Darius Jones (11 page)

“L
et me go!” I gripped Honey's wrists trying to remove her hands from my throat. She had the strength of a mule. I wanted to knee her in her stomach but I couldn't breathe. She had my back against the wall. I muttered, “Let me go. I was kidding about calling…” I gasped, then continued, “Child Protective Services.”

Was karma more of a bitch than Honey? Did people actually reap what they sowed?

“Lying bitch, you did call them. I should kill you. Where are my boys?”

I saw why Grant was attracted to her. She had long wavy golden hair and her skin was gold like honey. She was gorgeous. But she was also deranged.

I tried moving my leg back to give a good kick to her ankle, shin, anywhere. Grant came to my rescue, I thought, until he grabbed me from the side, and yelled, “Honey, stop it! Let her go!” Suddenly we were surrounded by security officers and nurses.

“Grant, you'd better get your hands off me, now!”

“Yeah, let her ass go,” Honey said, shifting side to side with her fists in front her face.

“If you so ghetto bad, why you hiding behind your dead sister's identity? Your real name isn't Honey. It's Lace St. Thomas, you murderer!”

Grant said, “Jada, that's enough.”

Why hadn't he grabbed his phony Honey? She was the one choking me. Security had to pry her fingers away from my neck. I bent over, started coughing. I prayed this hideous incident did not get to Darius.

“Come on, Ms. Thomas. Obviously this woman doesn't know you,” the nurse said. “But you can't assault every person you think stole your babies. Keep this up and we'll have to admit you to the psychiatric ward. Let us handle finding the twins. You need to rest. And you”—the nurse looked at me—“are prohibited from coming to this hospital. Security, make sure her name is added to the Do Not Admit list.”

I lamented, “You can't keep me from coming here. She started this. Plus my son is Darius Jones and his wife, my daughter-in-law, Fancy Taylor, is admitted here. She's on the third floor.”

“Then you should've been on the third floor. You can't come back here. If you do, you're trespassing and security will detain you until the police arrive.” The nurse escorted Honey inside 9109.

“This is all your damn fault! You taking up for her, take this.”
Wham!
I slapped Grant's face as hard as I could.

“Miss, you have to leave,” security said. “You've caused enough of a disturbance in this hospital. Please don't make me do my job.”

“If you were doing your job, the babies wouldn't be missing. Touch me and you'll regret it,” I said, squinting.

Grant grabbed my bicep. “I'll take care of her.” He ushered me to the elevator, then to the lobby. “What did you do with my boys?”

Smack!
I hit him again. “Get your hand off me and don't ever touch me again.” Something came over me in that moment and I wanted to rip off Grant's clothes and have makeup sex in the lobby.

“Hit me again,” he said angrily, then repeated, “Hit me again.”

“Don't you ever hold me for her again.” My pussy was getting hot. My whole body got hot. I started dripping with sweat.

“Here's a hot flash for you. I'll find my boys the legal way. And when I do, you're going to jail. I guarantee it.” He got on the elevator.

I checked the time. I was twenty minutes late for lunch. I called Bambi.

“Hey, Jada. I got us a table. Are you here yet?”

“I have to take a rain check.” I was on the verge of crying. I couldn't believe Grant would think I'd kidnap Honey's babies. What would I do with two newborns?

Bambi asked, “You okay?”

“No, I'm not. Honey's twins were kidnapped. The media is storming the hospital. I gotta go. I'll talk with you later.”

A reporter shoved a microphone in my face. “Is it true, security said that you threatened to call Child Protective Services on Honey—or is her real name Lace St. Thomas?” he asked.

Security? Everybody wanted to be a superstar. My clothes stuck to my body, my hair to my head. “Honey Thomas can kiss my ass. Report that. All I know is she'd better not put her hands on me again or she'll be the one missing,” I said, exiting the lobby.

S
he'd be wise to return my sons before I was released from this hospital.

I choked Jada to let her know I was serious. She could have Grant. I wasn't competing with her. And she definitely was out of her league with me. The fact that Grant was standing in my room showed me he was done with Jada.

The nurse helped me into my bed. “Ms. Thomas, you have to rest. For the safety of our employees and other patients and their families, I have to place you on visitor restriction until you leave.”

“And while I'm laying on my ass in this room by myself going crazy, are you going to find my babies?”

I was ready to rip off a head or two, hers included. Take out whoever had my babies, execution style if I had to. I wasn't scared of nothing and no one. My upbringing made me tough. My mother, Rita, was a tyrant. She hated me. Why? I still wasn't sure. Only reason I thought of was envy. It was a damn shame my mother believed I wanted to fuck her man. I was sixteen. I wasn't thinking about his old rusty ass. He was the one fondling me. Finally had my own kids and someone kidnapped them. Was this payback for my killing Reynolds? Hadn't I paid restitution by retiring my female escorts from the business and by giving them a million dollars each to start legitimate businesses?

“I'll find them,” Grant said. “And I'll be here at the hospital for you.”

I was too angry to cry. Tears of blood would stream down my face if I had. “You let all my people see me,” I told the nurse.

“We'll see, Ms. Thomas,” the nurse said, propping my pillow behind my back.

“See my ass. Let me find out you denied visitation and your ass is next.”

Grant interrupted, “She didn't mean that. It's just that we have friends that have connections. We need to talk to them.”

What was up with all the
we
stuff?

“I'm not going to accept threats from you, Ms. Thomas. Your friends and family can visit you at your house. You can go home now if you'd like,” the nurse said. “I'll see if the doctor will approve an early discharge.”

“Yes, please, and thank you,” I told her. She wouldn't be so damn passive if it were her kids missing.

After she left my room, Grant said, “You sure you want to do that? I think you're better off here. You're over three thousand miles away from home and we have to find the boys. Where will we stay?”

“Stop, it, Grant. Just stop it. This is not about we, us, or what you think. What were you thinking when you ended our relationship over the phone? You weren't man enough to tell me face to face. Now you show up in my life thinking you're a part of it. Not.”

He shook his head. “I was stupid. Forgive me.”

“Well, I'm not stupid. Not anymore. Don't think you're back in my life because of the boys. Dear God, where are my babies? This is all your fault.”

My purpose for staying at the hospital changed within minutes. I could recover after I found my boys. I didn't want to leave but I had to get out of this place. I went to the closet, saw my gown and two-inch heels from the premiere. The clothes I'd worn here were all I had at the hospital. Removing my hospital gown, replacing it with my other gown, I stepped into my shoes.

Grant laughed. “You can't be serious.”

“Watch me.” I picked up my purse, took several steps toward the door, then stumbled. My maternity clothes were at the Beverly Wilshire. Valentino and our room key were at lockup.

Grant's strong arms saved me from hitting the floor. In that moment, we connected. I felt his love, his energy. I became weak for him again. “Honey, our boys are safe,” he said, trying to reassure me.

I had to hold on to hope, to Grant, praying he was right. “You sure?” I asked, removing my shoes, then my gown. I put on a fresh hospital gown, got back in bed. The soreness of my body sunk into the mattress. “Hand me my purse.”

“Yes, I'm sure,” he said, giving me my clutch. “Jada wouldn't harm them. When Sapphire gets back, I'll get you some regular clothes.”

Hope turned to hate. “Are you saying you know for sure she has my babies? Are you involved in this?” I slammed my purse on the floor. The contents scattered at his feet, my lipstick and perfume slid across the floor. I'd forgotten I put an extra room key in my purse.

“Honey, no, baby.” Grant stuffed my cash, credit cards, driver's license, and room key back in my purse, then cautiously put my clutch on the stand beside my bed. “That's not what I'm saying at all. Are you saying you're not going to let me be involved in their lives?”

“What I'm saying is I don't want you involved in my life.” I detoured off my road back to vulnerability. Became cold and callous toward Grant. “You can have a relationship with…Dear God, where are my babies?”

Sapphire ran into the room. “Calm down. I heard you down the hall. Don't worry. I'll find them. There's an Amber Alert on the freeways showing twin boys were abducted from the hospital. Every news reporter in town is in the lobby. I've requested the surveillance tapes from the hospital and the nearby intersections, and I've instructed the staff not to allow the media access to you. You don't know anything so it's best not to talk to them. That goes for you too, Grant. What Jada said to you, my dear, wasn't nothing. The media will really portray you as unfit.”

This time I had to cry. I started repenting for my sins and silently praying to God for His forgiveness.

“Focus. Stay with me,” Sapphire said, sitting on the edge of my bed. “I had a chance to speak with Valentino before the cops put him in the car. He said he handed the babies to a redheaded nurse. And Jada was standing there when he did it.”

Grant said, “Jada came into the men's restroom while I was in there. Maybe that was to keep me from witnessing the abduction. Then she followed me down here.”

I added, “She came into my room, threatened me, then left abruptly.”

“But she came back to your room,” Sapphire commented. “So how could she have the babies, if you were strangling her?”

“Jada is brilliant and rich. She has an accomplice,” Grant said. “She wouldn't do it. She'd have someone else do it.”

Sapphire said, “Well, Child Protective Services knows nothing about this situation. Let's see. I wouldn't rule out Valentino. Who else would have a motive? Aw, shit!” Sapphire leapt from my bedside.

“What?” I asked. “What?”

“I'm with you,” Grant said. “It could be an inside job.”

“Exactly. I have to request the police and border patrol set up a checkpoint into Mexico.”

“And LAX,” I said. “Grant, take this key, go to my room at the Beverly Wilshire, get all of our things, check out, then come back and get me. I'll be ready by then. I have to be.”

Grant took the room key, hurried out of the room.

“I've already got LAX covered,” Sapphire said, standing in the door. “If the boys are taken out of the country, you may never see them again. Gotta go.”

“G
eeze!” The house was the biggest I'd ever seen my whole life. I took one baby inside. I left him in the car seat, sat the seat in the middle of the living room floor, then went and got his brother. I sat them facing one another. Had to make my acquaintance with the house before Bambi got here.

“She said this here was her dead parents' house. The way it's decorated and all, looks like they still live here.”

There were pictures on the living room wall of two people who looked like they could be her parents. I needed eyeglasses but refused to get them. I could see the things I wanted if I got close enough. I squinted. Didn't understand why narrowing my eyes made me see a bit better but it did. They seemed happy. The man looked white. The woman, she looked light-skinned like Bambi. I got real close. Stared at the woman's face.

“Yep, she Bambi's mama all right. They got them same pushed back in the forehead dark eyes.” In search of the bathroom, I passed through a kitchen with a big white island that had a bar overhang with pots and pans dangling in the air. There were two stools on one side underneath the countertop. “Wow.” All of that was in the middle of the kitchen floor. “That's pretty fancy.”

Still hadn't made it to the bathroom. I opened a door to my left. “Wow, sure hope this is my and the boys' room.” The bedroom was laid out for a princess. A high white canopy bed with a pink and white lace bedspread. A real bench was at the foot of the bed. I could sit there and stare out at the ocean. One of them fancy things where folk hide the TV was in there too. I closed the door. Saw two more doors down the way. I'd get to them later, already picked out my room. I headed back toward the boys.

They were fine. They'd fallen asleep. This time I noticed a patio off the kitchen. So busy admiring that island, hadn't looked any farther. There was a table for six inside the nook area. Outdoors on the patio there was another table for six with one of them huge umbrellas covering it.

I opened the glass double doors. “Oh, my. Bambi is rich.”

Round the corner of that patio table was the longest wraparound porch I'd seen in my life. ‘Bout a quarter of a block long. “Where the neighbors at?” The porch was surrounded by beautiful white wooden rails, and had a few white posts on the corners and in the middle that went all the way up to the roof. I walked down five stairs and white sand was beneath my feet. I was really on the beach. The blue waves rolled toward me. Thank goodness they were too far out to wet my feet or drag me into the ocean.

I sat on the porch, brushed the sand from between my toes, knocked my Birkenstocks together, put my shoes on and went to check on the boys. They were fine. One was asleep. The other one watched him.

The dining room had its own setup and a separate bar with high stools. Not the bar that was connected to the island. This here was a different area. I pulled back the curtains and saw the ocean again. “It's pretty at sunset but I bet it's scary at nighttime. That Bambi could throw me in them waters, the sharks would smell my blood, eat me up, and no one would know I'm missing. I better not make her mad. She ain't wrapped too tight. Long as she keeps giving me money, Rita stays until Rita wants to go.”

There was one door at the end of the opposite hall. I stared down that long hallway. Took a few steps in that direction. No escape doors to the left or right. Just that one door at the end, facing me. I took a few more steps in that direction. I was halfway there. Might as well keep going. If Rita's gon' be up in here, I need to see what was up in there. I took a few more steps. I gripped the door lever. My legs got weak. Slowly I pushed down on the lever, pushed the door open a little bit.

“What on God's earth is that?” I almost peed on myself.

Maybe my mind was playing games with me. I stepped inside the bedroom. Sho nuff these old eyes weren't deceiving me. There were two closed coffins. I felt my pee trickling out but I had to know if dead people were in there.

These were beautiful bronze coffins with them fancy golden long handles. There was no bed in the big ole room. Them coffins sat high like the funeral was over, they'd removed the folding chairs, and everybody had left and forgotten the bodies. I tiptoed, stood between the coffins. “Which one should I open? Hmm. Eeny, meeny, miny, mo. Catch a fella by his toe, if he hollas let him go. Eeny, meeny, miny, mo.” The one to my right.

I placed my hand on the bottom half of the casket. Didn't want to see no dead person looking at me. Slowly, I tried to lift the bottom. “Oh, Jesus!” The coffin slid, almost fell on top of me. I straightened it out, then shut the door closed. My heart raced faster than my feet back down that hallway.

I had to catch my breath. I went to the living room, brought the twins in the family room, put them where they could see me, then sat in one of dem upholstered chairs in front of the fireplace panting like a fit to be tired dog. If the bathroom was in that bedroom, I'd pee in a pot on the porch, then throw it in the sand if I couldn't hold it.

Took me a few minutes but I got myself together. I was pretty sure there was a bathroom close to my room but no more opening doors for Rita until Bambi got here. Didn't know what to call this room here for sure. Could be a family room? Entertainment? Sitting? I believe them sitting rooms don't have no TV.

Who would report Rita St. Thomas missing if someone came out of that room and ran after me? Didn't care ‘bout that Bambi's two bits change, I had sense enough to leave this house if need be. I'd been gone from Flagstaff for over a month. Talked to one of my friends once a week. She might miss me or think I'm busy but she wouldn't call no police. Told her I got this here secret assignment in Los Angeles that's paying me thousands of dollars. She didn't believe me. Only person that checked on me on the regular was my daughter who died.

Shoulda been Lace that died. Lace sho was a pretty baby. The older Lace got, the more prettier she got. She was a good girl. Smart. Never gave me much trouble. Didn't smoke weed and stay out all night like her sister. But her sister wasn't pretty. I saw the way my man Don used to lust after Lace whenever she wore them short shorts. Somebody had to go. I wasn't no spring chicken or a cougar so I wasn't kicking my old man out of the house for nobody.

I rocked them baby seats with my feet. “I wonder what Lace would've done with her life if I hadn't put her out. I know my baby wouldn't have been no prostitute and madam, that's for sho. Wouldn't been no millionaire either. Maybe I'd done her a favor. Oh, well. I can't undo the past. I can't blame Lace for stealing her sister Honey's identity.” Honey was mischievous but she ain't do half the thangs I heard Lace was out there doing. That was why Lace moved to Atlanta and disowned me.

She had millions of dollars, minks, and them fancy cars with that Jaguar symbol on the hoods. Told me to my face I'd never be in her will. Well, I'm supposed to die first anyway. She could've let her daddy and me hold a few hundred thousand while we're still kickin'. I was still her mother no matter what.

I picked up the remote from the coffee table, turned on the television and heard, “Breaking news!” I saw all them news reporters around the hospital with microphones in this dark-skinned woman's face. She sho was pretty. Wet, but pretty. “Oh, I forgot. Bambi said don't turn on the television.” I hurried and turned it off. Didn't want no mess from her.

Taking the babies out of the car seats, I lay them on the love seat side by side. I unwrapped their blankets, stretched their arms, rubbed their stomachs.

“You two are too cute. I ain't never seen no babies this beautiful. Not even my own,” I said. I stretched their little legs straight, then bent their knees and stretched their legs again. They had cute blue ankle bands around their left feet.

I held up their left legs and almost died.

Luke Hill was on one. London Hill was the other. Mother, Honey Thomas, was on both. “Well, Rita will be damned. These here are my grandbabies?”