whatever it takes - odell beckham jr.

chapter sixteen

"your son?"

i freeze, long enough for her to break out of my embrace and run forward towards the officers. "this is my home!" she cries, looking frantically towards the door. "where's my son?"

"you live here?" the officer nods to ira, who manages to scream out a, 'yes!' before surveying the scene in front of her in a quick manner.

the officer glances between the two of us, nodding his head in the direction of a police car. "the boy's fine, your neighbour is also fine. they're right over there."

ira breaks out into a sprint, before wrenching the car door open to grab out a tiny little boy with a mop of curly brown hair, dressed in pyjamas, seemingly confused by the entire situation. i watch them just for a second, my stomach dropping to my feet.

ira has a son, which means she's most definitely moved on. and even though i have no reason to feel the way i do, i can't stop it. the idea of any other man having a claim on her pisses me off.

i'm now staring at them, noticing the way ira sobs as she clings to him, every so often pulling back to run her hands through his hair before suffocating him with her embrace once again.

my emotions are all over the place i can't seem to focus on one. what if she hasn't got a man?

i certainly don't see a damn male round here, and for real. what kind of man would let this woman walk through the hood all by herself? ira deserves way better. her having a little boy won't be deterring me. in fact, it almost makes me want her more.

⚭

this pretty much goes down as the worst day in my history.

i lost my job, only after being publicly humiliated by my hoe of an ex boss. i managed to gather what dignity i had left and trekked it home, only to be followed by a completely irrational stalker the entire way.

and as if i needed one more thing to go wrong today, i then had my heart about ripped out of my chest when i finally arrived home, only to find my baby sitting in the back of a police car, shaking and terrified because our home had been broken into.

"do you have any idea who could've done this?" the officer questions, as odell hangs back to sit next to my son and trying to calm him down.

my ex boyfriend, who has some random reason to try and pop back into my life, has suddenly become my stalker and is now trying to soothe my child while i speak to the police. there's a lot going on here and it's basically a shit show of epic proportions.

"no, no idea at all. i don't really know anyone here. i just moved here to go to school–" i shrug helplessly. "i know my neighbour and that's about it. i do work in a bar, but i haven't had any kind of trouble with anyone." at least, not before tonight. but while sienna's a crazy bitch, she's not exactly an armed robber either.

"odds are it was a random break-in. these thugs like to pick an easy target. and well, ma'am. a single woman living alone around these parts is, unfortunately, an easy hit. we'll keep you posted with the investigation. as for now, we really need to keep your apartment sealed before our crew goes into it. they did find some shell casings inside, and it takes time to get all of that logged and processed. letting you inside could wreck the scene and damage potential evidence."

my jaw drops. "shell casings. you're telling me they had a gun?"

"yes, ma'am." the officer's mouth sets in a grim line. "luckily, your neighbour was smart. as soon as she heard the racket, she grabbed your boy and barricaded themselves inside of a closet. she called us right away and we were able to get here quickly. it doesn't always work out like that."

my heart is thundering so loudly in my ears. they had a gun, in my home, with my child?

"do you have anywhere to stay tonight?" the officer asks, whilst odell steps forward now carrying sleeping adonis. i can't even find it in me to be upset at odell right now. because for the moment, my son is calm.

"she does. she's staying with me." odell tells the officer, giving me a look that's stern enough for me to keep my mouth shut, only because of my current situation.

"good. i'm sorry, but i can't let you back into that apartment to collect any belongings. it's now a crime scene, and hopefully tomorrow you'll be able to get some things."

"what!" i exclaim, glancing down at my work attire of faded jeans, bar logo t-shirt, and trainers. "i have to get clothes. i can't be going around in this."

"probably by tomorrow." the officer reaffirms.

i throw my hands up, before throwing my head back, forcing the scream that is so ready to escape my lips.

"that should be the least of your worries right now." odell whispers into my ear, seeing the officer being dragged away by another cop. " you seriously was living here, like this?" he hisses.

"yeah and don't look at me like that. the officer said it was a random break-in. it's not like–"

"oh, i'm sure random happens a whole lot round here." he scoffs, hugging adonis a little tighter. "you live here by yourself?"

"no." i try to roll my eyes in a sassy response, but my body is not strong enough for me to process it. my words end up leaving my lips sounding completely deflated. "i live with my son too."

"smart ass. i meant do you live with a man? boyfriend, husband–"

"no, i don't." i finally sigh, watching a big black suv pull up behind us. "it's just adonis and i."

"not for long." he mutters underneath his breath, hoping i wouldn't catch it.

normally, this type of response would make me scowl and fire back something incredibly witty, but i'm not feeling it tonight. my fight has died, and suddenly, all i wanna do is throw myself into a bed, close my eyes and wake up to a new day.

"c'mon." odell takes me by my elbow, leading me towards the awaiting car. "let's get out of here."

i glance back towards my apartment one last time, seeing multiple officers trickle in and out of it. i feel violated, mixed with anger, and a whole lot of fear.

what would of happened if my neighbour hadn't been so quick to think and hide with adonis? the what ifs in this situation nearly makes me wail.

i know in this instant, a rapid change must be made. getting back into grad school in chicago is not worth this type of risk, not when the risk involves the most important person in my life getting hurt.

i'm hoping that if i sleep on it, when i wake up tomorrow, the answer will come to me. i'm too in shock to try and formulate any sensible thought in this moment.