The whitish gray light receded the darkness. I saw her eyes before I saw any other part of her. They beckoned me to follow her away from the horrifying memories. She was and had always been my savior, mi 'angel. My angel always stood just out of my reach. I watched as she floated farther away from me. Her sandy brown hair floating around her shoulders in waves, as if blown by a light breeze.
"Wait, wait for me Angel." I called after her. Her laugh floated back to me, a husky seductive sound which clawed at my senses. I tried to put more effort into catching her. But my legs were tangled in something that I could not see. I tried to free myself from the invisible restraint but I became more tangled for my effort. I could not move. So I watched helplessly as my angel floated out of sight. She wore a mournful expression as she went. I then heard a whisper in my ear.
"Don't worry baby your angel isn't going anywhere."
The voice startled me out of my dream and back into my condo in Miami, held captive by my bed sheets that was now at the moment tangled around my legs. My body was damp from the night sweats that I had while I slept. Kandi a beautiful blonde who looked as if she could be Scarlett Johansson's twin was trailing her hand up my thigh at a slow steady pace.
"Kandi, what the hell are you still doing here? You know I like sleeping alone." I asked. Irritated I flung her hand off of me and slid out of bed. She gave me one of her pretty pouts and then licked her full lips until they were enticingly wet.
"I know papi, but Kandi didn't wanna sleep alone." She said.
Kandi dropped the blanket she was wrapped in to expose her left breast. I rolled my eyes and took a deep breath, why did they all have to be so damn clingy.
"Look Kandi, before this all goes to hell, get your clothes on and leave. I'm going to take a shower, be gone by the time I get out, oh and lock the door behind you."
I turned my back on her and went into the adjoining bathroom. As the bathroom door closed glass shattered against it. Shit, it was definitely time for me to fire Kandi ass. I walked over to my walk-in shower, turned it on to steaming hot. Slowly, I eased under the hot spray of water; it instantly began to relax my muscles. I closed my mind off to all thoughts especially of those that included the dream.
Once I had let the water soak into me I then proceeded to wash Kandi off of me. After I showered I didn't bother with a towel I left the bathroom naked and rock hard. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea throwing Kandi out so soon. My erection quickly deflated when I saw the condition of my room. Pissed off I left my bedroom and raced down the stairs two at a time. My front door was wide open and Kandi had taken the liberty of writing fuck you on my living room wall in hot pink lipstick.
"That's real classy Kandi." I muttered to myself as I shut my door. I guess I wasn't going to have to fire Kandi since she'd just quit, oh well. I then walked into my kitchen and took out a carton of orange juice and took a swig out of the jug. The phone rang and I grabbed the one on the kitchen wall off its cradle.
"Yeah?" I answered.
I took another swig, and then put the juice carton back into the fridge.
"Are you planning on coming into the office anytime today?" It was my partner Kenyon.
"Yeah, I'm coming, give me twenty minutes. Did Morris messenger the check over as promised?" I asked as I reached for the box of cereal in the cabinet.
"It was here at eight this morning." Kenyon replied.
"Good, what time is it?" I asked, grabbing a spoon out the silverware drawer, beginning to eat the cereal out of the box.
"Let's just say we'll be closing in four hours."
"Oh yeah, what time is that?" I asked.
"I'll see you when you get here," He said.
Kenyon was getting sick and tired of my bullshit, but who gave a shit. He held down the fort and dealt with the business end. I busted my ass and went where even Jesus wouldn't go to find whoever our clients were looking for. When he learned the meaning of teamwork, our lives would be much less confrontational. After I was done eating I went back upstairs to dress, I threw on a black t-shirt and a pair of blue jeans, and I grabbed my keys and was out of the door not bothering to look in the mirror.
In my driveway I gave my baby a once over to make sure there was no scratches marring her paint. I wiped a smudge off the passenger door handle, and continued my inspection. Once I was satisfied that my baby had not been violated through the night, I hit a button on the key and she instantly roared to life. Only if a woman could be so obedient. I took a deep breath at my wishful thinking and climbed into my Camaro. I shifted it into first and eased out of the driveway.
Before going to the office I stopped by the corner store to get some gas. When I climbed out of the car, I spotted Steve an old homeless alcoholic. From my understanding Steve had not always been homeless, they said he used to be this big time real-estate tycoon, but ended up losing his shirt during the Regan administration, after that his wife and kids. He turned to alcohol and the ending to that story is the present we now see today.
"Hey Antonio, my man, give me two dollars so I can get something to eat." Steve said.
"Damn Steve, all I have is my card on me, no cash." I replied. I made a show of patting my pockets. "How about you come in with me and I'll buy you something to eat with my card." I called over my shoulder.
Steve stood there for a second as he tried to debate if he should press the issue of cash so he could buy a quart or if he should take the free meal. I guess free meal won out because he rushed after me into the store. In the store Steve went down each aisle and grabbed something or other off of each shelf. He looked like he was on a game show that allowed you to keep everything for free that you were able to snatch in less than sixty seconds. I watched Steve for a second and turned my attention to the cashier behind the counter. She was a sexy ass black chick named Ti'esha. Ti'esha's ass was fine from head to toe.
She knew it too and if you didn't when you met her by the time you left her you wouldn't ever forget it. I came to the store every day on my way to work and the farthest that I had ever got with her was a smile and have a nice day. I approached her from the side not bothering to get in line since I was still waiting on Steve to finish up.
"Hey Ti'esha, how's your day going so far?" I asked with a smile. When she saw me, she gave me a coy smile that females give when they definitely dug you but tried to play hard to get.
"Hey Antonio, I'm fine and you?" She asked as she took money for a refill on coffee from an annoyed customer who thrust his change in her hand.
"I'm good, I would be better though if you finally would agree to let me take you to dinner." I replied.
I looked her up and down on the sly while her attention was on another customer.
"Hey, do y'all have French Fries already cooked?" Steve yelled from somewhere in the store.
"Hell no, this is a convenient store not Burger King." Ti'esha yelled back then rolled her eyes.
"Hurry up Steve I ain't got all day." I called out to him.
"He better put everything on the counter too or else I'm gonna give him somewhere to sleep tonight." Ti'esha mumbled to herself.
"So what time do you want me to pick you up tonight?" I asked. I leaned forward and got a nose full her Victoria Secret's body wash. Damn, the scent invoked my imagination; I could see her spread eagle on my bed wearing nothing but a sexy ass smile.
"I didn't, Antonio you know I'm married." She answered with a flirtatious laugh.
"I know your husband wouldn't mind if I fed you." And myself too, on her. I tried to suppress a grin.
"Stop playing Antonio, my husband would kill me and you both, so stop trying to tempt me cause I love my life." She said, eyeing me with a look that said just the opposite. Okay she needed a little more time, but soon real soon.
"If you truly love life , you would be experiencing the best things it had to offer, not making excuses because you happened to make the wrong decision when you were younger. If I'm willing to look over your husband Ti'esha, why can't you?" I asked, as I looked into her eyes, trying to see if she was falling for any of what I said.
At that moment Steve put what seemed to be the contents of the entire store on the counter, some items spilled over to the floor. I appraised what was there and picked up a pre wrapped hamburger, a bag of chips, and a soft drink.
"He'll take this and I'll have thirty on pump four, Steve man put the rest of this stuff back." I said, pulling two twenties from my wallet.
"I thought you said that you didn't have any cash Antonio, man?" Steve said as he eyed the change Ti'esha placed in my hand.
"Shut the hell up and put this shit back. And it all better damn well make it back to the shelves, or you better believe they got a jumpsuit to fit your ass." Ti'esha said, while placing a hand on her hip, and pointing him in the direction of the store shelves.
"Alright Ti'esha, same time same place tomorrow?" I asked laughing at her and Steve's relationship, because I knew for a fact she would have fed him if I hadn't come through.
"You know it, Latino heat." She replied with a smirk. Once I had pumped my gas I made my way to the office. When I walked in our assistant Sherry was running her mouth ten miles per hour nonstop. She barely acknowledged me, except to say you're late.
"Do I have any messages, are have you had the line tied up all morning with your personal phone calls?" I asked. I tilted my head to the side and gave her a look that said; get your ass off the phone.
"Shush, Antonio this is my agent telling me about a commercial they're casting for." Sherry replied with a frown that you would use on an annoying kid brother and not your boss. So I did what any self-respecting kid brother would have done. I snatched the phone cord out of the wall. When she realized that she was no longer talking to her agent but to dead air, she gave me a horrified look and yelled out Kenyon's name. Kenyon raced out of his office.
"What Sherry, did you get the part?" Kenyon asked. He came to a stop right in front of her desk.
"Kenyon, Antonio is in one of his bitch made moods. He just snatched the plug out of the wall while I was getting directions from my agent." Sherry explained. She stood and slammed the now useless telephone down on her desk.
"She is being paid to do a job, were not paying her to sit around to wait for another job to come through." I said. I walked away and headed for my office. Kenyon followed me and closed the door behind him.
"You had the dream again last night didn't you?" Kenyon asked.
I shot him a harassed look.
"Why does it have to be the dream?" I asked as I went through the stack of mail on my desk.
"Because you're later than usual, and it would explain the pissy mood your in." He said.
"You don't know shit. Sherry should be doing her damn job, and not making us miss out on potential money, because she has the damn line tied up with her agent." I replied. I tossed the mail down on my desk and leaned back in my char.
"Didn't you put her in contact with that agent?" He asked. Kenyon gave me a look that said I was being an ass.
"Your point is?" I asked.
"My point is you get like this every time you solve a case and bring another girl home, yet not being able to find your own sister."
"I'm not taking any more cases for a while, I have got to find her, and I'm only wasting precious time taking on those other cases hoping one of them might lead me to her." I said. I turned to look out the window of my office. I thought about my last case which had led me to Pakistan. Fucking Pakistan, if I could track and find a stranger's daughter all the way in Pakistan, why could I not find my own damn sister? I swear every time I find another girl it feels as if I'm failing my mother and sister all over again.
"You can't do that and you know it, if you do we will go under, those cases are our bread and butter. Not the husband with the two timing wife or the wife that has suspicions that her husband has a thing for young boys. They pay top dollar for the best and you Antonio or the best." Kenyon explained calmly. It pissed me off to know that he was right. My condo, car, and this office building were mortgaged out the ass and if we slip we fell.
"Be patient Antonio, the time will come when you're able to give a hundred percent to searching for your sister, but right now, you are going to have to split looking for her up with looking for these rich folk kids on their dime."
At that moment I hated him for telling me the truth but that is what friends were for, telling us the gospel even when we would have preferred the lie.
"Do I have any messages?" I asked. I changed the subject; I didn't want to swallow anymore of that medicine.
"As a matter of fact you do. A Dr. Nichols has been calling for you, she says that she got your card from a mutual friend and would like to meet with you next week. She wouldn't go into it with me over the phone but she said time was of the essence and she will need your services ASAP. I put her through to Sherry and she set her up an appointment for Wednesday at nine a.m." He said, as he stood and headed for the door.
"If she is in such a hurry to meet with me, why isn't she here today instead of waiting until next week?"
"It seems that she has to travel by boat. She doesn't think customs will clear some of her possessions." He said.
Kenyon shrugged and walked out my office. What the hell was that supposed to mean? Probably some spoiled rich girl who wanted to bring in some exotic flower or fruit that's against customs regulations.
Sometimes I missed the five years I spent as a detective for the missing persons unit. I helped people on a daily basis to find their loved ones or gave them closure when I found there remains. At the end of the day I felt good about being able to give those people a gift that was never given to me, a second chance. Since I had started my own P.I. business, I felt no better than a whore giving my services to the highest bidder and it began to take its toll on me. I worked in the office for the remainder of the day. I cleaned out my files and went over the bills that accumulated while I was in the field. I also prioritized my case load. By six o' clock when it was time to close shop I had went over the invoices with Kenyon and touched basis on what needed to be paid and what could wait.
"So Kenyon what's on tonight for you and April?" I asked as I followed him out of his office and to the alarm system by the front door. He punched in the code and we left the office building. Sherry had left two hours before.
"Nothing. April and I decided to cool it for a while." Kenyon replied. He fell in step with me and we walked toward the parking lot a block over.
"What, I thought you were crazy about her? You said the sex was right, and how couldn't it be with an ass like that?" I asked, laughing when Kenyon glowered at me.
"She wasn't satisfied with our current relationship, she was talking marriage and I just wished she would stop talking," He said.
Marriage, she was a dancer he met in the strip club while working on a case last year. No this bitch didn't have the nerve to be talking marriage?
"What's wrong with women always wanting to define relationships that's already been defined before we even get the number? April should feel lucky you dealt with her and not just on a sex level, seeing that is her business and all." I said with disgust.
"Shut the fuck up Antonio, you don't know what the hell you are talking about. April was a good girl and the only reason she danced was to put her through law school. I just wasn't feeling her like that. She was cool to kick it with but I just didn't see myself settling down with her." He replied as he kicked a rock off the sidewalk.
"Yeah and it had nothing to do with the fact I've seen her naked?" I asked.
"What woman in Miami have you not seen naked? Show me that woman and she would be the woman I would gladly marry and pump full of babies." Kenyon said.
"Well I think I will hit the Dimes for a couple of drinks and a few lap dances before I turn in, you know I got to wind down after a long day at work." I said, pressing the button on my key and smiling when my baby purred daddy.
"What no Kandi? That's all you whined about while you were in Pakistan," He said.
"I had to fire that bitch, she went 'Waiting to Exhale' on my ass. I thought only black and brown chicks knew how to do that shit. Now I got to reevaluate my whole thought process of the reason I fuck with white girls in the first place. I swear their genetic make-up is starting to evolve. In a minute the white chicks will be cutting up just like the black and brown ones," I said. I climbed in my car and rolled down the windows.
"See you tomorrow Antonio, and please try to set an example for Sherry and be on time." I heard Kenyon say right before I turned on Rick Ross's Boss and drowned out him and the outside world.