Christmas in the Hood (15 page)

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

Noelle peered through narrowing eyes at the tall milk chocolate man with locs as she weighed her options. Going to jail certainly wasn’t an option. Paris would die if she ended up behind
bars. That meant talking her way out of this situation. Visiting central booking wasn’t a factor in her plan to get twenty grand.

“I’m sorry,” she replied.

“I don’t want to hear ‘I’m sorry.’ I want the truth. You don’t seem the type to steal. In fact, I’ve seen you around somewhere. Now tell me why you’re stealing from my homeboy’s store, or I’m calling Five-oh.”

Noelle’s eyes filled with tears as she stared at him. She didn’t need this shit right now. She needed money to get Paris, and this man was stopping her.

She stared at him a few moments longer. He was right about having seen her around. She was almost certain that he’d come into the barbershop once or twice to see Terrence. Besides, she was too damn tired to come up with a good lie. The drama in her life at the moment was worse than any fiction she’d ever read.

“You want the truth,” she began with attitude, “well, here it is. My mother, who just overdosed and died yesterday, went to a loan shark for money. She must have pissed him off because he killed her. But anyway, here’s the kicker. Said loan shark wants his twenty grand, or my eleven-year-old sister dies. So, since I don’t have an extra twenty grand sitting around, I’ve been boosting stuff on the streets. You wanted the truth—well, you just got it.”

“Everything all right, Parker?” the owner of Longevity called out, coming toward them.

“Yeah, man, everything is fine. Seems I made a mess trying to show Ms.—” Parker looked at her expectantly.

“Holiday,” Noelle supplied, wiping at her tears.

“Trying to show Ms. Holiday a few things,” he lied smoothly.

Noelle picked up the shirts and hats and put them back on the tables.

“What’s your first name?” Parker inquired.

“Noelle.”

“Yeah, right,” Parker laughed. “It’s Christmas, and your name is Noelle Holiday? Try again.”

“Look, don’t make fun of my name,” Noelle told him. “You think I haven’t heard that one before?” She reached into her bag, pulled out her driver’s license, and showed it to him.

He glanced at it quickly. “I want you to wait out front for me while I grab my coat. Then we’re going to Lexington Market, where I’ll treat you to breakfast and give you a solution to your problems.”

“You believe my story?”

“Yes.”

“Why would you help me? You don’t even know me.”

“Because I have a soft spot for women in trouble; you’re beautiful; and you obviously love your sister a great deal.”

“But how do you know I’m not some nutcase off the street? My sister means absolutely nothing to you,” Noelle told him.

“I’m guessing you’re not a nutcase, and you’re right, I don’t know your sister, but I don’t want her to die. No one deserves that, especially not an innocent child. Your love for her makes me want to help you.”

Noelle didn’t know whether to jump for joy or run like hell.

Chapter Eleven

“
T
oday is Saturday,” Parker told her when they arrived at Lexington Market amid the hustle and bustle. “When’s the last time you ate something?”

Noelle stared blankly at Parker. She opened her mouth to answer him but closed it when an answer didn’t come immediately to mind. After a pause, she replied, “I don’t know. Thursday, maybe, when things were still normal.”

“I thought you’d say something like that.”

Parker kept a hand at the small of Noelle’s back as he purchased two bowls of mixed fruit; two platters of sausage, scrambled eggs, grits, toast; and two coffees. He then seated Noelle at a table for two by the window and took the other seat.

“Eat first, talk second,” Parker instructed.

Parker didn’t have to repeat himself. She was suddenly ravenous. She really hadn’t thought about eating since dragging her mother out of a drug house.
Her mother.
She was actually dead.

“What are you thinking?” Parker asked, while polishing off the last of his sausage.

“I can’t believe any of this is happening. My mother is dead. My sister has been kidnapped. I don’t know where to begin….”

“First, we need to get your sister back home, which means getting you twenty thousand dollars.”

“Twenty-three thousand to be exact.”

Parker nodded his head and stared out the window for a moment. He hadn’t always been a savory character. In his early twenties
he’d been a hellion and a mastermind at white-collar crimes. He had given up that lifestyle, though. Now he was just an ordinary citizen who observed way too much and knew a whole lot of crooked shit.

“What’s your sister’s name?”

“Paris. She’s such a good kid. Most days I feel like she’s mine. I guess she is now, actually.”

“Do you know who has her?” he asked around a mouthful of toast and grits.

Noelle blew on her coffee before she took her first sip.

“A loan shark named Carlos,” she replied, then took another sip.

“Fuck! Goddammit!”

“You know him,” Noelle stated sadly. No friend of Carlos’s would help her.

“Yeah, I know the bastard. All too well. How long did he give you to come up with the money?”

“ ’Til Christmas Eve.”

“You don’t have that long. It’s not about the money to ’Los. It’s the principle. He’s going to kill Paris just to make a point. If he gave you two weeks, you have only
one.
”

Noelle felt like a fist had slammed into her chest. What the fuck? This was all just a game to the asshole. Her sister’s life was at stake, and it was just a
game.

“Shit. The key to getting Paris back is to get Carlos first.” Fresh tears spilled down Noelle’s cheeks. So she had even less time than she’d thought.

“Please, if you know of a way to save my sister, tell me. I can’t let her die. She hasn’t done anything to deserve this.”

“The only way to handle ’Los is to kill him before he kills her.”

“Oh my God,” she gasped. “How in the hell do I get close enough to him to kill him?”

“You won’t have to. Meet me for dinner. That will give me enough time to check out a few things and come up with a plan.”

Noelle nodded okay.

“Where and what time?”

“Seven at Ruth’s Chris downtown.”

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Noelle couldn’t help but be impressed, and a little intimidated, by the prospect of going to one of the most expensive steak houses in Baltimore.

“Take my number,” Parker said, before rattling off his cell number.

“Call if you get into any trouble. And stop stealing clothes.”

“I don’t even know your last name.”

“Norman. Parker Norman. I know, it’s not quite James Bond, is it?” he joked, and left her sitting at their table to start coordinating a plan to get Paris back.

*  *  *

Paris sat in a bedroom eating a bowl of Frosted Flakes and watching cartoons. She couldn’t really hear or see anything out the window. A black velvet covering was nailed across the windowframe. The man named Carlos must have known she would try to escape out of a second-floor window. The only way she knew the time of day was by the television programming.

Paris heard her door being unlocked and set her bowl of cereal down on the floor. She never knew what to expect. Sometimes the man Carlos would come into her room and just laugh at her.
Other times the man who looked like Wesley Snipes would bring her food. “You want something else to eat?”

Paris looked up at “Wesley.” He had been the only one who had been kind to her. No one else cared if she ate or not. Carlos sure didn’t. She was afraid of Carlos, actually. He looked as if he would kill her at any moment. She tried not to piss him off, but he always seemed to be pissed off.

“You look like Wesley Snipes.”

He smiled and said, “You know, I’ve been told that lately. I think it’s the haircut.”

Paris eyed the cell phone clipped to his belt. She wanted to call Noelle. If she could just speak with her, she’d know she was going to get out of this nightmare.

“Could I please use your phone for two minutes?” When it seemed as if he was going to deny her, she forged ahead.

“Please. I just need to hear my sister’s voice. I’m just a kid. It would make me feel better.”

“Two minutes,” he replied, and closed the bedroom door. He unhooked his phone and handed it to her.

“What’s your name?” she asked as she accepted the phone.

“Ronald.”

“Thank you, Ronald.”

Paris dialed Noelle’s number with lightning speed, afraid Ronald might change his mind. She breathed a sigh of relief when her sister answered on the third ring. “Noelle, I’m okay.” She knew Noelle was worried and choked back her tears so she wouldn’t add to the stress of the situation.

“Paris, I am so glad to hear your voice. Are you hurt? Have you eaten? Baby girl, where are you?”

“I’m eating, and I’m not hurt. I just really wanted to hear your voice ’cause I’m a little scared. Are you going to get the money to get me out of here?”

“You know I am, Paris. Just hang in there a couple more days. I promise you’ll be home soon, baby girl.”

Ronald signaled for Paris to end the call, so she did. She at least wanted to keep him on her good side. She was grateful that he had even allowed her to make the call. Carlos wouldn’t have done it. She was sure of that.

“Thank you, Ronald,” Paris said, wiping her eyes.

“Sure. Hey I bought some cinnamon rolls. Would you like one?”

“Yes, thank you.”

As Ronald left the bedroom, Paris prayed that Noelle was right. She wanted to go home.

Chapter Twelve

N
oelle showed up at Ruth’s Chris Steak House with five minutes to spare. It was an effort for her actually to leave the house after Paris’s call. She couldn’t stop crying long enough to get dressed. But crying wasn’t going to bring her sister home.

So, clad in a slinky black dress, Noelle was prepared to accept whatever advice and help Parker Norman had to offer. She milled
around the lobby for a couple minutes and began to worry when she didn’t see Parker approaching the entrance.

“Good evening, welcome to Ruth’s Chris Steak House,” the hostess greeted her.

“Hi, I’m meeting Parker Norman. Is he here, by any chance?”

The hostess motioned Noelle forward and said, “Yes, he’s here. Please follow me.”

Noelle spotted Parker immediately. The man had a presence about him and commanded the space quite well. And he was extremely attractive. He looked like he had just stepped off of the cover of
Essence
or
Ebony.
His dark brown skin hinted at a five o’clock shadow, and as she neared him she knew the heady musky fragrance was his cologne. He smelled really good.

She was certainly curious about him. What he did for a living … how he knew Carlos … whether she could trust him. For now, however, she
had
to trust him. She didn’t have a choice. He was her only real chance to get Paris home.

Parker stood as she approached. He’d traded in his casual attire from earlier for a blue pinstripe suit. He looked like a Wall Street power broker and fit in beautifully with the posh atmosphere. He was, however, the type of man who looked good in anything.

“I’m glad you made it,” Parker said, and kissed her cheek.

“I wouldn’t have missed anything that would help Paris.” Noelle fidgeted with her strand of pearls. She had a terrible habit of playing with her jewelry when she was nervous. She just wished she knew what to expect. She was coming into this dinner meeting blind as a bat.

“Paris will be home sooner than you think, so stop worrying,” he stated confidently.

“How’s that going to happen?”

“Let’s order first, then I’ll explain everything.”

After ordering, Noelle was barely patient until the wine was poured. She wanted to grab the bottle from the waiter and finish the task herself. The waiter seemed to draw out every action with a flourish, no doubt in hope of a big tip.

As soon as the waiter took his leave, she launched into all of her questions. “So, what’s the plan? And how am I going to get the money?”

Parker scooted his chair closer to the table and leaned toward her. He had done a lot of thinking and had made a select few phone calls.

“There’s a man by the name of Phillip Grayson. Everyone calls him Gray. Ever heard of him?”

“No, can’t say that I have.”

“Well, Gray has two jewelry stores. One downtown Baltimore and one in Pikesville. He specializes in rare precious stones.”

“He’s a black man?”

“Yes,” Parker replied, impressed that Noelle was picking up on the little things he hadn’t stated.

“A black man with a diamond store in Pikesville? That’s unheard of. It’s a strong Jewish community.”

“Exactly. That lets you know how powerful he is.”

Noelle took two sips of her wine then downed the entire glass.

Parker refilled it before she had a chance to ask. “Gray and Carlos are enemies.”

“Why?” she asked, drinking more wine.

“That I don’t know. I’m still waiting for that bit of info.”

Parker paused while the waiter placed their food in front of them. He waited a few minutes before resuming their conversation. He wanted Noelle to enjoy that first bite of steak. He watched as she daintily cut into the steak then brought the fork to her mouth. He felt himself stiffen when he saw her tongue dart out. He kept telling himself to focus on the conversation, but it was damn hard. The woman was very beautiful.

Parker cut into his steak as well, but he noticed that Noelle had put down her fork and knife. She was anxiously waiting for him to stop chewing.

“Go ahead and eat, Noelle. Your food is getting cold.”

“So what does Gray have to do with me getting Paris back?” she asked. The steak was really good, but she was having trouble eating. She just wanted all the details as quickly as possible.

“You are going to attempt to steal diamonds and emeralds out of his safe at home.”

“What?”
Noelle nearly choked on her food. Parker handed her wineglass to her so she could take a sip.