Okay, I'm back and this chapter is suspenseful, to say the least. It's gonna be a big one because some questions will be answered. And, furthermore, I'm having Wade being sidetracked because he gets arrested. What's the charge, you ask? You'll just have to read and find out.
Oh, and so many of you want David and Justin to walk on the charges that were brought against them. All I can say is stay tuned to see if you get what you want. Sometimes. If you do the crime, you have to do the time. That's the way I see things concerning the law!
Enjoy and happy reading!
Lots of love, hugs and kisses from your resident writer and friend, Nina!
X
Phoenix International Airport
Phoenix, Arizona
September 14, 2010
It was a little after six in the morning when John and Jalen finally arrived at the airport after only a three hour flight from Houston. For Jalen, sitting up in an airplane and thinking about the hell this man put her mother through has her on edge. She just wants to know who this person is and why he decided to come back after all this time. And, if he's really her father, why did Kylie leave? Did this man turn out be just like the man who raised her, Michael Nicholas Harrington? What was going on?
As John went to gather their luggage, she placed her hands on her still flat baby and felt little flutters growing inside of her. With everything that's been going on over the last few months, she still couldn't believe she's gonna end up a mother. And, she vowed that her baby would be loved and cherished; not used, abused and discarded like trash. And it wasn't surprising that she hasn't seen or heard from Wade since she and John decided to make a break for it back home. She didn't know whether she should take this a good sign or not.
"Baby, are you okay?" John asked when he came back over to where she was standing.
"I'm fine. I just want to get this over with so we can get my mother back safe and sound. He'll be calling me any minute now," she replied softly.
He leaned over and kissed her forehead gently. "Don't worry. This guy, whoever he is, won't bother you and your mother again; if I have something to say about it."
"I still wanna know why she kept this from me for so long. I wanna understand, but I'm afraid I'm not gonna like what she's gonna tell me," Jalen replied, feeling tears forming in her green eyes.
"Listen, if this dude turned out to be like Mike, the man who raised you, then Kylie had a good reason why she managed to get away from him, only to end up in another bad situation. You should give her the benefit of the doubt," he explained.
She sighed deeply. "I guess you're right, John. Where's our rental?"
"Right outside. I managed to book us one before we got on the plane back in Houston," he said as he placed his hand on the small of her back and proceeded to escort her out of the airport. As they made their way towards their rental car, Jalen's phone began vibrating.
"It's him, isn't it?" John asked as he loaded their bags into the trunk.
She just nodded her head and pulled her phone out of her pocket. She snapped it open and held it against her ear.
"Hello?" she answered slowly.
"Are you here, little girl?" Kenneth asked in a chilling tone.
"Yes. I'm here. What do you want me to do?" she asked softly.
"Here's the address. 11005 St. Jude Boulevard. Remember, come alone or else there'll be dire consequences for your beloved mother. I can't wait to meet my little girl," he replied before he hung up.
Jalen snapped her phone shut and put it back in her pocket. She closed her eyes and let out a frustrated sigh. This has been too much for her to handle and now she's gonna have to face the man who claims to be her father. But, she's not facing him alone. The Houston native was sick and tired of being beaten down, stomped on, ridiculed, humiliated and even worse, ripped to her very core. It's time to fight back.
"Was that him?" John asked when he got finished loading their luggage.
She nodded her head. "He gave me the address to where he has my mother. I have to go to him right now."
"Okay. You drive and I'll hide in the backseat. When you go in, I'll wait a few minutes, then I'll sneak inside. I'll come out of nowhere and ambush the son of a bitch from behind," he told her as they got into the rental; her in the driver's seat and John taking his place in the back.
"I just want to get this over with. I don't wanna even think about that man ever again," Jalen huffed as she revved up the engine.
As she pulled away from the parking lot, she hoped and prayed that John's plan will work. She can't afford to lose another parent.
And she'll be damned if she'll have anymore nightmares about it, either.
X
Harrington residence
Houston, Texas
September 14, 2010
Wade's anger has completely gone out of control.
He had tried to break into Jalen's house when he came back as soon as daybreak emerged, but to no avail. For one, all the windows in the house were shattered proof and, two, she has a home security system. That didn't stop him from parking from the curb around the corner and sleeping in his car all night long.
When morning finally came, he woke up and realized that she never made it home. Which meant she found out very quickly that he was on his way here and decided to break camp to create distance from him. He was one pissed off brooding Brit. For weeks, Jalen has managed to be one step ahead of him and that alone pissed him off even more. So far, his plans on getting her back and making sure she doesn't have the baby were failing big time.
Even more damaging, he once again received a text message from Heath, who was attending David and Justin's trial up in Toronto. In just one day, it was pretty clear that it was gonna be an open and shut case. The evidence against them proved to be pretty overwhelming and Kelly Kelly's testimony was damaging, to say the least. Wade huffed and snapped his phone shut; not wanting to hear anymore from them. As far as he's concerned, he has nothing to do with them anymore because they weren't his concern. He was pretty much done with them. His focus right now is finding Jalen and forcing her to take him back.
He got out of the car and started heading towards the steps of Jalen's home when all of a sudden, two police cars pulled up right in front of the house. Wade looked confused as two police officers got out of their respective vehicles and met up with the brooding Brit in the front lawn.
"May I help you, officers?" Wade asked, trying to look calm.
"Are you Stuart Bennett?" one officer asked.
"Yes, I am. What seems to be the problem?" Wade asked, looking confused.
"We're gonna need you to put your hands behind your back," another officer said as he broke out the handcuffs.
"For what?" Wade asked, his voice raised in anger and confusion.
"Stu Bennett, you're under arrest for the murder of Michael Nicholas Harrington. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say will be used against you in the court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you can't afford an attorney, then one will be provide to you with no cost. Do you understand of the rights I just read to you?" the first officers asked as he slapped the handcuffs right on Wade's wrists.
As he was being dragged towards the squad car, he closed his eyes and felt anger boiling in his veins. He couldn't believe this was happening to him. Jalen stuck it to him once again. He can't afford to go to jail. Hell, he can't afford to get deported. Now, his plans on getting Jalen appears to be going up in smoke because he's going to jail.
No worries, he thought. He won't be down for long. Someway, somehow, he will get his hands on Jalen Jubilee Harrington before it's all said and done.
His patience has pretty much thinned out.
X
Abandoned Warehouse
11005 St. Jude Boulevard
Phoenix, Arizona
September 14, 2010
Jalen and John were all kinds of nervous when they finally pulled up in the parking lot of the abandoned warehouse. She leaned back against the leather interior seat and sighed deeply before she looked over and shoulder and saw John sleeping in the backseat. As much as she doesn't want to disturb him, she reached over and gently shook his shoulder, which caused him to stir for a moment, then he finally woke up.
"What happened?" John asked groggily.
"We're here," she said softly.
"Oh. So, are you ready for this?" he asked as he sat up and began rubbing his blue eyes with his hands.
"No. But, I have to do this. My mother needs me," she replied softly.
"Remember, I got your back all the way, baby. I love you," he told her as he watched her getting out of the car.
Jalen smiled at her boyfriend. "I love you, too, baby."
She got out of the car and closed the door. Taking another deep breath, she started heading inside the warehouse. When the door was closed, she knew it was up to her. She also knew that John wasn't too far away and he'll be here in a few minutes.
It didn't take long to find her mother; mainly because it's not a big warehouse. Jalen found Kylie tied up and gagged surrounded by big boxes and there was a chain attached to her ankle. Quickly, she went over to her mother and removed the tape away from her mouth slowly and carefully.
"Mom, are you okay?" she whispered frantically.
Kylie nodded her head. "You came, honey. I knew you'd come."
"Of course I would. You're my mother. No matter what, you're always gonna be my mother. Now where's this Kenneth guy?" Jalen asked as she looked around to see if he was anywhere in sight.
"He'll be here. I just know it. In the meantime, I guess it's time for me to tell you about my history with Kenneth," Kylie said, lowering her head in shame.
"Yeah. So, what's going on, Mom? Who is this Kenneth person? Why did you keep this from me?" Jalen asked, looking worried.
"Before I married Michael, I was in a serious relationship with Kenneth Lewis, a guy I went to high school with. Things with him were good at first, but he turned out to be abusive not long after. I was scared for my life because he constantly stalked me every single day when we were together. Then, I met Michael and I believed I found my saving grace. I thought he would be the one to save me from Kenneth. However, I wound up pregnant and that scared me because I didn't know if Kenneth or Michael was the father. So, I kept my pregnancy a secret, but Kenneth found out and went ballistic. He beat the crap out of me so bad, I ended up in the hospital. I almost died and I almost lost you. So, I left him and ended up marrying Michael. Not long after, the man who you'd come to know as your father turned out to be just like Kenneth," Kylie broke down and explained.
"Oh, my God," Jalen breathed, not believing what she was hearing.
"When I was gonna leave and take you with me, Michael went insane and beat me up so bad, then he kicked me out. He didn't know I was pregnant again," Kylie said, tears forming in her hazel eyes.
"Y-you were pregnant?" Jalen asked, looking shocked.
"Yeah, I was. I ended up miscarrying due to the injuries I sustained. I thought by moving to Phoenix that I would be able to make a fresh start and even find love again. I don't know how Kenneth managed to find me after all this time. Last time I heard from him was in court," Kylie revealed.
"Court? You took him to court? For what?" Jalen asked, looking more shocked.
"Because your stupid bitch of a mother opened her big mouth and got me locked up, that's what," Kenneth jumped in, appearing from the shadows.
Jalen stood up and immediately faced the man who kidnapped her mother. "Okay. I'm here. Now what do you want?"
"I wanted a family reunion, but that won't be happening!" he seethed with anger. He then reached inside his pocket and pulled out a .9 milometer handgun.
"What the hell? I came here like you told me to, and now you're doing this? What's wrong with you?" she asked, looking frantic and upset.
"I'm not your father, Jalen. Your dead father is. Kylie cheated on me, so I beat the hell out of her. But, I ended up in jail because of her big fucking mouth! Furthermore, your mother got a paternity test done without my knowledge. Michael Harrington's your biological father, not me. So I did all of this for nothing. There's only thing left me for me to do and that's kill you both!" he barked as he pointed the gun at them and had his finger on the trigger.
Jalen and Kylie braced themselves for the inevitable when they heard Kenneth scream out in pain. Just when he was about to pull the trigger, John came out of nowhere and tackled the much smaller man down on the floor. The blue eyed hunk grabbed the keys and threw them over to Jalen, who picked them up and quickly unchained Kylie's ankle. Then the 25-year-old worked to free her mother from the bonds.
Meanwhile, Kenneth was getting the shit beat out of him by John. He kept screaming for the much larger man to stop, but his pleas fell to deaf ears. When he heard unmistakable sirens from the outside, that's when he finally stopped the vicious assault.
"Be lucky that I didn't kill you, bitch!" John snapped before he spit on Kenneth. Then he went over to Jalen and Kylie and helped them both up their feets.
"Are you two okay?" he asked in a calm, soothing tone.
Jalen smiled at her man. "We're fine. Your plan worked. How did you know?"
"Hey, it's my gut instincts. I told you I got your back," he chuckled as he leaned over and kissed her softly.
She laid her head against his broad shoulder and sighed with relief. At least one problem was solved. At least her mother told her the truth and was able to come out of this bad situation alive. Now, Michael Nicholas Harrington, her biological father, can rest in peace. Jalen knows that he does love her and that he really was remorseful for what he had done to her and Kylie.
And, for the first time in her life, the Houston native can actually enjoy peace and relaxation.
For the time being, that is.
Coming up in the next chapter: A time jump. John and Jalen finally make love. Wade winds up in court. Will he make bail in order to get his plans back on track or will something or someone else get in the way? And, the verdict is out on David and Justin. Will they walk or will they end up in jail? Stay tuned!
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I had Wade arrested for the murder of Jalen's father. He'll get his, believe me on that, okay? It's only a matter of time!
Please review and vote!