Relapse: A Novel (33 page)

Lootchee broke a lamp in his parents’ house, throwing it across the room. “Shit! I can’t believe this bullshit,” he screamed. His father tried to calm him down but it wasn’t working.

Gia had her mouth open for a few minutes before speaking. “I think Roy may have something to do with this,” she muttered

“What, why do you say that?” Lootchee asked as he took in every detail.

“I thought that motherfucker was bullshitting. Roy kept saying that he had some million-dollar heist going on. I blew it off, I thought he was in on a bank robbery or an armored truck. He left a couple of days ago to go to North Carolina and everytime he calls he talking about how he going to get us a bunch of money and I would never have to ask you to do a damn thing for me again. I had no idea that it—”

“That what?” He huffed angrily. “That he was going to snatch
Beijing? The one chick I ever gave a fuck about? Shit.” He shook his head. “She don’t deserve this bullshit.”

Gia saw the hurt written on her brother’s face. He always was so secretive about everything he did. The mere fact that he admitted to actually having feelings for someone was shocking—and now this. It hurt her to see her brother the way he was, and she especially felt guilty because her boyfriend was partly responsible.

“I never liked that dirty dog anyway,” Thelma said.

Gia felt rotten.

Lootchee went over to his dad. “Dad, I need all the money I had you put up for me and anything extra you might have. This is my fault and I have to get this girl back.”

Thelma came up behind them. “Son, it will be okay. Just calm down.” Everything his mother said went in to one ear and out the other.

Lootchee got the money from his father and raced out the door.

Gia was on his heels. She took a deep breath, and said to her brother, “Blood is always thicker than mud, and this is what I know.” She told her brother everything she could, even though it meant double-crossing her man.

Paris raced into the house wearing a pink sweat suit and sneakers. She went straight over to Greta and gave her a hug.

She released her and then said in a louder voice, “Everything will be okay.”

“I know,” Greta whispered, even though she wasn’t too sure of anything.

“Any news at all?” Paris searched Greta’s teary eyes for answers. All she saw was hurt.

She took a long deep breath, lowered her voice, and said, “No news at all.” She dropped her head in disgust. “But I’m prayerful that God is going to work this all out.”

“Well, if it’s money they want, why haven’t they called?” Paris declared.

Greta didn’t have an answer. “We don’t know. We don’t know anything. There’s been nothing since that email. I keep telling myself that maybe it’s a hoax.”

“Maybe it is and maybe it ain’t. I need answers, I love my sister,” Paris said and looked around. “Who is in fucking charge around here?”

“Detective Jimmy Janks,” a detective said, introducing himself.

Greta spoke up. “This is Beijing’s sister.” As the detective and Paris spoke to each other there was a knock at the door. Greta went to see who it was. She was hoping and praying that it was someone with some answers instead of questions. A team of caterers walked in with caviar, escargots, crab cakes and all kinds of delicacies, courtesy of Prince Amir. He had already put up a reward for anyone with information about the kidnapping and come up with half of the ransom. He said it was the least he could do; Beijing had a good soul, for an American girl.

Darkness had taken over the sky. The lights, cameras, satellite transceivers, and other equipment the reporters used to digitally transport their photographs, videos, and stories to the control room were finally off. Rayna took in a long breath of fresh air, then exhaled before pushing the doorbell.

The front door swung open, revealing a puffy-faced, tear-stained Greta. Rayna stepped into the foyer of the house and hugged Greta.

“Has there been any news? What do they know?” She bombarded Greta with questions.

Greta dabbed her eyes. “Nothing since that horrible video,” she said. “Come on in. Have something to eat.”

Rayna followed Greta’s lead into the great room, scoping the downstairs of the house. People were scattered all over the place. Willabee was in one corner talking to Chyna. They both looked as if their best friend had died.

Rayna felt a tug at her heart. “Where’s Sterling?”

“Working. You know he’s one of those people who can’t sit
still. Anticipation kills him, so he throws himself into his work,” Greta said.

Rayna had figured he would be on post, like everyone else, waiting for the call from the kidnappers. Rayna and Greta spoke for about five minutes before Rayna made her way over to Paris.

“Hey, girl,” she said. Paris jerked her head around toward the voice. “How are you holding up?”

“I’m holding.” She looked Rayna up and down, and then asked, “Why are you here?”

The question caught Rayna off guard. “I—I was concerned,” she answered, mad at herself for stammering. “I just want to know if there’s anything at all I could do to help.”

Paris was studying Rayna closely, but Rayna had pulled herself together. She knew that Paris didn’t care too much for her from the way she kept giving her the cold shoulder.

“I have five hundred dollars if you all need it,” Rayna offered.

Paris glared at her. “Ten million is a lot of money, but we don’t need a damn thing from yo’ ass.”

“It’s not for you, Paris, it’s for Beijing.”

“Look …” Paris had her hands on her hips. “Beijing doesn’t need your money and we don’t need your company. Besides, we’ve got the money together if it comes down to that. I don’t know why my sister can’t tell you are not worthy of her friendship. But you can’t trick me. I’ve been a larceny-hearted bitch most of my adult life, it takes one to know one.” Paris scanned Rayna from head to toe. “I know one when I see one.” She pointed and said, “You.”

“You are just jealous because I’m closer to your own sister than you will ever be.”

“You wish,” Paris said, unconvincingly.

“I don’t know why you dislike me the way you do, Paris, I’ve never done anything to you … and I’ve been nothing but a friend to your sister.” Rayna spoke deliberately. “I’m not tripping on you, though, because I know this situation has everyone stressed
to the max, including me. But that’s no reason to take your pent-up frustrations out on me. I’m only trying to help.”

“Whatever.” Paris walked away, leaving Rayna alone and looking stupid.

Rayna said good-bye to Greta and Willabee and shared her intentions and regrets one more time with them.

“We’ll let you know when we learn something,” Greta said.

Rayna drove past the camera people at the entranceway of the house, and then looked both ways before turning the white BMW X5 onto the dark road that would lead her onto the main stretch. Relieved to be out of there, she picked up her cell phone and dialed York. She set the cell phone on speaker and laid it in her lap in case someone drove by.

He answered on the first ring. “What up, baby?”

“I did everything you told me to,” she said into the phone. “Nobody knows anything and everybody is shook up. They’re all waiting for the call and ready to pay whatever you say. They done gathered up the money and everything.”

“That’s what up,” York replied, sounding extremely happy with what he heard.

“I’ll call you back. Later.” Rayna hung up and dropped the phone in her pocketbook on the passenger seat. She turned the volume up on Teflon’s new song blaring from the Bose speakers, singing it word for word as she made her way down the dark road.

“I knew you were a snake from Day One,” Paris said. She had been hiding in the back of the vehicle and had now revealed herself by sliding one of the seats down. She pointed her .25-semiautomatic directly at the back of Rayna’s head. “Bitch, don’t give me a reason to kill yo’ ass. I don’t like you anyhow,” she spat. “Now, where’s Beijing, bitch?”

Rayna tried to regain her composure and play innocent. “What the hell are you doing in my truck, Paris? Are you crazy or something?”

“Not crazy as I’m going to be if you don’t come clean. Where
the fuck is my sister?” This time she made a gesture with the gun showing her she wasn’t afraid to use it.

Rayna was trying to think of the right thing to say or do.

“How would I know where she is?” Her eyes bounced from the road to the mirror and back again. “Please put that gun away.”

“You’d rather deal with me than the others, that’s for sure. Drive where I tell you, bitch,” she said and poked Rayna with the gun. Rayna followed Paris’s directions until they pulled up at the double gate of Sterling’s business. Paris had called him on the way over, and he was waiting at the gate. He opened the gates then shut and locked them behind the BMW.

The door opened and Stash stood there, looking down at Rayna with fire in his eyes.

“Turn off the car and get out,” he said roughly.

Rayna did as she was told. They led her inside and sat her down in a metal chair.

“Don’t make it harder for yourself than it already is,” Sterling threatened.

“Don’t take him lightly. If he has to, he will set fire to your ass to make you talk,” Paris leaned down and whispered to Rayna.

“It wasn’t my idea,” Rayna cried. “But, honestly, I don’t know where she’s at. They threatened to kill me. That’s the truth.”

“I’m going to kill you, bitch, if you don’t do better than that,” Sterling shot back. He was distracted when his phone rang. He answered, “Yes.”

“Mr. Lee, sorry to have to call you under these circumstances. It’s about Beijing.” It was Lootchee.

“Do you know her whereabouts?”

“No, I don’t, but I have managed to pull together some money. A few mil. I’m on my way to your house if you don’t mind waiting on the call.”

“Yeah, call my wife, but if you got warrants I wouldn’t go there.”

“I don’t even really care about that.” Lootchee thought about
how Bambi had lied to him about the police coming to her house just to get back at him, forcing him to South America. “I just want to be wherever I need to be to help get her back.” Lootchee sounded like a sad puppy dog.

“Well, that’s where the family and friends are posted up,” Sterling said bluntly with appreciation that Lootchee was trying to help. “Be careful, man, traveling with all that green.”

“I’m flying in private so I’ll be okay.”

While Sterling was on the phone, Stash went through Rayna’s purse and found her cell phone. After studying it for a second, he dialed the last number Rayna had called. Stash put the phone on speaker as it rang.

“Yo, what’s up?”

Rayna grimaced when she heard York’s voice over the speaker.

“We have Rayna,” Stash said loud enough to be heard. “You give us back Beijing the same way you found her and you can have Rayna. No questions asked.”

York erupted in laughter.

“You must be kidding, man. That shit is real funny.” His voice boomed out of the speakerphone. “Rayna ain’t worth nothing to me. I was wondering how I was going to shake the dumb bitch after this was over anyway,” he said. “With ten mil in my pockets, a nigga ain’t got no need for a straggly bitch, no way. If you want Beijing back … it’s going to take ten mil. Good try though.” He was roaring in laughter. “I will be in touch with the instructions within the next twenty-four hours. Oh, and this phone will be destroyed in a matter of seconds, so no need to try to trace it.”

The phone connection went dead. Rayna looked dumbfounded. She couldn’t believe what York had said about her. They had a child together, for Christ’s sake.

Three sets of eyes were boring down at her now.

“Okay,” she said. “I’ll tell you everything I know.”

York Tresvant couldn’t believe how well things were going. He had been running scams and cons since he was fourteen years old. He always moved around, never giving anyone his real name, until he met Rayna—and got her pregnant. That was more than three years ago.

From time to time, York involved Rayna in a few small cons, but nothing of this magnitude. The minute Rayna put the bug in York’s ear to the effect that Lootchee and Beijing were an item, York started thinking of a way to make the situation profitable to himself.