Real Riders Never Die 3 (13 page)

“Oh God no,” She touched the crotch of her jeans and pulled her hand back up to her face.

It was black dark outside and she couldn’t see the exact color of the substance smeared on her fingers, but she could tell by the dark tint that it was blood.

“Demoto, baby, I need you.” She cried to herself, unable to move. She wanted so badly to get up, but there was no way possible her body was going to allow that.

In the distance, she could hear someone stumbling toward her and she cried harder. The crazy lady was back, and she was going to kill her and take her baby. She covered her mouth with her hand, trying to muffle her cries, but it wasn’t helping any. Before she knew it, the skinny, untanned legs covered loosely by a raggedy green skirt was standing before her. Taryn looked up into the eyes of the lady and she smiled. Her teeth were yellow and chipped while her chapped lips cracked as they strained to stretch across her face.

“Well, look a here. Just where did you think you were running to with my baby?” Her southern drawl made Taryn’s blood boil. All she could think about was how bad she would beat this little woman’s ass if she wasn’t pregnant and badly affected by her fall. “Looks like you and I have some business to take care of.” She pulled a large knife from her pocket and Taryn’s eyes got big as saucers.

“Demotooooo! Demoto! Baby, help me! Moto I need you.” She tried to catch her breath and scream at the same time, but it was next to impossible.

The wicked smile on the lady’s face scared Taryn like crazy. All she wanted was for Demoto to come and save her. He was always there when she needed him. Why was this time so different? Where was he during her final moments of life? Taryn closed her eyes to pray just as the lady griped the knife with both hands and began to lower herself to the ground. Taryn raised her knees as close as she could get them to her chest. She wrapped both arms around her stomach and rolled to her side. Her elbow shot back as hard as it could when she felt the lady’s hands on her.

“Don’t touch me. Stop. Get your hands off of me,” Taryn yelled, as she curled her body up in the tightest ball her stomach would allow, which wasn’t much being that she was nearing ninth months pregnant.

“Taryn. Taryn, wake up.” Demoto’s voice caught her attention.

She turned over on her back and looked straight up. The plain white ceiling with the dark brown, leaf ceiling fan was above her. The blades were spinning slowly and the cool breeze felt good on her damp skin. Her chest rose and fell unevenly as she tried to steady her breathing. She almost jumped out of her skin when she felt a hand on the top of her head.

“Calm down, baby girl, it’s just me.” Demoto was propped up on his elbow looking down at her. He was shirtless and his long dreads were falling down everywhere. They had gotten so long, some of them hung down far enough to rest on the pillow. “You had another bad dream?”

Taryn nodded.

“I told your ass about eating all that damn pork right before bedtime. You could have saved that shit for tomorrow.”

Taryn rolled her eyes. “Shut up, Moto.”

“Nah, don’t tell me to shut up now because I’m right. You wasn’t screaming shut up a minute ago when the boogey man was about to eat your ass in that dream. You wanted me then. Was screaming the hell out of my name.”

Taryn smiled and looked away. She thought back on her dream and shivered. “It wasn’t the boogey man. Some white lady was chasing me down the interstate trying to kill me and cut Azmera out of my stomach.”

His face was screwed up as he processed her dream. “Damn.”

“I know right. It had me so scared,” Taryn turned over so that she was facing him. “You know what’s even crazier though?”

“What?”

“I was screaming for you. All I wanted was you. I was screaming for you because I knew that you would save me. My first instinct should not be to call on you first.”

Demoto scooted down some in the bed and wrapped his arm around her body. He kissed her nose and lips before leaning down to place kisses on her bare belly. She wore nothing but a bra and panties, so her whole body was pretty much exposed.

“Yes it should. You did the right thing. I’ll always save you. I’m sure I’ve proven that by now.”

Taryn’s head moved up and down, making her scarf slide around her head. “I know, that’s why I love you.”

“I hope that ain’t the only reason.” Demoto tickled her stomach, and she fell over in laughter.

“It’s not. I also love you because I know you’ll go get me water at three o’clock in the morning.”

Taryn smiled as Demoto looked at the clock on their dresser. She was right. It was 3:07am, and he was throwing the covers off of him to go to the kitchen. He walked down the hall in nothing but his briefs. Even though Taryn had asked him to get her some water, he needed some too. He also needed a moment to catch his breath.

Since getting the contract on her, his nerves had been shot out. He could hardly focus on anything else. He didn’t want to be off his square and allow someone to catch him slipping. He was no fool. He knew how Double O worked. If he didn’t take the contract, there was only a matter of time before it was given to someone else.

They had rules and they wouldn’t wait long to implement them. The only thing he hated was the fact that in his contract with Double O, it specifically stated that he couldn’t deny a kill. It was either kill or be killed, and that shit was driving him insane. He would easily lay down his life for Taryn, but the fact that she would be left unprotected with his kids, made him want to throw up his insides.

Demoto blew out a long, frustrated breath as he took a drink from the bottle of water he’d just grabbed out of the refrigerator. He leaned against the counter for a minute, trying to digest what was going on around him. He had a few more hours before his killing spree started. Though it seemed a bit extreme when he’d told Bradley about it, he was serious. There were no outs when it came to his family.

If she had to die, then so would everyone else. He’d gone through his computer a couple of times before bed, trying to see if he could gain access to the contract, but he couldn’t. No matter what he tried, it locked him out every time. Demoto stared at nothing in particular as he tried to think of a plan in his head. He had to figure it out. Defeat wasn’t an option for him.

As he figured she would be, Taryn was knocked out sleep when he went back into their room. He had stopped to check on Ayo along the way, and now he was crawling back into bed behind Taryn. He snuggled his face into her hair and closed his eyes. There was no way in the world he was going to fold and let her life be taken. The moment his eyes opened in the morning, he was going full throttle. He would get this shit handled one way or another.

*****

“So, you’re not going to tell us why you wanted us over here this early?” Kia asked Buck.

She and Taryn were seated at the small table in his kitchen watching him cook. He had called them both and asked them to come over for breakfast so that he could feel his granddaughters. Though his invitation was suspicious, neither of them turned down food. That would have just been unheard of. They had been eating Jacko and Demoto out of house and home with the girls in their bellies.

“I know it ain’t just to eat.” Taryn stuffed a piece of bacon in her mouth. “Not that I’m complaining or anything.”

Buck smiled and handed her another piece of bacon. “I just wanted to spend some time with y’all. That’s all.”

“Lies people tell.” Kia narrowed her eyes at him before taking the biscuit he’d just extended to her.

When Buck turned around to the stove, Kia hit Taryn’s hand and nodded her head toward Buck.
What you think this about?
She mouthed to her. Taryn shrugged before mouthing back.
Probably his little girlfriend
. Kia’s eyes got big as she nodded her head. She snapped her fingers as realization set in.

“Daddy, this wouldn’t happen to be about our new stepmother would it?” Kia asked, sweetly.

Buck paused a moment too long for her liking and gave himself away. He could do a lot of things, but play hard and lie to his girls wasn’t one of them. He turned around with a large smile on his face. Taryn and Kia both screamed.

“Dadddddy.”

He laughed and sat a plate filled with food in front of both of them. “I had to get y’all over here some kind of way. I think it’s time that you meet her.”

“Where she at?” Taryn looked at Buck.

“She’ll be here in a minute. She was a little nervous about meeting y’all, but I promised that you guys would be on your best behavior.” He eyed them both.

“That’s her. Not me.” Taryn pointed at Kia.

“It sure is, and I ain’t ashamed of it.” Kai tooted her mouth up.

“Stop it, Kia.”

“I can’t promise anything, but I’ll try. Where you meet her at?”

Buck looked away quickly. “Mutual friend.”

His reaction didn’t sit well with Kia, but the doorbell had just rang, so she dismissed it for a minute. Clearly it was time for her to meet her new stepmother. Buck went to answer the door as Kia and Taryn sat at the table eating. They could hear voices, but they weren’t clear enough to make out what was being said. With their eyes trained on the door, both girls waited to see who would come in. When she finally rounded the corner, both of their mouths fell open.

“Ms. Deon, what are you doing here? You better not be my daddy’s girlfriend.” Taryn recovered first.

Deon smiled bashfully and nodded her head. “That would be me.”

“No it ain’t either. Nope. No. Un uh.” Kia shook her head. “The two of y’all will not make a mockery out of my husband and me. So whatever it is y’all have going on, y’all might as well dismiss it.” Kia’s voice was serious as she looked at Buck and Deon.

“Kia,” Buck sighed.

“No, Daddy. How in the world am I going to be married to my stepbrother? That makes no sense at all. I guess the two of y’all just didn’t care how me and Jacko felt about this, huh?”

Kia looked at her father and Jacko’s mother and got disgusted. Where in their right mind did they think what they were doing was right?

“Does Jacko know about this?”

Deon nodded. “I told him a while ago.”

Kia raised her eyebrows. “Is that why y’all aren’t speaking at the moment?”

“Yes. He didn’t take it very well either. I begged him not to tell you until Buck was ready. The only reason I knew he wouldn’t was because he was so angry. He said he would be too embarrassed to tell some shit like that.”

“Jackson said this?” Buck sounded as if this was his first time hearing the news too.

“Nah, Daddy, don’t try to get mad with Jacko. This is embarrassing.” Kia stood up and grabbed her purse.

“You finna go?” Taryn asked her.

“Yep. I need to go talk to my stepbrother, my husband, sibling by law, whatever you want to call him.” With her keys in hand, Kia grabbed her purse and left the house.

Taryn, still seated at the table, looked at Buck and Deon. “Well, I don’t mind. I think it’s kind of cute. Just give her a few days, she’ll get over it.”

“She ain’t got no choice. Deon and I are grown. She lays up with who she loves every night; we should be able to do the same.” Buck didn’t look fazed at all. “I wanted y’all to approve, but that didn’t mean I was going to stop if you didn’t. Hell, I’m a grown ass man.” His voice went up an octave.

“Calm down, Daddy. I said I was fine with it.” Taryn laughed at him.

He looked at her and kissed her forehead. “Come here, let me talk to you real quick. Dee, get you some food, baby. I’ll be right back.”

Deon went into the kitchen while Taryn and Buck walked outside. She grabbed her things along the way so that she could leave after they finished talking.

Buck stopped on the sidewalk and stuck his hands in his pockets. He looked at Taryn with a serious face. “I need to tell you something. I don’t want to worry you, I just want to help you make the proper preparations.”

Taryn was all ears.

“I was going through a few things at work the other day and your name came across my desk.”

“My name?” Taryn looked confused.

Buck nodded. “There’s a contract out for you, Taryn.”

She was really confused now. “Contract? What you mean a contract? Like the ones Demoto handles?”

Again Buck nodded.

“What? Why?” The minute she started grabbing her chest and breathing hard, Buck wished he hadn’t told her.

He grabbed both of her arms in an effort to focus her attention back on him. “Taryn, listen. Calm down. I’m not going to let anything happen to you, and from what I’ve been told, neither is Demoto.”

“He knows?”

“Found out yesterday.”

Taryn squatted down near the ground and held her head. She could barely stand up. “That’s why he passed out.”

“He passed out?”

“Yes. Yesterday we were all chilling then he got a call. After that, he passed out, went to Double O, came back and has been acting weird ever since.”

“Yeah, sounds about right. Bradley said he threatened the whole Double O staff. He promised to kill anyone involved.”