Watching the documentary with Melissa's parents, Jionni realized by their silence how much danger she was in. They didn't speak. Afterwards, he offered little comfort for a crying Maria and Rosa.
"Look, I know y'all 'ont like me and all, but I just needed y'all to see it for y'allselves."
"So lets call the police." Rodrigo urged.
"See, dey' not gone take him in. He aint Benjamin no mo'." Jionni said. "Dey ain't gone take him in since he changed his ID."
"So what do we do?" Maria asked.
Jionni stood up, fixing his jacket. He wanted to take a rope and strangle Ray himself. Obviously, he wanted to avoid going to jail again.
"I'ma at least alert da' cops so they'll be aware." He said, heading towards the door.
"Jionni." Rodrigo said.
Turning to him, it was the first kind words Rodrigo spoke to him.
"Thank you. Keep an eye on her while we can't, okay?"
"I always have. And always will." Jionni said, smiling afterwards.
Having a smoke session at Trina's apartment, Melissa spoke to her about Jionni's run in.
"Then he came in there with a fucking gun. I swore he was gonna shoot him then and there!" Melissa shouted, blowing smoke out her nose. "He drops the gun, says that it was empty, then says that it was a joke?"
"That shit sounds like a movie!" Trina laughed. "A serial killer?"
"He's starting to become scary obsessed and I think i'm gonna file a restraining order!"
Taking another puff, Melissa blew smoke holes from her mouth.
"Oh shit bitch. Who taught you how to do that?" Trina grinned.
"Hehe. Jionni." Melissa giggled, under the influence.
"But seriously girl, i'ma tell him to chill out. He doing too much."
"Please do. Cause he ain't listening to me."
But Jionni's anger dawned on her. His assertiveness struck nervousness in her. Once Melissa was alone, she searched the episode Jionni requested.
She watched.
Videos of the man at large sounded just like Ray. After 2 years of dating the man, she knew everything about him. His posture. His walk. His phrases.
She knew it was him.
Then Melissa remembered a chilling statement he made before.
"We gotta visit the closest river when we get there. I got a few old papers to dump." Ray mentioned, packing his bag.
"Why not just dump the items back in the trash?" Melissa asked.
"Because people are nosy."
Looking through Ray's bags, she noticed nothing is out of the ordinary. Colognes, shirts, and pants were the only thing in his bags.
Then, it was an opened envelope.
Pouring the contents out, the paper contained cut up pieces of identification cards. After spending an hour piecing the items together, three identifications emerged.
The ID's of the missing women.
Melissa's heart sank. Before everything could register, she heard Ray unlocking the door.
YOU ARE READING
Baton Rouge.
RomanceBad boy, good girl, cliche happily ever after ending right? Well, not with Melissa and Jionni. One boy is free to do whatever he wants, while the other is sheltered and has her every move watched by her parents. At Baton Rouge High School, "hood boy...