In Need of You

Chapter Thirty-Four

"Daddy, daddy!" Madeline said running to Elisha. She wrapped her tiny arms around his waist and placed her head against his stomach. She looked up at him and smiled, flashing a missing front tooth. "Where's Mommy?"

He looked down at her and smiled. Her smile eased some of the stress away. "She's in the SUV waiting to see you," Elisha said, taking her by the hand. He walked with her to the door and saw Ms. Zora taking her rollers out of her head. He waved at her with a smile. If anything ever happened that woman, he didn't know what he would have done. He loved Ms. Zora like she was his grandmother. Everything Grandma was Ms. Zora embodied. He couldn't lose that. Jonah chose the wrong people to fuck with. "Are you ready, Ms. Zora?"

She looked at him for a moment, then looked around the house while grabbing a large tote. "I think I got everything I need for the week."

"Are you sure? I know that I got you up early in the morning. I just want to make sure that you're safe."

"Elisha, son." Zora took him by the hand as she walked out of the door with him and Madeline. "You didn't have to tell me that my life was in danger. You could have left me and Madeline here. But you didn't. I'm grateful for that."

Elisha noticed a black car drive through the neighborhood. He had to get them out of there soon. Opening the door for Ms. Zora and Madeline, he watched them get inside. The same car turned around in someone's driveway and drove passed the house again. Elisha hovered his hand over his gun. Maybe they were lost but at this point, he couldn't take that chance. "Everyone's inside and buckled up?"

Madeline smiled as she watched her great grandmother buckle her up in her booster seat. "We sure are."

Sabrina turned around and smiled at her. "Babycakes, you're growing up so fast. You getting into your booster seat all by yourself now."

"You taught me how to, Mommy," Madeline replied. "And Daddy helped too." 

Elisha hopped inside the SUV and cranked it up. Waiting to see that car reappear, he held his breath. He sighed deeply while closing them. He felt Sabrina's hand caress the top of his. Dad had unearthed a manifold of bullshit against him to see him fall, and it wreaked havoc on his mind and body. If he wasn't smoking more, then he wasn't sleeping. Hell, he tried everything to curve the cravings. The stress outweighed all his efforts. Whenever Sabrina or Madeline wasn't around, he found himself sneaking in two cigarettes. If he were lucky, he would smoke three of those damn things. God always seemed to step in whenever he got to cigarette number three he thought. It never failed to hear Madeline skipping into the living calling for Daisy to come out of hiding.

"I know my eyesight ain't as good as it used to be but isn't that the same car that pulled into Eartha's yard a moment ago?" Zora asked.

Elisha glared at the vehicle as they drove. Whoever was behind the wheel wasn't very keen on being lowkey. On the other hand, that was probably a ploy to get him to chase after him. "Your eyesight isn't failing Ms. Zora. Somebody's body following us."

"What about Amber and Ms. Lori," Sabrina asked. She placed her hand over her stomach and winced. "We've still got to pick them up."

He glanced at her, then directed his attention back to the road. He had to get his wife to a hospital fast. He didn't want to risk driving further out north when he needed to stay east to get to Marol County. "We've got to keep going," he said. Elisha pushed the pedal to the floor of the SUV and swerved into a u-turn. "Hopefully, Edward got my message from earlier."

"My God!" Zora said, holding her heart. "I've got to learn how to drive like your husband, Sabrina."

Sabrina glared at Elisha with wide-eyes, then turned her attention to the review mirror, looking at Grandma's Zora shocked smile. "Be sure to have your seat belt on before you do that, Grandma."