Real Riders Never Die 3 (7 page)

She took her seat next to them and said her grace before eating. “Don’t stand in the chair Ayo.” She pulled him down to his bottom using his shirt.

“He’s a boy, leave him alone.” Chauncey turned his lips up at her.

“I’m his mama, leave me alone.”

“Ungrateful ass.”

“Fat ass.” Taryn looked at Ornella. “Excuse me Ms. Ornella.”

She smiled at Taryn and waved her off. “You’re fine, my girl. Eat up so we can go check on the new bambino.”

Taryn ate her sandwich quickly and was ready to go when she finished. Ornella grabbed the small bag of snacks that she said were for Ayo and led them to the door. They all loaded into the black Lincoln before pulling away. Ornella pointed out of the window showing Ayo different things as they rode. He was seated on her lap with his face pressed against the glass. Taryn, on the other hand, couldn’t get the fact that Demoto was there out of her head.

He occupied her thoughts so much that she hadn’t realized the car had come to a stop until Ornella called her name. She looked at her then to the open car door. Taryn took her hand and scooted out of the car. When she was standing fully, Ornella handed her Ayo. Taryn situated him on her hip and took the half eaten orange from his hands.

“Be a good boy, okay Yo-Yo?”

“Yes, Mommy.” He looked over his shoulder. “Grandma.”

Taryn and Ornella both looked surprised at his actions, Ornella more than Taryn. The smile on her face almost made Taryn hate that Demoto was going to kill her, because whether she knew it or not, her days were numbered. She looked so happy like a normal grandmother would.

“Oh baby!” She squealed. “Come on to Grandma.” She took him from Taryn’s arms and looked back at her. “My girl, he called me Grandma.” She kissed Ayo’s face. “I think I’m in love.”

Taryn walked behind her smiling.

D
emoto’s heart raced as he and Jacko got closer to the front door. The little brick house on the corner with the raggedy door was ducked off behind trees and houses that were a lot taller than it was. Compared to the other houses, it looked a lot like a shed. The wicker chair on the front porch rocked back and forth from the light breeze.

With his hands stuffed deep in his pockets and his hood covered head facing the ground, Demoto closed the rest of the distance between him and the house. When they got on the porch, they noticed the door was cracked halfway open. The bright light shined through the cracks. He looked over his shoulder at Jacko before holding his hand up to knock.

He knocked twice like Alias had told them to. He put his hand right back into his pocket on the .9mm resting against his stomach. With his finger on the trigger, Demoto waited for the door to open. His head came up slightly when he heard it creak and more light showed through. The screen door pushed outward, causing Demoto to take a step back.

No words were spoken as Demoto and Jacko made their way inside. The door was closed before anything was said.

“I’ve been waiting for you, Demoto. It’s so good to see you, young man.” Paki stretched his arms out for Demoto to walk in.

He smiled and walked right into his embrace. Paki hugged him for a long time before releasing him and taking a step back so that he could see him. Paki was still just as short as he had been years ago. It was crazy to Demoto how much Paki still looked the same. The gray hair, dark skin, large smile was everything he remembered.

“Paki, it’s an honor.” Demoto looked him up and down and hugged him again. “This is my best friend, Jacko. He’s more like my brother though.”

Paki gave Jacko a quick hug as well before waving them into the living room. They followed him through the small halls until they reached a small room in the back with burgundy furniture. They all took a seat on the sofa with Paki standing back up to grab them drinks from his bar. They both declined, so he poured his own before taking his seat again.

“How have you been?” He looked at Demoto.

“I’m straight. Just out here trying to get it. You know me.”

“How’s Georgia?”

“Georgia’s cool. I actually like it. I found my girl; we got a two-year-old. Well he’ll be three in two weeks.”

Paki’s eye’s shot up in surprise at the same time he smiled. “A two-year-old? I want to see him. You have any pictures?”

“He looks just like this nigga.” Jacko nudged Demoto’s arm.

Paki smiled and reached for the phone Demoto was handing him. “Oh wow, man! Your friend is right, he’s your twin. He’s so handsome, Demoto, very handsome. Is this his mother?”

Now it was Demoto’s turn to smile. “Yeahhh, that’s my baby right there. We got married last month.”

Paki covered his chest, playfully. “Married?” He covered his forehead with the phone. “You’re just a young man. Why you sign your life over already?”

“Aye, Paki, when you find the right one you have to do what you gotta do.”

“How do you know she’s the right one?” He looked over at Jacko. “He’s your friend, why did you let him do this?”

“He can’t talk. That nigga got married before me. He’s half the reason I got there so fast. His wife is my wife’s best friend.”

Jacko looked at Paki smiling. “I guess I have to take the blame for that. But trust me when I say, she’s the one. The way those two act about each other is ridiculous. They act so crazy and possessive with each other. It’s something I’ve never seen in my life.”

Paki raised his eyebrows. “That bad?”

“I don’t know how it is personally, but from what I’ve seen with her, it’s that bad.” Uzoma walked into the room, startling them all.

All three of their heads turned and looked in his direction. Paki got up and embraced him as he’d done Demoto and Jacko when they’d first arrived.

“What I tell you about leaving your door open?” Uzoma extended his hand to Demoto and Jacko as he spoke to Paki.

“Like I’ve told you a million times, there’s nothing in this world that puts fear in my heart, except Allah.”

Uzoma sat on the chair near where Paki was sitting and looked around the room at the three of them. “Their love, it’s something to hope for.”

Demoto looked at Uzoma. “How can you tell?” Demoto didn’t mean to sound as possessive as he did, but it came out anyway.

Uzoma held his hands up in mock surrender. “Calm down, killer.” All of them laughed except for Demoto. “I can just tell by the way she mopes around. She doesn’t talk to anyone, she stays in bed all day crying. When I told her I was coming here, she told me to tell you that she loves you, she trusts you, and she’s never running away no matter what.”

Demoto’s head fell as he looked down at the floor. He was quiet for a while, just looking at the floor.

“Oh, so this is serious?” Paki’s voice brought his head back up.

“This is my life, Paki. That’s why I’m here. My mama brought her ass all the way to Georgia to kidnap my girl and my baby.” Demoto stopped talking and looked at Uzoma. “That reminds me, how has she been treating them?”

“Very well. It’s actually shocking to me how nurturing she is with your wife and Ayo. She acts like Ayo is the best thing next to sliced bread. She eats him up.”

Demoto sucked his teeth before looking back at Paki. “You see what I’m saying? She’s doing dumb shit. Like why take them from me, claim you hate me more than your next breath, but keep my family at your house like it's natural? She’s a fucking lunatic.”

Paki pulled at the hair on his chin. “Yeah, Ornella is indeed a piece of work. That’s why I stay here and out of her way.”

“Don’t take this the wrong way, Paki, because I know that you’re the truth, but I thought she killed you when she killed my dad.”

Uzoma and Paki both looked at Demoto. “Hell no. I will gut Ornella like an ox and she knows it.” Paki scooted forward on his seat. “See, Ornella attacks when you least expect it. She tries to get as close as possible to you so that it’s easier. She’ll say whatever she has to in order to gain your trust, just before she slits your throat. Your papa and I both knew that and that’s why he watched her closely. The only reason she was able to kill your papa was because of that low down scoundrel, Cayman.” Paki grumbled his disgust.

Demoto grabbed Paki’s hand. “I took care of that.”

Paki’s eyes showed his surprise. “What? When? How? How’d you know?”

“He’s powerful, but I’m smart.” Demoto tapped the side of his head. “I think about things before I do them. He was in Georgia running Double O. He was sleeping with my ex and tried to pull some fuck shit with my girl and me. To plainly put it, I don’t play that shit, so he had to die.”

Paki clapped his hands. “That’s my boy. I sure as hell can help you knock Ornella’s nasty ass off now.”

Demoto’s dreads slid over his shoulder when he shook his head. “I don’t need any help. I’ve got it.”

“Why now?”

Demoto and his mother hadn’t spoken in years. There was no reason for him to just come out of the blue with it now.

“She had Adisa spying on my family and me. I’m pretty sure he helped her plan all of this. So he had to go as well. I don’t do disloyalty.”

“You killed Adisa, Demoto?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, Allah!” He sat back on his sofa. “That’s your blood.”

“So is my mother. My blood is flawed.”

The room fell quiet as Paki sat, trying to process what he’d just been told. It was clear that it had taken him by surprise, but he eventually got himself together.

“So what do you want to do?” he asked Demoto.

“I’m going to map out a plan to get into her house and kill her. From there I’m going to take my family and go home.”

“Won’t somebody come after you?” Jacko asked.

Paki held up his hand and shook his head no. “I have been told a few times that her soldiers aren’t happy. If I can get word to their commanders, which I can, I can make something happen, maybe get you some backup.” Paki was quiet for a moment. “Give me a few days. Can you do that?”

“No. One, maybe two. No more. I don’t want them getting too comfortable with Ornella.”

“I’ll take care of that.” Uzoma assured Demoto.

He looked at Uzoma and trusted him immediately. They stayed together, talking for a few more hours, planning and catching up. When it was time for them to go, Demoto gave Uzoma the letter he’d written Taryn, and they all parted ways, Uzoma to Ornellas’s estate, and Demoto and Jacko back to their hotel.

That night was a long one for Demoto, but he made it through. He’s tossed and turned the entire night, trying to figure out what was going to happen. He needed to be sure there were no flaws in his plan. He couldn’t afford them. The slightest mishap could cause Taryn or Ayo’s life.

*****

“Hey Daddy,” Kia sat down in the chair in front of Buck’s desk.

He was sitting at his computer, looking through some things, when she came in. With her purse on her shoulder and her bottle of water in her hand, she kicked her shoes off.

“What’s going on, little girl? What you doing up here?”

“Jacko’s gone, and I didn’t have nothing else to do.” Kia wanted to see how much info her father was going to give her. In the back of her mind she already knew it wouldn’t be much. It was worth a try, though.

“So you decided to spend your free day up here bored with me?”

“Kind of. I also had something I wanted to tell you.”

Buck stopped typing and looked at her. “What’s going on?”

“Wellllllllll,” Kia dragged. “You know I’m a happily married woman, right?”

Buck didn’t say anything. He just looked at her like only he could.

“Right, Daddy?”

“Yes, Kia, I know.”

“And you know happily married people have kids, right?”

Buck sat back in his chair and went completely silent. He touched his lips with one finger and looked at her. Kia fidgeted beneath his gaze as if she wasn’t a fully-grown woman.

“Say something, Buck.”

“How far along, Kia?”

“Ummm, maybe about three months, almost four. What you think?”

Buck looked away, not at anything in particular, before looking back at Kia with a smile a mile wide on his face. “I knew it wouldn’t be long. Tell Jackson I’mma kick his lil ass.”

The breath she had been holding left her body as she grabbed her chest. “Now Buck why you do me like that? You knew I was already scared to tell you.”

“Why? You’re a grown ass woman, Kia. You’re married on top of that. It ain’t like you out here fucking off and got the baby.”

Kia shook her head. Buck let anything come out of his mouth sometimes. “You need a muzzle.”

“Nah, what I need is a wife to help me take care of all these grandkids you and Taryn keep giving me.”

Kia was the one who went quiet that time, not that she didn’t agree with him, it just wasn’t something that she’d thought about in a while. Buck never really dated, so this was new. She couldn’t remember the last time he’d had another woman around her. To say she wouldn’t want him to have some companionship would be selfish. She could tell by the way he eased it in there that he wanted her opinion on the topic.

“Yeah, you do. Where you gon’ get one from?”

He looked a little surprised. “How you know I don’t already have her?”

“Where she at?”

Buck smiled. “I’ll let you meet her later, no time soon. I’m still trying to feel her out some.”

Kia stood up and grabbed her purse. “Well, you make sure you do that. In the meantime, just tell her I said what’s up.”

Kia walked around the desk to give him a hug before telling him that she would see him later. After he told her he would stop by later to bring her some dinner, she left. Kia walked to her car and got ready to head to the nail shop. Her nails and toes needed some tender loving care. On top of that, sitting in the house thinking about Taryn and Ayo was driving her crazy. Not to mention, Jacko had thrown himself into the equation. Now she could barely sleep at night.

She drove down the street in deep thought as her cell phone rang. She looked at the number and didn’t recognize it, so she didn’t even bother answering it. When she got to the nail salon it was way too packed, and she wasn’t in the mood to deal with it so she grabbed some food and went home. It seemed so lonely and boring without Jacko being there.

Before long, Kia was full and sleepy, so she lay down on the sofa and took a nap. She hadn’t even realized that she’d fallen asleep until she woke up. Her phone was vibrating against her face. She looked at the number and it was the same one from earlier. Kia thought about not answering again, but thought that it might be Jacko so she picked up.

“Kia,” someone whispered.

Kia pushed her phone closer to her ear so that she could hear. “Who is this?”

“Kerry. I need you to come get me.” Kia didn’t know why she was whispering, but based on her behavior lately, it really was no telling.

“Where you at, Kerry?”