Page 19 of Soft On Her
“Then what is it like?” Each word was clipped and felt like a dagger to the heart. The anger dancing behind Sneaux’s eyes made me regret slipping away without a conversation, but I knew her well enough to know she wouldn’t have let me leave.
“He…” I started but Sneaux’s demanding tone cut my words short.
“Matter of fact, Ion wanna hear it. Get dressed so we can go home. I’m not having this conversation in another nigga’s crib.”
“I can’t leave.”
“Alright, cool. We can all stay here until he gets back then.”
“Ughhhhh! You’re putting my mother’s safety at risk.”
“Okay. Fine. Humor me. Where you been for the last nine years?” Sneaux folded her arms across her chest, closing her eyes into slits.
I swallowed hard, marching out of the bathroom to find the few garments that I had placed in the drawers yesterday. As I dried off and slipped on my clothes, I laid everything out for Sneaux.
It had been hours since we left the Black Family Estate. I drove with Mr. Luis to a warehouse in the middle of nowhere and was ordered to remain in the car. My phone was abandoned somewhere during the melee, and I had no way of knowing if my parents were okay. Mentally and emotionally spent, I fell asleep in the backseat of the Suburban. I had no idea I even fell asleep until I felt a gentle nudge on my shoulder.
My eyes fluttered open, and Mr. Luis nodded towards my home. When my eyes focused, I saw my mother rushing towards the truck with a tear stained face. I sat up in the seat, realizing someone had covered my half naked body with a thin blanket and placed my phone next to my head. Mr. Luis’ driver opened my door, and I hopped out to check on my mom.
“What’s wrong?” I questioned once we were within arm’s reach of each other.
“Your father’s missing,” she blubbered, then looked over my shoulder. “Thank you for bringing my baby home safely. I appreciate it,” she called to Mr. Luis.
“Always,” he responded before the driver closed his door.
My mom wrapped her arms around my shoulders and led me inside the house. Macy, my eight year old golden doodlecame running down the hallway to greet us. As I rubbed the top of her head, I noticed something peculiar. For the first time in my life, there weren’t any security guards positioned near the front door when we entered the house.
“Where is our security?” I puzzled.
“You know your grandparents hate me. They always have. With Zechariah missing, they are making their move. Your uncle Mitchel has always been jealous of Zechariah and wanted that top spot. They are currently convening to make Mitchel the head of the family. I don’t trust them or any of the other families. They are leaving us for dead, so it’s best to take a little vacation until your father turns up. Go pack as much as you can in your suitcases. I don’t know how long we will be gone.”
“Okay,” I nodded, rushing up the stairs to my bedroom. Macy trolloped behind me, emitting low whines. She was accustomed to me giving her a treat as soon as I came home. “I’ll give you all of the treats on our ride,” I cooed.
“Macy isn’t coming,” my mom announced, rushing past my bedroom door.
“What? She can’t stay here if we aren’t,” I argued, spinning on my heels to storm into the hallway.
“I don’t have time to debate today, Milani. Macy has a tracker, and I’m not going to risk them being smart enough to use that to find us. Your father will know where to come looking for us. If I say something, you need to just go along with it today. I’m not in the mood for your bullshit. You already snuck your silly ass out of here, knowing we forbade you from leaving the house earlier. Riding on a fucking electric scooter in a bathing suit. Who does that? Only my child.”
Biting my tongue, I sauntered back into my bedroom. Pulling my Louis Vuitton luggage set from the top of my closet, I tossed in as many of my belongings as I could. The day had been pure hell, and it was only getting worse. I was taught tonever ask too many questions for my own protection, given the lifestyle my family lived, so I complied. She was panicked, and our security details had been stripped, so I complied. As we drove off the estate, I noticed that the rest of my family was gone. All driveways were empty, and that had never been the case before.
The sense of security I had with Mr. Luis minutes prior was gone now, and I was terrified. What if the people who attacked the Black Family killed my father? What if we were the next target and we didn’t have security to protect us? I didn’t even know how to shoot a gun. I couldn’t even hold my own if I wanted to.
“Ready or not, we have to roll,” my mom shouted from the hallway. “Make sure you grab your jewelry boxes.”
I zipped up my suitcase and duffle bag and carried them into the hallway. Even that was foreign. There was always someone available to take my things to the car if we were preparing to travel. The reality of our situation came crashing down like a ton of bricks. We were truly on our own. I pulled out my phone to text Sneaux. I couldn’t believe I never got the chance to tell Sneaux how I felt or watch her face light up when she opened my gift because I knew she’d love it.
“Don’t tell anybody what we are doing. Matter of fact, leave your phone here,” she ordered, snatching it out of my hand.
My mouth dropped open as my mom tossed my phone into the flower vase on the hallway shelf. It was partially submerged, wedged between the glass and the stems of the red roses, allowing me one last glance at the picture of Sneaux and me on prom night staring back at me from my lock screen. “Let’s go!” She demanded.
I moved my feet at a steady pace to keep up with her. We moved like a pair of thieves in the night, gathering a few things of value and loading them into my mother’s Maybach. As wedrove off the estate, I noticed that the rest of our family homes were deserted. Every driveway was void of cars, and there was not a security guard in sight. As many times as I’ve slipped by my security detail to sneak off the property, I even knew where the guards who were supposed to be incognito hid. Whatever happened was big, and my mother was right: my father’s family was using his absence as an opportunity to transfer power.
We drove an hour north, then stopped at a gated apartment complex. My mother keyed in a code, and we were granted entry. She parked in a reserved parking spot in the back of the complex then looked at me.
“Milani,” she started, interrupting the silence in the car while I tried to figure out where we were. “Your father is dead!”
“What? I thought you said he was missing?” I screeched.
