Page 72 of Sensual Abduction

Lila (Nala)

Slim was dead.

I still couldn’t believe this shit was finally over. It was going to feel weird not living life on pins and needles. No longer did I have to live in fear. I didn’t have to walk around looking over my shoulder or feeling like I had a target on my back.

We ended up staying in Georgia an extra two weeks simply because I wasn’t ready to leave my family just yet. Kari and I alternated our time between my parents’ home and Ahmad’s place. While Slim and his associates were gone, he still wanted to make sure we were safe.

When he dropped us off, he always had a detail sitting outside the house until he came to retrieve us. Kari had fallen in love with her family. It was almost like they weren’t total strangers to her. While she loved spending time with them, as soon as Ahmad arrived, she was running outside to greet him.

He’d smiled more in the last two weeks than I’d ever seen him in the time we’d been with him. I believed he was falling in love with my baby. She brought out a certain softness in him. They were learning each other. When he woke up to cook breakfast, she was often right there to help him.

The other morning, I came downstairs to find her on a stool next to him cutting up strawberries with a butter knife. He didn’t even hesitate to take it from her when she offered him one. He simply smiled and allowed her to feed it to him. They had inside jokes, and she now insisted he be present when I read her a bedtime story.

The shit was crazy.

We felt like a little family. I couldn’t help but wonder how things would be once we made it back to Cali. If Ahmad and I seriously pursued each other, could we be happy? Would him kidnapping me find its way back to the forefront of my mind? I wasn’t sure what the future held, but we were headed back to Cali today to find out.

After a teary goodbye to my family, we made our way to the airport to board the private plane waiting for us. As we boarded, I giggled to myself.

“Brings back any memories?” I jested.

Ahmad smirked. “Don’t let me catch a case of PTSD.”

I laughed as I ushered Makari into a seat. Just as I got her strapped in, the pilot from the last time stepped on board. My eyes settled on his nose which was slightly crooked. He glared at me for a moment before Ahmad got his attention.

“We got a problem?” he asked.

“I should have let y’all find your own way back to Cali.”

“You knew better.”

He frowned. “All I know is everybody better stay in their seats and keep their feet to themselves this go ’round.”

“I apologize,” I said.

Ahmad shook his head. “Don’t apologize. You didn’t see that foot coming to your face?”

“Nigga, fu—”

“Watch your mouth in front of baby girl, Carl. I’d hate for this to be your last flight.”

Carl looked between the three of us. He looked mad enough to spit, however, he didn’t say anything else. Him and his crooked ass nose headed into the cockpit, slamming the door behind him.

I covered Kari’s ears. “I pray he doesn’t crash this plane to prove a point.”

“He ain’t stupid,” Ahmad said, buckling himself in. “You ready for this flight, Rabbit?”

“Yes! I can’t wait to see Ms. Tiffany! I missed her so much!”

I’d spoken with Tiffany a few times since our initial conversation. She told me she’d been by the house to check on things and do some light cleaning and stocked the fridge with food in preparation for our return. I appreciated that. The last thing I wanted to do when we finally made it home was have to clean my house.

“I’m sure she missed you, too,” I said. “Kari, I need you to remember not to say anything about where we were or what Mr. Ahmad did, okay?”

“Okay, Mommy. I don’t want him to get in trouble like he did with Grandpa.”

My father still wasn’t completely on board with Ahmad. He’d asked me several times if I was sure this was what I wanted to do. I assured him that I knew what I was doing and who I was dealing with. He wasn’t thrilled, but he let it go, making me promise to let him know if Ahmad turned out to be anything like Slim. There was no doubt in my mind that he wouldn’t follow through with his threat to kill him or die trying.

Carl announced that we were preparing for takeoff. I settled into my seat and rested my head against the headrest. This was going to be a long ass flight. I knew as soon as I got home, all I wanted to do was shower, climb in my bed, and sleep for a few days.

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