“Yes, yes. I understand. Just please don’t hurt my daughter.”

  “That all depends on you. The clock starts now.”

  The phone went dead.

  “Fuck!” Aramous shouted and threw his glass at the wall.

  “What? What happened?” Winnie shouted, running into the kitchen.

  “Winnie, they have Amira. They have my baby!” Aramous said in a desolate tone and dropped to his knees.

  “Oh no. No, no . . .”

  Closing the front door of the house, Eddie grinned and rubbed his hands together. He was ready to get a helping of his favorite dessert. Cupcake was her name, and pleasing him was the game. She was still out and about, but when she got back, he had a treat for her, which came in the form of hundred-dollar bills.

  Cupcake wasn’t a regular woman; she was transgender. And that meant she could please him in ways others couldn’t. She also respected his need for discretion. She knew who he was in the streets and how important being low-key was. Plus, she wasn’t about to do anything to jeopardize her Benjamins.

  Walking through the house, he juggled the burger and fries he brought home for Cupcake from the diner, a bottle of Champagne, and a shopping bag. The bag contained the getup he wanted her to wear for the night ahead. He placed the Champagne and the food on the kitchen counter and went up the stairs toward the bedroom. Not knowing how much time he had, he wanted to shower and clean up for her.

  He stripped out of his clothes when he entered the master bathroom and turned on the shower. Stepping in, he relished the feeling of the hot water on his skin. He was just getting into his groove when he heard a noise from the bedroom. At first, he ignored it, but then it happened again. Eddie stuck his head out of the shower curtain to hear more clearly. Someone was definitely in the house with him. He smiled.

  “Baby, you see the Champagne and food downstairs?” he called out. There was no answer. “Baby?”

  Again there was no answer. He didn’t think anything of it. In fact, he smiled harder. Cupcake loved to role-play, and he was excited to see what she had in store. He finished in the shower and got out, wrapping a towel around his waist. He didn’t bother to dry off and tracked water on her wooden floors.

  “Cupcake?” he said when he stepped out of the bathroom and into the bedroom. She wasn’t there. “Baby, stop playing. I want to see you. I missed you.”

  He left the room and went into the dimly lit hallway. He was by the stairs when the door to the hallway closet swung open. A masked assailant hopped out with a gun pointed at him.

  “Sorry, I’m not Cupcake, you nasty motherfucka.”

  “What the fuck?” Eddie shouted, surprised.

  Another masked man ran up, appeared from behind him, and put a gun to the back of his head. He was so taken aback that he didn’t know what to do. There he was, caught up with a towel on between two intruders. His gun was in the bedroom. He didn’t know what else to do but put his hands up.

  “I-I have money—about five thousand. You can have it all,” he told them. Cupcake would just have to be mad at not getting her payment.

  “Bitch, we aren’t here for your money. We’re here as a courtesy to Kaleef.”

  “Kaleef?”

  “Yeah, Kaleef. But if he knew you were into this sick-ass shit, I’m sure he would have sent us here to kill you sooner. I’m so disgusted I should just—”

  “Chill,” the other masked assailant said as the man in front of Eddie raised his gun to pistol-whip him. “Not like that.”

  “Then how?” the angry one asked.

  “Wait, wait. Tell Kaleef I was only playing with him,” Eddie begged. “I’ll be getting my order tomorrow. I would never forget all he did for me.”

  “It’s too late for that,” the calmer out of the two told him. “Goodbye, Eddie.”

  Eddie tried to swing on at least one of them, but his attempt was futile. He was shoved, and as he fell back, he lost his footing. He toppled down the stairs like a rag doll. His neck broke on the way down, and he was dead by the time he hit the first level.

  Tevin and Jerron ran out of Cupcake’s house to the car and pulled off. When they were far enough away, they snatched off the masks from their faces. Before they left, Tevin made sure Eddie was dead. Kaleef would be happy to know that he was out of the picture. Jerron had almost messed everything up by pistol-whipping Eddie, though. If he had had any other signs of bruising, his death could have been ruled a homicide instead of an “accidental” death.

  Jerron leaned back in his seat as Tevin drove and looked over at him. “Now that that’s out of the way, on to other matters,” Jerron said. “Amira. You need to step off.”

  “Says who? The motherfucka I dropped the other night?”

  “That was a lucky shot, and you know it. But as far as Amira goes, your time is up, understand?”

  “Nah, it’s not my time that’s up. It’s yours.”

  The bullet from Tevin’s gun caught Jerron in the temple, causing him to slump instantly. He’d done his duty by doing the job with Jerron like Kaleef wanted, but it was over, and Tevin wasn’t about to let his presence keep stinking up his car. Not only that, but he refused to let Jerron speak Amira’s name again, not when he had hurt her the way he had. He pulled over to a remote location and dumped Jerron’s body before casually driving home to call Amira.

  Chapter 13

  “Wake up.”

  Amira felt a cold splash of water hit her face. She stirred and tried to come to, but her eyes wouldn’t open. Her body felt so tired and weak that it took all her energy just to try to wake up. Another wave of water was just what she needed to open her eyes. She coughed and choked on the water. Her vision was blurry at first, but when she could focus, she realized she was in a room that wasn’t hers. The last thing she remembered was being drugged and talking to her father on the phone.

  When her vision cleared, she could make out some of her surroundings. She was in a canopy bed similar to her own, but she knew it wasn’t. The room was smaller, and the only decorations on the wall were framed bondage images. In fact, many sex toys were scattered all around the room. Whips, chains, cuffs . . . everything. Standing over her was Sparrow holding a small empty bucket. He grinned down at her in triumph.

  “W-where am I?” she asked slowly, sitting up in the wet bed.

  “My playhouse,” he told her.

  “Let me go,” she said, trying to stand. Whatever he’d drugged her with hadn’t seemed to wear off yet. Her legs still did not work. As soon as she stood up, she fell right back onto the bed. He laughed at her and shook his head.

  “You won’t be going anywhere until your dad does what Kaleef needs him to do. Until then, I have some fun planned for you.”

  His voice was loud in her ears, so she heard every word. Slowly but surely, she understood that she was his slave. She found herself wondering if Tevin knew about what was happening to her. Had he just gotten close to her to set her up?

  “W-where’s Tevin? I want to talk to . . . to talk to Tevin.”

  “Tevin is busy at the moment,” Sparrow told her.

  “Does he know I’m here? He’ll kill you.”

  “Tevin ain’t gonna do shit to me. He’ll mourn you like the rest if your dad doesn’t do what he’s told.”

  So he didn’t know. It gave her a tiny piece of comfort to know he wasn’t a part of such an evil scheme. But as quickly as the comfort came, it left, only to be replaced by terror and dread. Sparrow grabbed her chin, but Amira smacked his hand away. It made him mad. Mad enough to backhand her with a force that sent her flying to the side. A metallic taste hit her tongue, and she realized he’d busted her lip. It was blood. She held her mouth, and when he made like he was going to hit her again, she flinched hard.

  “No!”

  “Then get with the program. You aren’t going anywhere, and outside this door are two men with really big guns. So, get comfortable.”

  “W-what am I supposed to do? W-what will happen to me if my dad doesn’t do what you need him to do?”

  As soon as the question left her mouth, Amira regretted it. A sick smile spread across Sparrow’s lips. He reached a hand out toward her corset top and undid the top hook. She tried to push his hand away, but he balled it into a fist, and she cringed. Knowing he was bigger and stronger than her, she clenched her eyes shut while he undid each hook. When he was done, she felt cold air brushing against her bare nipples. He cupped one of her breasts with his hand and fondled her.

  “Mmm, damn. I see why those young motherfuckas were fighting over you. You’re fine as shit.”

  “Just . . . Just get it over with. Hurry up,” Amira said with tears running down her face.

  “That’s where you have me wrong. I don’t have to force any woman to fuck me. I get more turned on when she’s enjoying herself. And you? You’re going to enjoy this.” Sparrow laughed and stepped away from her. “Send her in!”

  Amira opened her eyes when she heard the room door open. The person who walked in was the last person she expected to see. It was the girl named Nautica from the other night. In her hands, she had another Long Island.

  “Laya at the bar said you wanted me to bring this up here,” she said and handed it to him.

  “Thank you,” he said, holding it up to Amira’s mouth. “Drink. It will loosen you up for the fun we’re about to have.”

  She looked from Nautica to Sparrow. She knew what was in the drink but didn’t feel like she had a choice. Plus, she wanted to be numb for whatever was about to come next. She wrapped her lips around the straw and gulped the drink, much to Sparrow’s satisfaction.

  “Damn, Amira, slow down. You’re going to pass out before the fun starts,” Sparrow said, taking the drink away from her.

  He backed away again and sat in a chair in the corner of the bedroom. Nautica looked at him, and he waved his hand, allowing her to approach Amira. Amira felt the effects of the drugs kicking in. She saw Nautica coming to her, but the movements seemed so fluid. Nautica smiled and licked her lips as she stared at Amira’s bare breasts. She pushed Amira gently back so she would lie down on the still-damp bed. Amira felt Nautica kissing her face, neck, and nipples. Each kiss sent an electrical jolt through her body. It felt magical but wrong. When Nautica pulled Amira’s pants and thong off, Amira began to whisper.

  “Tevin. Tevin, please save me.”

  Nautica heard her and stopped. She made a face and turned her head toward Sparrow behind her. He’d gotten comfortable in the chair and had unzipped his pants. His thick third leg was in his hand, and he stroked it as he watched the girl-on-girl action in front of him.

  “Are-are you sure she’s okay with this?” Nautica asked. “You told me this is what she wanted.”

  “It’s what she wants because I said it’s what she wants. Now continue before you’re in the same position as her.”

  Nautica hesitated and looked back down at Amira. She was still conscious, and she’d begun to rub her hands all over herself. The drink had officially kicked in. Nautica had had the concoction, which always made her hornier than ever. The two women locked eyes, and Nautica could see the drug lust in Amira’s. She did as she was told and undressed until she too was fully naked. She then leaned down to kiss Amira on the lips. Amira kissed her back and opened her legs, allowing Nautica entry. Nautica kissed her down to her love button and wrapped her lips around it. It tasted sweet, just like she thought it would. Gripping Amira’s thighs, she buried her head deeply between them, and soon, the room was filled with nothing but the moans of Amira and Sparrow.

  Chapter 14

  It had been almost two days since Tevin had seen or heard from Amira. He knew she was angry with him, but he couldn’t see her being so angry that she wouldn’t pick up the phone, not even once. He’d run out of options and couldn’t take the silent treatment anymore, so he pulled up to her house.

  She’d told him where she lived a few times, but it was his first visit there. She told him her father was a judgmental hard-ass, so she didn’t want the two to meet. He understood. He would be just as protective if he had a daughter as beautiful as Amira. He pressed the button again when nobody came to the door off the first doorbell ring. Moments later, the door flew open. An older Black lady stood in the doorway, looking like she hadn’t slept in days.

  “Can I help you?” she asked in an exhausted tone.

  “You must be Winnie. Amira told me a lot about you. Is she here?” His question seemed to strike a nerve. Before he knew it, she had tears in her eyes and clutched her stomach. “Ma’am, are you okay? I’m sorry. I can come back later. I just wanted to talk to Amira. I haven’t heard from her in a few days.”

  She began to sob, and Tevin was more confused than ever. He didn’t know what he had said that was so wrong. Suddenly, a tall gentleman joined her in the foyer. He took her hands and gave her a concerned look.

  “Is everything okay, Winnie?” he asked.

  “He . . . He was asking about Amira. I’m sorry, Aramous, sir. I just broke down.”

  “About Amira?” Aramous turned to Tevin quickly and snatched him up by the shirt. “How the hell do you know my daughter? Are you the one who took her?”

  “I’m her . . . Wait, what do you mean ‘took her’?” Tevin said, pulling forcefully away from Aramous’s grasp. “What the fuck do you mean ‘took her’? Talk. I’m Tevin, her boyfriend.”

  Aramous looked at his own hands before shakily bringing them to the top of his head.

  “They . . . They took my baby. They took her. It’s my fault.”

  “Aramous, don’t speak like that. It’s not your fault.”

  “Yes, it is, Winnie. Kaleef took her because he felt it was my fault that he was in jail. And I can’t find where the fuck the bitch testifying against him is being held. If I don’t find her, he will kill Amira tomorrow.”

  “Wait, what are you talking about? How do you know Kaleef?” Tevin asked.

  Aramous paused to look Tevin up and down. The anger spread on his face had turned to desperation and defeat. His shoulders slumped, and he pinched the part of his nose in between his eyes.

  “I’m his lawyer.”

  Tevin let his words sink in. He was getting too much information at once and trying to keep up. Amira was the love of his life. Her father was Kaleef’s lawyer. Kaleef was in jail, and he blamed Amira’s father. Amira was kidnapped. Kaleef had the love of Tevin’s life kidnapped. She was kidnapped. It echoed over and over in his head.

  “Fuck,” was all he could say when things came full circle. “Fuck.”

  “Baby, it’s a lot. Come in,” Winnie said and tried to motion Tevin to enter the house.

  “Nah. I gotta go.”

  “You’re upset. You don’t need to drive like that. Come in.”

  “No, you don’t understand. I know Kaleef.”

  “You work for him, don’t you?” Aramous asked.

  “He’s my cousin,” Tevin admitted, and Aramous made like he was going to grab him again, but Tevin evaded him. “It’s not what you think. I had nothing to do with this.”

  “Yeah, right! Fuck this. I’m calling the police.”

  “No. I know Kaleef, and I think you do too. He’s a killer. If you do that, Amira is as good as dead. Let me fix this. I’ma find her and bring her home, I promise.”

  He turned away from the entrance and ran to his car. He had planned on telling her that she would never have to worry about Jerron again. He had handled it. But it looked like he was the one who would be worried. He drove away from Amira’s house, not knowing where to look first. There were so many places around the city where Kaleef could have her holed up. He would check them all if he had to. He had to get her back. He couldn’t get the defeated look of Aramous out of his mind. He knew it would be a look he mirrored if he didn’t find her.

  The first place he stopped was one of Kaleef’s traps. It was low-key and didn’t have much traffic coming in and out. It was used as more of a stash house for anything Kaleef needed hidden for a short time. Tevin ran to the bench on the front porch and felt underneath the seat for the key. When he found it, he hurried to open the door and burst through it.

  “Amira?” he shouted, running through it like a madman. “Amira!”

  He checked every room and closet. All he found were bags of guns and money. She wasn’t there. He didn’t have time to feel defeated. He left the house and drove to the next one on his mental list. When she wasn’t there, he went to the next one. The thought of her tied up somewhere was making his heart break by the second. If Kaleef knew she was his girl, she would have been off-limits. He couldn’t help but place some blame on himself. As he drove to another spot Amira could have been stashed at, his phone rang in his pocket. He let it ring to voicemail. However, seconds after it stopped ringing, it started up again.

  “Hello?” he answered in an annoyed tone.

  “Tevin?”

  “Who is this?” he asked, not recognizing the woman’s voice.

  “Nautica, from Tranquility,” she said in a whisper. “I . . . I met you the other night. You were with a girl.”

  “How did you get this number?”

  “I got it from one of the security guards there. I . . . I have something to tell you about your girl. Amira.”

  Tevin slammed on the brakes and pulled over in traffic. He removed the phone from his ear to look at it, trying to make sure he had heard right. After getting himself together, he returned the phone to his ear.

  “What about Amira? You know where she is?”

  “Y . . . yes. She’s here at Tranquility. She came here looking for you the other day and . . .”

  “And what? Spit it out.”

  “Sparrow took her. He won’t let her leave. He’s keeping her drugged up, and I don’t know why. He made me . . . um . . . and when I did, she said, ‘Tevin, please save me.’ I think . . . I think he’s going to kill her. You need to get up here.”