Authors: Ashley Antoinette
Moth to a Flame (17 page)
“Mizan called here for you,” Nikki said.
Raven’s back stiffened in surprise. “What did you tell him?”
Nikki reached across the table and grabbed Raven’s arm, giving it a light squeeze of reassurance. “Relax. I told him you went to the pharmacy to pick up some medicine for me,” Nikki replied.
Raven sat with Nikki and reminisced about old times. It was the only thing that Nikki could really talk about. Their teenage years were the only true things that she could recall, and although the conversations became redundant, Raven obliged her every time, laughing at jokes she had heard a thousand times as if they were new. Her friendship with Nikki was important and had withstood a lot over the years. Raven loved Nikki and would do anything for her. She visited with her until it was time for her to pick Morgan up from school.
“You feel up to going out tonight?” Raven asked.
“Where are we going?”
“Probably to the Purple Moon. Mizan and his people are going. You know I don’t like being the only chick in a group of niggas. You should come out. It’ll be fun,” Raven urged, trying to offer Nikki a sense of normalcy.
Nikki nodded. “Okay. You’ll pick me up?”
“Of course, Nik. I’ll be here around ten o’clock,” Raven answered. She stood then embraced Nikki. “I love you, girl. I’ll be back later tonight. I’m going to get you out of this house and show you a good time.”
After much pleading, Raven finally convinced Mizan to let Nikki join them for the night. After leaving Morgan with Aunt Gena, they rolled to the club with a caravan of luxury vehicles behind them. The knock from the speaker beat through their chests as the pulled right up to the door at the popular night club.
They bypassed the crowd, the velvet ropes lifting instantly as the bouncers granted them access to the club.
Mizan and Rich led the way with Raven and Nikki behind them. The rest of Mizan’s entourage brought up the back. They were ten deep. Mizan was the king and his round table of knights were right behind him, loyal and ready to pop off if need be. The girls walked arm in arm, both dressed as if they were attending a New York City fashion show. Raven was used to the jealous stares she got. The five-hundred-dollar pair of True Religion skinny leg jeans and Marc Jacobs one-shoulder blouse made her the envy of every female in the club. Her hair was swept to one side with big spirals cascading down her shoulder, and the diamonds in her ears and on her wrist were blinding. Nikki was equally stunning in a short Dolce & Gabbana shaker dress and Gucci peep toes, but despite her stunning appearance she was insecure. Raven could tell that Nikki was nervous. The vice grip that Nikki had on her arm gave her away. Everyone in the hood knew what had happened to her and they all showed her love as she made her way to VIP.
“See, your peoples missed you, hon,” Raven whispered to her over the loud music. Nikki had not been out since she had been shot. Her life had slowed down drastically because of her recovery and it felt good to feel like a hood star again. “Just relax, we’re here to have a good time.”
Seeing the look of apprehension melt away from Nikki’s face made Raven smile. They sat down and the waitresses immediately catered to their group, bringing the finest bottles of champagne and liquors over to them.
“Start a tab,” Mizan told one of the waitresses. “You make sure everybody with me is good and at the end of the night I’ll make sure you right, a’ight, ma?” He slipped her a hundred dollar bill. “That’s for you, baby. There’s more where that came from, but you got to work for it.”
“Oh, I can work for that. I’ll work all night if you need me to,” the girl replied with seductive insinuation.
Mizan smiled, then whispered in the waitress ear. She giggled loudly and then walked away, putting an extra switch in her step.
Raven rolled her eyes in disgust at Mizan’s blatant flirting.
This nigga is so disrespectful,
she thought as she cocked her head to the side and raised an eyebrow in annoyance.
This nigga is so disrespectful,
she thought as she cocked her head to the side and raised an eyebrow in annoyance.
He smirked and nodded at her, challenging her to say something, but Raven didn’t cause a scene. She simply grabbed a glass of Dom and sipped it slowly. The DJ kept the music live and the crowd was extra animated as everyone drank and had a good time. Liquor flowed freely and, for once, Raven felt like life was carefree. She and Nikki laughed and joked with one another. They had not been out together in such a long time, and it felt like the good old days. Raven noticed Rich eyeing Nikki, and she leaned over to put her girl up on game.
“Rich been staring at you all night, Nik. I think he’s feeling you,” Raven said.
Nikki discreetly looked in Rich’s direction. Brown-skinned and attractive, Nikki smiled. “Who?” Nikki asked.
“You know Rich ... Mizan’s best friend,” Raven said.
Nikki turned up her nose and shook her head. “Girl, please. Ain’t nobody trying to fuck with him.”
Raven smiled curtly and shook her head. “Why not, Nik? You need to get out and start dating again. You can’t just live the rest of your life as a hermit inside of Aunt Gena’s house. I’m not telling you to marry dude. Just give him some play. See what his conversation is like.”
“He’s cute, but I know how Mizan is, and birds of a feather flock together, you know? That nigga probably ain’t no good,” Nikki responded seriously. “I’m so not interested, so don’t try to play matchmaker tonight, Rae. I’m just enjoying being out with my girl.”
Before Raven could respond, Rich had switched places with one of his boys and positioned himself directly on her other side, putting her right in the middle. He couldn’t really help himself. He had a dangerous attraction to Nikki. It was obvious that she was a fighter. He had shot her in the head himself and she had bounced back miraculously. He knew that he was taking a huge risk, but something in him was urging him to push up on her. He had always wanted to fuck with Nikki, but her arrogant persona had always deterred him from trying to get at her. He had not seen her in years, since the day that he and Mizan had secretly terrorized her, but he was about to make his move. He refused to be turned down again, and he was determined to get another sample of the jewels she kept on lock between her legs. This time he was going to use the good guy approach to see if it got him any closer to his prize.
“What’s up with your girl?” he whispered in Raven’s ear.
Raven shrugged. “I don’t know. Why don’t you ask her yourself? Get your grown man on,” she joked as she switched seats with him.
Nikki gave Raven a stern look that said,
Bitch, I told you I wasn’t interested,
but Raven turned her head, feigning ignorance. Nikki put on a friendly smile to avoid being rude. Raven moved next to Mizan, who had a presumptuous leer on his face, as if he knew a joke that no one else did. Little did Raven know, she had just urged her best friend to speak to the man who had almost killed her.
Bitch, I told you I wasn’t interested,
but Raven turned her head, feigning ignorance. Nikki put on a friendly smile to avoid being rude. Raven moved next to Mizan, who had a presumptuous leer on his face, as if he knew a joke that no one else did. Little did Raven know, she had just urged her best friend to speak to the man who had almost killed her.
Nikki wanted to kill Raven for placing her in the uncomfortable situation. She went to reach for her drink.
“What’s good? You look nice tonight, ma,” he said loudly over the music.
“Thank you,” she responded as she nursed her drink.
“You dance?”
“Oh, no ... I don’t dance. I used to, but I haven’t in a long time. I was in an accident and it seems like after that I lost my rhythm,” she said with a light smile.
“Aww, shit ... now I’ma have to teach you,” he said jokingly. Nikki froze when she heard him say that phrase. Something about it was too familiar.
Now I’ma have to teach you a lesson.
Now I’ma have to teach you a lesson.
Her body tightened instinctively as she replayed the phrase in her head again and again. They the last words she had heard before she had been shot, and as Rich spoke in her ear she realized it was the same voice who had taunted her so many years ago. Her breath caught in her throat.
It’s him,
she thought in panic as her eyes watered. Her drink slipped out of her hand and spilled all over her dress. She could never forget the voice. She had replayed it over and over again in her mind for years.
It’s him,
she thought in panic as her eyes watered. Her drink slipped out of her hand and spilled all over her dress. She could never forget the voice. She had replayed it over and over again in her mind for years.
Bitch ... Now I’ma have to teach you a lesson.
Bitch ... Now I’ma have to teach you a lesson
.
.
Nikki stood up, upset and near tears as fear choked her. “Excuse me. I need to go to the ladiesroom. I have to go.” She put her hands out for balance. The liquor had her head spinning. “Rae!” she cried out. Raven immediately went to her side.
“Yo , you a’ight?” Rich asked.
“I’m fine,” she said as she pulled away from him and grabbed onto Raven. “Get me out of here.”
“Okay ... okay, sweetie, hold on.” Raven turned toward Mizan. “She’s not feeling well. I’m gonna take a cab back to her place to make sure she makes it home safe. I’ll just pick up Morgan and head home after that.”
Mizan barely acknowledged her. His attention was on the waitress he had been hitting on all night.
“Mizan! We’re leaving!” she yelled.
He threw up two fingers and dismissed her. Pissed beyond belief, Raven helped Nikki out of the club.
Nikki was silent as tears rolled down her face.
“Tell me what’s wrong, Nik. What did he say to you that has you so upset?” Raven asked after they’d gotten into the car.
“It was him, Rae. He’s the one who shot me. She looked out the window, her thoughts distant.
“What? Rich? Nik, you might just be confused. That doesn’t make sense,” Raven protested.
“Raven! It was him! I know his voice. I know I don’t remember much but I remember that! He shot me,” Nikki said with certainty.
Raven knew that Nikki was not the type of girl to make false accusations. For her to say something like that meant that she was a 100 percent positive.
“Why would he do that? I have to tell Mizan,” Raven gasped in disbelief as she tried to figure things out in her head.
He could be trying to set Mizan up.
He could be trying to set Mizan up.
Nikki looked at Raven with contempt. “Raven, when have you ever known anyone to outsmart Mizan? I’ll put money on it that Mizan was behind the entire thing.”
“No.” Raven denied the accusation vehemently. “He wouldn’t do that to me.”
“He would do that to you, Raven! He fucks you up on a daily basis. Stop being so naïve. I know for sure that Rich and Mizan were behind what happened to us that night. I know it.”
Raven’s silence filled the car as she argued with herself in her mind. She wanted to take up for him. She wished that she had the confidence in her man to tell Nikki that she was wrong, but their jilted relationship gave her doubt. She wanted to be mad at Nikki for even accusing Mizan of the sinister act, but she could not. His track record and his treatment of her spoke volumes. The truth was, he was capable of anything. Insecurities began to creep into the back of her mind regarding his whereabouts on that night. The cab finally pulled up to Nikki’s house and they walked inside.
Raven woke up her sister and prepared to leave. She stepped out onto the porch.
“Rae, be careful. I know you don’t want it to be true, but I don’t trust Mizan. I could have died, Raven,” Nikki said.
“I know,” Raven whispered as she lowered her head. She was ashamed. If she had not invited Mizan into her life, Nikki would have never been hurt.
“I don’t want to sit around and watch something happen to you. He’s grimy, Rae. He doesn’t love you. Get away from him,” she warned.
Raven nodded, took Morgan’s hand, and reluctantly caught a cab back home, despite the protests going off in her head.
Raven rushed into the house, practically dragging Morgan behind her.
“What’s wrong, Rae? Why are you acting weird?” Morgan inquired.
“I’m just thinking ... Go and get in bed. It’s late. I’ll see you in the morning,” she signed, then kissed her cheek and pushed her gently toward her bedroom.
Raven retired to her own room, burning holes in her hardwood floor as she paced back and forth in contemplation. All the people who mattered most to her had wanted her to leave Mizan, but still she stayed.
It just doesn’t make sense,
she reasoned.
How could he do something like that and then look me in my face?
It just doesn’t make sense,
she reasoned.
How could he do something like that and then look me in my face?
Her suspicions arose as she thought back to that night. It was so long ago, but she remembered everything like it had occurred yesterday.
He said they ran in his house because he owed them some money. A hundred thousand,
she thought, trying to piece the puzzle together. She began to search around the room, opening drawers and pulling out old shoe boxes, to see if she could find anything that could give her answers.
This is stupid ... Nikki is wrong.
She showered, but she could not shake the chill that had taken over her body.
But what if she isn’t wrong?
He said they ran in his house because he owed them some money. A hundred thousand,
she thought, trying to piece the puzzle together. She began to search around the room, opening drawers and pulling out old shoe boxes, to see if she could find anything that could give her answers.
This is stupid ... Nikki is wrong.
She showered, but she could not shake the chill that had taken over her body.
But what if she isn’t wrong?
“Oh my God!” she whispered to herself. “What if she’s right?” she asked herself. She hopped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her body, then tapped on the wall that separated the master bedroom from Morgan’s room. She knocked hard and frantically, knowing that Morgan would feel the vibration, and then raced to her bed and pulled out a suitcase from underneath it. She suddenly felt as if she was in danger and she did not know who to trust. She heard her bedroom door open and saw Morgan step into the room, wiping her sleepy eyes.
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