CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

“This above all, to thine own self be true.”

- William Shakespeare

 

Nine walked into the room she’d just given Lisa within the Prophet mansion. Things were looking up since she placed Alice where she belonged, in a special place only she had access to.

Not only had she regained control over her money, she finally realized that she was in an illegal business, which required cash on hand at all times, and that she would never be caught in a similar position again. As it stood, five million dollars in stacks of one hundred and twenty dollar bills was tucked under her house, and was secured by a safe that not even the government could open.

Nine leaned against the doorway and noticed how happy Lisa, Porter, Jeremy, Wagner, Bridget and Kerrick II appeared as they looked around Lisa’s room. She’d already shown everyone else their spaces within the mansion and Lisa’s was the last stop.

After pushing the windows open and looking outside, Lisa took a moment to take in the beauty of Aristocrat Hills. She turned around and placed her hand over her heart. Overwhelmed with appreciation, she ran over to Nine and wrapped her arms around her body. “You have no idea how much this means to me and my family,” she said looking at her brothers, son and mother.

“We are all family,” Nine smiled. “That is why you are here.”

Bridget walked over to Nine and softly grabbed one of her hands. “The graciousness you’re showing us by sharing your home is…I can’t explain it.” She was at a loss for words.

“It is a huge house. Outside of my husband and son, we do not have the need for all of the space. The only thing I ask is that you refrain from going into the basement.”

“We’re clear on that,” Bridget said, wanting no problems.

Kerrick II pulled on Bridget’s leg and she picked the two-year-old up. The baby was a light-skinned version of her grandfather.

“Aren’t we, children?” Bridget asked.

They all nodded yes, no one trying to upset Nine. Especially after seeing how the others were handled at the meeting with being cut out of the fortune.

“You were the neglected one, weren’t you?” Bridget asked.

Nine exhaled and suppressed the sadness that lately seemed to plague her life. “I was, before grandfather gave me this home.” She looked around Lisa’s room. “I spent so much time inside of it that I am still trying to find my place in the world. Amongst people.”

“Kerrick spoke of you before,” Lisa said. “He spoke of you as if you were the reaper coming to take him away. And now he’s gone?”

“I guess a man should be careful about his predictions.” She grinned slyly. “They just may come true.”

“Why are you doing this?” Jeremy asked rubbing the nub of his missing arm. “You could’ve put us in an apartment and we would’ve been grateful. Why let us live here?”

“This place has over fifty different rooms. I could not live in all of them if I tried.” She paused. “And I helped you because…well, because you are just like me. Thrown away like trash when all you wanted was an ounce of grandfather’s love. Of anybody’s love.”

Nine walked deeper into the room and toward the window. She sat down on the large ledge and looked out at her vineyard.

“I helped you because I know what it is like to witness your mother love a man who could never love her in public.” She crossed her arms over her chest and looked over at Bridget. “Maybe this home is the place where the broken come to be repaired. To be healed. I guess we will have to wait and see.”

She looked down at the vineyard again, which secretly held Fran’s body. Every drop of wine produced by the Prophets would be touched with the soil of her flesh.

“I knew my father had money but I never thought it was like this,” Wagner said. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Well as my new uncles and aunt, the first thing we need to do is make you look like the money you possess. I am going to have my glam crew get you together and I have already made an appointment for you to get new teeth, Porter, and for you to get another prosthetic arm, Jeremy. After your appointments, you will all be taken shopping. We are Prophets and it is important that we always dress the part. We will show the others what a legitimate Prophet really looks like.”

 

****

 

Nine removed the large decorative pillows off the bed with Leaf and placed them on the chaise across the room. “Why do they have to live here, Nine?”

“Not you too,” she said rolling her eyes.

“What does that mean?” he asked pulling the comforter down on his side of the bed before sitting on the edge of it to remove his socks. He lay down and eased into the pocket of the covers.

“You sound like them. The Prophets who believe that just because they shared grandfather and grandmother’s blood that they are purer than we are.” She paused. “I will show them what it is like to be on the outside of my grace. They fucked up by coming at me and trying to take my money, and now they know.” She got into bed and nestled closely next to him.

“You’re like your grandfather in more than one way, Nine.”

“Meaning?”

“I saw what you’ve been building in the house. Finally.”

“You have not seen everything.”

“I’ve seen enough.” He maneuvered his body so that he was lying on his side and looking into her eyes. “You have two people, including Alice, under the house. In a prison that you made. Banker is going crazy and is acting like you used to. What’s going on?”

“Why would anybody be in prison? Because they deserve to be there.”

“Why not kill them?” he yelled. “You’re not a warden. And if you do this shit, it’ll come back on you in one way or another.”

“It already has,” she joked.

“Do you believe in karma?”

“You have got to be kidding me, Leaf,” Nine laughed. “You are speaking to the one person who lives, sleeps and breathes karma.”

“And yet you choose to imprison Banker and Alice anyway.” He pointed at his head. “Is there anything in your mind that realizes that shit is wrong? Don’t you remember how you felt when it was done to you?”

“What about their karma? How do you know they are not getting what is due them?” She lay on her back and looked up at the ceiling. “Grandfather, imprisoned me for most of my life. And look how I turned out. I want to give them a chance to be rehabilitated.”

“And if they can’t?”

“Then I guess I will have to put them out of their misery.”

“You’ve been planning this for a moment.”

She giggled. “Yes, but I originally thought it would be just Alice. Which is why I allowed her to live after I warned her and she betrayed me anyway. Imagine my surprise when I found out that Banker was working with her. After I give them what they deserve, I will release them from their misery. Whether through pain or death.”

 

****

 

Nine thought she was dreaming when she was suddenly awakened by Leaf’s soft but panicky voice. “Nine, Nine, wake up, bae.”

When she opened her eyes and turned on the lamp, she saw Isabel sitting on top of him with a knife to his throat. The tip of the blade was shivering and she was straddling his waist.

Carefully, Nine eased out of bed and tiptoed behind Isabel. Her heart thumped in her chest as she noticed that with one slash of the blade she could end her husband’s life, killing Nine emotionally in the process. If ever there was a time to be cautious, now was it. “Isabel,” Nine said softly, “you cannot hurt him. Please.”

“But the colors are loud.” She paused, moving the blade two inches closer to his throat. “He wants me like the others and no other man will have me in that way.”

“Baby, I don’t—”

“Shhh,” Nine said placing her finger over her lips to silence him. He was liable to say the wrong thing and get himself killed.

In Isabel’s erratic mental state, earlier that night she eased into bed like she always had when Leaf was gone, before they got back together. And Leaf, believing she was Nine, moved to have sex with her before realizing who she was.

His touch made Isabel snap.

When he was speechless, Nine placed her hands softly on Isabel’s shoulders. She lowered her head and whispered into her ear. “Do not do this to me,” she said. “Do not take him from me. I love him.” She gazed down at her husband who was the most fearful she’d ever seen him.

“But he takes me in the night. He takes me in the night and makes me do all kinds of things. His fatty flesh stinks and he smells of alcohol. I can’t do it anymore. I just can’t!” Huge teardrops danced off of her face and splashed on his chin.

While Nine had her ear, she snaked her right hand down to her breast to take away the crazy, then she eased her hand down between her legs and onto the tip of her clit. Slowly Nine stroked it until she relaxed under the pressure of her motions.

Isabel’s head drooped backwards and fell against Nine’s breasts as she gave into the feelings. And when she was under her spell, Nine eased her left hand around her neck and squeezed tightly, forcing the knife out of her grasp.

Leaf leaped out of the bed and yanked Isabel from his wife’s hands and tossed her on the floor. With both hands around her throat, he was about to steal her life until Nine said, “Baby, please, do not. She…she is not well. Let me get her some help.”

“I don’t want to hear that shit! Dr. Banning wasn’t able to help you, why would I believe she’s going to help her?”

“I will get her some outside help, Leaf. Please, do not do this. She is family and to kill her is to take a part of me.”

Leaf looked at Nine while still squeezing Isabel’s neck.

“Leaf…please,” she whispered.

Finally, he released. Isabel rolled to one side and coughed several times. Tugging at the skin covering her throat, she desperately tried to snatch air back into her lungs using huge coughs.

Leaf walked up to Nine and ran his hand down the side of her face. He took a moment to look intently into her eyes. “You will no longer run this family. You will no longer make all of the decisions. I am your husband and I want this bitch out of my house. Tonight!”

“But—”

“It’s either her or me!”

 

****

 

Nine was packing Isabel’s bag when Lisa walked into the room. “Stormy Woods Mental Facility is ready for Izzy,” she said standing in the doorway. When she saw Nine’s hand shaking, she walked inside. “Let me do that for you.” She removed the folded shirt from her hand and Nine flopped down on the bed.

“I wanted to help her. I really did.” She paused. “I guess I thought if I helped her I would be helping myself too.”

“Izzy will be fine, Nine. Trust me.”

“How are you sure?”

Lisa placed a thick strand of her hair behind her ear. “I know because mama suffered from psychotic episodes for most of my childhood.”

Nine looked up at her. Lisa now received her total attention. “Bridget? But she seems so relaxed.”

She smiled and nodded yes.

“I guess it worked.”

Lisa sighed. “It did, but she had to go away for awhile. That’s when me and my brothers got extra close.” She placed a pair of jeans into the suitcase and zipped it up. “And I married Wagner in a small ceremony, with just us. We always had to defend each other when she left and before we knew it we isolated ourselves from most of the world. They didn’t understand us anyway.” She looked ahead of her. “Daddy came by and would drop off some money to help us but I knew his heart was here. Never with us.”

Nine looked over at her. “Are you in love with Wagner?”

“Yes. I love my husband. But it’s hard showing people in public, who know that we’re siblings. They don’t understand what it means to care about someone. To care about a person so much that you see past the bloodlines. I think that makes us powerful, don’t you?”

Nine nodded yes.

“All I want to do is take care of my baby and make Wagner happy, you know?” Lisa paused. “And I want to help you if you need it.”

“Nine, the van is here,” Antonius said knocking on the door lightly.

“Is Izzy downstairs?”

“Yes.” He paused. “I have Titus with her and I told the other soldiers to go home like you requested.”

Nine dismissed the others because she didn’t want anyone else knowing that Isabel would be taken to a mental institution. Not even her most trusted men. She wanted to give her that privacy so that she could get well and not worry about what the men thought or felt about her. Besides, most of them had come to love Isabel and she didn’t want them feeling differently, even if the vehicle transporting her was unmarked.

Nine stood up and hugged Lisa. “Thank you for sharing with me. I am glad you are here.” She walked toward the door and followed Antonius downstairs.

 

****

 

Nine sat in the van in front of the Prophet mansion with Antonius after dropping off Isabel hours earlier at the mental institution. Her property seemed eerily quiet and she knew it was because one of her favorite cousins was no longer there. “Is there anything I can do for you?” Antonius asked looking into her eyes.

“No,” she breathed heavily. “You have done a lot for me already, and I am grateful for you.”

Before she left, he handed her something. “Keep this so that you are never alone.”

She looked down at it, touched his face and slid out of the car. Antonius watched her the entire time.

The moment she walked through the door and tossed her Céline bag on the table, she stepped a few feet inside and was struck over the back of the head with a bat. She passed out cold.