Thin Ice (22 page)

“OK, let me see what I can find,” he told him and Landon sighed lightly.

“Hang in there and I’ll call you as soon as we get a line on it,” Ben told him again and Landon told him he would.

“Thanks again Ben,” he added and disconnected.

Please let him find her before Ice hurts her again,
Landon thought worriedly. Things were about to go down and he had to make sure Kaitlyn wasn’t a casualty. Ice was crazy and Landon didn’t put it past him to hurt Kaitlyn or use her as some sort of bargaining chip to save his own sleazy skin.

25

LaDonna was smiling to herself. Today was the day she would finally get her revenge. She’d had to wait two long weeks because she could never catch Tweety alone.
I’ma get that ass today, and then I’m getting the fuck outta here,
she thought. LaDonna had managed to talk one of her regular johns into helping her escape with the promise of being with him and becoming his live-in girlfriend. Of course he didn’t know LaDonna planned to double cross him, and she wasn’t talking. She continued to observe Tweety finish up the cash receipts and put the money in the safe. Glancing around LaDonna saw all the other girls had gone to their rooms. Al and Chino were outside doing a last sweep of the grounds for the evening.
Your help is gone bitch,
LaDonna thought acidly, rising and stealthily making her way to the outer office door. When Tweety came around the door, LaDonna was going to drive all eight inches of the butcher knife she held into her chest.

Jaleesa finished her task and made sure everything was tidied up before she turned out the light and stepped out of the office door. Turning she locked the door and pocketed the key. Jaleesa turned to walk down the short hallway to the stairs and up to her room when the faint glint of light alerted her just as LaDonna lunged at her with the knife. Jaleesa threw her arm up feeling the blades sharp point penetrate her skin. Thinking fast Jaleesa kicked the woman between the legs bringing enough pain to drop her to her knees.
No the fuck this bitch didn’t,
Jaleesa thought as street came full blown and Jaleesa pinned her down, beating her in the face closed fist. She was so engrossed in killing LaDonna, Jaleesa didn’t even notice the light coming. Caramel screamed seeing the carnage. Al and Chino were just coming inside and ran to woman’s cry. Chino tried to grab Jaleesa as she slipped out of his grip and picked up the knife. To everyone’s horror she plunged the blade into LaDonna’s chest as the woman screamed in pain.

Ryan strode by the two men standing helplessly and grabbed Jaleesa, lifting her off the limp woman.

“Tweety,” he yelled holding her tightly as she continued to struggle, breathing hard, trying to get to LaDonna again.

“Baby calm down,” he told her in her ear as Jaleesa finally began to come back to herself.

“Calm down, lemme look at you,” Ryan told her as he turned her to him and looked her over.

“Call Doc,” he threw out giving Al a look. “Sit down baby,” Ryan told her calmly.

Her arm was bleeding profusely where LaDonna stabbed and cut her. Jaleesa didn’t even feel it she was so angry.

“Is the bitch dead,” she asked coldly.

Ryan glanced over at LaDonna and saw her chest slowly moving.

“Close,” he replied as Jaleesa’s eyes narrowed.

“Too bad,” she spat as Ryan continued to regard her.

You better make sure you remind her who’s in charge,
Ryan thought. Jaleesa was no joke and if he wanted to keep her under control he had to show her he was crazier than she was.

“What you want us to do with her,” Chino asked carefully, referring to LaDonna.

He himself knew how volatile Ryan was, and he knew the man wasn’t happy the two of them couldn’t control the situation. Jaleesa regarded Ryan as he watched the dying woman on the floor wondering when he’d gotten back.

“What do you want me to do,” he asked Jaleesa.

Sucking her teeth, Jaleesa sighed deeply. “Make the bitch suffer,” she told him calmly.

“I can do that,” Ryan replied going over and kicking LaDonna hard to the side as she cried out struggling to breathe.

“You always were stupid as hell,” Ryan told her lighting his cigar and blowing the smoke in her face.

LaDonna was wheezing harder as more and more blood filled her lungs.

“Go to bed,” Ryan barked at Caramel who obediently and hurriedly ran up the stairs without question.

Ryan picked up the knife, his earlier thought of Jaleesa’s control returning to his mind. What he did next caused even Jaleesa to flinch. Ryan took the knife and rammed it, blade first, inside LaDonna as she convulsed violently.
What the fuck,
Jaleesa thought as Ryan continued to punish the woman, his face expressionless. Finally stopping he withdrew the knife and cleaned the flesh off that he’d cut out while he assailed her.

“Here’s all your pussy right here, bitch,” he told the barely conscious woman. “Taste it,” he told her, packing the flesh in her mouth as LaDonna began to gag.

I gotta kill his ass the first time,
Jaleesa was thinking as the woman finally succumbed to injury and insult, heaving one last breath and voiding herself as she finally died. Jaleesa knew that Ryan would do something equally as demonic or worse to her if he caught her when she tried to run.

“Come on baby,” he told her gently, helping her from the chair and up to the bedroom as the doctor finally arrived and attended to her arm.

*****

Tariq was looking at the woman like she was crazy. “What the hell, Sherene,” he asked still trying to figure out what was going on.

“I wanna break up,” she told him simply, repeating her earlier statement.

Tariq was totally confused. They’d been doing fine, no arguments, no drama, nothing. He met Sherene a couple weeks after burying Hasaan. She’d been a lifeline for him getting over his brothers death.

“You said that already,” Tariq told her. “You just still haven’t told me why.”

Sherene sighed deeply and tried again. “Tariq, it’s just not working for me,” she told him as he continued to regard her.

Sherene was a sexy woman. She reminded him very much of KiKi in height, and build, but their personalities were completely different.

“What’s not working, Sherene,” Tariq wanted to know trying hard not to be angry.

She wasn’t making sense.

“Look, you’re a nice dude,” she told him as Tariq’s sense of dread deepened. “So I’m not tryna hurt you, but I’m going back to my ex,” she finished as Tariq scoffed.

“You’re shittin’ me right,” he threw out.

Sherene told him her ex-boyfriend was the worst. That he was abusive, a cheater and womanizer who couldn’t even keep a job.

“No,” she replied calmly, picking up her purse and heading for the door.

“You said he wasn’t jack,” Tariq threw out trying to keep her from leaving.

“He got a job, he loves me, I love him, and we’re gonna work it out,” she finished with finality, opening the door and walking out leaving Tariq speechless.

*****

Sherene sighed deeply once she arrived at the parking lot. She felt really bad for hurting Tariq. He was honestly a very nice guy, but she had to worry about her own well-being.

“Is it done,” Carlos asked leaning against his car at the other end of the darkened parking lot.

“Yeah,” Sherene replied as he nodded and handed her the wad of bills.

“That’s three grand like we agreed,” he told her as Sherene nodded her understanding.

“You did good,” Carlos told her taking the woman in.

She was fine as hell, and both he and Ice knew once she approached Tariq he wouldn’t say no.

“Why ya’ll set dude up,” she ventured to ask.

Carlos sighed deeply.

“That don’t matter,” he told her, his tone letting her know not to ask again.

“Yeah OK, well I’m out,” Sherene returned as Carlos reached out and pulled her to him.

“You wanna make another grand,” he asked, his hands under her dress, rubbing her butt.

Uggh,
Sherene thought as he waited on her answer. She guessed she’d better say yes, thinking she’d rather get paid for it, than have him take it from her.

“OK,” she replied softly as Carlos smiled fully, opened his car door and told her to get in.

*****

Tariq was still trying to figure out why Sherene would go back to a loser like that.
Man you have the worst taste in women,
his mind threw at him as KiKi came glaring into his consciousness. Tariq sighed deeply thinking of the woman and how they’d parted the last time he saw her.
It just hurt so much,
he thought of her presence at Hasaan’s funeral. It only served to remind him of the nothing he had since his brother’s death.
If I could just talk to her again,
Tariq thought. He wanted to apologize to her. He never meant to hurt KiKi. She meant the world to him, still did, truth be told.
She probably hates my ass right about now though,
Tariq thought sadly once again.

Willing himself to rise from the couch he headed to his bedroom and turned on the shower. Stepping under the steaming hot spray he thought about Sherene and KiKi. It hurt that Sherene left him yes, but it was nothing compared to the huge chasm that KiKi’s absence from his life left him with.
Go look for her,
his mind tried again. Tariq scoffed at the thought. He knew how KiKi was. She had a mean streak and once you’d crossed her that was it.
But she loves you,
his mind told him.

“She used to love me,” Tariq said softly aloud, the revelation bringing a new round of crushing hurt.

Exiting the shower moments later, Tariq went into the kitchen and grabbed himself a beer. He sat down and pulled his box of weed from under the couch and rolled himself a nice blunt. Turning on the TV he found an old movie that held his interest and kept his mind occupied. After his third beer, and his fourth blunt, Tariq finally accomplished his goal of shutting out the world as he drifted off into a deep, black, and dreamless sleep.

*****

Kaitlyn woke up alone again. She wasn’t alarmed. Ice often got up during the night and checked on his operations, went for a drive or the like. She rose from bed and quietly went downstairs. She heard sounds coming from the room he kept as his office and headed toward it. Standing right outside the door Kaitlyn heard the sound that almost made her scream aloud. “Where’s the money, bitch,” Kaitlyn heard Tweety speak. Clamping her hand over her mouth to keep any sound from escaping, she carefully peeked inside the semi-ajar door and saw a sight that lifted her heart and made it sing for joy.
Oh my god, she’s not dead,
Kaitlyn thought as the tears ran silently down her face.

Ice was watching a DVD of Tweety beating some woman. After watching a while longer, Kaitlyn figured out the woman was a prostitute and obviously Tweety was in charge of the house.
Where the fuck is she,
Kaitlyn thought growing impatient. She needed to find out where her friend was and let her know they were going to be free of this hell they were enduring very soon.

“Yeah, she did a good job,” Ice was talking on his phone now as Kaitlyn continued to silently observe.

“She ask about KiKi again,” Ice threw out once more as Ryan answered his query.

“Hmph,” Ice returned. “Well maybe she’s finally getting it then,” he added as Kaitlyn continued to listen and watch the images on the screen.

“Oh yeah?” Ice threw out once more. “So you showed her some good times in the Bayou huh,” he chuckled as Kaitlyn smiled finally.

She’s in Louisiana,
she thought. Now she definitely had to convince Ice she wasn’t trying to leave.

Kaitlyn’s mind was already working ahead on how she would contact Tweety. She knew exactly where the house was there, but she couldn’t very well show up. Ryan would whip her ass she was sure, and tell Ice who would do only god knows what to her.
Patience,
her mind threw out.
You know she’s alive and where she is,
it continued to tell her. Kaitlyn took a quiet, deep breath and willed herself to calm down. She’d come too far to mess it up now.
Just a little while longer Tweety,
Kaitlyn vowed silently to her friend.

“Nah, she’s upstairs sleeping,” Ice spoke again and Kaitlyn assumed Ryan asked her whereabouts. “She didn’t really react, but I’m pretty sure she’s pissed about it,” Ice said again. “I dunno man, I sure hope she’s being real,” Ice continued cryptically as Kaitlyn tried to figure out what he was talking about now.

Without warning, Ice turned quickly toward the door. Kaitlyn almost fell down getting out of his line of sight as she stood against the wall, holding her breath and praying he hadn’t seen or heard her.

“Huh, oh yeah,” Ice returned. “I thought I heard something that’s all,” he replied of his sudden silence. “But we’ll talk more tomorrow,” Ice told his brother. “Lemme head on back up here with KiKi,” he replied as Kaitlyn quickly made her way upstairs again.

She’d barely managed to get back into bed and slow her breathing by the time Ice returned and climbed in with her.

“Raiding the fridge,” Kaitlyn teased feigning sleepiness.

Ice chuckled slightly before kissing her neck softly.

“Something like that,” he replied as Kaitlyn turned facing him.

“Ice, I meant what I said earlier,” she told him softly as he looked into her eyes. “I’m not going anywhere,” she added as Ian smiled slightly once again and kissed her deeply, preparing to make love to her another time.

26

“Got new meat coming today,” Ryan told Jaleesa casually as he came back into the bedroom from the shower.

“Hope she’s not like LaDonna,” Jaleesa retorted.

“Not even close,” Ryan replied sitting down on the bed and stroking her face gently. “How’s the arm,” he asked looking into her eyes.

“Much better,” Jaleesa told him.

She’d required twenty stitches from the wound LaDonna inflicted. The other cuts she sustained were very minor and were healing up on their own. Ryan had been extremely loving and attentive in the three weeks since everything went down.