Trouble

Back in her apartment—Quisha prepared for her cousin’s guests. She wouldn’t be attending the party herself. After she exhausted herself straightening up she went to her bedroom and remembered the photo she found in her mother-in-law’s office.

She went and took it out of her purse and sat on the edge of her bed and studied the photo. She was still intrigued. The eyes that stared back at her were distinctly Elizabeth’s. All of her children inherited her eyes. As she studied the photo her phone rang, startling her back to reality. It was Chad.

“Hi. How are you? he asked. “I miss you,” he added without thinking.

“You do?” she asked.

“Of course I do,” he said.

“How sweet,” she replied.

“Um, I’m calling to let you know I will be out of town for two weeks. I’m going to California. Feel free to stay at the mansion…”

“Oh, ok.”

“Mariam knows I won’t be there, but I told her you may be staying,” he said. Mariam was his maid. Quisha didn’t really care for his maid; she always seemed to be calculating and she didn’t like Quisha.

“She won’t be there will she?” Quisha asked.

“No if you don’t want her to be,” Chad said. “You don’t like her?”

“The better question—does she like me?” I don’t care one way or another, but if she’s not there then I would actually appreciate it,”

“Ok,” he said.

Quisha was slightly taken aback at Chad being so willing to do something she asked.

“Chad,” Quisha said, treading very carefully.

“Yeah,” he said.

“Um. Did your mother have any children besides you and your siblings?”

“Why would you ask that?” he asked.

“No reason,” she said immediately sorry for the question.

“No, you’re not going to ask something like that and then just shut up. Where is this coming from?” he asked.

“I told you. It’s nothing,” she reiterated.

“I’ll find out. I have ways of getting the information I need,” he said suggestively. Quisha knew what that tone meant and laughed.

“Are you going to miss me?” he asked.

“Maybe,” she said and laughed again.

Then Chad got off the phone and called up Mariam.

“Mari,” he said. “next weekend you don’t have to worry about the house. I’ll pay you for those weeks. I will be out of town,” he told her. He didn’t bother to tell her Quisha didn’t want her there. He didn’t know Mariam like that and didn’t know if it would hurt her feelings or not.

“Ok,” she said. “Have a safe trip.”

* * *

“Mariam said Chad wouldn’t be home for two weeks,” Thaddeus told Spencer. Thaddeus had a hand everywhere; keeping housekeepers in wealthy areas was his bread and butter.

He was responsible for a large number of thefts in wealthy communities. As his reach increased, he needed more maids—women who could fly under the radar and do his bidding without raising the alarm of homeowners who trusted them.

* * *

Quisha kept a few things at the mansion but packed up a small suitcase since she’d be spending two weeks there. It was legally her home anyway.

“Why don’t you just give up the lease on your penthouse and move in with Chadwick Allencourt?” Heavenlee said in a mock haughty voice when she called Quisha one night to check up on her. “Since you got married I don’t see you at the club anymore.”

“Chad and I agreed I wouldn’t dance while I was married to him,” Quisha said. “He gives me a nice allowance.” Afterward, she felt funny about how that sounded. Marriage was important to her and so was her independence, but here she was making a mockery of it and for what? A large sum of money she reminded herself silently.

“You ok?” Heavenlee asked when Quisha got quiet.

“Yes, just thinking. How are you doing by the way? Tell me more about Donte,” Quisha asked to take the focus off of herself.

“Oh, we’re fine. But between you and me…Thaddeus has got something up his sleeve. What, I don’t know. He’s focused on Donte and I don’t know why. As a matter of fact, he thinks he looks like your husband.”

Quisha’s ears pricked up.

“What? Why would he say that?”

“He said they have the same eyes,” Heavenlee responded.

The picture of the little boy came back to her. The eyes were very similar to Chad’s. Could there be a connection?

“How much do you know about Donte?” Quisha asked.

“Wow, now you’re sounding like Thaddeus. Is there something special about this guy or something?”

“No. I’m just being nosy,” Quisha said and then changed the subject. “You really need to leave Thaddeus alone. He’s bad news,” she added.

“I know,” Heavenlee said. “But, he’s the one that rescued me from the streets.” She had been kicked out of the house at sixteen for being fast as her mother put it.

She was tall and pretty and ripe for the picking for someone like Thaddeus to take under his wing and mold into what he wanted.

Picking young impressionable girls off the street and tricking them to the highest bidder. That was how she met Thaddeus. He was one of her customers but when he saw her, he saw something else—a dancer with a lean, busty body.

Thaddeus went to Freddy, her pimp and talked about a deal. What that deal included Heavenlee never found out but she knew money changed hands.

Is he still holding that over you?” Quisha asked.

“Yes, but I allow it. I really do owe him. He would never let me pay him back and he won’t tell me how much he gave Freddy... I don’t want to talk about it,” she said.

Quisha got off the phone with her friend and drove thirty minutes to the mansion. It was around nine when she let herself into the side entrance. She’d never stayed there without Chad and it felt a little spooky. She laughed to herself. What could possibly happen to me in this neighborhood? She thought.

At the club, Heavenlee was preparing to dance when Thaddeus came into the dressing room.

“You get that information for me yet?” Thaddeus asked Heavenlee as she applied glitter lotion to her neck and cleavage.

“No, give me some time. I’m working on it.” She said.

“Don’t keep me waiting.” He said and smacked her behind as she walked past him.

Heavenlee had no idea that he was going to setup Chad’s mansion. She had no clue as to how far and wide his wealthy community theft ring reach was. Thaddeus had wanted to hit Mr. Chad Allencourt for a while.

Chad’s arrogance and penchant for flaunting his wealth made him a mark. Thaddeus knew he kept large sums of money on the premises based on the previous maid he had working there, but her greed had gotten the better of her, and she was ultimately fired by Chad and put in the hospital by Thaddeus himself, who didn’t have a problem beating up on women.

* * *

Quisha went to the master bedroom, took off her clothes and then got into the Jacuzzi whirlpool tub. In the master bathroom she let the bubbles relax her.

This is the life; a girl can get used to this, she thought and settled deeper into the water as she recalled the few times she and Chad had made love in the Jacuzzi. An hour later she was down in the gourmet kitchen. She poured herself some wine and walked around the home. Chad had expensive tastes, but it was all very masculine.

After her impromptu tour she turned out the lights and headed upstairs. In the king-sized bed she lay on the luxurious sheets and fell into a deep sleep.

Quisha didn’t know how long she’d been asleep when she heard a loud thump and then a clatter. She sat straight up and strained her ears. She was startled, but she assumed that Chad had come home earlier than expected.

“Chad is that you?” she called out before venturing out of the bedroom. She turned on the light and went out into the hall towards the steps. Suddenly she was grabbed from behind and picked up and taken downstairs. She struggled and kicked against the strong man who had her in his arms.

“What the hell,” a man in a ski mask said when Quisha was brought into the kitchen.

“T said the owner would be out of town,” the man in the mask continued.

Quisha struggled to no avail.

“What do we do with her?” the man holding her asked.

“Damn,” the man in the ski mask said. “Who are you?” the masked man asked.

“Quisha—I’m the owner. Get out!” she said still struggling. The men laughed.

“Yeah right,” the man in the mask facing her said.

“It’s true. I’m married to the owner,” she stressed.

Again they were skeptical.

“Look, bitch, we don’t care who you are and why you are here but we have things to do and then we will be on our way.”

“Tie her up,” the man in the mask said. “Did she see your face?”

“No, I grabbed her from behind.” her captor said.

“I told your ass to wear a ski mask,” he went over and grabbed Quisha by her arms and said.

“Go look for something to cover your face and then find something to tie her up,” he commanded.

“You kinda fine,” the masked man said. “Who are you really? A high-priced call girl who he lets sleep over?” the man asked and looked at her silk chemise barely covering her shapely body.

“Don’t try anything stupid,” she said bravely and hoped she didn’t put ideas in his head.

“Don’t worry. Unlike the owner of this mansion, I don’t have to pay for pussy,” he smirked.

Quisha had a retort but thought better of it. The other thug was back in minutes with one of Quisha’s scarfs wrapped around his face and head and some rope that he found in the garage.

“Ok, owner of this fine mansion. Where is the safe?” the masked man asked.

“Safe? I don’t know anything about a safe,” Quisha said truthfully.

The masked man took a deep sigh. “Ok, no games. I’m not the one to fool with. Again, where is the safe?”

“Honest, I don’t know,” Quisha said and started to tremble, knowing she was in real danger.

“Just as I thought—this trick doesn’t own this place. Tie her ass up,” he said and went into the other room to call Thaddeus.

“Hey, T, you said this place was empty. There’s some bitch here. Nah, man, she didn’t see my face. I got a ski mask on. Where is that damn safe?”

Three thousand miles away, Chad was unaware that his wife was in peril and his home was being burglarized.

“Everything ok?” a man he was doing business with asked as they sat in a gentleman’s club.

“Everything is fine,” he said. But something felt funny in his soul. He wanted to call Quisha.

“Will you excuse me?” he asked and stepped into a hall where there was less noise. He had fallen in love with her and wanted to talk to her. Bryan would laugh at me, he thought to himself as he dialed her familiar number.

Even though it was early morning Detroit time, he knew she wouldn’t mind a wake-up call from him. She didn’t pick up. He didn’t think anything of it and went back into the club.