“Officers are in route now to that address. Can you stay on the line until they get to her?”
“No… I have to go. I have to call someone else,” I said, feeling my disgust ferment into something past anger when I thought about making the next call. I planned to wring Justine’s neck with my own two hands as soon as I saw her.
“Can you be reached at the number you are calling from, in case the officers have questions later?” the dispatcher asked.
“Yes,” I said and hung up the phone. I paced the cabin of the plane thinking about how terrible it would be to lose Destiny in this way. “Timothy, hurry up and get me back to Atlanta!” I hollered at my pilot.
“I’m turning around as fast as I can, boss,” Timothy said anxiously, but it didn’t seem like he was turning the frigging plane around fast enough. I paid him good money to get me where I wanted to be, when I wanted to be there, and I wanted to be back in Atlanta right this instant!
You can go ahead and stay in Miami, because you'll have no reason to be in Atlanta once I put a bullet in her pretty little face, Justine had said. I could hear Destiny mumbling and pleading for her life in the background.
Please don't shoot me, she had said weakly.
Maybe I'll pop her in her heart so it can stop beating first. Either way is fine with me, just so long as she stops breathing, Justine added. I didn’t recognize the person on the phone as my old friend. She was not the same person I knew. It sounded like she was possessed by the devil as she spoke.
You wouldn’t… I said, understanding for the first time the gravity of Justine's instability. The life of the woman I loved hung in the balance, so I had no problem stooping to the level of begging. Please Justine, don't do this,
I wouldn’t if you had just answered the phone and talked to me. I wouldn’t if you had not walked out on me. But now, I would and I will. She's as good as dead… was the last thing Justine said before the phone line went dead.
I threw the phone on the seat beside me. Didn’t much shock me, but the fact that my best friend was wreaking havoc in my life rattled me to the core. I could have kicked myself for leaving Destiny a sitting duck. She didn’t know where to find my guns or where any weapons that she could use to defend herself were. She was stuck to contend with Justine’s wrath alone and with no defense.
I had to get her some help. I picked up my cell phone and blew out a long breath. I found the number I was looking for in my phone. Destiny had called it a few weeks ago when she wanted to check on the kids. I was glad I had saved the number in case I ever needed it. I pressed the call button.
“Hello?” a deep, groggy voice answered on the third ring.
“Montie,” I paused, running my hand across my beard. I thought about how to break the news to him. “I’ve got some really bad news, man.”
“Who is this?”
“It’s Destiny’s fiancé, Jacob.”
“Her fiancé. Is that right?” he asked, and then laughed so hard it sounded like he was at a comedy show.
“That’s right, I’m her fiancé, but that’s beside the point. I need you to listen carefully…”
“Uh huh. I thought the bad news was that you were her fiancé.”
“This is serious, Montie! If you’re going to keep playing around, I’m hanging up. Destiny needs help.”
“What is it? Did something happen to her? Are the kids okay?” he fired off a montage of questions.
“The kids are fine. They are with Destiny’s mother. But Destiny was just attacked at my house and the police are on their way.”
“Wait a minute…attacked? What happened?” Montie asked, suddenly sounding wide awake.
“I don’t have all the details right now, but I’m pretty sure she will be taken to the emergency room.”
He cleared his throat. “Emergency room? Is she going to be alright?”
“That’s just it, I don’t know. Call to see which hospital is accepting emergencies tonight and get up there quick.”
“But you still haven’t told me what happened!”
“It’s a long story, Montie.”
“Well, give it to me short, Jacob, and talk fast. This is my children’s mother and the woman I love you’re talking about,” Montie said matter-of-factly, causing a jolt of envy to run through me.
“She’s mine and I love her! I only called you because I didn’t have her mother’s number,” I reasoned.