A Work of Art (a Chris Brown Love Story)

14: All About The Money

He snaked his arms around my waist. "I know I couldn't help what happened to you, but now that I know majority of everything, I'm gonna make it my mission to protect you, I told you I got you baby." I leaned up and kissed his lips. 

"Come on, were gonna be late picking up Ro." We hopped back in his car and sped off down the road.

*

Ever get the feeling something is going to go wrong? Well guess how I feel? I've been shot, I lost my 'job', I was depressed, but even still, my energy is telling me the worst is yet to come. Pulling up in the Tumbling Tots parking lot, the energy got thicker.

I had began to feel uneasy coming here after that day, but it was one of my jobs, so I was learning to get over it. Today, however, I felt like I was all the way back at square one. 

"You feel that?" I asked, Chris. "Like bad energy?"

He furrowed his eyebrows at me before unlocking the door. "Um, no. Well, now I do, because what the hell are you talking about?" I shrugged my shoulders. "I'm gonna stay in here and call my Mom, she'll understand." 

He nodded and walked off. "Okay, Loony." I heard him chuckle to himself. 

I pulled my phone out my pocket and dialed my mom's number, but she didn't answer. Figuring she was taking a nap, I text Kate instead.

Luna: How you feeling today? Any morning sickness yet? Tell Mijo yet?

She immediately replied. Kate: Like crap. Yes and no.

I have no clue why she hadn't said anything yet, but to each their own, I had enough problems, and I was going to have more, I just didn't know it yet. I looked up to see Chris frantically running towards the car. Instead of opening the door, he kicked it and began to scream.

I got out and immediately went over to him. "Did you forget the keys or something?" I chuckled. 

He looked at me and his eyes were dark. They appeared soulless. He spoke soft and slow.

"Ro's not here. They took her, Ella took my daughter."

Christopher Brown

"Wait, what?" Luna asked me for the third time, as if I hadn't said it as clear as day. 

"That bitch took my little girl, Luna! We gotta find out what's going on. Now!" I felt my nerves begin to spark out of control. I needed a blunt, a drink, something right now. "I employed that bald headed, gap toothed bitch.. How dare she? Why is all of this happening to us?" I whispered the last part to myself, but I'm sure she heard me anyway.

I may not have known about Ro from jump, but as soon as I did know, I made her my world from there on. Now what? 

Who am I without Ro? Who's to say what they could be doing to my precious baby girl?

Luna snapped me out of my thoughts. "I'm gonna go in there and find out more information." She spun on her heels and walked into the building. I followed her like a puppy. She stopped at the front desk and smiled slyly to the woman I'd known as Amber.

"Back again?" Amber asked. "I told you, your daughter has already been signed out." She pointed to the sign-in/out sheet on her big brown desk. "By an Ella Winston."

Luna shook her head. "Since when can anyone off the street just come in here and take someone's kid? I work here, so I should know." 

"Then you should know we ask for ID, and the person on the ID must be an authorized person to pick up said child." Luna sucked her teeth. "But this Ella woman is not authorized to pick up Royalty. Just her dad and mom..." She trailed off and looked at me, weirdly. 

I looked at the sign in sheet again where Ella Winston's name was sketched on. "And she's actually dangerous, so we have a kidnapping." I gulped. To say Royalty was kidnapped made it true, and to make it true...

It just doesn't sit right with me. 

Amber sighed and motioned for us to follow her to the back room, behind her desk. She took a seat at another computer as we stood in front of her. "I'm only doing this because your Lisa's daughter and I love Lisa to death." Luna smiled.

"Thank you, but what exactly is this?" 

"The security footage. Hopefully we can see what vehicle this woman was in and maybe that'll give ya'll a lead." I closed my eyes and hoped it did. I need something, anything.

Amber clicked on the monitor a couple times, then turned it to us. "Okay, this is footage from around the time Royalty was picked up. Seems like she took an Uber since she got out the back. Or maybe someone else drove. Yall draw your own opinion."

I looked, waiting for any type of odd behavior until I noticed something.

"Last time I checked, Ella was bald." I observed. Luna nodded. "This doesn't even look like her.. it looks like..." She cut herself off, obviously thinking.

I eyed the monitor again, then gasped.

"It looks like fucking Nia. Nia took her, but why?" I more so asked Luna, but she darted out of the room and down the hall. She almost flew out the door, but I was hot on her tracks.

"What's the matter, baby? Ro's fine, she's with her mom."

Luna scoffed and turned to face me. "Don't you get it, Chris? Nia is linked to all of this as well, I just can't!" She snatched away from me when I tried to touch her.

"No. Not again. Do not shut me out once again because you're.."

"Just stop!" She screamed. "Nia signed Ella's name on that sheet. Nia coerced me to go to my apartment that day while she sat back and 'kept watch', Nia is the one who Ro said was on drugs. All of this shit cannot be a fucking coincidence. I don't have time to play Inspector Gadget with this hoe!" She stopped to take a breath.

"I need to be worrying about my mom. I need to focus on work. Not what sick game is going on between those three."

I shook my head and unlocked the door so she could get in. "But I can't help but know why. Why Nia and Ella and Mrs. Winston would want to kill me, or what they would get out of making you think Royalty was kidnapped. I just.."

I met her stare.

"I think I'm gonna write the story, babe." 

I smirked and nodded my head. That's my baby!

"Okay, but were still missing the why in all this."

"And that's why were going to do some more snooping around. The right place this time."

*

"You remember the plan?" I asked Luna after knocking on Nia's door. She nodded but stayed quiet. This angry and determined Luna was turning me on, but now was not the time. 

Nia opened it, frantic. "Chris! Oh my gosh! When Tumbling Tots called and said Ro had been kidnapped, I didn't know what to do. My first instinct was to call the cops, but I don't want whoever has her, to hurt her, so I'm waiting."

"For what exactly?" 

Nia showed me her phone screen. "4:00. Someone said they would be calling at 4:00. It's 3:51 now." I nodded and sat down on the loveseat by the door.

Luna continued to stand. "Do you think the Winstons have anything to do with this?" She asked. 

Nia looked as nonchalant as can be. "I'm not even sure. I wish I knew why all of this was happening." Not being able to take any more of her lies, I stopped talking until 9 minutes passed. Then, exactly on que, her phone dinged to notify her of a message.

"What does it say?" Luna asked. Nia shook her head and scoffed. "I can't believe this. I should've known!"

"Known what? Where's Ro?" I asked, getting slightly impatient. She made eye contact with me. "They want money."

"Money?!" Luna and I said in unison. 

Nia nodded and sniffled. "Yeah. $500,000 worth of money. By tonight."