Married To The Game

C: 28 | Motherless Child

I knew Snow was watching my every move, waiting on me to cry and shit, so that gave me all the more reason to drive faster to get her out my face. My mother's killer was out in the streets somewhere. I had shit to do. After interrogating damn near the whole city, I went ahead and called it a day. Now, the family-and news-were aware of my mother's death. My personal phone was ringing off the hook ever since I dropped Snow off, featuring Josh as the main caller. Somehow, I just couldn't find the words to say to him. I had nothing to say to anyone, at this point. Nobody could be trusted.

Pacing back and forth, I stayed up all night coming up with a list of people who had a vengeance or vendetta against my mom. Amanda, despite her drug addiction, was a pure person. There was no reason to kill her. She stopped dealing practically before she started, so it couldn't have been over drugs. Or could it? Who's to say one of her old clients didn't go on a binge, and took it out on her when she turned them down? Or whoever her dealer was didn't want pay back? Everybody in Brooklyn knew who my mother was-and what she did. I couldn't help but to think that what happened to my mom could of happened to me or Snow if Omari didn't get incarcerated. And to make matters worse, I still haven't found out who the motherfucker was in the first place. With limited options, I decided to call Gianni to see if he knew anything-or anybody-related to my mother's death. Picking up on the first ring, I got straight to the point, "Do you know who Amanda Deans is?" "Hello to you, too, Esther. And I heard the news, was she your mother?" "Yes or no, Gianni? Cut the bullshit, okay?" "Amanda was a wonderful person." "Who killed her?" "Now Esther-" "Who killed her Gianni?" The vague answers were screaming THE answer, but I had to hear for myself. "Now Esther, you know i'm a businessman-" "Gianni. If I find out you had something to do with my mother's death-" "Esther. Do you really believe that I would kill Amanda? I had no relation to her." This nigga was giving me Majestic vibes, on some Get Rich or Die Trying shit, and I wasn't feeling it. This wasn't a movie, and I wasn't 50 cent. The price behind my mother's life was gonna be death.

May 2nd

My mother was a true representation of Brooklyn. Seeing everyone come out to celebrate her home coming made me feel—something I haven't did in a while. Raw emotion was something that I avoided being in the game. Shay and Josh flew out to honor my mom too, and, of course, Josh was there with me though the entire ceremony. The eulogy was the hardest part—not because of my mother—but because I wasn't used to the attention and spot light. After pastor Greene finished his preachings, I was the first one out the church. I paid for the funeral to have catering in honor of all my mom's favorite food places, to avoid being bothered with hosting a reception. I knew my absence would be noticed, but I was set on finding my mother's killer.

Making it halfway across the street, I see Josh out the corner of my eye start to come out of the church, probably looking for me. I set my attention back to getting to my car before he starts with the questions. All of a sudden, I feel a presence hovering behind me. Before I could turn around to ask who the fuck was so close, the predator wrapped a black cloth around my face, smothering my face between his oversized hand and the cloth. As I kicked and screamed, I instantly realized my muffled screams and fighting was all together pointless just as soon as they began. The more I fought, the weaker I got for some reason.  Am I really being kidnapped--in broad daylight? Now, I feel my body slipping into a unconscious state, as my eyes ease shut.

"—when she wakes up? I'm not dealing with that, you seen how much she fought when Ace grabbed her." I kept my eyes shut, listening to get as much information as possible. Going over a pothole gave away that I was somewhere in a moving vehicle. Trying not to move too much, I flexed my arms and muscles to see if I was detained by anything-I was- and to see by what. It felt like zip-ties, and a quick peek confirmed that it was. Trying to play sleep in a van that's going what feels like 100MPHS and runs over every pothole possible was damn near impossible. But I managed, all the way until we got to the destination. I listened for any indication of a location but came up short. Finally, the van came to a complete stop, and somebody jerked the van door open. Still playing sleep, my wake up alarm was a bucket of ice-cold water thrown on me. Now shivering, I open my eyes furious. Before I could say anything, the one who threw the water snatches me out of the van.  Before I came to my senses to try to track a landmark or anything that would give away where i'm at, somebody puts a bag over my head, triggering my hyperventilation. Right when I was getting ready to panic, I feel a heavy force, an object--or a fist,  connect to my temple. When I woke up, my head was on ten. My head was pounding, and looking at the dried blood on my clothes, I figured they knocked me out with something hard and heavy.  Not only was my head hurting, my body was sore too. Wherever they had me at reeked of mildew. I tried to move a little, before I realized I was still restrained, and not only that; I was strapped down to a chair. The sound of footsteps made my body go numb with fear.

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