“I was handling some business for my store, and I was robbed.” Wiz lied because he didn’t want to tell the truth and end up losing her.
“Look, babe. There’s a lot we have to talk about when I get home, but listen, love. In here, at all times, you call me Donavan and not Wiz. You got that?” Wiz said. As he was talking, he choked. It was hard for him talk because his mouth was dry.
“Shhh, babe. You need to get some rest. It’s okay, babe. I love you no matter what,” Kendra informed him.
Wiz tried smiling. Kendra’s words had eased his heart. He wanted to tell Kendra the truth, but he figured it would have been best to just wait it out until the time was right.
The nurse returned to the room and said, “Ms. LaSalle, Mr. Davis’ condition is stabilizing. He was shot in the chest, and, by the grace of God, he made it. He’s a survivor. We’ll be moving him from ICU and putting him into his own room first thing tomorrow morning. Does your fiance have any insurance?”
“I’m sorry. We don’t have any at this time, but, whatever the cost, I’ll make sure to pay every penny of it,” Kendra said, smiling.
“You know the life of a drug dealer doesn’t last long. An honest living will make his life a lot easier.”
She’d seen young men like Donovan more times than she cared to count. It really saddened her to see her people go down like that. She thought she could help, but it only made matters worse.
“What the fuck, lady? You don’t know me or my fiance. Who the hell are you to sit here and try to judge our life? You need to get your facts right before you start talking about things you don’t know nothing about,” Kendra yelled.
She was so loud that a doctor came in the room and said, “I’m sorry, but we’re going to have to ask you guys to please leave the room. You can come back tomorrow.”
“C’mon, Ken. Let’s just leave before the LAPD come up in here. I’ll bring you back here tomorrow,” Nia said, grabbing her sister’s hand and escorting her out the hospital. Nia knew her sister all too well. It was taking everything in Kendra not to whoop on the nurse’s ass.
Chapter 16
After a few more days in the hospital, Wiz was finally released, and Kendra was right there, waiting for him. The doctors said it was a miracle that he had survived because the bullet didn’t do much damage. His arm had to stay in a cast from the shoulder down.
As they left the hospital, Kendra spotted Trent’s mother in a room. She saw that she was crying. She whispered to Wiz to give her a few moments, so she could check on a friend. She went to the room and lightly tapped on the door before entering.
“Mrs. Moore, is everything okay? Is Treniyah alright?” Kendra asked.
Concern showed on her face. Although she and Trent were no longer an item, she still cared deeply about the family.
“We’re still looking for Treniyah. She has called once, but she hasn’t called back or come home.”
Mrs. Moore sniffled, trying to compose herself. She wiped away her tears and cleared her throat before speaking. She pointed at the bed and said, “That’s Nicole, lying in the bed. She was beaten really badly. Her mother called and asked if I could stop by. The doctors said she was three months pregnant. The baby didn’t make it. Her condition so far is not good.”
Tears formed in Kendra’s eyes as she remembered that, not long ago, she had threatened Nicole’s life. Deep down inside, she knew she would have never carried out the threat. She had just wanted to scare her bit.
“I’m so sorry. I pray she will be alright. I’ll call you to check up on everything.” Kendra hugged Mrs. Moore once more.
“Wait, Kendra. Before you go… Nicole’s mother did say that Trent was the father. I’m not sure what to believe, but is that the reason you broke up with him?”
Kendra turned to look at Trent’s mother with a nice smile on her face. “That’s one of the reasons,” Kendra said. Then, she waved bye and walked away.
“Babe, who was that? Is everything alright?” Wiz asked when he saw Kendra wiping her eyes. He grabbed her and draped his free arm around Kendra’s shoulder.
“I’m sorry, babe. That was my ex’s mother.”
Wiz’s eyes lit up like a Christmas tree as he played the role of a concerned fiance.
“I can’t believe that girl was nearly beaten to death and lost her baby,” Wiz said after Kendra told him the story.
As they drove home in silence, Kendra said a small prayer for Nicole. A lot had happened, and she wasn’t sure if she could keep herself together.
“Are you hungry?” Wiz asked.
“I sure could go for an Original Tommy’s Burger or a Tam’s burger,” Kendra said, licking her lips like she was already tasting a chili cheese burger. Her mouth was watering. Tommy’s was known to put chilli and cheese on everything, free of charge.
“Yeah, babe. I could go for some Tommy’s, too,” Wiz smiled.
When they arrived at the burger joint, Kendra went inside to order their food. Knowing that the line would be long, Wiz used the opportunity to make a call. Wiz checked in with his boy Drae. Drae had been Wiz’s right hand man since their sandbox days. Drae had been helping Wiz with his mission, but, so far, it had been impossible to catch that nigga Trent. It was Drae who had convinced Wiz to kidnap one of Trent’s family members. Drae had even suggested that he kidnap Kendra, but Wiz had other plans for her. He could still hear Drae’s voice as he replayed the conversation back like he was a tape recorder: “My nigga, the only way to get at that nigga Trent is to kidnap his bitch or mother or sister,” Drae had said with his adrenaline pumping. His index finger was itching. He was ready to body a few niggas. Drae was quick to rock a nigga to sleep by any means, so he stayed close to Wiz. Just like Wiz, Drae wanted to see Trent’s whole family six feet deep.
“Aye, my nig. Anything on that bum-ass nigga who shot ya?” Drae asked once he found out that Wiz was out of the hospital.
“My nigga, it’s no secret. I know who the nigga is that shot me. I looked cuz in the eyes.”
Before he got a chance to finish, Kendra opened the door to the car, so he was sure that she’d heard him on the phone.
“Who shot you?” she asked.
Kendra liked to play the dumb role, but being with Trent for six years had had its perks.
“Huh, baby?”
Kendra had caught him off guard.
“Say. I’mma call you back a little later, so I can talk to wifey,” Wiz told Drae.
“Alright, my nig. Handle that,” Drae said.
After he got off the phone, Wiz turned his attention to Kendra and said, “Babe, who shot me isn’t any of your concern. The only thing you need to concern yourself with is meeting me at the altar in Cancun.”
He tried using a slick approach, and, so far, it was working. Kendra smiled. Then, she said, “I just don’t want no secrets between us. So, are you gonna let the authorities know who shot ya?” She sang the words, trying to be slick and sarcastic at the same time.
“Oh, you think that shit funny, don’t you? Snitch leave her, ma,” Wiz laughed. He opened the bag, grabbed his burger out, and took a bite. Wiz continued to talk with a mouthful of food, “I go by the no snitch law. And where I’m from, snitches get a coffin made just for them. Fuck stitches.”
Kendra looked at Wiz while his seat was reclined. She rolled her eyes at his last statement. Her mind drifted back to Nicole. She said a small prayer for her and the child that she’d lost. She also said a prayer for Trent’s sister Treniyah. She prayed that God would return her safe and sound and untouched. What she did not know was that she was sitting right next to the devil who was the cause of Treniyah’s demise.
“Ken…Ken baby, did you hear what I just said?” Wiz said, breaking her out of her deep thoughts.
“Yeah, babe. I was just thanking God that you’re okay and coming home with me. Lord knows I hated sleeping
