I returned my attention back to my phone. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to take Ms. Addison out for a date, but that’s not why she reached out to me. She needed my help, that’s it. Besides, she had evidence of me committing a crime. What type of woman would want a cold blooded killer in her bed? Granted, I don’t think she actually knew it was me in the video, but still. Once she found out, I highly doubt she was the type to associate herself with killers.
“Yo, did you see this?” Ayzo asked, flipping the laptop back around. “Her grandfather was Ernest Billingsley.”
I shrugged. “Yeah, so?”
Ayzo briefly closed his eyes and shook his head. “You can’t be smart and dumb at the same time.”
I glared at him. “Don’t play with me cuzo.”
“Fine, fine. Ernest Billingsly from Texas is also known as Big E. You know, the former leader of the Reapers and Addison’s grandfather.”
My eyebrows shot up as I took back the laptop. So, Addison had Reaper blood and now she was hitting me up. Could this all be a setup to see if I was going to hold up our end of the contract? I shook my head. No, that wouldn’t make sense. I mean, the Reapers didn’t give a damn who I killed and they for damn sure wouldn’t be asking me for help. I needed to see what this Addison woman really wanted from me. Surely, she didn’t really need my help. Snatching up my phone, I typed out a reply.
Okay, we can meet. Keep me posted when you land in Philly.
Chapter 12
Addison
Iexhaled a breath of relief as I shoved my phone into my back pocket. I couldn’t believe that Mr. Adalyn had agreed to help me. Well, technically he agreed to meet me, but once I explained my situation, I’m sure he’d help me. He had to.
My phone pinged with a message from Bruno. I rolled my eyes and grabbed my purse as I headed out of my dorm. The fact that my grown ass had to have weekly checks from an OBGYN to confirm that my hymen was still intact was absolutely ridiculous. Mr. L knew my entire class schedule, the days and times that I volunteered at the hospital, and my overall daily routine. Hell, when impromptu events occurred, he was the first to know. It got to the point that he only contacted me when I needed to send half naked pictures.
I thought everything was cool and I could make some money by cleaning houses with Akira. To anyone else, it wasn’t a big deal. Of course, that wasn’t the case for me. Bruno’s ass had to snitch and now Mr. L’s ass was going to start checking my location constantly. I guess if I wasn’t being sneaky about it, things wouldn’t have been that bad.
I made my way downstairs and my eyes landed on Bruno. His black beady eyes glared back at me as his nostrils flared. He had a fresh line up and his hair was glistening with that hair in a can for men, but I could still see the small patches of hair that he was clinging on to. I shook my head. I don’t know why he just didn’t cut that shit off and move on. A lot of women liked a dark skin brutha with a bald head and thick beard. Plus, Bruno was about six feet tall and roughly 300 lbs. of muscle - another bonus.
I remember overhearing him brag about how he used to play football overseas and was about to go pro before he tore his ACL. I used to feel bad for him because his dream had been shattered, but when he opened his pompous mouth, all sympathy went out of the window. I didn’t care how fine a man was, once he was disrespectful and said some off the wall shit, he was put on my shit list.
“Serves you right for trying to be sneaky. You and your hoe ass friend that was giving you rides could have cost me my damn job. Now, I don’t micromanage you because I thought you knew better, but now ima be on you like words on a paper.” His deep voice growled.
If I could roll my eyes any harder than I already was, they’d fall out. I looked up at him and squinted my eyes. “Bet if I slipped your Randall looking ass some money, you wouldn’t have snitched to the male version of Ms. Finster.”
“Don’t fucking play with me, Addison.” Bruno barked, his hand grasping my forearm. “I was tasked to make sure you keep your legs shut, but don’t think for one minute that I won’t knock you the hell out.”
“Get bent, bitch.” I spat, snatching my arm away before sliding in the backseat of the car.
I didn’t care how big and intimidating his ass looked, I didn’t take kindly to being threatened. Plus, Bruno was all talk. He knew if he laid a finger on me, the precious merchandise, Mr. L would fire his ass or put him six feet under. If the person buying saw that I wasn’t in proper care, Mr. L would lose out on money.
I heard Bruno mumble under his breath as he slammed the door behind me. This was some bullshit! I hated that I got myself into this mess. Maybe I should have just told Mr. L that I was working. I shook my head. Fuck that! There was no way I was going to tell him that I was making extra money on the side. His ass would’ve either accused me of lying or made me give him everything I earned, and I wasn’t having that.
If only I had found another way to help my grandmother. I mean, I knew my mom had the funds to help or at least she could’ve had one of her many boyfriends help. If I would have just begged and kissed her ass, she might’ve found sympathy and pitched in.
I pinched the bridge of my nose. Who was I kidding? That woman didn’t give two damns about me or her mother. If she wasn’t getting anything out of the deal, then she wasn’t going to put in any effort to aid anybody else but herself. I sighed. Mr. L was my only option.
A thought ran across my mind, causing me to smirk as I relaxed in my seat. Mr. L was going to sell me as a mail order bride. That, I knew for a fact. If Mr. Adalyn wasn’t going to help me, then I’d go along with Mr. L’s stupid plan. I’dallow him to sell me and ship me off to wherever, but then I’d run. I wouldn’t let some strange man touch me – fuck that! I’ll make sure nana had everything she needed and as much as I didn’t want to leave her alone, I was going to escape, and I wouldn’t stop running.
As quickly as the thought crossed my mind, I instantly felt guilty. I couldn’t just leave my nana all by herself. What if the person who bought me complained to Mr. L that I ran away? She could be all the collateral he’d need to get me out of hiding. I sighed and closed my eyes before muttering a quick prayer, hoping that Mr. Adalyn would help me.
We pulled into the parking lot of the OBGYN office, and I shuddered with anxiety. As I stepped out of the car, I tried my hardest to keep up my nonchalant appearance. Deep down, I was scared shitless. I didn’t have a phobia of seeing doctors or getting shots like most people, instead, I was more anxious of what I knew was to come. I took in the one story deep beige office building that had beautiful flowers surrounding the front entrance and swallowed. It was ironic that the office looked appealing on the outside, but on the inside, it was a woman’s worst nightmare.
“Go on!” Bruno snapped, breaking me out of my trance.
I looked over my shoulder with a scowl before heading inside. Walking to the receptionist desk, I checked in. Per usual, everyone here was nice and professional, offering me warm yet timid smiles. They knew what I was about to endure, but they turned a blind eye. Hell, when they could live carefree with a hefty salary, they’d be stupid to tell.
I wasn’t always afraid to see the OBGYN. I mean, in the past, I had the best Black female doctor in the state, but once I gave myself to Mr. L, I had to use the doctors he recommended. I didn’t think anything of it at first until I met him.
“Addison Billingsly?”
