“You should.”
“You should let me come see you,” Ram said.
“Where, here?” she asked, but she knew that wasn’t happening even if the thought of it did thrill her.
“Anywhere. I miss you and I just wanna see you,” Ram said sweetly, and Barbara melted.
“I miss you, too. But I can’t.”
“I could come up to the school to see you.”
“No. I don’t think that would be a good idea.”
“Why not?”
“Because it just wouldn’t be,” Barbara laughed.
“Please.”
“No.”
“Please, Barbara. I promise that I won’t stay long, I just wanna see you, hold your hand, maybe give you a kiss on the cheek, that’s all.”
“No,” Barbara may have said but she wanted to see him just as much as he wanted to see her, because she wanted to give Ram more than just a kiss on the cheek. She had thought long and hard about it and Barbara had decided that Ram was the man that she wanted to give herself to.
“Please.”
“Okay. I have a free period in the afternoon at one. Text me when you’re outside and I’ll come out.”
“Now that sounds like a plan,” Ram said, and they said good night to one another, each looking forward to what was to come.
The following day during her free period, Barbara got the text from Ram that she’d been waiting all day for. After getting permission to leave the room, she snuck out of the building and went to meet Ram. When she saw him, he was standing in front of a sweet black Yukon which was parked down the street.
He must have gotten it since the last time I saw him, Barbara thought and didn’t think much more of it.
Ram began waving when he saw Barbara coming. She hurried to him because she had to get back, but that was when Barbara saw Ram’s car parked across the street, but by then it was too late.
The Yukon doors swung open, two men in masks got out and one of them grabbed Barbara. She looked at Ram terrified as they tried to get her in the Yukon.
“Help me!” she screamed, but Ram turned his back and started walking away. “Help! Somebody please, help me!” Barbara struggled and screamed as they put her in the backseat of the Yukon and drove away.
The day after the reception, Ram was approached by individuals that offered him one hundred thousand dollars to set up Barbara to be kidnapped. After receiving half the money on the spot, Ram agreed, thinking that with that kind of money he could get out of the city and start over someplace warm.
As he walked back to his car, Ram felt kinda bad.
I really liked her, he thought as he reached his Lexus, unlocked the car and laughed. But I got a hundred thousand ways to get over her.
Before he got in the car, Ram saw a woman walking quickly toward him. She looked good, so he stopped to admire her. He smiled at her, she raised her nine and shot Ram in the forehead. She bent down and quickly took the keys from his hand. She got in Ram’s car, tossed her backpack in the passenger seat and then she went after Barbara.
Chapter Twenty-two
Her name was Tahanee Stevens. She was an ex-army infantry soldier that served two combat tours in Afghanistan, and she was Barbara’s bodyguard.
The night that RJ had to send Pills to find Barbara when their father was shot, and Black left him at the hospital, he had a lot of time to think. RJ thought about something that Black had told him at his sixteenth birthday party.
You’re a man now, RJ. Easy is just a little boy, so the responsibility falls to you. I expect you to look out for and protect your sisters and my children.
I won’t let you down, Uncle Mike, RJ promised that night.