Insatiable (29 page)

T
hough completely unaware, Terelle was quite the celebrity at the mental health facility where she’d been transported by ambulance in restraints.

Given enough psychotropic drugs to sedate an elephant, Terelle was oblivious to the frenzied atmosphere within the facility where doctors, nurses, and support staff had their faces buried in the newspapers and glued to the TV screen as they followed the media coverage of the murder of Marquise Whitsett.

For the past two days, Kai Montgomery, photographed in handcuffs, had been making the headlines in all the local newspapers.
The Daily News
had given her
The Thug Princess
moniker and portrayed her as a spoiled Mainline debutante who had everything money could buy, but needing a new thrill, had dallied with a convicted criminal merely for the excitement.

An
Action News
snippet stated:
Two employees of a parking garage on Columbus Boulevard fingered Kai Montgomery. Ms. Montgomery is accused of shooting Marquise Whitsett in cold blood and then maliciously crushing him under the wheels of her late-model Mercedes Benz. Her fingerprints were found on the gun. Considered a flight risk, Kai Montgomery is being held without bail.

The media portrayed Terelle Chambers as the second victim, who upon learning that her fiancé had been viciously murdered, had succumbed to a mental breakdown.

Saleema climbed the stairs to Terelle’s apartment feeling mad at the world. She should have been chillin’ in the Caribbean, sipping an exotic drink and puffing on a big-ass Bob Marley-sized blunt. She should have been so twisted that she was damn near amnesic when it came to flashing back to what really had happened to Marquise.

But instead of escaping to a tropical paradise, she was saddled with the responsibility of clearing out Terelle’s apartment. Miss Bennie was overwhelmed with funeral arrangements for her mother and was also trying to put together a memorial service for Marquise. Terelle’s mother wasn’t capable of helping with shit. Saleema rolled her eyes thinking about how that very morning, after visiting Terelle at the crazy house, she had stopped by to see Miss Bennie to pay her condolences. Miss Cassy was there. Covered with bruises; her cracked ribs bandaged, she looked a hot mess. Saleema would have given anything to have seen the ass whoopin’ Terelle had put on her. Miss Cassy was trying to get sympathy by walking around all bent over, looking sad and decrepit. She had the nerve to ask Saleema for ten dollars—talking about she needed some money to pay for her pain medication. Yeah, right! The skinny bitch wanted to get high so bad she didn’t give a damn that her daughter had had a nervous breakdown, her own mother was dead, and her newly orphaned granddaughter was crying for her parents. She was willing to shirk all responsibility, run out and get high. As far as Saleema was concerned, the ass whooping Miss Cassy had gotten from Terelle was a long time in coming.

Saleema’s anger kept her grief at bay. However, as she stuck Terelle’s key in the lock, tears clouded her vision, then poured down her cheeks. She opened the door remembering how hard Terelle had worked to acquire the apartment and how happy she’d been to finally have a home for her and Marquise. For Terelle, this dump of an apartment had been a dream come true. And all her girl had ever asked was for Marquise to treat her half-ass decent and be a father to their child.

Now was that too much to ask from the man she’d devoted her entire life to? How many women could honestly say that they’d had sex with only one man in their whole damn life? Well, Terelle could make that claim. When it came to sex, Terelle didn’t mess around and Marquise knew it. But that didn’t stop him from whoring around and breaking her heart until she couldn’t take it anymore.

Infused with renewed anger directed at the deceased Marquise, Saleema wiped away her tears. She thought about her visit this morning with Terelle. Poor Terelle was sitting in a goddamn wheelchair—too doped up to walk. She was drooling and looking crazy as a bedbug from taking all that medication. It was hard to imagine that Terelle would ever come back around. And none of this shit would have happened if Marquise had just kept his dick in his pants. What a fuckin’ mess!

And the mess had spilled over into Saleema’s life—big time. It looked like she was going to have to take care of Markeeta until Terelle got better. Miss Cassy wasn’t worth a fuck and Miss Bennie…well, she was nice and everything, but Saleema would be damned if she’d let two Lesbos raise her godbaby. Hell no!

Inside the apartment, Saleema walked from room to room, in a quandary as to where to begin. Okay, she’d sort through and pack Markeeta’s things first. Oh! She’d better call her john to let him know the trip they’d postponed would now have to be cancelled. She doubted if he’d want a young child tagging along.

The flashing light at the base of the phone caught her attention. She might as well listen to messages and try to tie up all Terelle’s loose ends. Saleema dug into the secret compartment in her wallet and pulled out the code that Terelle had entrusted her with along with an extra set of keys back when she first had moved in.

She turned up the volume and began loading up green trash bags with Markeeta’s toys. The first two messages were from Miss Bennie, telling Terelle that her grandmother was slipping fast. The next message was from the nursing home, informing Terelle that she’d been terminated and should call the Human Resources Department to make arrangements to turn in her employee ID in order to get her final paycheck. Saleema sucked her teeth and gave the phone her middle finger.

In the midst of sorting through Markeeta’s toy box, the next message sent a chill up Saleema’s spine. Stunned, she dropped a crate of wooden alphabet blocks, slid down the wall and sat in a corner on the floor.

Yo, Terelle! This is Quise. I know you mad, babe. You got every right to be. But believe me I got a good explanation for all the bullshit I done put you through. Babe…look…this is the deal. I got involved with this crazy jawn. She’s rich…but scattered like a muthafucker. I’m talkin’ fatal attraction crazy. She been threatenin’ to have both of us locked up. She been talkin’ all kinds of crazy shit ’bout that damn watch. Yeah, I lied about the watch. I told you the Jamaicans gave it to me. But check this…she think she can buy me. So, I’m gonna run some game and act like I’m wit it. Tonight we gonna pick up this fly-ass truck I talked her into buyin’ for me. I woulda had it yesterday, but it wasn’t ready. She paid for it in cash and I made sure she put it in my name. I want you to pack up yours and Keeta’s shit ’cause after I git the keys to the truck…we gon’ be the fuck out. We can drive down South somewhere and start all over. Fuck Philly. Philly don’t offer a nigga nothin’ but jail time or death. I’m tired of bein’ a fuck-up; I’m through lyin’ and cheatin’ on you. It’s a wrap, babe; count on it. I’m a family man now—I’m through wit the streets. You hear me, babe? I said it’s a wrap; I swear on my life. I love you. But you know me…I can show you better than I can tell you. Put on something sexy, aiight? I’ll be home tonight.”

Listening to Marquise lying to Terelle from the grave made Saleema weep for her friend. Saleema knew that if Terelle ever recovered and heard the message, she’d easily believe that once again, Marquise had become a changed man. The horror of being responsible for ending his life and interrupting their happy future together would definitely send her girl back to oblivion. Thus, sniffling and wiping her eyes, Saleema erased the tape.

F
or Kai, the past thirteen months had been a progressive descent into hell. She had experienced unrelentingly horrendous events during this period, beginning with her arrest and concluding with her present loathsome reality: life behind bars. Kai shuddered as she recalled the first time she’d felt the cold embrace of metal handcuffs around her dainty wrists instead of the comfort of her 3-carat diamond tennis bracelet and Versace mother of pearl wristwatch.

Her eyes wandered around her new home—a prison cell the size of her former walk-in closet. She felt like a trapped animal. Flooded by a feeling of despair, Kai dropped her head into her hands. The atmosphere was cold. In fact, everything inside the cell was cold…and hard: the cement walls, the metal sink, the toilet, the bolted-down stool, the tabletop, which was connected to the wall. The metal bed frame, covered by something plastic, seemed more like an exercise mat than a mattress. The temperature felt below zero. She shivered as she recalled the cold shower she’d been expected to take earlier that day. Taking a shower in full view of a horde of ugly, foul-smelling women was bad enough but when cold water shot out from the overhead nozzle, stinging her body like crushed ice pellets, Kai yelped and leaped away from the assault without so much as even unwrapping the bar of prison-issued soap.

Kai brushed falling hair from her face and absently inspected a tendril. Her hair was brittle and in desperate need of a trim. Considering her options, she quickly decided she would hack it off herself before she’d allow any of the jailhouse beauticians to get their unlicensed hands in her hair. She began frantically twisting her hair around her finger.
This situation is fucking tragic! I’m innocent, dammit
. She shook her head pitifully. She wanted to scream to the top of her lungs. But realized screaming was useless. She’d been screaming for the past year to no avail. Hell, the judge had banished her from the courtroom for screaming out her innocence.

According to her inept yet high-priced attorney, that particular stunt had sealed her fate. After her public temper tantrum, the jury, who already despised her for exhibiting an arrogant air of entitlement and for possessing both beauty and wealth, happily delivered a guilty verdict. Even the judge hated her. It appeared to Kai that the judge had struggled to suppress a smile when she sentenced her to life in prison.
Life in fucking prison!
And now this! She raised her head and reached for the letter. Her hands trembled as she reread for the thousandth time that day the letter from her defense attorney. It seemed ludicrous that such expensive richly embossed paper could bear such bad news. Her attorney, the shyster her parents held in such high esteem, whose weak defense had landed her in prison, had the audacity to inform her that he was rescinding his initial offer to begin the appeal process.

With the mountain of evidence against you and without benefit of a credible witness or an alibi, it is unlikely that we could expect anything other than another guilty verdict
, a portion of the letter read. Kai ripped the letter to shreds.
Good riddance to bad rubbish and fuck you, too, dickhead!

She’d find her own damn attorney—one with some balls. She’d hire someone who honestly believed she was innocent and who would point an accusing finger at the real murderer, Terelle Chambers. The name rang in Kai’s mind, taunting her. The whole world, it seemed, sympathized with Terelle, considered her a victim; they were all duped by her crazy-as-a-bedbug routine.

Kai had definitely underestimated Terelle. How could she have allowed someone so ill bred and ignorant to bring her life to such ruin? Kai had ended up convicted of first-degree murder and abuse of corpse, while that hairy ignoramus claiming to be too crazy to testify had gotten away with murder. Maybe if she too had pretended to be
touched by an angel,
she’d be serving a minimal amount of time in some cushy mental facility. With an insanity defense, there would have been the prospect of an early release—there would have been hope, but now…

Tears of anger began to well, but Kai fought the urge to cry. Crying would be an admission of defeat. Her inept attorney had given up…Jeeze, even her own parents had given up. But, Kai refused to give up.

Her father had traveled to the women’s prison only once; her mother didn’t accompany him using the excuse that she couldn’t bear to see her daughter behind bars. What nonsense! The bitch hated Kai. Always had. And Kai knew why. Miranda Montgomery was barren and Kai was the living evidence of Philip Montgomery’s infidelity. The unethical bastard knocked up one of his charity patients and covered his tracks by pretending to be a do-gooder who was willing to give an unfortunate mulatto child a better life.

Though there was no tangible evidence that Philip Montgomery was her natural father, Kai was convinced that he was. Those black people in Chester took one look at her and knew the truth. For the life of her, Kai would never understand how the white community had never questioned her parents’ fabricated story. Without question, she was Philip Montgomery’s natural child; the resemblance between them was astonishing—she had her father’s thin lips, sharp nose, and dark brown eyes.

When this nightmare ended—when Terelle was brought to justice, Kai’s family would have to pay. And that included her biological bitch of a mother whom she planned to hunt to the end of the earth to dispense the appropriate justice.

The jangle of keys broke into Kai’s delicious thoughts of revenge. She looked up as two male guards entered her cell. Their leering expressions made her stomach churn with disgust. Sexual misconduct by the staff, she’d overheard through the prison grapevine, was a routine occurrence.

Judging by their predatory gazes, Kai supposed they viewed her as fresh meat, ripe for ravaging and expected her to tremble with fear. She was annoyed, but most definitely unafraid of the two correctional officers. Hell, they didn’t have to rape her; she’d give them what they wanted. After all, getting dicked down by two men was an unfulfilled fantasy and it made perfect sense to seize this opportunity to take care of her carnal needs.

Quickly abandoning all thoughts of legal problems and ponderings of revenge, she cast a lingering look that traveled from their faces and down to each man’s crotch. She’d deal with her problems some other time. Right now, she could use some stiff dick to relieve thirteen months of pent-up stress. Kai had been yearning for a real orgasm; the weak release she’d been achieving with her fingers only added to her frustration

She sized up the guards and decided it would definitely take two dicks to replace the big one Marquise had possessed.

Kai threw her head back and licked her lips, slowly parted her legs and greeted the two wanna-be rapists with an inviting smile and a sultry, “Hello.”

The two prison guards looked at each other in bewilderment, their lustful expressions quickly changed to a no-nonsense glower.

“You have a visitor,” barked the short correctional officer.

The second guard who was about a foot taller than his cohort and who had obviously been pumping way too much iron, stood with his thick legs spread and beefy arms folded. “Get moving,” the beefy guard said, jerking his head toward the open cell door.

Though the guards didn’t provide Kai with the name of her visitor, she assumed it was her father. No one else had bothered to visit. Kai entered the visitors’ area and glanced around the crowded room. Taking in the zoo-like atmosphere, she sucked her teeth and muttered under her breath contemptuously. The place was swarming with pathetically poor people who despite the dismal environment wore wide grins, whooped and hollered with glee as they embraced their incarcerated loved ones.
Jeeze!

There was a multitude of babies and young children—brats of every nationality who created a cacophony of sound that was certain to bring on a migraine.

Kai sniffed at the air, her face contorted as if she’d been force-fed an entire lemon. What was that stench? An unpleasant musky odor hung in the air. It smelled like a combination of sour milk, sweaty armpits, and funky vaginas.

She sure hoped her father had some goods news regarding a new appellate attorney because she didn’t know how much longer she could survive this nightmare.

With brows knitted in agitation, Kai looked around the visitor’s room again. Where the hell was her asshole of a father? It should have been easy to spot him considering that aside from the few Caucasian correctional officers positioned like sentries at various posts, there were no other Caucasian men in the room.

Eyes narrowed, she scanned the room again. He wasn’t there. Had someone screwed up and brought her down to the visitors’ room by mistake or was this some sort of prank? With her hand pressed against her head as if overcome by a terrific headache, she wondered if her life could get any worse?

Kai turned and motioned for the nearest guard. Being escorted back to her suffocating cell was better than mingling with this pack of happy heathens. Just as the guard acknowledged her, a feminine voice called her name. Kai jerked around.

A rather flashy black woman—late thirties, early forties—whom Kai did not recognize sat alone at one of the tables in the rear. She waved happily at Kai. Kai shrugged; she didn’t know any black women besides her parents’ housekeeper, the nurses and other staff at the nursing home and she certainly didn’t associate with or consider any of them as friends. Squinting in confusion, Kai took tentative steps forward.

Smiling knowingly, the woman beckoned Kai with fluttering talon-like fingers.

The smile was vaguely familiar, but Kai still couldn’t place her. She inched closer, and inexplicably her heart began to pound.

“Come on over here, baby!” The woman spoke authoritatively and gestured impatiently.

Baby!
Kai was offended by the familiarity in the woman’s tone and simultaneously scared out of her wits. She froze and began to tremble.

As if on queue, the stranger arose and rushed toward Kai. “Come on, sweetie; get yourself together,” she said softly, yet firmly as she directed Kai toward the table. “It took me damn near three hours to get here; let’s not give these people a reason to terminate my visit.”

Kai bristled; her limbs became rigid. She desperately wanted to resist, but was unable to. With inappropriate self-assurance, the stranger took her hand and guided her stiffened body to the unoccupied table. Though the distance was short, it was the longest walk Kai had ever taken. She crept along as if she were made of crystal—a crystal figurine so fragile that any abrupt movement might shatter her into a million pieces.