The Finale (9 page)

 

 

Within twenty-four hours, Malek was waiting for Dayvid outside of the jailhouse in a tinted car. He had sent his attorney in to bail Dayvid out, and just like that, he was on the streets again.

Malek's attorney had discovered that Fuller had raided the house without a warrant, so all the paraphernalia and evidence was inadmissible. Malek would just move his spot and would be open for business by the end of the day. Scar had his work cut out for him because Malek wasn't an amateur.

“What's up, kid?” Malek said as Dayvid entered the car along with one of Malek's workers that he'd sent in for him. A smiling Malek blew his horn at the attorney, who was getting into his vehicle across the parking lot. He knew he had outwitted Scar.

“What up, Malek? I'm glad to be out of that stink-hole.” Dayvid got comfortable in the front seat and leaned back.

“Yeah. Tell me about it.” Malek then reached over and playfully smacked Dayvid on the head. “You did good, you did good,” and with that, he pulled off smiling.

Malek had his own little plan for Scar. It was obvious the man didn't know how he got down, and Malek fully planned on showing him.

As Halleigh watched Malek sleep, she cried. There was no way she could stay in his life. After everything, their end had finally come. She leaned down and kissed his lips. He was a heavy sleeper, so he didn't stir.

“I love you, Malek,” she said as she arose from their bed. She couldn't stop staring at him. Even though she knew she could never forget one detail about him, she wanted to burn his image in her brain because this was the last time she would ever see him again. She had to put distance between them. She had become a liability and was doing what was best for everyone involved by disappearing.

If Rodriguez knew she planned on skipping town, the shit would hit the fan, but by the time anyone realized she was gone, it would be too late. All she had to do was make sure that no one saw her leave and that she wasn't followed.

She pulled a suitcase from the closet, moving as quietly as possible, and began to pack some of her things. She didn't need much. A few clothes would do. She then went into Malek's petty cash stash and clipped five Gs from it. She had never stolen a thing from him in her life, but she needed this. Five thousand dollars was going to buy her a way out of town and hopefully be enough for her to start a new life.

She went into her son's nursery and checked on him. The last thing she wanted was to walk out of her baby's life, but she couldn't take him with her. She just hoped that one day he would understand, that both her child and Malek would understand. She kissed her fingers and placed them on his forehead then left the room.

She penned a note before she left because she would be ceasing all forms of communication. She didn't even want to take her cell phone with her because she knew she could be tracked down if she did.

She placed the letter on her pillow, knowing he would find it when he awoke, and then reluctantly she walked out on the people she loved the most.

Halleigh peered out onto the street. There were always cars sitting on the block at night, but tonight they all looked suspicious. Rodriguez had said that the police would always be watching, so to be safe, Halleigh went out of the back of the building.

Creeping like a cat through the back alley, she walked until she was on the next block and then ran until she was able to catch a cab in the early morning hours.

“Where to?” the cab driver asked.

“BWI,” she stated. She never looked back as the cab pulled off, afraid that if she did, she may not go through with her plan.

 

 

Malek awoke the next day to the sound of his son crying. He was used to Halleigh waking up with him, so he wasn't used to all of the screaming.

“Hal? Baby girl?” he called out from underneath the sheets.

When she didn't respond, he sat up. She never let their son cry for too long.

He got up and walked into their son's nursery. “Hey, li'l man. What you crying for?” he asked as he picked him up, and his crying stopped instantly. “Where's your mommy?”

Malek went into their living room and saw that Halleigh wasn't there either. She never left the house without telling him her plans, so he found her absence odd. “Hal!” he yelled, but she was nowhere to be found.

He didn't begin to worry until he called her cell phone and heard it ringing inside of their house. Malek followed the ringing of the phone, which led him back to their bedroom. Her phone was on the nightstand on her side of the bed, and as he sat down, he noticed the letter she left behind.

With his son in his arms, he picked up the note and read it. Malek had never been an emotional young man. His mentor, Jamaica Joe, had hardened him long ago, but reading the good-bye letter that Halleigh had left for him broke him down. Tears accumulated in his eyes as he gripped his son tight. He wasn't ashamed to cry.

Losing a woman like Halleigh would break any man. He loved her endlessly, unconditionally, and couldn't believe this was happening. His heart felt broken. He had never felt this much pain. When they had been separated before, it didn't hurt this bad because other people had kept them away from one another in the past. This time Halleigh had chosen to leave him.

She left me,
Malek thought in anguish. He didn't understand.

For so long they had fought to be with each other, and now she had packed her bags and given up on them. He couldn't help but feel like this was his fault. He had made a lot of bad decisions, and he hadn't kept her safe over the years. He thought maybe she was beginning to regret all of the heartache she had suffered just to be his girl.

She ain't the only one who gave up something for us to be together,
he thought.

Malek remembered his dreams of being a hoop star. They had been completely realistic until that fateful night so many years ago had changed the game plan for them both. The night Halleigh was raped had changed the course of their lives forever, and because he loved her, he had given up everything to try to protect her. But through it all, he never blamed her. He simply let go of the past and focused on what he had, which was Halleigh, instead of what he could have had.

A knock at the door caused Malek to gain hope.
Maybe Halleigh has come back.
He stood and raced to the door, practically snatching it off the hinges as he opened it. Disappointment filled him when he saw Detective Rodriguez.

“Now is not a good time, detective,” he said.

“Well, then I won't take up much of it. I came to return Halleigh's vehicle. We located it on the south end of town. Whoever mugged her left it in an abandoned parking lot,” Rodriguez said as she held out the keys for Malek. “Is Halleigh home? I would like to speak with her for a minute.”

“Halleigh's not here.”

“Is there a better time for me to stop back?” Rodriguez pushed.
Where the hell did she go? I had a car sitting on the building all night,
she thought angrily. She had a gut feeling that Halleigh had run, and she was infuriated.

“I got her keys. There really isn't a need for you to stop back,” Malek replied. He began to close the door. He hated the police, and his patience with her had expired. He had more pressing issues on his mind.

“I have a few more questions for her,” Rodriguez insisted.

Malek sighed. “She has your card. If I see her, I will have her contact you.” He shut the door in her face.

Rodriguez stormed out of the building and immediately put in the call to her partner, Derek Fuller. Without a vehicle, there were only a few ways out of town, so she put a police detail on every bus station, airport, and train station in the city. There was no way she was going to let Halleigh escape. She would call out the entire Narcotics Unit of Baltimore before she let Halleigh slip through her fingers.

Malek's suspicion was aroused by the detective's interest in Halleigh. She seemed to be too persistent in her effort to speak with Halleigh. Her sudden disappearance didn't make sense, but his gut was telling him that this lady cop had something to do with it.

That was the only thing he could attribute Halleigh's sudden change of heart to. They hadn't been having problems; in fact, he, had never loved Halleigh more. After almost losing her back in Flint, he cherished every moment that he spent with her now, and he knew that she felt the same.

Something is up,
he thought, now sure of himself that Halleigh needed his help.

Something was nagging at him. He returned to his bedroom and read her letter again, trying to read between the lines.

One line of her letter stuck out to him the most. “Watch those who are watching you,” he whispered as her warning jumped out on the paper.

And like a light bulb coming on in his head, he thought,
The cops are watching.
He rushed into the hallway and down to the window that peered out over the street.

For the first time, he noticed the unmarked squad car that was hawking his building.
Fuck!
He cursed himself.
How long have they been on me? What the fuck they watching me for? A nigga ain't moving bricks. And how long has Halleigh known? What do they have over her that will make her skip town?

Malek was beginning to think that more had happened that night than a carjacking, and as he raced back to his apartment, he tried to figure out where Halleigh had gone.
Think like her. Where would she go?

 

 

Halleigh sat in the airport eagerly and nervously waiting for the delayed flights to resume service. She didn't have time for this. A security breach had caused the entire airport to shut down, and she had been waiting for hours for them to resume ticket sales. She figured that Malek had gotten her letter by now, and she was wondering how he had reacted. She wished she could go back home and make everything nice, but it was a wrap for her life in Baltimore.

As soon as she was able to, she was purchasing a one-way ticket out of the city. She figured she would go down south to North Carolina, where her mother was from and where her grandmother still lived. Even though Halleigh had never met the woman, she knew her name, and was hoping they could get acquainted once she arrived. If not, then she would just have to do what she did best: survive.

At least down there she would be out of hot water.
Maybe one day I can come back for my son,
she thought.

She felt herself becoming emotional at the thought of everything she was leaving behind. She went to use the restroom. Her eyes were red and puffy. She looked a hot mess. She couldn't wait to get out of Baltimore, so she could have peace of mind.

As she emerged from the bathroom, she looked toward the front counter. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw Rodriguez questioning one of the airline employees. Halleigh automatically knew that this was no coincidence. She was there looking for her. She knew that if Rodriguez was there, it was a good possibility that more cops were on the scene as well.

Halleigh quickly ducked back into the restroom. Creating a commotion at the airport was the last thing she wanted to do, but she had to get out of there. She peeked out of the door, and while Rodriguez was distracted at the ticket counter, she slowly eased out, keeping her head low to remain inconspicuous. Walking as quickly as possible out of the airport, when she finally emerged outside, she ran to the first cab she saw.

“Hal!”

She stopped mid-step and looked up in disbelief when she heard Malek calling her name. She had one foot inside of the cab as she saw him pulling up behind her, blowing his horn urgently to get her attention. Shocked, her mouth dropped open in surprise.

“Get in, Halleigh!” he shouted.

She rushed over to his car and jumped inside. She ducked low, keeping her eyes on the side mirrors.

Just as Malek pulled away, Halleigh saw Rodriguez emerge from the airport. “Go! Go!” she yelled.

When she was sure they were out of any police radar, she sat up in her seat. Her son was crying from his car seat in the back, and his cries affected her, causing her tears to flow too.

“You wanna tell me what's going on now, Halleigh?”

“How did you find me?”

“I know you, Hal,” he said as he drove with one hand and touched her chin gently with the other. “You are me, ma. You ran, and I knew you wasn't riding no bus or train. You think you're too good for that.” He smiled mockingly.

She shook her head and wiped her eyes. “You should have let me go, Malek,” she said softly. “You don't know what's going on.”

“Then why don't you tell me? I know the cops are watching me. Your letter told me that. But what is it that you are not telling me? We're better than this, Halleigh. Your burden is supposed to be my burden.”

“I'll tell you everything. Can we just go somewhere, to a hotel room or something, so I can get my head together? Then we'll talk, and I'll tell you everything.”

Malek and Halleigh checked into the Courtyard Marriot in Linthicum, and once they were safely inside with their child, it was time for her to fess up. Malek waited patiently for her to find her words.

“You can tell me, Halleigh. Whatever it is, just say it.”

“I fucked up,” she began. “When we first came here, you told me over and over again to let the past go. You told me that everything and everyone in Flint were dead to us, but I didn't listen. With you in the streets all the time, I felt like I had nobody to talk to, no friends, no real life in Baltimore. So I called Tasha.” She paused to see what Malek would say, but he remained silent. His facial expression was blank, so Halleigh couldn't read his emotions.

“Keep going,” he said.

“I invited Tasha to come to Baltimore about a week ago, and we met for lunch downtown. I thought she was my friend, Malek. I would have never told her where we were if I ever thought she would put us in jeopardy.”