ALEXIS
Everything was a blur. My mind couldn't comprehend what the police officer had told me about Nate. He had killed himself, along with two bitches he'd been fucking with over the years. One of the chicks was Red. The other was a chick named Charlene who lived in the same apartment complex as Red. I'd known about both of the hoes, but it just didn't seem like Nate to kill a bitch, put her in the trunk of his car, and then dump her body in a Dumpster. Then again, there were times when I seriously thought that nigga was crazy. Cuckoo and out of his mind. He'd been taking meds for years, and whenever he failed to take them, shit got out of hand. For me to think this day would never come, I had to be a fool. He'd been off for a long time, and since he didn't want to get help, this was the end result. Hell, there were times when I felt as if I needed help too, especially since I'd let Nate get away with many things. No man should've been allowed to do what he'd done to me, and, sadly to say, a part of me was glad that it was over. But even though I was glad, I was still hurt like hell.
I plopped on the couch with tears streaming down my face. My head ached so badly that I squeezed it and applied pressure with my fingertips. My face was pale, and the black eye Nate had given me a few days ago was still visible.
“I . . . I don't know anything about those women,” I lied to the police as they questioned me about Red and Charlene. “All I want to know is where my daughter is. He left here with her, and I have not seen or heard from her. Would somebody . . . anybody please go find her?”
The nice white officer reached in his pocket and pulled out several tissues. He gave them to me after taking a glance at my sexy thighs that could be seen through the short silk robe I wore. I blew my runny nose, then blinked away my flowing tears.
“Thank you,” I said softly.
“You're welcome. We're going to do our best to find your daughter, but do you mind if we look around for a bit? We'd really like to know Nate's state of mind forâ”
“I can tell you right now that his state of mind was fucked up. He's been off for quite some time, and all we did was fight each other. I don't mind if you look around, but please, please, help me find my daughter. I pray to God that he didn't hurt her too.”
The officers said they would only be there for a few more minutes. I watched as they moved around, looking for clues about why Nate would do something like this. His loss was hard for me to swallow. Yeah, we had our heated arguments and fistfights, but there was a time when I loved the hell out of him. Nobody could tell me anything about him. He was my everything . . . until he started putting his hands on me. I figured that he must've known how I felt about Bones too. After what had happened between us years ago, it was difficult for me to shake my feelings for him. There was something about him that made me weak. Weak enough that whenever Bones was around, Nate could read my thoughts like a book. And every time Bones left, I argued and fought with Nate. He accused me of loving Bones, and even though I denied it, the truth was, I wanted to be with him more than I wanted to be with Nate.
As I listened to the officers talking in the other room, I heard the front door open. When I looked up, I saw Bones walk in. He was carrying Brianna, and in an instant, a huge burden felt as if it had been lifted off my shoulders. Brianna's arms were wrapped tightly around his neck, and she was asleep. I hurried off the couch and ran up to them.
“Thank God,” I cried out. I removed Brianna from his arms and hugged her tight. “Wha . . . Where was she? I can't believe you found my baby. Thank you, Bones, thank you so much.”
He looked toward the bedroom where the police officers were. “Are the police here?” he asked.
“Yes,” I said, still holding on tight to Brianna and rocking her in my arms. “And it's not good. I don't know how to tell you this, but Nate shot himself. He killed two other people too, and the policeâ”
I choked up, thinking about all that had happened. This felt like a dreamâA bad one that I couldn't seem to wake up from. I looked into Bones's eyes, and he appeared out of it. He walked sluggishly over to the couch and took a seat. As he massaged his hands together, he stared straight-ahead.
“What else did the police say?” he asked.
I walked further into the room, but remained standing. As I told Bones the details, I also asked him where he'd found Brianna.
“She was, uh, at Theo's crib. Nate must've dropped her off there. She was outside playing with some kids, and he was inside. I asked if he'd known where Nate had gone, but he said he didn't know. After that, I jetted.”
“Well, I'm glad that Nate took her over there. I had no ideaâ”
I paused when the officers came back into the living room. They looked at Bones who was now sitting with his head lowered, looking at the floor.
“I see that your little girl made it home,” one of the officers said. “Did he bring her here?”
Bones lifted his head and spoke up. “Yes. Nate dropped her off with me earlier. He seemed out of it, and now I regret not trying to get to the bottom of what was going on with him. I'm a good friend of his. Bones.”
Bones stood, then reached out his hand to both officers.
“Bones?” the officer questioned. “What's your birth name?”
I was definitely waiting to hear his response. I never knew what it was, and from what Nate had said, Bones never told anyone. I asked Nate if he knew. He said he did.
Bones cocked his neck from side to side, then licked his lips. “My birth name is Bones.”
The officers glanced at each other, and then the same one questioned Bones again. “What's your last name?”
Bones didn't hesitate to respond. “Bones. First name, last name is the same.”
One of the officers wanted to push, but when Bones asked if he was being arrested for something and threatened to call his attorney, they backed off and turned their attention back to me.
“Thanks for allowing us to look around without a warrant. Sorry, again, for your loss, and I hope you and your little girl will be okay. If we have any further questions, we'll be in touch.”
I slowly nodded, then followed the officers to the door. I felt that they knew something they weren't saying, and the sneaky looks in their eyes alarmed me. I was eager for them to leave because I had a few questions for Bones.
After I locked the door, I took Brianna to her room to lie down. She was knocked out. I gave her several kisses, thanked God again for her safe return, and then made my way back into the living room with Bones. For someone who had just lost a best friend of many years, he didn't seem as moved as I expected him to be. Bones was good at hiding his emotions, but this was Nate. They were boys, and there was a time when they were inseparable.
I leaned against the doorway with my arms folded, trying to read him. “You haven't said much about Nate, and I don't know what made you just lie to that officer. You told him that Brianna was with you. Why didn't you tell them she was with Theo?”
He rubbed his hands together, massaging them. “Because it ain't none of their damn business, that's why. And don't start asking me any questions. I didn't know Nate was out there like that. I feel bad that he felt like that was his only option. Maybe that incident between us fucked with his head more than I thought it did.”
“I'm sure it did, but not many people knew Nate had mental issues. He was taking medication for his illness, but something made him snap. Why did he kill Red and Charlene? It must've been something with them too, but I'm so confused right now that I can't even think straight. I need to go make some phone calls and tell his relatives what happened. I'm sure Theo would want to know too, so if you could tell him what went down I would appreciate it. Also, as far as I know, he didn't have a life insurance policy. See what you and Theo can do to help me pay for his funeral.”
“Will do,” Bones said, then reached into his pocket to get his cell phone.
I left the room to go make several calls. It was painful talking to some of Nate's aunts and cousins. Many of them were in disbelief. They couldn't believe what Nate had done, especially since many of them spoke about how much he loved me and Brianna. Thing is, they were on the outside looking in. As much as Nate kicked my ass, I knew deep down that there was a side to him that hated me deeply. His aunt knew it too. Nate had confided in her more than I thought he had.
“He does have a life insurance policy, and I'll be sure to take care of everything. I'm his beneficiary, and he told me what to do if anything ever happened to him. I don't know if this policy will hold up, considering the suicide, but I will let you know something soon. Meanwhile, see about Brianna and be sure to let her know how much Nate really loved her.”
“I will. And thank you for everything. Nate loved you too, and it doesn't surprise me that he trusted you to take care of everything for him.”
“Thing is, he didn't trust you. You already know why, Alexis, but I'm not going there right now. Thanks for calling and I'll be in touch soon.”
She hung up, and I swallowed hard, thinking about all of the negative shit Nate must have told her about me. I could've given her an earful about him too, but at this point, it wouldn't have done me any good. After speaking with her, though, I felt sick to my stomach. I was disappointed and didn't know if Nate's family would point the finger at me for what he'd done. I wasn't the perfect girlfriend, but I did my best to hold him down. Nobody knew how difficult that was, especially with his womanizing and abusive ways. I started feeling angry about the whole thing. There was no secret that the next few days would be difficult for me to get through.
I went into the bathroom and shut the door. My hair looked a mess, and my eyes were red and swollen from crying so much. I touched the blue and black bruise underneath my eye, thinking about the argument Nate and I had before he left. He disrespected me so badly. Right in front of Brianna. Maybe it was a good thing that he was dead, but what in the hell made him take the lives of two other women? I probably would never know. And to be truthful, I was ready to get his funeral over with and move the hell on with my life.
I dabbed my face with a cold rag, and then tightened the belt on my silk robe. After I turned off the light, I checked on Brianna who was still asleep, then headed to the living room where Bones was on the couch indulged in a conversation. I figured he was speaking to Theo, until I heard him say Mango's name. I was surprised that Bones was speaking to him, because Mango was bad news.
“I'll shoot that way tomorrow. We'll holla then.”
Bones nodded, cracked his knuckles, then ended the call. I sat across from him in a chair with my mind racing. “Did you get a chance to holla at Theo yet?”
Bones looked at his cell phone, then touched a few buttons. “Naw, he didn't answer when I called him. I left him a message for him to hit me back, and I also sent him a text. When I left his place earlier, he said he was going to see Nichelle. He's probably with her.”
“I have her number somewhere. I'll look for it and call her later. As for the money, Nate had an insurance policy. His aunt doesn't know if it'll pay out on suicides, but regardless, she said everything would be taken care of.”
“Good.”
Bones looked at the watch on his wrist, then yawned. I was still a bit shocked by his reaction to all of this. He hadn't said much. I guess I was fooling myself if I thought I would see any tears.
“It's been a long day, and it's getting late,” he said, stretching his arms and yawning again. “I'm getting ready to make some moves. Can I get you or Brianna anything before I go?”
Lord knows I didn't want me and Brianna to be here by ourselves tonight. Nate's scent was all over the place. I knew I wouldn't get any sleep. Maybe we could go to a hotel or something. Just for a few days. Then again, maybe Bones would be willing to stay and help me get through this.
“I know this may be asking too much of you, but would you please stay the night with me and Brianna? You don't have to sleep in the same bed as me, if you don't want to. I just need to feel safe. With you here, I know I will.”
Bones narrowed his eyes and stared at me from across the room. His eyes were so damn sexy and even with a blank expression on his face, he was fine as fuck. I had some naughty thoughts swarming in my head too, and there wasn't a damn thing that I could do to wash them away.
“I'll stay,” he said. “But do me a favor and get me a couple of aspirin. I got a banging-ass headache that won't go away.”
“I can definitely take care of that for you. And thanks for staying.”
I got up to get Bones some aspirin and wound up taking some for my headache too. I then went to the kitchen to get him a glass of water and when I returned to the living room he was lying back on the couch with his arm resting on his forehead. His eyes were closed, and his shirt was off, displaying his muscle-packed body. I stood next to him admiring the jaw-dropping scenery. Probably sensing that I was standing over him, he slowly opened his eyes, then reached for the glass of water.
“Thanks,” he said, taking the aspirin. He put them in his mouth, then tossed back the water. After clearing his throat, he gave the glass back to me. “You need to get some sleep tonight. And after you rest, I need to get at you about several things regarding Brianna.”
Every time Bones spoke of her, it made my heart race. “Things like what? Whatever you want to know, just ask.”
“Not tonight. Been a long day and I'm sure we both could use some sleep.”