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ChapterEleven
Joseph
I feel like a house fell on me; everything hurts. I can hear beeping and I realize it’s machines; I must be at the hospital. I struggle to open my eyes and when I do, I quickly realize I am not in a hospital, not even close. I am in what looks like was once a living room, remodeled to accommodate a hospital bed and equipment. Where the fuck am I? The last thing I remember is going back to the house to get my equipment bag, and the next thing I know I am waking up here. I am confused as hell but one thing I am not confused about is I have been taken. There is no way in hell my brothers would allow me to be in a place like this in my condition. My limbs feel like there are hundred-pound weights on them and I cannot move my legs at all. I feel sleep trying to claim me and I take another look around the room while I am still conscious but there is nothing to look at. The windows are blacked out; I cannot tell if it is night or day. All I can see in the room is my bed, a nightstand, the medical equipment, and tv. There’s even a black curtain hanging behind me.
Before I can put any more together, I’m falling back asleep. It goes on like this for what has to be days, but how many days? I have no idea. When I wake up, my IV bag is changed, and the urine drainage bag. Thank god I haven’t had any solid food because just no. I have not seen who’s holding me captive and I know my brothers are looking for me. I am sure it is not normal to hurt this much and even though I can use my arms, I still haven’t been able to move my legs. I have been able to stay awake for longer periods of time; I usually stay with my eyes closed. The less my captor knows of my capabilities the better.
How many days have I been here? My brothers have not found me yet so I must rescue myself. This IV feeding tube is not cutting it anymore. I have to get the hell out of here. I figure whoever has me makes sure to drug me as soon as they realize I am conscious but lately I have been fighting through the medication. It hurts like a son of a bitch, but it is a small price to pay. One thing I think I have figured out is I am on the water; I would know the sway and pull of the water even in death. And if that is the case, then it must be a houseboat. The problem with that is I could be anywhere.
“Good evening, Mr. Gideon. I think it is about time we get started on the reason you are here,” a voice says via the surround sound system. It is clearly digitized to hide the real voice from me and that tells me whoever has me is someone I know, otherwise it wouldn’t matter.
“What do you want from me?”
“Information. I am going to ask you questions and you are going to answer them truthfully.”
“And if I don’t?”
“Then you will not get any pain medication for the day. Let’s start now shall we. Can you use your legs?”
“No.”
“Very good. Also, I know you must be ready for solid food. I will bring a tray for you. And you have been here for a month, so you can let go of any hope of your brothers finding you. You’re mine until you are no longer useful to me. Now it’s time for you to go to sleep.”
And before I can mull over what he said, I am sleep.
Joyce
It’s been a whole month and the brothers are coming up empty as well as the cops, but every day that there is no body found gives us hope that he’s still alive. Peter has given me an office in his hotel no one uses until I can find another location. It is very convenient; I get dressed, take the elevator to the main floor and boom I’m in my office. No matter how convenient it is, I must find a new location for the business since T has convinced Angela to move to Mississippi. The business is doing well, and we are getting ready to release our first ever body care line. Peter has kept me up to date on the search to find Joseph. His brother Jabarri has been working hard to try to identify him somehow, but with the loss of cameras it has made it damn near impossible. The few witnesses cannot get their stories straight. I mean, who looks at a man in scrubs wheeling a hospital bed out of a hospital? I tell you who, no one. But the description has been all over the place. Dark hair, light hair, glasses, no glasses, hell, even black and white. The only thing we know without a doubt is that a man took him. They have investigated everyone they can think of, and everyone checks out. Now they are moving on to the workers; since they already go through a background and drug test before they get hired, it should be a quick process.
When he comes home, he and I have a lot to talk about. How will he feel when I tell him I want to be more than just bedmates? Did I wait too long? Did I miss my chance with him? The only thing I can do is try to explain why I was so adamant and hope he understands and gives me, gives us another chance. When I was at the hospital, I paid attention to how Joshua and Atlas, treated their wives. Even how Peter treats Lennox and they are not even married yet and I thought about how Joseph treated me. I let fear and stubbornness keep me from the possibility of having what they have. I’m forty-six years old and have never been loved, definitely not how those men love their wives. Peter and Lennox are planning their wedding but refuse to set a date until Solo is home. I smile at the nickname I have been using more and more for him. I heard Savannah refer to him as Seph, but it was made clear that no one can call him that but her and her daughter. And that is not just her rule, but his too and I want my own nickname for him. He doesn’t look like a Joe, so Solo is a play on his middle name Solomon. The computer chimes an alert and I almost jump out of my skin, I was so deep in thought. It’s a team message letting me know I have a visitor. I scrunch my forehead up because who would know that I am here? T or the brothers would walk right in, so who could this be? I let the front desk know I am on my way out. I grab my suit coat, slip it on and head out to see who is here. When I turn the corner, my steps falter when I see who’s waiting for me.
“Ellis, what are you doing here?” I ask as I direct him to an empty corner.
“Obviously, I am here to see you,” my ex-husband replies. “I went all the way to North Carolina only to find out you were down here. It was a waste of my time and we both know how much I hate that, don’t we?”
“I’m sure a phone call could’ve saved you from you wasting your time, Ellis.”
“If I had called, would you have taken my call?”
“No. Anything, we had to talk about ended fifteen years ago at our divorce hearing.”
“Well, I disagree, so we can have the discussion now or later, but either way we are going to talk. You think I haven’t heard about you over the years running around acting like a slut for man after man? Only a true wanton bitch fucks a man in a store’s storage room without even knowing his name,” he seethes down in my face. I freeze because how does he know that? How long has he been watching me? And why has he chosen now to resurface in my life?
“I think you better leave, Ellis.”
“I’ll leave when I’m ready to leave,” he declares as he crowds me further into the corner.
“I believe the lady asked you to leave, and if I were you, I’d do that while you still can.”
I breathe a sigh of relief and take the handheld out to me by Solo’s brother Aryan. Ellis turns around getting ready to say something until he sees Aryan and changes his mind.
“We will be talking.”
“If I see you again, I am going to put a bullet in your head. I have no patience to try talking and reasoning. I’d rather kill you and get it over with. So, I suggest you take your ass back to wherever you came from,” Aryan says.
Ellis looks at Aryan for a second as if he’s daring him to do it.
“Some mother fuckers are too hardheaded for their own good, but I can show you better than I can tell you,” He says as he pulls a gun from the holster at the small of his back, cocks it and holds it to Ellis’ head. “Fuck around and find out, I dare you,” Aryan tells him. And Ellis does the first smart thing he’s done since he came here, and that was to leave.
