Dave
"Whatchu even saying?"
"I'm saying the tour cancelled" I sent the photos I took of the display and sent it to my PI.
"Why all of a sudden? what happened?" Steph was in our bedroom getting dressed for the day. We decided the other day the kids didn't have to go to school and we'd go out and spend the day together but change of plans
Nobody leaving this house
It was the next morning and I had workers clear out that mess in the front after taking photos. Before anyone woke up I made sure they was working down there
"And now you want me to stay in the house with you and the kids and you not telling me nothing. We had a whole day planned out remember?"
I watched her as she slid into some yoga pants. I don't want to tell her everything about what's happening but I know I'm going to have to tell her something
Last night, I told O and Sean to enter from the back way towards the studio area in the basement. O be on some IT tech shit always has been. We walked around the house just checking if anything was broken into, checking the cameras he going through those seeing if they all working.
He found two unknown cameras connected in my house. I left them on and going with the flow, like it's some normal day.
I don't ever lie to Stephanie. "come here."
She stared at me through the mirror before sliding her shirt over her head and putting it on as she walked towards me "what's going on hmm?" She smoothed in between my brows "wrinkles. Talk to me peanut"
I pulled my phone out unlocking it as the photos popped up and I handed it to her " hmm" I balled my fist up getting mad all over again
Stephanie scrolled through the photos in silence as she zoomed in on the three small figures she cried "Whoever doing this got two surveillance systems set up in the house. One in the foyer one in the family room."
She got up quickly towards the closet dragging out a bag cursing underneath her breathe "fuck fuck fuck"
"Stephanie." I moved from out my seat trying to calm her down "mamas calm down please"
"Nah ain't no calm down. My children's lives being threatened. And you want me to stay and do what exactly ?! Huh?!"
I engulfed her stopping her from moving around "I thought you I got you. Let me protect y'all steph please. I already got things working on this shit. I promise it'll be handled by the end of the week"
She cried as she wrapped her arms around my torso. She fell to the ground as she stared at my phone again
We sat in silence for a few minutes until she had something to say. She pointed at the photo at the pendant that was around her cutout "do you have this?"
I nodded my head as I went into the closet pulling out the burnt gold pendant thing and handed it to her. She cried even more as I rubbed her back
I don't know what was going on
As she wiped her tears more just continued to fall.
" I've been meaning to tell you, but you were on tour always busy and I didn't want to put my shit on you, you know?"
"Nah I don't know. Yo issues, problems, solutions, whatever it is, is mine to. I don't care what I'm doing if I'm taking a shit on the toilet or performing in front of thousands talk to me Stephanie.
She smiled softly as she traced the pendant " I've still been going to therapy you know. We talked about some things and the topic of my family came up. My dad is from little london, Jamaica. I loved being there you know it was a close knit family there
We attracted tourist activities sometimes nothing major usually people who wanted to do excursions. that's where my parents met. My dad helped with excrusion activities like ziplining, bamboo river rafting scuba diving, whatever
My dad told me that's how him and mom met. She was on vacation and he was a guide for the bamboo river rafting. They had small talk sparked interest and one thing led to another"
She laughed lowly as she stared at the wall reminiscing on the past " She stayed in Jamaica to be with him, never told her family anything. She was in my life until I was what? A year old, then just left one day I'm told. They were from two different worlds she wasn't cut out for living there. So it was just me and dad and I was okay with that. I liked helping out at the shop and swimming whenever I wanted to, and going down to the market with him.
When I was ten that's when dad got sick, really sick" I handed her a tissue as she finished. " One day he didn't wake me up like he usually did and when I went to his room I knew he was gone. I spent a couple months alone taking care of myself. One day coming back from the market a van was outside my house.
The landlord couldn't let me stay because I wasn't paying so he called my mother, who was basically a stranger to me. Seeing her after all those years and the first thing I could think was "she hates me"
I don't know why she even made me live with her, I was a product of adultery. My mother was married"
I was kind of getting the picture of where this was going but imma let her continue because this is the first time Steph has been so opened about her past, and I don't press her for no information either cause I know she'll tell me when the time is right for her. But All in all I'll kill an old bitch I don't give a fuck, birth giver or not.
She got up and paced the floor "anyways stayed with her until the age of 18 then I left on my own. Her husband hated me, everytime he saw me it was a walking, talking picture of her cheating on him"
She finally stopped walking and faced the window looking out " he started touching me when I was twelve, the bearings didn't come till I was fifteen, no one ever came to my rescue. The person I thought
who would; knew what was happening to me and did nothing ... I thought I'd die in that house
I wanted to take my own life when I was only fourteen. Started drinking at thirteen seeing as this was my life now"
I pulled her away from the window turning her around to see no more tears coming from her eyes. "Baby— I let Dwayne beat on me knowing I should have left. I let him manipulate me into thinking he loved me. He he he he hit my child, MY AYANNA, and I didn't know about it. What kind of mother am I ?
Am I like my own mother?" She gripped the pendant as she cried some more into my chest
"She looked down as I did the " I saw this on her the day she picked me up."
"So why she tryna off y'all ion get it."
She laughed as she threw the necklace at the wall " Ayanna, me, Amaya, and Amir, we're dirty laundry. And they don't want that information coming out. I'm making a name for myself in the Industry. Questions will be asked, history will be dug up if not already"
She pulled her phone out searching something on Google " and they'll try to win no matter the price."
She turned the phone showing me a picture of a couple with the headline
Race Results: Glenn McDonnell in the lead for Governor
In photo: Glenn McDonnell with wife Ashley McDonnell
"If she loses this race for him because of her past actions it's not gonna be pretty so she's getting rid of the evidence "
I grabbed her phone smirking looking at Glenn and Ashley McDonell. All I needed was a name. I missed the top of her head. "You are a wonderful mother . You hear me."
I tilted her chin up to look up at me " listen to me on some real shit. You are more than enough. You are a beautiful and wonderful mother, a beautiful human being that deserves the world. What them people did to you they deserve to rot in hell. It's not your fault baby"
She cried hugging me as I rocked her back and forth letting her let it all out
" why you make my momma cry?"
Looking up I seen Amaya come in rubbing her eyes and scratching her belly
I kissed the top of Steph's head " go ahead and take your time I'll get the kids ready"
She nodded her head as she went to Amaya to reassure her " I'm okay baby. Dave didn't make me cry I just hurt myself on something and he was making sure I was okay that's all"
"Oh ok. Mag I have a hash brown pretty please"
I scooped her up in my arms " yes you may only if you help me ake up your brother and sisters" I put my pinky out as she grabbed it
"Deal"
We walked out as I closed the door letting Steph have some time to herself. I put Amaya down as she ran to Ayanna's room.
I pulled my burner phone out calling the one person I knew that could handle this situation. He was one of the best there was and I wanted him to handle this. I wanted it clean and easy
If they wanted blood ....
They better be ready to die.
The call connected as I heard silence indicating he was listening.
"Seen the polls for the candidates for governor lately? lovely family in the lead; heard they're campaigning downtown Langley Saturday around 10"
The dial tone could be heard as he got the message so I hung up the phone
Wellp
Burn in hell.
Amir came out his room scratch his belly staring at me crust in his eyes and all
" Dad, I want a bagel"
________________________________
Stephanie finally reveals her past to Dave and 1 +1 = 2
I wanted to name the chapter "fuck yo grandma" but didn't want to give nothing away so soon 🙃
_________________________________
Sorry for any grammatical errors
AN: next chapter is the last chapter 😭
Fran 💕