Moth to a Flame (20 page)

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Authors: Ashley Antoinette

BOOK: Moth to a Flame
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Raven ran into the airport and disregarded the long line, going directly up to the ticket counter.
“Excuse me, miss, you have to get in line,” the white woman said politely as she pointed to the line of travelers.
“Please, my flight takes off in five minutes. Can you just check me in?” Raven asked as she checked her watch and looked around the airport nervously.
“I’m sorry. You have to be checked in at least half an hour earlier than your scheduled departure,” the woman replied.
Raven’s eyes watered over as her head hung low. She was so tired of everyone standing in her way, and was too close to turn back. “Please ... I just need to get out of this city. You don’t know what I had to do to get here. If I’m not on that plane my life might as well be over. My boyfriend is going to kill me. Everything that I have is on that plane,” she whispered desperately as tears clouded her eyes and she gripped the woman’s hand in sheer terror. “Please,” she begged brokenly. Her tears came down and slowly washed some of her makeup away, revealing the green and black bruises underneath. They washed away the visage of a perfectly kept wifey and revealed the truth: a beaten and frightened little girl who had done too much too soon. All she wanted was to escape. She looked so defeated and the sadness on her face told the story of a woman who had been neglected. The bruises instantly made the white woman feel sympathy for Raven. “I can’t let that plane leave without me.”
The woman nodded and picked up a phone. “Okay ... I’ll see what I can do.”
After putting an emergency call in to the control tower, Raven was escorted through the security check point. When she saw her gate, she ran full speed as tears ran down her face.
You’re almost there,
she coached herself. She handed her ticket to the boarding agent. “Thank you so much,” she whispered as she smiled and wiped tears from her face. “Thank you, God,” she choked out as she covered her mouth to stifle her cries of joy.
 
 
Ethic closed his eyes and leaned his head against the headrest to relieve the stress he felt. He imagined what Raven would endure by choosing to stay in Flint. It was a ghost town with nothing but dead souls inhabiting it, and when he had looked in her eyes he had noticed that she was slowly dying as well. He inhaled a deep breath as he tried to convince himself that he had done all he could to help her.
I should have never let her go back,
he thought.
Raven stepped onto the plane and smiled brightly when she saw Ethic and Morgan sitting in the front of the coach section. Morgan smiled and Raven put her finger to her lips, telling her to be quiet. She walked down the aisle until she was standing directly over Ethic. She leaned over and whispered into his ear, “You didn’t think I was going to make it, did you?”
Ethic’s eyes shot open in surprise. He stood up and extended his arm, motioning for her to take the middle seat next to him, as Morgan scooted down to the window seat. Relief washed over him as he sat back down. “Now, what was so important that you had to go back one last time?” he asked.
She removed the picture from her handbag and handed it to him. “This is all I have left of them,” she replied. “I couldn’t leave it behind.”
Ethic nodded and leaned back; instinctively, he grabbed her hand. It was almost like he felt that if he wasn’t touching her, she would vanish. The intention of the gesture was purely innocent, but Raven’s heart fluttered as she held onto him tightly. She reached over with her free hand and held on to Morgan as the plane took them into the sky, heading for a new life.
Chapter Fifteen
 
By the time they arrived in Kansas City, the moon had taken over the sky. Exhausted from the flight, Morgan slept soundly in Ethic’s arms as they walked to the parking lot.
“Ain’t she too big for you to be carrying?” Raven asked with a smile as she took note of how Ethic still treated Morgan like the six year old he had met all those years ago.
Ethic smiled and then replied, “I guess she is . . . it’s just so crazy how much time has passed. I still think she’s that snaggled-toothed baby girl who used to sit on my lap.” Although he said the words, he did not put her down. Raven was silent as she got into Ethic’s Benz. She watched the city streets pass by. It was weird to be in such an unfamiliar setting. Flint was all she knew, and as they headed into the suburbs, Raven absorbed all of her surroundings. She welcomed the change. The pace of the city seemed to be completely different than that of her hometown. Death and destruction did not dwell on every corner.
She rubbed her bare arms as they pulled into Ethic’s driveway. The home was beautiful. It wasn’t overly large or tackily decorated with all of the fixings of the average hustler. Tasteful and just the right size, it was the most comfortable-looking house she had ever lay eyes on. The landscape was gorgeous, and Raven automatically assumed that the flower garden had been planted by his girlfriend. A short jealous streak raced through her, but she quickly shook it away. She had come to realize over the years that Ethic would never be hers. She did not expect to come to town and steal him away from another woman. All she could do was be grateful to him for helping her. The four-bedroom, three-bathroom, ranch-style home sat on two acres of land and sat back a quarter mile from the road. When Ethic hit the button to open his five-car, double-deck garage Raven’s mouth dropped in awe as five luxury vehicles sparkled flawlessly.
Wow, he really is the bird man,
she thought, impressed. It was quiet and serene as she stepped out of the car.
“I love this house,” she said as she got out and looked around.
“You and Morgan can stay here tonight. Tomorrow morning we’ll start shopping for a condo for the two of you,” he said.
“You could have dropped me off at a hotel Ethic. I don’t want to invade your girlfriend’s space. I know I would not like it if my man took in some random girl,” Raven said.
Ethic smirked as he awoke Morgan. “Wake up, Morgan ... We’re here,” he said as he nudged her gently.
Raven and her sister followed Ethic inside. Raven immediately felt uncomfortable when she saw a beautiful Hispanic girl lying on the couch, flipping through channels on the TV.
“Hey, baby,” she greeted happily as she stood up. “How was your trip?” she asked. She wrapped her arms around Ethic’s neck and pecked him on the cheek. “I missed you, papi.” Her golden skin was flawless. She was undeniably stunning, and Raven turned up her nose in disgust. She couldn’t help it. She was green with envy and the hater in her came out instantly.
“It went well,” Ethic replied as he removed her arms from around his neck. “Dolce, I want you to meet my friend, Raven, and her sister, Morgan.”
Dolce’s eyes scanned Raven from head to toe and she frowned. Raven’s eyebrows rose in defense as she cocked her head to the side and glared right back at Dolce. “Hey,” Dolce finally greeted dryly.
There was obvious hostility in her tone, but Raven couldn’t give two fucks if Ethic’s girlfriend liked her. She crossed her arms and turned to Ethic. “Where are we sleeping?”
“They’re staying here?” Dolce asked in displeasure.
“Oh, don’t worry about it, Dolce. Morgan and I always stay with Ethic when he comes to Flint. We go
way
back,” Raven responded deviously, knowing that she was getting under the girl’s skin.
“Oh, really?” Dolce turned to Ethic and stared a hole through him.
“Really,” Raven confirmed with a smirk. “We’re
real
close friends.”
Ethic cleared his throat and stared firmly at Raven. “Chill out,” he whispered. He focused on Dolce. “Don’t trip. She’s only staying for one night.”
“You won’t even let me stay over for a night Ethic,” Dolce shot back.
Ethic gave her a stern look that told her he wasn’t going to continue to explain himself. “How did everything go here?” he asked, changing the subject.
“Everything went fine. It always does.” She picked up her purse and stalked over to the door.
Ethic pulled out a knot of money from his pocket, all big faces. He placed half the stack in her palm, knowing that money would pacify her.
“Thank you, ma. You’re the best. I appreciate you taking care of everything,” Ethic said as he walked Dolce to the door. Raven frowned as she made her way to the couch. She watched Dolce leave.
“Your little girlfriend doesn’t live with you?” Raven asked as soon as Ethic walked back into the room. She was unable to contain her jealousy.
Ethic smirked. “Retract your claws, ma. Because of that slick mouth of yours I’m going to have to spend a small fortune to get back in her good graces. She’s good people. She helps take care of my little girl when I have business to attend to.”
“Your little girl?” Raven exclaimed in surprise. “You have a daughter?”
Ethic nodded. “Come on,” he said as he led the way down the hall. He took Morgan to a guest room and she immediately allowed her sleepiness to take her away to her dreams. Raven kissed her forehead, and she and Ethic walked out of the room.
He stopped in front of a closed door. There were pink wooden letters attached to the door that spelled out “Bella.” He opened the door and invited Raven inside. A chocolate little girl lay peacefully in her bed, and Raven smiled when she saw how much she resembled Ethic.
“How old is she?” Raven whispered.
“Seven,” Ethic replied.
“She’s beautiful,” Raven complimented as she watched Ethic lean over the bed and kiss her.
“Thank you,” he responded as they exited the room.
Raven followed him back into the kitchen and watched as he began to pull out food to cook.
“Where is her mother?” Raven asked.
“Melanie died. I met her when she was dating this dude named Guy. He used to beat her up, degrade her,” Ethic said. “When I was a little nigga moving ounces I met her. I used to cop my weight from Guy. One day he beat her up when we were all out at a night club. He asked me to take her home.”
“And you stole his girl,” Raven added with a smile.
Ethic laughed as he began to prepare a meal and nodded his head. “I wouldn’t say that. More like borrowing his chick. I was only sixteen. Guy was older than me. He was in his twenties. I was a young’un in the game. He was already a boss. I couldn’t compete with his pockets. I could only give her me, you know?”
“So how did she die?”
“I got her pregnant and all of a sudden I wasn’t enough for her. She got scared because I wasn’t established. We were in love but we were living poor out of a room where I paid rent weekly. She wanted to live lavish, and she wasn’t patient enough to wait for me to come into my own. So she went back to dude. Right after she gave birth to my baby girl, they got into a fight ... Shit went bad and he killed her,” Ethic revealed, a distant look of agony taking over his face.
“What happened to Guy?” Raven asked.
“I killed him. I took all the bricks out of his house and I took my daughter,” Ethic stated bluntly, without remorse.
“I’m so sorry,” Raven said.
“It was a long time ago. I had left all that behind until I met you. Melanie’s story sounds familiar, don’t it?” he asked.
Raven nodded, knowing that she had been going down the same path as the mother of his child had. “Is that why you were never interested in me? Because I remind you of her?” Raven asked.
Ethic pondered the question for a long time as he continued to move around the kitchen like a professional chef. “You are different then she was. You were smart enough to leave,” he said.
 
 
Hearing Ethic’s story took some of the mystery away from him. He had always been such a big puzzle to Raven, but now that she knew what he had come from, she understood how he ticked. The five years that had gone by had given her time to experience life. She had matured and so had he. Now she knew why he acted the way he did, why it was so hard to get him to open up. She knew that the worry lines around his eyes had come from the heartache of losing his child’s mother. She understood that he was so focused because he had to raise his daughter alone.
“So why don’t you have Dolce living here with you? To help you take care of Bella?” she asked. She felt like she was interrogating him, but she was eager to learn all there was to know about him. She had never had such an honest discussion with Ethic before. In the past, he had never seen her as worthy enough to even hold a decent conversation with, and now that he was spilling so many details of his life, she was intrigued and eager for him to open up to her. She didn’t want to miss one thing that he said. He was such a mysterious man, and she wanted to learn all there was to know about him. She felt special just from him giving her access to his personal life.
“Set the table,” he said. He told her what to do, not in a demeaning way, but in a way that a man was supposed to, with authority and kindness all in the same breath. Raven hopped up without thought. She went through his cabinets until she located the dishes.
“Don’t avoid the question,” she teased. “Why won’t you let Dolce stay the night?”
“Because she doesn’t need to get used to staying here. She is not the type of person I want raising my little girl. Bella is the only lady in my life. She’s selfish with my heart and I don’t have time to deal with a woman who wants to compete with my daughter. Women aren’t built like they used to be. They see a child as a threat. I will never put Bella in a situation where she feels like my attention is somewhere else,” Ethic explained.
“So Dolce’s good enough to fuck, but not to be around your daughter,” Raven concluded bluntly.
Ethic laughed and shook his head. “You still got that foul mouth on you,” he commented with a smile. “We spend time together when I’m free, but no, she is not good enough to raise my daughter. Her mother is not here, but if I’m going to replace her, I owe it to her to at least find Bella someone who can compare. My standards have to be high for the sake of my daughter.”
Raven looked at Ethic in amazement. He was only twenty-seven, but he had the wisdom of a man twice his age. She smiled in admiration. He put his child first and no one above her. He possessed qualities that would endear any woman to him. She averted his gaze so that he would not see how taken aback she was by him.
“What?” he asked.
She shrugged and smiled. “Nothing. I just respect how you raise your daughter. It reminds me of my daddy,” she admitted as she fanned her eyes with both hands to avoid becoming emotional.
“He was a great man. He loved you and Morgan as much as I love my daughter,” Ethic said. “That’s why when I heard that your mother had passed, I felt responsible for making sure you and your sister were straight.”
“What makes you so loyal to my father? If he worked for you, why do you feel like it’s your duty to keep his loose ends tied?” Raven asked seriously. She could not understand Ethic. He seemed to be so perfect. She had never met a man with as much character as he possessed. He was absolutely marvelous and admirable. A true gentleman in every sense of the word.
“I have a daughter, and if something happened to me I would want the niggas I fucked with to look out for her. Loyalty transcends life and death. Just because your father is not here does not mean that I don’t still admire him. And, trust me, just because he copped his work from me doesn’t mean he was beneath me. I looked up to him. He had a lot of years in this game and had a lot of wisdom to share,” Ethic stated.
Hearing him speak so respectfully about her father weakened her, and Raven had to turn away again. She walked back over to the cabinet to grab two wine glasses, and she broke down. She felt responsible for everything that had led her to this point. If she had never invited Mizan into her heart, then her father would have never died and her mother would not have gone to jail. Mizan set off a sequence of events that had left her deserted. She gripped the countertop and tried to gain composure over herself, but the tears would not stop. Ethic turned to her and stepped close.
“This is all my fault,” she sobbed into his chest. “I was so stupid.”
Ethic rubbed her back soothingly. “Let it out, ma. I knew you were going to crack sooner or later.”
She cried harder than she ever had in her entire life and Ethic never moved from her side. When she finally stopped, her face was flushed from embarrassment.
“It ’s okay,” Ethic assured. “You needed that. You’ve been through a lot.”
Her eyes were red as she excused herself to go to the bathroom. When she looked in the mirror she realized she looked a hot mess. “Great,” she mumbled as she touched her blackened eye. “I look like shit.”

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