Chapter 11

11

Lila (Nala)

A s soon as Play left the house, I powered on the burner phone. My first thought was to call 9-1-1, but he already said the call couldn't be traced. It wasn't like I knew where the hell we were anyway to direct them to me.

"Kari, Mommy is gonna step outside to make a call, okay?"

"Okay, Mommy."

I hobbled over to the front door and typed in the code. Immediately the locks disengaged. I stepped out, leaving it slightly ajar. Defeat coursed through me as I dialed the number to my job. My supervisor answered on the first ring.

"Greenwood Memorial. This is Marina speaking."

"Marina… it's Lila."

"Lila! Oh my God! Are you okay? We've been trying to reach you! There's a missing person's report out on you! Your nanny has been a frantic mess. She went to your house and found the door unlocked. She told the police it looked like a struggle. Your face is all over the news. We thought you'd been kidnapped."

"I'm fine. I'm sorry I haven't called or been to work. I had an emergency and had to leave town in a rush."

"Without your purse or anything?"

Shit . I forgot all about that.

"Like I said, it was an emergency. I promise I'm okay. I don't know when I'll be back. I just need you to put in all the vacation time I have."

For as long as I'd been working at Greenwood Memorial, I hadn't taken a vacation. I had a shitload of time saved up.

"All of it?" Marina asked.

"All of it. If things change, I'll let you know."

"Well… okay. I'm glad you're safe. You are safe, right?"

"Yes."

She was quiet for a moment. "Okay. Well, please call an update me. It was good to hear from you."

"Thank you. Take care."

I quickly hung up and dialed my nanny's number. I was sure she was scared as hell. Tiffany had been with us since Kari was two and she adored her. Kari thought of her like her best friend.

"Hello?"

"Tiff? It's Lila."

"Lila! Oh my God! Where are you? Are you and Kari okay?"

"We're fine. I had an emergency."

"You scared me half to death! I called the police and filed a missing person's report. It's not like you to just disappear. Then your door was unlocked. Things were a little disarray… I thought something happened to you."

If only she knew. I had to think of a quick lie.

"I'm sorry I scared you. My mother came to visit and while she was here, she got a call saying my grandmother was rushed to the hospital. We took her rental to the airport and hopped on the first flight out. I rushed out the house with nothing but Kari. My phone, my keys, my purse, and everything are still in the house."

She heaved a sigh of relief. "Is she okay?"

"No… she's gone."

I pulled out my best tears to really sell the story. My grandmother died when I was fifteen.

"Oh, Lila. I'm so sorry. Do you need anything?"

"Just prayers. I'm not sure when we'll be back but I'll keep in touch with you."

"Please do. I'll call off the report. Please give Kari my love."

"I will."

I disconnected the call and took a seat in the rocking chair, burying my face in my hands. I hated lying. Since leaving Slim, it was all I'd seemed to be doing. I lied about who I was, where I came from, and my family. My entire life in Cali was based on a fucking lie. Until this was over, I felt like I was going to have to keep lying.

With a heavy sigh, I sat back and dialed my mother's number. She answered on the first ring but remained silent. It had been our thing since I first re-established contact with them.

"Mommy."

I could hear the tears in her voice as she spoke.

"Baby… Oh thank God! Are you okay!"

"I'm alive and I'm safe but I'm—it's okay, Ma. He found me."

"Where are you? We can come get you. We can go to the police—"

"No. Going to the police is going to put even more of a target on my back."

"What are we supposed to do!" she yelled. "You want us to sit around here waiting to hear that you're dead! It's been six years, Nala—"

"Lila."

"No. You're Nala Stanton. That's what I named you. I want this to be done so you and my grandbaby can come home where you are loved."

She began to cry, and it broke my heart. I could hear my father coming to her side.

"Talk some sense into her, Lionel."

"Hello?" came my father's deep voice.

"Hey, Daddy."

"Hey, baby girl. It's so good to hear your voice. What's going on?"

"Slim found me, Daddy."

"What? How?"

"He hired a PI firm."

"Where are you?"

"I can't tell you. Just know I'm safe and so is Kari."

"Baby girl, please. Put an end to this. You can't keep running."

"I can't come home. Until Slim is in jail or dead, I won't ever be safe. I love you guys. I hate that I have to keep this conversation short, but I have to go. I promise, I'll call you again soon."

It hurt me to end the call. I placed the phone on the table beside me and cried my eyes out. It wasn't until I felt little arms around me did I realize I wasn't alone out here anymore.

"It's okay, Mommy," Kari said, patting my back. "It's okay."

Her attempt at comforting me only made me cry harder. I was her mother. I was supposed to comfort her, not the other way around. I picked her up and cradled her in my arms as I rocked us both to self soothe. This couldn't be life. This couldn't be the plan that God had for me.

The worst thing I could have ever done was give Slim my attention the day I met him. He sold me a dream then gave me a nightmare. Six years of the closest thing I had to solitude and safety was now up in flames. I wasn't sure what the end game here would be, but I prayed that motherfucka would be six feet under.

"You're really begging for me to punish that lil pussy. If you keep fucking with me, I'm going to give ya ass what you're begging for."

That threat played over in my head as I looked around at the disarray of Play's living room. When I made the mess to get under his skin, the last thing I expected was a threat to be fucked. I could admit that he was attractive… very attractive. In addition, the tension between us would make for a hell of a session.

His demeanor alone told me he would fuck my walls up. I could slap myself for even having that thought. I hadn't been with anybody since I found out I was pregnant, and I'd be damned if the first nigga I gave some pussy was the one that kidnapped me.

When I came back inside, I sat there for a good thirty minutes before I finally decided to get up and clean the mess I made. I made Kari pick up all her crayons and put them back in the box, telling her to take them out one by one as she used them. I threw away all my trash and put the cushions back on the couch.

After I wiped everything down, I vacuumed the floor and returned the rest of the items to their rightful spaces. When I was done, I headed into the kitchen. Opening the double door refrigerator, I stood there to see what I could make us for lunch. After a few minutes of contemplation, I decided on nachos.

While he didn't have any tortilla chips, he did have wraps that I could use to make them. I washed my hands and got to work cutting the wraps into quarters while the oil heated up. Once I was done with that, I placed the thawed turkey meat into a frying pan. While it cooked, I fried up the chips and put them to the side.

I then cut up the head of lettuce, a few tomatoes, and onions. By the time I was finished, the meat was almost done. I drained the excess liquid then added the seasoning and turned it on low for the sauce to thicken. As I was plating my and Kari's serving, I saw Play pull into the yard. He didn't get out right away, though. From where I stood, he seemed to be talking on the phone.

I wondered where he'd gone for a second before my inner voice said, Bitch, fuck that nigga. With a shrug, I carried our plates to the table and called Kari to eat. As we were about to say grace, the front door opened and Play walked in.

He looked around the living room and then into the kitchen at me.

"So you do listen?"

It was on the tip of my tongue to say fuck you , but I bit the words back. He came into the kitchen, eyeing our plates.

"There's enough for you," I said flatly.

"Is it safe? I mean, how do I know you didn't fix y'alls and then laced mine with something?"

"Your paranoia is showing. I didn't do anything to the food. You can eat or not. I don't care."

He stood there for a moment before going to fix himself a plate.

"Did you use the same knife to cut the vegetables?" he asked.

"I washed the knife, Play. Please don't start."

He heaved a frustrated sigh and grumbled to himself before continuing to fix his food. Much to my surprise he joined us at the table.

"Mommy, can I say grace?" Kari asked.

"Sure, baby."

She reached for my hand then looked over at Play. Hesitantly, she reached for his. I gave him a look that said don't play with my baby. He chuckled as he slipped her his large hand.

"All right, lil Rabbit. Take it away."

Kari frowned. "My name is Makari Amelle Stanton. I'm not a Rabbit."

Play placed a hand over his heart. "My bad, Makari Amelle Stanton."

Kari huffed. "Bow your heads."

We bowed our heads, and she began her prayer.

"God is great, God is good. Let us thank Him for our food. By His hands we all are fed. Give us Lord our daily bread. Amen."

I giggled to myself as she finished. "Thank you, baby."

She smiled at me.

"That was a nice prayer," Play said.

She looked at him and her smile dropped. She didn't say anything, just focused her attention on her food. I smirked to myself. Kari was such a loving child, so for her not to like anybody said a lot. I glanced over at the plate, or I should say plates, Play had prepared for himself. He had one for the chips, one for the meat and then a separate plate with four compartments housing lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and cheese.

"That is completely insane," I said, pointing.

He looked down at his plate and then back up at me. "Mind your own plate."

"You realize you're putting everything in your mouth at once, right? You're eating nachos. Why would you separate it like that?"

He gave a frustrated sigh. "I don't like my food touching. If I assemble it all together, it gets soggy. I don't like soggy food."

I raised my hands. "Whatever. Eat it how you want."

"I'm trying to."

There was a hint of annoyance in his voice. I decided to leave him alone. For the remainder of lunch, we ate in silence. When Kari was done, she asked to go take a nap, so I sent her to our room while I moved to clear our plates from the table.

"I got it," Play said, standing. "You should stay off that foot."

He grabbed our dishes and took them to the dishwasher to load them. Once he packed the leftovers in separate containers and placed them in the fridge, he came back over and sat at the table with me.

"Thank you for lunch."

"He has manners. Surprising."

He chuckled. "You are impossible. I try to be nice, and you still have to act like a—"

"I dare you to call me out of my name. I fucking dare you."

"I'm not Slim."

"No. You aren't. But you're no better than he is."

I turned away from him, fighting back my tears. I refused to cry in front of him.

He sighed. "Did you talk to who you needed to talk to?" I nodded. "You can use the phone any time. Just keep it under three minutes."

I peeked at him. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Do you have a plan?" I asked. "You don't wanna be stuck with me as much as I don't wanna be stuck with you. I know you have to be thinking of something."

"The plan is already in motion. It's just a matter of time, space, and opportunity."

"To do what?"

"What do you think? That nigga threatened me, and I don't get threatened. If you say you're gonna do some shit to me, you got two options: either stand on business 'bout that shit or die behind it."

I sniffled. "Is that meant for me, too? I've only tried to kill you a handful of times."

He smiled and I think it was the first genuine one I'd seen on him.

"Bunny, you aren't a threat to me. A pain in my ass, yes. But a threat, not hardly. You're acting out and I can take that. Once you see I'm no longer a threat to you, you'll calm your ass down."

He sat down and leaned forward on his elbows then stared at me. The way his eyes perused my frame made me fidget in my seat.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" I asked.

"Just wondering how long it took you to decide you'd rather clean up the mess you made in my living room."

I rolled my eyes. "Next time, I'll leave it like that."

"So what you're saying is you want me to fuck you?"

"I-I said no such thing."

"You didn't have to say it."

He got up and stood behind me. His hands gently massaged my shoulders. The next thing I knew, his fingers wrapped around my throat, and he pulled my head back. Leaning in, he whispered in my ear.

"I can smell it on you, Bunny, with your pretty ass. Do you know what I would do to you? I would destroy that little pussy of yours."

He kissed my neck and a whimper fell from my lips. I could feel my nipples growing painfully erect under his touch. Closing my eyes, I squeezed my thighs tightly. I hated that shit aroused me.

He chuckled in my ear as he let me go. "For someone that said I couldn't get within an inch of them, you don't seem to mind."

He laughed out loud as he arrogantly strolled out of the kitchen. I finally released the breath that hitched in my throat.

"Motherfucka."