"Call Phonso. I want you to stay at Miss Gloria's. I don't want you here alone."
"But—"
"He'll know what to do, baby. Do what I say, okay?"
"Okay," she swallowed back her tears but more flooded from her eyes and trailed down her face.
As the police led him out the door, Vanessa wanted to scream. This could not be happening. Scotty called over his shoulder.
"I'll call you as soon as I can, Vanessa. I love you, babe!"
"Scotty …" She wanted to beg for him not to go. "I love you too!"
This was too much. She would not survive this. Scotty could not go to jail.
II
Phonso was not nearly as calm as Scotty had been, but he was a long shot from Vanessa's hysteria. When she refused to go to Miss Gloria's because she might miss Scotty's phone call, Phonso called his sister Beady to come to the apartment to sit with her. Phonso knew nothing about calming hysterical women and besides, he had important business to take care of; he and G would need to pull together the bail money.