Nicki's POV
About two months later. . .
"Where're you going?" I ask Drake as he grabs the car keys from the coffee table in front of me. I'm lounging on the couch and flipping through channels.
"Out."
"Once again, where are you going?"
He sighs dramatically and puts one hand on his hip, then sticks his arm out, girl-like. He smacks his lips and says, "Ugh. I can't do anything around here!" he says in a whiny teenage voice. "I hate you!" He stomps to the stairs and runs up to his room. I hear the door slam.
"Fine! You can go!" I can't help but laugh. Him and his impressions are hilarious.
Drake jogs down the stairs. He gives me a quick peck on the cheek before rushing out the door. "Love you," he calls.
"Love you too!" I hear the front door click shut. I sigh and lay back on the couch, drowsy. I need to do something. I get up and walk upstairs to Drake's room. Just out of curiosity, I open his closet. I remember once that Drake was getting dressed I saw a glimpse of something in there.
I suck in a breath.
It's a memorial. Well, more like a shrine, I guess. There's a huge, blown up picture of a beautiful woman with the skin color of Hershey dark chocolate. She has shiny black hair that goes to her shoulders. Her eyes are a deep brown. She's wearing a gorgeous blue and black knee-length dress. Her smile is small but she definitely looks happy. At the bottom of the paper border of the picture, in capital letters, someone has written REST IN PARADISE, ME-ME! in marker.Then there are signatures all over. Drake's stands out the most. His is the biggest and has the most heart.
We'll miss you dearly, Maliah. I will always love you. -Aubrey Graham
I feel tears spring to my eyes. All I can do is stand there and stare at the signatures. When my mom died, nearly no one cared. It was just me.
I hear a noise downstairs and quickly slam the closet shut. Then I rush out of the room and downstairs.
"Drake! So what was the surpri--" Something whacks the back of my head. The pain explodes throughout my body and then all is dark.
Drake's POV
I stroll through the aisles of the grocery store. I throw some cookie-scented candles, some brownie mix, some birthday candles, a can of vanilla icing, and a bunch of roses into my cart. I buy my items and leave the store.
I pull up to the house, grabbing all of the bags from the trunk. I carefully take my keys open and quietly open the door. I set my bags down and gently close it. Then I lug the bags to the kitchen and creep upstairs.
"Nicki, baby," I whisper. "I'm ho-ome."
I open the door to my room to emptiness. I frown. I search the entire house but I can't find Nicki. Did she go out?
"Nicki!" I call, not trying to be quiet anymore. Now I'm panicked. I run from room to room again, still finding nothing. I come to the living room and find a note.
We have her. Come and get her if you want, but it's going to cost you. Not moneywise. Meet us at this address:
1894 Sixwai Drive
Be there in less than an hour or she and the baby dies.
I rub a hand over my face. I can feel the anger building up. I have no idea why they're after her or how they know we have a baby on the way, but I intend to find out.
I call up Wayne and Noah on a three-way call.
"Yo," says Noah.
"Wassup," says Wayne.
"Nicki's been kidnapped," I say, my voice thick with anger. "We gotta go get her."
"What's the address?" Noah asks almost immediately.
I tell them and we agree to meet up at the house. I race upstairs and throw on some black clothes because it's dark outside. Then I run out to my car and floor it, running lights and going beyond the speed limit, but I don't give two shits.
I pull up to the address to find Wayne's car parked there. He and Noah lean against the trunk. Both of them are armed with pistols.
"Here." Noah tosses me a gun as I exit my car. The cold metal feels wrong in my hands, yet it feels like it's calling to me, telling me I need to do this. . .
No. I'm not killing anybody. Just a threat.
We tiptoe to the door. I push the door open and we step in. The place is huge. It looks new, too, like it was just built. There's no furniture.
"Aaaaahh!" I hear. I motion for the boys to follow me.