The Last Chapter

and wrapped her arms around his neck. Her blood red painted nails scratched him softly with every caress. Staring into his eyes, it seemed as if he had aged overnight. He was carrying the burdens of a man twice his age, and they were evident in the frown lines that creased his brow.

He shook his head and removed her arms from around him. “Go ahead and get your rest, ma. I’m going to wait to speak with the doctor. I have to find out what happened to her, and I need to make sure she’s okay,” Zyir replied.

Displeased with his lack of attention, Illiana rolled her eyes and sighed angrily as she retreated to Zyir’s bedroom.

Zyir ignored the little show she was putting on. She’s not my chick, just someone to pass the time with. I’ve never given her a reason to think this is anything more than what it is, he justified in his head.

He didn’t want Illiana to become too attached because now that Breeze was back, he knew that one day he was going to have to let Illiana go. He would just have to use tact and be careful with the way he ended things. Illiana was more connected than an interstate highway, and he didn’t want to cross those who she had ties to.

I’ma have to play that situation right. Can’t have a scorned woman fucking up business, Zyir thought.

The doctor finally emerged from his guest bedroom, breaking Zyir from his thoughts.

“Yo, Doc, how is she?” Zyir asked in a low tone. Breeze’s condition wasn’t everyone’s business. He did not want Illiana, or even Breeze herself, to overhear the prognosis.

“After a full physical and vaginal exam, I found that she is in overall good health considering where she was found. A lot of girls coming from her circumstances contract incurable diseases. She is one of the lucky ones. I did find a lot of tearing and bleeding, which leads me to believe that she’s been raped repeatedly for some time now.

“I found antibiotics in her system. Wherever she was, they kept her clean so that she would not infect their clientele with any sexually transmitted diseases. That alone may have saved her life.

“She has a lot of contusions and bruised bones. I even found a hairline fracture on the back of her skull. Those things will heal with time and a lot of rest. There are high levels of heroin in her system, however. She needs to be admitted to a rehab facility immediately. I can recommend some if you would like,” the doctor said.

The more the man spoke, the more dismayed Zyir became. It seemed that every part of Breeze was scarred. His chest tightened as he thought of the men who had violated her and of the abuse she had been forced to endure; all the while, the people who loved her, himself included, had moved on without her.

As Zyir walked the doctor to the door, he relived the moment that he had slipped up and she had been kidnapped. It had been the worst day of his life. The doctor could see the turmoil on his face.

“Thank you for coming and for all of your help,” Zyir stated as he went into his pocket and handed the doctor a decent-sized knot of crisp hundred dollar bills. “We appreciate your professionalism and discretion.”

The doctor knew that Zyir spoke on behalf of the greatest criminal enterprise in the state of Florida. He nodded his head in acknowledgement, but before he was all the way out the door, he said, “My greatest concern for Breeze is her mental stability. She won’t talk about what she’s seen or been through, which leads me to believe that it is too traumatic to relive. I strongly urge you to watch her closely, twenty-four hours a day if you have to.”

“Suicide watch?” Zyir questioned.

The doctor nodded grimly and replied, “Unfortunately, yes. She is going to need a lot of support. She needs to regain her physical health as well as her mental health. No one but Breeze knows the things that she’s been through, so handle her with extreme care.”

Zyir watched the doctor leave and then made his way to Breeze’s bedside. She slept restlessly. Sweat covered her body and she twitched involuntarily as the potency of her last high passed out of her. Zyir got on his knees and grabbed Breeze’s hand as he put his head down. He didn’t want to wake her, only to let her know that he was right beside her and he wasn’t going anywhere.

Illiana awoke to the loneliness of an empty bed and frowned. The undisturbed sheets let her know that Zyir hadn’t been beside her all night. She climbed out of bed and pulled one of his shirts over her head before she went searching for him. Tiptoeing through the house in the dark with ease, she crept to the door of the guest bedroom.

Zyir was so unaware of anything and everyone except Breeze that he did not notice Illiana standing behind him. The delicate way in which he touched her made Illiana sick. There was no misinterpreting his actions toward her.

He loves this girl, Illiana thought as she scoffed and crossed her arms. She walked back to the bedroom knowing that with Breeze Diamond in the picture, she would never secure a spot in Zyir’s world.

I have to get rid of her, she thought as she climbed back into bed. It was the only solution.

Illiana’s features were so striking that they appeared deadly. As the wheels of manipulation began to turn in her pretty little head, she smiled deviously. These were exactly the type of games she loved to play. There was only room for one woman in Zyir’s life, and she was determined to make sure that she was it.

Leena lay in bed with the silky sheets wrapped around her gorgeous physique as if she were a Greek goddess. Her mind spun wildly as thoughts of Mecca filled her head. Her son lay beside her, and Estes rested on the other side of him. On the outside they looked like a happy family, but on the inside, she yearned for something more, something irresistible, something dangerous-and that something was a new life with Mecca Diamond.

Don’t be stupid Leena! He shot you. Don’t go there. Stop thinking with your heart and use your head, she told herself. She could not understand how she could still care for the man who had tried to end her life, but her heart was a puzzle that was too complicated to piece together. It wanted what it wanted, and the more she reacquainted herself with Mecca, the more she wanted him.

There was something about the Diamond mystique that always pulled her in. She had felt the same thing with Monroe, and now that Mecca seemed to be changing, he was magnetic to her as well.

She was so conflicted, so torn over him. Everything in her wanted to hate him. He deserved to be punished for the acts of sin he had committed against her, but seeing his transformation made it easier to forgive. He was slowly changing into a better man. She had known Mecca for a long time and knew that it would not be easy for him to give up the life he had been born into, but he was trying, and that alone impressed her.

The ticking of the antique grandfather clock in the corner of the room kept her awake as her heart raced in the midnight hour. How can you still love him? She asked herself, but she knew that she loved Mecca because it was the next best thing to loving Monroe. They were so much alike that she could not keep up her angry visage toward Mecca. Every time she saw his face she remembered Monroe. Identical in every way except demeanor, Mecca and Monroe were two halves that made up her whole heart. Those two halves equaled the one true love of her life.

Hesitantly, she sat up in bed and peeked over at Estes. His light snoring indicated that he was in a deep sleep. She took a deep breath as she leaned down to kiss her son’s cheek before she slid out of bed. She knew that the decision she was about to make could be detrimental to her health.

I have to see him, she thought as she slipped on her clothes, moving silently through the dark as she dressed. She grabbed her Chanel bag and fished out her keys as she snuck out of the door, hoping that Estes would not awaken before she returned.

Fear, anxiety, and anticipation filled her as she pulled away from Estes’ home. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed Mecca’s number.

“Mecca, I need to see you,” she said as soon as he answered.

Without hesitation, he gave her his address, and she sped through the city streets, her Benz making its way to Mecca’s place in record speed. She sat in front of his building for an hour, listening to the pattern of the rain falling on the roof of her car. It was as if the sky were crying right along with her as her own tears flowed down her cheeks.