The girls pondered for a while before one of them opened her mouth and let out the sweetest little voice. “What secret?”
“You have each other,” he said calmly.
They looked into each other’s eyes.
“You make sure you hold on to each other tightly and never let go. Do that, and the love will keep you strong. Dontae’ Wade. Remember that. Officer Dontae’ Wade.” He spoke slowly and clearly as he pulled into the parking lot of Child Protective Services. He looked back at the girls directly into their eyes and, with the most honest and truest tone they had ever heard in their young ears, he said -
Ω
They Both spoke the words simultaneously and verbatim. “-I will always be there for you. Always.” He then looked into her eyes. The pretty brown face, he could now make out from childhood, staring up at him with just as much fear now as she had then.
Startled by a dizzying vibration, they both jump. He looked around to see where the buzzing was coming from and realized it was the burner phone that Jessi had given him. He answers.
“Hello”
“Wade, Wilcox and a team of feds are headed for The St. Regis. You’re the target.” She mummers quickly then hangs up.
“We have to go now,” he whispers as he jumps from the floor, grabbing her hand.
She nods and follows him to the door. They rush down the hall and run into doors labeled “stairs.” Dontae’ didn’t want to take the chance of being cornered inside of the elevator. They descend the stairwell in record fashion, finally making it to the first floor. Rochelle stops and falls to the floor.
“I can’t. I need to catch my breath.”
“We have to keep moving. They will be here any second!” He yells.
She nods and starts to run again. They go out the door and to the lobby. They make it to the street, where he could see black trucks with flashing lights headed in his direction. He grabs her and heads the opposite way. They run for about a block, but Rochelle is clearly not in shape to run this fast this long. She falls once again, this time scraping her knee on the concrete.
“We have to keep moving!” He yells with urgency.
“I can’t. I just can’t. You go. Leave me here. They won’t hurt me. They need me.”
“We can’t let them take you.”
“I will be freed after the next show. Just leave me.”
“Do you know what’s going on?” Dontae’ asks, trying to level with her.
“Yes. They just needed me to do a couple of shows. That’s all. Salvita said I had one more tonight, and I will be done. Then I get to go home.”
“Oh my god, Rochelle! You don’t see what’s going on here?! You are a sacrifice! They are going to kill you!”
“No. No. That can’t be true. She, she,” Rochelle’s stammers. She pauses for a second before a moment of absolute clarity slams her.
“She killed herself.” Her face turns cold as the truths hit her. “Now it all makes sense. Dontae’ I think I did something. Something bad.”
A large black SUV slams over the curve, nicking Dontae’ in the process. He hits the ground hard. Wilcox, Harrison, and Ford get out with guns drawn on Dontae’. He slowly stands.
“Wade I told you to leave it alone,” Wilcox states, dismissively shaking his head.
Rochelle steps in front of Dontae’. “Leave him alone!”
“Move bitch.” Ford snarks.
Rochelle panics and pulls Dontae’s gun, and places it on her chin. “I’ll blow my fucking head off right here right now.”
Harrison looks at Wilcox and nods.
The men start to lower their weapons.
“There’s no way this is ending with Detective Wade alive.” Harrison yelps.
“Then we die together.”
“Rochelle, wait.” Dontae’ stops her. “This is not your fight.”
“If I’m going to die, I do it here, now. Not tonight. My last show, remember?” She looks at Dontae’ as to say, “please catch the hint.”
“Shoot the detective,” Harrison directs Ford.
“NO!” Rochelle screams.”
“Rochelle, it’s-“Dontae’ tries to interject.
“Let him go and I’ll come with you.” She yells, cutting off any suggestions from Dontae’.
“What are you doing?” He hastily asks.
She mouths the words: “You better save me.”
“Let him go, and I drop the gun.” She yells to the agents forcefully, so they knew she meant business.
Wilcox looks at the two agents.
“Fuck it.” Harrison brashly states as he throws his head, ordering Dontae’ to leave.
Dontae’ stands there.
“What are you waiting for? go!” Rochelle yells.
Dontae’ takes a few steps and then runs into a nearby alley. He takes a brief look back just in time to see them cover Rochelle and take the gun from her hands. He was relieved that she was safe but terrified about for how long.
CHAPTER XII
The sun was setting on the last day of the world, and Dontae’ Wade was out of options. Rochelle had bought him some time with her little stunt but was that the right move? He could have killed her and ended this all if it wasn’t for one simple fact. After all the bullshit that has happened, he still had trouble believing that the world was about to end. My god, he was also conditioned. A car passed by blasting “give” as he took a seat on a park bench and contemplated what to do next. Where was Rochelle? The time was ticking, and he had to find her fast. Was she in some deep dark dungeon beneath old ruins on the outskirts of town? He had no clue. He looks in the direction of Quest Inc. Rochelle, the other Rochelle, had gone there for a reason.
