on the tip of a fat cigar. They stared at me with open mouths. I stared back. I heard voices and footsteps and looked beyond the people who had come to save me.

"Baby," was all Seven got out before he buried his face in my neck and cried. He took off his shirt and laid it over me then picked me up off the floor. "I'm so sorry, baby."

"Seven! Is she ..."

"She's in ere!" The old lady yelled.

I saw Major, Birdie, Shep, Six, Gucci, Teodore, The Grands and ...I mustered up a smile.

"I love you, Uncle Meestake,” I whispered right before I looked past him and into Darshon’s face, then passed out cold.

“Bari! Bari!” I tried to focus on Seven’s face. “She’s real hot, Birdie. I think she has a fever or something.”

"Seven, put her down, Son," Major said.

"No."

"Put her down! We don't know what damage there is!"

"I need a flashlight," Seven said.

Six took off his jacket and laid it on the ground. Seven laid me on it.

"Ere," said the old man, handing Seven his flashlight.

"She's bleeding!" Birdie informed him.

"I can't tell where she's bleeding from!" Seven yelled, moving the light up and down my body in a panic.

"Look at her arm!" Gucci cried.

Seven moved the light to my arm.

"Her arm is broken," Seven said, his voice cracking.

"Oh dear God," Birdie cried. "Her arm."

"Der is an ambulance on the way!" said a voice I didn't recognize.

I looked up at the shiny badge on his shirt. A policeman. He took out his own flashlight and shined it around the room.

"Sweet Jesus," he mumbled, as the light settled on my bathroom, and my rat scurried across the floor.

The littlest of the boys started to cry. The old lady ordered the oldest one to take his brother and go home. If they couldn't handle it, I knew I couldn't either.

"Her hand is cut," Six observed.

Seven shined the light on it.

"No, it's not. I don't know where the blood is coming from."

"Bari, now you quit playin' and gon' tell us where that blood is coming from!" Uncle Meestake roared.

"My head," I whispered.

Seven moved the light to my head, then handed the flashlight to Six. Seven parted my hair, then cursed loudly.

"Ooo did dis to you?" The officer asked sadly.

I closed my eyes and let my body have the sleep that it requested.

"The ambulance is ere!" Someone called out.

"Let them in!" Major yelled.

My eyes fluttered open. One of them bent down over me and was about to give me much needed oxygen. The other one was pulling out a blood pressure cuff.

"Don't touch her," Seven said.

"Son, let the people help her," Major told him. "She needs to go to the hospital."

"No. Ain't nobody taking her nowhere!" He said, wiping tears from his eyes.

Everybody started yelling at him at once.

"Stop it," I said. "He's scared."

"Now Seven, I know how you feel," Uncle Meestake reasoned. "But my niece needs help real bad, and you gon' have to let the people take her to the hospital so she can get better. If you don't, she gon' die." I didn't have to look at Uncle Meestake to know that he was in tears. "Now, y’all gon' and do what you got to do," he said to the E.M.T.s. "Everything sho' is gon' turn out alright, Seven."

He clapped Seven on his back.

"Nephew," Teodore began. "You can ride with her."

"No one can ride in de ambulance," one of the E.M.T.s informed him.

“I own de damn company, and if l say ee can ride, ee can ride!" Teodore roared loudly.

They bent down again. Seven glared at both of them. They didn't move.

"I'm ridin' though," Seven relented. "And if y’all so much as hit a bump, and it hurts her I’ll kill y’all asses."

"Seven!" Birdie yelled.

"Come on, son," Uncle Meestake said, pulling Seven to the side. "Let them fix my niece."

Seven's eyes never moved from mine.

"You ride too, Uncle Meestake," Seven said.

My uncle looked at Teodore, and he nodded.

"Bari, can you hear me, baby?" I looked up at Seven. "You're gonna be okay, Milkshake. I promise you."

"You just hang on in there now, Bari. Ya Uncle Meestake gon' be right here wit' cha."

"Bari? Baby, did you see what they looked like?" Seven asked.

Darshon’s face loomed in in my mind. I drifted off to sleep.