34
Cameron awoke to an empty bed around sunset. Jag’s business line had rung while they were asleep. A long time client needed him to fly out to Pittsburgh to handle someone. He really didn’t want to leave Cam, but Jag had never turned down an assignment and he wasn’t about to start now.
Cameron didn’t know how near he was, or how long he would be gone for. She planned on using this opportunity to break free while she could. Hopping out of the bed, she ran through the entire house to make sure Jag had really left. Once his absence was verified, Cam rushed to get her children together. She was happy to see that they were well, and he hadn’t hurt them.
Cameron thought about calling Roxie, but wasn’t ready to put her problems on the young new mom. She then thought about Jude, but decided against reaching out to him. It had been a while since they communicated. She was unsure if he would come if she called on him. Jude had every reason to hate her, and she honestly didn’t know where they stood.
Cameron ran through the contacts in her phone. Jag had virtually alienated her from society so she didn’t have many friends. Her eyes stopped at an old friend’s name. She’d only met him once and it was such a long time ago, Cam didn’t know if he would even remember her.
Hopefully, a ride to the airport won’t be too much to ask for,
Cam reasoned. She had to get the hell away from Jag — for the sake of her well-being.
Cameron called up Cole and patiently for him to answer. He was the only person she knew in Ohio besides Juicy. And after everything that Juicy had witnessed at the club, Cam doubted she would come to her rescue. They were girls, but Juicy didn’t need those problems.
Surprisingly, Cole answered on the third ring. From his end, it sounded like he was driving. “Hello?”
“Hey… Cole. It’s Cameron… I know it’s been a while, and you probably don’t remember me, but I met you at—”
“T’s lil’ set downtown. Yeah, I remember. How could I forget you?”
Cameron was beyond surprised he even remembered. The event was over a year ago, and she had never called or text after that night.
“What’s up, lil’ mama?”
“I need a favor.”
Cole rubbed his freshly lined beard as he thought about it. He had a lady in his life now, but he didn’t give a damn when it came to Cam. She could get the business. She’d left an impression on him, and he was happy that she had hit up — even with the bad timing.
“What’chu need?” he asked.
“I need a ride to the Cleveland-Hopkins Airport.”
Cole chuckled. “What’chu finna go on vacation or somethin’?”
“I just need to get the fuck out of Ohio.”
Cole became serious. “You ain’t in no trouble or nothin’ are you, baby girl? I mean, I’ll slide through regardless but lemme know if I need to come strapped. Or call up some of my patnas—”
“No. No, it’s nothing like that,” Cameron lied. She was too embarrassed to tell the truth. “I’m just in a bit of a bind right now, and I really could use some help.”
There was a short period of silence between them.
“Just text me the address of where ever you want me to pick you up, and I got you. A'ight.”
“Thank you, Cole. I really appreciate it.”
Less than an hour later, he pulled into her driveway in a silver 2015 BMW 7-series. Cameron wasted no time as she lugged her children and duffle bags towards his car. She didn’t pack anything for herself, but she made sure her kids had their necessities. She could worry about herself later, once they were safe and away from Jag.
Cole tried not to stare too hard as she climbed inside. She’d gotten thicker since the last time he saw her, but the added weight looked damn good.
“It’s good to see you again,” he said. “Hate that its during unfortunate circumstances.”
“I’m sorry I just called you up out of the blue. I know I—”
“Nah, you good. You don’t have to apologize or explain. Life happens. It’s nothin’ to be sorry about, baby girl.”
Cole pulled onto the freeway; thankfully, traffic was minimal. She had about $500 in cash on her after Jag emptied their joint accounts. She didn’t know why she agreed to such a foolish thing at the time. Cameron knew that Roxie would look out if it came down to it. She just hated that she wasn’t better invested in her future in case something ever happened. She’d put all her eggs in one basket with Jag, and now she was paying for it.
Cameron started feeling better with the distance between her and the house. She never ever wanted to see that place, Jag, or anything reminiscent of him again. He was the blue-eyed devil and she despised herself for falling for him. He didn’t need a girlfriend. He needed professional help. Cam prayed that he got it before he self-destructed. At the rate Jag was going that would definitely be his outcome.
“How’ve you been?” Cameron asked Cole, making idle conversation.
“Shit, just gettin’ by. Same ole’ same ole’ for real.”
They were halfway to their destination when Cameron’s cellphone suddenly rang. Her heart instantly dropped to the pit of her stomach when she saw it was Jag. Pressing the ignore button, she prepared to put it away — but then he called again.
Cole must’ve noticed her apprehension because he asked, “Are you okay?”
Cameron sheepishly nodded her head before hesitantly answering the call. She knew nothing he had to say would be nice.
Cameron’s entire face froze when Jag uttered the name, “Ricardo Cole Livingston.”
Jag smiled to himself as he imagined the surprise on Cameron’s face. He was laid up in a downtown Pittsburgh hotel with a cute brown-skinned chick sleeping beside him. Her arm was draped casually across his mid-section. She was totally unaware that she was lying with a killer, hell-bent on torturing his own girlfriend.
Since Cameron didn’t respond, Jag decided to continue. “He lives at 5322 South Green Road. He has two daughters who both attend Shaker Heights Middle School. It’s a public school too, so it wouldn’t be that hard for me to access.”
Cameron felt sick to her stomach as she listened to Jag threaten the lives of children. What the fuck had happened to him? Why was he so cold; so cynical?
“Should I continue?”
No response.
“His baby mama works at Park East Center nursing home — the same one his mother is currently cared for at.” Jag laughed wickedly. He was enjoying her misery. She didn’t believe him when he said he was skilled at his job. Now she knew he wasn’t lying. “Fuck with me if you want to, Cam,” he said. “I will wipe out that asshole’s entire generation.”
Cameron looked over at the picture of Cole’s daughters on his dashboard. She knew then that everything Jag said was the truth. He was right. There was nowhere to run — no one to turn to. She was trapped; stuck in his cruel love game.
Cameron had nothing to say, so she simply disconnected the call. Tears feared her eyes. She almost wanted to give up and jump out of the moving car — but her babies needed her. Cam had to fight… if not for herself, for them.
Holding back tears, Cameron turned to face Cole. “Turn around,” she whispered. Cam wouldn’t live with herself if Jag harmed his family. Cole didn’t deserve to be put in the middle of her bullshit. This was her life and her situation. She wouldn’t be responsible for something happening to him.
Cole looked confused. “You good? What’chu mean turn around?”
“… I have to go back…”
35
Cameron felt sick to her stomach when she heard Jag enter their home around two in the morning. His plane had landed a little over an hour ago, and he couldn’t get home fast enough. He had something for Cameron’s ass. She knew better than to try him. Apparently, he didn’t make himself clear the first time.
This hoe gon’ learn one way or another,
he thought.
Cameron was sitting on the sofa fidgeting her fingers when Jag walked in. If looks could kill, he would’ve murdered her a dozen times over. Jag wasn’t happy that she had deliberately went against him. He would make sure she never tried that shit again.
Cameron quickly jumped to her feet. For a second, they simply stared at each other, struggling to read the opposite person’s thoughts. Cam could no longer see the love he had for her in his eyes. As a matter of fact, it was as if he hated her.
What did I ever do to him? Why is he acting like this?
Before Cameron could ask him, Jag walked up and smacked the shit out of her. Her bottom lip split open instantly after the blow.
“You’re a hardheaded bitch, I see.”
Cameron grabbed her stinging cheek. She knew the strike was coming, but she still hadn’t prepared for it. Jag didn’t give her time to recuperate as he snatched her by the hair.
“You know what owners do with hardheaded bitches?” he yelled. “They lock them in a fucking basement.”
Jag ruthlessly dragged Cameron towards the basement door. She scratched, slapped, and struggled to keep from being assaulted, but Jag was far too strong.
“Somebody help me! PLEASE!”
Cameron’s cries fell on deaf ears due to tight installation. No one would come for her. The only people who heard her screams were the children and God himself. Cam prayed that He was able to save her. Right about now, that was all she had in her corner.
“Jag, please don’t do this! I’m sorry!” Tears streamed down her cheeks. Her knees burned from being drug across the hardwood floors. She could feel strands of hair being torn from her scalp as Jag yanked her. He was brutal; ruthless. Cam would never understand how he could be so evil to someone he claimed to love.
Jag was acting like their history had never happened. They had started off as friends. She had loved, admired, and trusted him. How could he be so villainous?
Jag’s heart was made of ice. He had already shut down after his brother’s death, but now he really didn’t give a fuck. His sanity was gone, unfortunately irretrievable.
“JAG, NO!” Cameron cried. “What would your brother think? What would Joaquin think?”
Jag wasn’t trying to hear any of that shit. After opening the basement door, he grabbed Cam and tossed her down the stairs. Her body landed with a hard thud before tumbling down the long flight.
She landed at an awkward angle, unable to move from the damage caused. She was unsure but it felt like her arm was broken. She needed medical attention, but Jag was set on giving her discipline.
“Jag… I—I can’t move. Please… I need to go to a hospital.”
Jag stared at Cameron from the top of the stairs in pity. “Nah… You need to sit your ass down here and think about what the fuck you’ve done.” He pointed to the center of his chest. “I love you, Cameron. I love you more than I love myself. I’d die for you. I’ve killed for you…” Jag shook his head in frustration. “But you don’t see that shit. I swear, you’re just like everyone else, Cam. All you want is to walk out of my life and hurt me.”
“Jag, please…” Cameron struggled to stand, but could hardly move. Her estranged, esoteric lover had temporarily paralyzed her.
“I’ll come back once I feel you’ve learned your lesson.”
“Jag, stop, no—”
Cameron’s pleas were cut off after the basement door slammed. Shortly after, she heard the sound of him locking the door.
***
The basement was unfinished, and currently still in the process of construction. Jag didn’t return the following day. He left Cameron to starve and suffer alone in the basement. In the morning, she cried while lying in the same spot Jag had left her in. All afternoon she yelled for him to come and help her, but he never did. Her pleas fell upon deaf ears.
It wasn’t until sunset that she finally gained back her mobility. Struggling to stand, Cam limped over to the foot of the stairs. She didn’t have enough strength to ascend them, so she sat on the bottom step and cried until she fell asleep.
The next morning, Cameron woke to a crook in her neck. She was starving so badly that she had hunger pains. The basement’s fumes were finally getting to her. She needed to use the bathroom, but the toilet and sink had yet to be installed. She couldn’t even get a sip of water. Jag was torturing her, and he knew it.
Luckily, Cameron was finally able to stand. It took her ten minutes just to climb the stairs; her body was so sore. Tender bruises covered her skin from falling down the steps.
Once Cameron reached the top, she pounded and screamed for Jag to let her out. As expected, he never came. If her fate were left up to him, she would starve to death. Jag’s punishment was beyond reasonable. He was a fucking monster — worse than Silk and Marcus combined. She would’ve never pegged him for a lunatic. Jag was the worst thing that had ever happened to her. He was once the sun of her life… now he was just a dark cloud hanging above her head that wouldn’t go away.
Cameron screamed until her voice went hoarse. Sleep finally consumed her after she succumbed to exhaustion. Hunger pains awoke her on day three. She was starting to go crazy in the basement alone. Jail would’ve been a better alternative. At least there she was fed and had social interaction. Cam felt lower than low when she was forced to urinate in a plastic bucket.
Bored and plagued with hunger, Cam started scratching her inner wrist until the skin was raw. This was by far the cruelest thing anyone had ever done to her. More than anything, she hated that she couldn’t see her babies.
That motherfucker can do only God knows what to them, and I’m not even there to protect them.
Cameron had never felt more helpless. She cried all day — for her children and for herself.
On the fourth day, Cam had become so sick that she vomited all afternoon. On the fifth, she suffered a migraine and nosebleed. She just knew she was going to die in the basement with no one by her side. This was not how she imagined her life would end.
By day six, Cameron was too weak and malnourished to yell for help. The only thing she was able to do was lay against the door feebly. Jag kept her locked away for an entire week before finally opening the door.
When he did, Cam fell limply at his feet. Instead of helping her up, Jag backed away in disgust. She looked horrible and she didn’t smell too good either.
“I cooked. Meet me in the dining room,” he said.
No apology.
No assistance.
No nothing.
Cameron struggled to stand. She wanted to check on her children first and foremost, but she didn’t want to suggest it to Jag and possibly upset him again. The last thing she wanted was to go back to the dreaded basement.
Limping over to their elongated, wooden table, Cameron took a seat. The motherfucker actually had the nerve to light a few candles like it was their anniversary. Cam wouldn’t celebrate until she was far away from Jag as she could get.
Cameron’s stomach growled uncontrollably at the sight of the food. His ass was bat-shit bananas, but the man could definitely cook. Jag had prepared Margherita Neapolitan pizza, classic three-layer Italian lasagna, and fresh, buttery, rolls stuffed with pepperoni and mozzarella.
Cameron looked and smelled like a starving inmate as she shoved food down her oral cavity. She ate so fast, that she wound up nearly choking on a forkful of lasagna.
“Slow down,” Jag laughed.
Cameron cut her eyes at him. She was tempted to stab him in the eye with her silverware.
Jag smiled at Cam, completely unaware of her dangerous thoughts. “This is nice,” he said. “Enjoying dinner like a married couple. Maybe that’s what we should do. Get married.”
Cameron almost choked again. Ignoring his stupid ass suggestion, she continued to eat her food in silence.
Jag was the first to finish. Standing to his feet, he collected his dishes, and walked over to Cameron. The hairs on the back of her neck stood when he leaned down and kissed the top of her head. He was acting as if nothing had happened. Like he hadn’t tossed her down a flight of stairs and left her to starve.
After dinner, Cameron found Jag in the living room watching Sports Center while sipping a Budweiser. She still hadn’t seen her children and she wanted to make sure they were all right.
“Jag?”
He didn’t look up or answer.
Cameron was only a few feet away, so she knew that he heard her. He was just being an asshole as usual.
“Jag, can I check on the kids?” Cam felt ridiculous asking permission, but she didn’t want to upset him. Jag was a loose cannon; a ticking time bomb.
“They’re resting,” he said nonchalantly. “I don’t think its necessary.”
“Jag, please—”
“Cameron, get the fuck out my face. I’m not gonna repeat myself.”
Cameron turned around with tears in her eyes and slowly trudged off towards their bedroom. Once inside, she curled up in bed and cried herself to sleep. She had to get her and her children away from Jag.
***
The following morning, Cameron woke up alone in bed. She was grateful for that too. Initially, she assumed Jag had left the house for work. However, she was disappointed when she found him sleeping on the couch.
Cameron tiptoed to the kids’ bedrooms to check on them. Each one slept peacefully in their crib, completely oblivious to the chaos happening around them. After making sure they were okay, Cam grabbed her iPhone and disappeared inside the bathroom. Plopping down on the closed toilet seat, she decided to call Roxie. They hadn’t spoken in a couple months, and it was about time she filled her girl in on everything.
It was a little after 9 a.m. Cameron didn’t know if she’d answer or not. She was surprised, however, when Roxie picked up on the second ring.
“Well, hello there, stranger.”
“Hey, Rox.” Cam greeted exasperated.
“Is everything okay? You sound… tired… or like something’s bothering you?”
Cameron felt guilty just pouring her problems out without asking how she was doing first. “I’m so so. How are you though?”
Roxie sighed. “Girl, same. I mean, don’t get me wrong. I’m happy in life… but shit ain’t been peaches and cream with Magyc. He was so perfect in the beginning. And while he is good to me… I can’t help feeling like he may still be fucking with his ex.”
“Do you have proof he is?”
“Girl, I ain’t got time to police no grown ass man,” Roxie said. “Who the hell chooses to entertain an ex, anyway, you know? Shit, I’ve treated all my exes like trash. Put their asses out and don’t let them back in. But it’s cool. What’s done in the dark will eventually come to light. Anyway enough about me. What’s been going on with you and Jag? I see yo’ ass don’t call nobody no more. Bitches get in relationships, and nobody else matters but their boo. Every time I suggest us hanging out, you make up some reason why we can’t. I swear you’ve got more excuses than a nigga in court.” She laughed at the truth.
Cameron wished she could’ve laughed too. Roxie didn’t know the half of it. “My life is… shit.”
Roxie wasn’t expecting to hear that. She had envisioned Cam and Jag as the perfect couple. But it was easy to assume when you were on the outside looking in.
“Jag… he… I don’t know what the fuck has gotten into him. He’s so fucking angry now. He…” Cameron paused as tears filled her eyes. “I’m scared of him, Rox. I’m so fucking scared of him.”
“Oh my God, Cameron.” There was sympathy behind her words. She had no idea about her friend’s plight. “You need to get away from him. And you need to talk to Jude. I’m serious. That man loves you, Cam. No way he’d ever wanna see you hurt. You know that.”
“I’m lost, Roxie,” Cameron cried. “I’m not sure what to do. I can’t stay here. He’s controlling, possessive… and abusive. He locked me in the fucking basement a whole week with no food when I tried to leave. He’s losing his damn mind, Roxie. The other day, I caught him talking to thin air in the sunroom. He thought he was talking to his sister. A few weeks back, I had found some prescription pills under our bed. And when I asked what they were for, he refused to tell me so I looked it up on my own. Roxie, he’s sick and he needs help,” Cam explained. “I’m afraid for my children and I’m scared he might do something—”
All of a sudden, the bathroom door flew open. Cameron’s heart dropped to her stomach. She grew sick at the very sight of him; that’s how intimidating he had become.
Jag stood in the doorway with a disapproving expression on his face. He had heard everything. A black, leather Hermes belt dangled at his side. “Who the fuck are you talking to?” he demanded to know.