Entangled (26 page)

Janice and David Nelson smothered Dream with hugs and kisses as soon as they laid eyes on her. “My baby is safe and sound,” Janice announced.

“Yeah, and we’re gonna make sure she stays that way,” Keisha said.
Mr. Nelson held Dream for a long time. Though she felt as if her parents were treating her like a baby, she was glad to get all the attention. Being in her daddy’s arms made her feel like a little girl again.
Janice had prepared lasagna and garlic bread. Keisha, Dream, and the Nelsons all sat at the dinner table eating. Everybody was kind of uncomfortable at first. Nobody wanted to talk. Dream knew there were many questions that her parents wanted answers to. She knew they deserved an explanation for her disappearance. She could feel her mother’s penetrating eyes. “Mama, I know you’ve got some things you are dying to ask me. What do you wanna know?”
Janice eyebrow’s rose. “Now, baby, whatever you choose to tell me, I’ll be okay with it but somehow I know that Jamal boy has something to do with your being away without contacting us.” Dream turned, avoiding her mother’s eyes.
Mr. Nelson spoke. “Don’t be too hard on her, Janice. The main thing is, our daughter is back, and she’s safe.”
“That’s right,” Keisha said.
Dream turned to face her mother. “I will admit I made some bad choices.”
Mr. Nelson bit into his garlic bread. “We have all made some mistakes, baby. Like I said before, the main thing is that you’re here, and you’re alive.”
Dream smiled at her father. “Thank you, Daddy.”
“What you thanking me for?” Mr. Nelson asked.
“Just for being there for me.”

Keisha, Dream, and her parents all went into the den to watch the six o’clock news. Dream and Keisha glanced at each other when a mug shot of Jamal flashed on the screen. The news anchor said Jamal was armed and dangerous, and wanted for a number of criminal offenses, including the first-degree murder of Theodore Ruffin. He then went on to say that if anyone had any information concerning the whereabouts of Jamal Stewart, they should contact the police.

Dream turned from Keisha and just stared straight ahead. Though she was surrounded by her family and her best friend, she felt alone. She felt guilty because she had known Jamal was preparing to commit murder. Now he had taken a life, and she knew this would forever haunt her.

After a minutes of silence, Janice finally spoke. “Do you know where Jamal is?”
Dream met her mother’s glance. “Actually, I don’t. I haven’t spoken to him today.”
“If you knew, would you tell somebody?” Janice said.
Dream stared at the floor. “Honestly, I don’t know,” she said finally. She wanted to do the right thing. She knew Jamal was a criminal and that he needed to be brought to justice, but she didn’t know if she could turn him in. She still loved him.
“He’s a murderer baby. You can’t go on protecting him,” Janice spoke softly.
Mr. Nelson walked over and sat beside his daughter on the sofa. “Baby, if you know anything about Jamal’s whereabouts, I think you should tell the police. It’s just the right thing to do before he kills someone else.”
Dream looked into her father’s serious eyes. He looked worried. “Daddy, honestly, I don’t know where Jamal is.”
He rubbed her knee gently. “I believe you.”
Dream stood from the sofa. “I think I better leave.”

Jamal was napping in his hotel room when he received a call from Rico for more product. They would meet in the IHOP parking lot on Independence Boulevard. Jamal quickly jumped up from his bed, slipped on some sweatpants and a pair of running shoes. He headed out of the door with the product tucked underneath his arm. He scanned the parking lot on the way to the car. There seemed to be no immediate threat.

Rico had been kind of slow moving the product, but he was the only person whom Jamal could trust to do business with. When Jamal pulled out of the parking lot, a dark-colored SUV appeared from nowhere and seemed to be tailing him. He quicky changed lanes, but the SUV switched lanes as well, flicking its high beams. Jamal could barely see the road.

A half-mile later, he approached a busy intersection and the truck pulled alongside him. Jamal saw the two men in ski masks inside the truck. Spontaneously, Jamal whipped the car onto the median of the road and leapt from it.

At 11:00 that night, Dream lay awake in her bed. She had tried to force herself to doze, but she simply couldn’t rest. Her emotions were getting the best of her. She was depressed, and the little bit of self-esteem she had left was quickly diminishing. She was saddened by the fact that her parents acted as though they no longer trusted her, and she felt stupid for failing to investigate Jamal a little more carefully before dating him. She tried not to think about him. She focused on returning to her summer job at the Sylvan Learning Center.

At 12:30 Dream was startled by a loud knock. She got up, put on her robe and a pair of slippers, then quickly ran to the door. She opened the door slightly with the security chain still attached.

“I think you better leave, Jamal. Too much is happening with you. I can’t live my life on the edge with you anymore.”
“Open the door, please. I’ve been shot at.”
“And the first place you come is here?”
“You’re the only one I’ve got right now. Please open the door.”
Dream deliberated a few moments before opening the door. “What happened to you?” she asked, stepping aside after releasing the chain lock.
“I was going to meet Rico when two men pulled up in a dark green SUV and opened fire. I had to hop out of the car and run.”
She folded her arms in disgust. “So I guess I need to report the rental car stolen.”
“That’s up to you. I mean, I get shot at and all you can think about is a damn car?”
“Jamal, what do you want me to say? I’m sorry it happened. Who do you think did this to you?”
He wiped dirt from his face with his shirt. “I don’t know. Maybe Angelo had something to do with it. I received a call from him earlier today and he threatened to kill me.”
“How did he know where you were staying?”
“I can’t be sure.”
“So what do you need me for?” she asked.
“Actually, I need a place to lay my head tonight, but you act like you have an attitude with me or something. What have I done?”
“What haven’t you done? You’ve stolen from your friend, and according to the news, you’ve killed a man. Have you forgotten you’re a wanted man?”
A sudden hardness appeared on his face. “Have you forgotten that you were with me when I stole from Angelo. You ain’t no fuckin’ angel. You know what? I don’t need to stay here,” he shouted as he turned toward the door.
Suddenly he turned around with his handgun and pointed it.
Dream’s eyes grew wide and she began to tremble.
“You’re coming with me. Put on some clothes.”
“Jamal, don’t do this to me,” she yelled.
“Bitch, you enjoyed the benefits of the game, now you gotta pay just like everybody else.”
She looked into his eyes again. He was serious and she was afraid for her life. She put on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt and they left.

Three days later, Mark lay on the sofa with the remote control in hand searching for the evening news. On channel three the huge mug shot of Jamal Stewart was shown. The news anchorman called Jamal a one-man crime spree, stating he was armed and dangerous. He was wanted on a host of charges that included kidnapping, drug conspiracy, and murder. Crime stoppers offered a ten thousand dollar reward for any information that led to Jamal’s arrest.

Mark turned to channel 9. A huge picture of Dream Nelson was on the screen. The anchorman said Dream was a twenty-five-yearold middle school teacher who was believed to be with her boyfriend, held against her will. The setting changed to Spaugh Middle School. One of the reporters interviewed the principal. A short, bald man with a pink face said Ms. Nelson was a studious employee and that he had spoken with her just before school ended for summer break. He went on to say that he was saddened by her disappearance and was praying for her return.

Channel 36 showed David and Janice Nelson standing in front of their home holding a picture of Dream in a cap and gown—her college graduation picture. David said she was their only child. He wanted her to know, if she was watching, that they loved her very much. Janice begged for anyone with information concerning the whereabouts of their daughter to please come forward. Midway through her speech, the tears came streaming down her face.

Disappointed, Mark turned the television off and stared at the ceiling. He felt as if he had not done his job. His heart went out to the Nelsons. He wondered what was going on with Dream and Jamal, and he wished she had listened when he had spoken with her. It was too late now. Dream was gone, perhaps forever. He said a short prayer for her before dozing.

The next day, as soon as Mark walked into his office his phone rang.
“Hello.”
“Mark, David speaking. I have some good news.”
“What is it?”
“I’ve just received some information concerning the whereabouts of Jamal Stewart.”
“Oh yeah?” Mark said as he walked to the other side of his desk.
“Yeah, his attorney called and apparently he saw the girl’s parents on the news and it touched him so much that he is willing to help us nail Jamal.”
“Isn’t it unethical for an attorney to divulge information about a client?”
“Not if it concerns an ongoing crime. Who cares about ethics, anyway? This guy is scum.”
Mark hesitated before speaking. “I just hope the girl is still alive.”

Dawg stared blankly when the judge gave him a life sentence. Mark looked on, actually feeling sorry for Dawg’s mother. He had been trained not to let his emotions get in the way of his job, but he always seemed to find himself getting kind of emotional when women were involved. He was only human. He would tell himself he had a mother, and he definitely didn’t want her to go through anything remotely like what Steven’s mother was going through, because essentially the judge had just killed Steven. He would never be free again to roam the streets. Mark was happy about the fact that he had been instrumental in getting drugs off the street, but he was disappointed that a black mother had just lost a son.

A
WEEK HAD PASSED
since Jamal abducted Dream. While evading the Feds they had stayed at several cheap motels before finally settling in at a Ramada Inn in Davidson, North Carolina, outside the Charlotte city limits.

Dream woke up at 6:00 A.M. while Jamal was asleep. She still couldn’t believe what had happened to her. She couldn’t believe that she hadn’t seen this dark side of Jamal. The man whom she thought was the love of her life had turned out to be nothing but a gangster. Angelo was looking for Jamal to kill him and the Feds were pursuing them. She knew nothing good was going to come out of this situation. “Damn,” she cursed herself. Not for being stupid, but for being in love with a dealer.

Two hours later, Dream pulled the curtains back and peered down into the motel parking lot. The lot was empty, except for her Mercedes and two pickup trucks.

“Do you see anything suspicious?” Jamal asked as he sat up on the bed.
She turned and faced him. “No, just the same two trucks that was here last night.”
“How did you sleep last night?”
She frowned. “How in the hell was I supposed to sleep? The Feds are after you, remember? Plus Angelo is probably looking to kill your ass.”
Jamal stood and placed his hand underneath her chin. “Listen, Dream, baby, I’m sorry but this is the way it has to be right now. But I swear to you, it’s gonna get better. I got my lawyer working on us some passports under aliases. As soon as he gets them, we’re off to one of those third-world countries, and we can live like a king and queen.” He walked over and pulled a huge duffel bag from underneath the bed. “I got close to five hundred thousand dollars in here. Do you realize how good we can live in another country? Like I said, we’ll be on king and queen status.”
She pulled away from him. “I don’t want to go to a third-world country. I wanna be with my friends and family.”
He became angry. He stepped toward her and grabbed her wrist. “You see, bitch, it don’t work like that. You’re all in, and you may as well get used to it.”
Tears filled her eyes. “Jamal, you’re hurting me.”
“And damn it, you’re pissing me off.” He grabbed her by the hair and flung her to the bed.
“What you gonna do now, Mr. Big Man, beat me?” she yelled.
“Listen to me, damn it.” Jamal sat on the bed and gently held her hand. “Dream, everything is going to be alright. I promise, babe.”
She wanted everything to be okay. She wanted everything to be like before, but she knew it never would.
His cellular phone rang. He grabbed it from the dresser.
“Where the hell are you?” Thomas asked.
“Now, I know you don’t expect me to tell you no shit like that,” Jamal replied.
“So, you don’t trust me? I’m the one who’s supposed to get the fuckin’ passports, remember?”
Jamal paced the floor nervously. “It’s not that I don’t trust you, I just need time to think.”
“Where’s the girl?”
“She’s with me.” Jamal said as he glanced over at Dream, she was still sobbing.
“Well I hope you know her picture is being shown on the news.”
“For what?”
“Her parents are saying you kidnapped her.”
Jamal stared blankly. His problems were piling up. He felt like a man walking aimlessly on the edge of the Grand Canyon, waiting for the slightest hint of wind to force him over. “Can we meet somewhere?”
“Where?”
“The Waffle House on South Boulevard at midnight.”
“The Waffle House it is.”

Jamal sat on the edge of the bed with his chin resting in his hands, as if he were contemplating something drastic.
“What’s going on now, Jamal?” Dream asked softly.
“They’re trying to say I kidnapped you.”
“Well, you are holding me against my will.”
“Would you listen to me?” he pleaded. “I would never do anything to hurt you. I love you.”
“I love you, too, Jamal.” Dream grabbed his hand. “But we can’t go on like this. I mean, it’s not the Feds I’m worried about. It’s the contract on your life that concerns me.”
Jamal sighed. He was more concerned with the Feds than a contract on his life. “Baby, you’re right. Tonight I’m letting you go with my lawyer.”
“That’s good, but what about you?”
He looked away. “I’ll be alright. Trust me.”
She leaned forward and kissed his nose. “I’m gonna always love you, Jamal Stewart.”
“I’ll always love you, too,” Jamal said as he picked her up and carried her to the bed. They kissed passionately and explored every crevice of each other’s body. Neither wanted the feeling to end; both knew it would be the last time they made love with each other.