ㅤㅤㅤHAVING BEEN BIRTHED IN SEATTLE, Washington of late August with vaguely enough parental guidance, Kei Valentine had rightfully earned the persona of being spunky, straightforward, eccentric and diligent, but so had the boy whom was birthed twenty-four hours later, five years earlier and more than two-thousand miles apart from her. The only difference was that while Kei was discovering the positives in life though being abandoned at an early age, Tyree Devlin was raking up all the negatives before her. He was eager, callous, streetwise and rebellious as they came, thanks to the teachings of his only false God.
ㅤㅤㅤFar from compatible, how the two Leos paths aligned was something that only the underbelly of New York City took to swallow, digest and keep sacred, but it wasn't at all unattainable to one's own access. You just had to know the correct route to take and connects to make. This is Underground Combat.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀or⠀⠀⠀in which even the innocent can wind up being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀〝⠀This that HEARTFELT shit this that stay ROCK SOLID when life get HARD，little bitch!⠀〞
IMPERIAL OVERSTRETCH
/imˈpirēəl ˌōvərˈstreCH/
⁰⁰¹.⠀⟆⠀IMPERIAL OVERSTRETCH，also known as IMPERIAL OVERREACH，describes the situation in which an empire extends itself BEYOND its military-economic capabilities and often COLLAPSES as a result of this policy.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀،̲،̲⠀𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐁𝐀𝐓 ❪chapter sies：high risks⸝ high rewards❫⸝ pt. 𝟏╱𝟐 [𝟏𝟖+]
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀゛⠀Wasn’t in my plans⸝ neither was this gun up in my hands but you know how niggas get⸝ not knowing why⠀⠀⠀niggas wit’...⠀〟
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀✱ Tory Lanez — G.A.N.G !@#$% ❪2013❫
ׂ ̣ ○ . ° ♰ 𓈒 ॱ 𓂂 forewarning⠀⦂⠀this chapter will contain use of strong language⸝ use of drugs or alcohol⸝ infidelity⸝ violence⸝ gore？and character death. read at your own discretion.
ׂ ̣ ○ . ° ♰ 𓈒 ॱ 𓂂 author’s note⠀⦂⠀⠀⠀‘’⠀⠀⠀This chapter has really given me such the difficult time this past year and coutin’ though strategically thought-out which is why it took me so long to finally dish it out to you guys. I’m happy to finally have completed it though. The second-half shouldn’t be as lengthy or take me nearly as long to write as this did⸝ but it will require your focus a bit more than this one being that I’ll be introducing a handful of supporting characters that will more than likely be apart of the storyline from then on out and I don’t wish to confuse you guys.
With that being said⸝ I seriously don’t know how I be going about writing these lengthy ass chapters⸝ y’all. I just be writing with no intentions of stopping when it comes to this series⸝ ‘cause I really do be havin’ the time of my life here. It would probably be best for y’all to read it at night in order to maintain focus and set the mood⸝ ‘cause as I’ve said before⸝ it’s an extremely long chapter⸝ but do whatever works best for you! ☺
As y’all should know by now⸝ this whole series is dedicated to my pops⸝ but this chapter in specific holds a special place in my heart because he wore that “BEST ON EARTH” track down when he was here⸝ okuuurt?! Happy readings⸝ Mermaids!⠀⠀⠀‘’
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀〝⠀IT’S NOT EASY TO
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀MAKE THAT CHANGE
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀THE STREETS KEEP
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀CALLIN’ ME!⠀〞
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀-ˋˏ⠀VINEGAR HILL⸝ BROOKLYN
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀FRIDAY⸝ OCTOBER 𝟕ᵀᴴ⸝ 𝟖：𝟐𝟓 AM
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀TYREE’S PAD⠀ˎˊ˗
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀🐉系🍱🥢🥡💮𓈒𓄹
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀𝐎𝐌𝐍𝐈𝐒𝐂𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐓
ㅤㅤㅤ“𝕿HEY’RE COMING TO GET YOU, BARBARA.” The infamous, yet daunting line quoted by the character Johnny in the 1968 Cult Classic Horror film Night of the Living Dead resonated throughout the living room area from the surround sound system, drawing the uneven audience of young adults in for the early October morning.
There was Isaiah whom was casually lounging in his favorite seat in the apartment; Bianca whom was assisting Kei in the impulsive decision of dyeing her afro and thin eyebrows different concoctions other than pink and honey blonde then there was Kei herself, seated stiffly in a metal folding chair before Bianca with her rose gold Apple iPad Air 2, a half-filled cocktail flute of cranberry mimosa and a joint of the strain Sour Diesal burning between her fingertips as her dilated pupils bored into the 50″ screen to the front of them.
It was apparent in her body language that Kei had an severe case of paranoia in the Horror film genre since her youth, more specifically, Kinemortophobia since zombie pictures usually gave her nightmares post watching them, but it seemed misfortunate to ring in the month of October without one, so there she was, toughing it out for Isaiah and Bianca though it felt like she’d panic worse than the character Barbara at any given second.
On the other hand, her current predicament and the film itself resurfaced memories from home and the morning after her abduction. Horror films were always Antonio’s thing while the cool metal against her bottom gave her post-traumatic flashbacks of Raphael’s abuse.
“Ah!” Kei yelped and flinched in her seat when witnessing the flesheater jump out at Barbara unprovoked. “See, this is exactly why I don’t watch this stuff.”
“Ohh, would you stop being such a wuss, Kei? This movie isn’t even scary. If there was an actual apocalypse happening, you’d be the first to go.” Bianca taunted through her infectious giggling, Isaiah joining in on the fun through his cheerful expressions.
“Yeah, well I’ll be dragging y’all down with me since y’all want to laugh.” Kei fired back, going to adjust herself in her seat before taking a hit of her spliff to calm her nerves.
“Not if my sniper bullet catches you first!” Bianca mocked, causing their laughter to swell.
The sound of the locks being turned had actually came as some sort of relief for Kei since she couldn’t think of a better comeback for Bianca. In walked Tyree and Lamar with a few paper bags brimming with groceries and necessities in tow.
“Ahh, look what the cat done drug in.” Bianca smirked smugly once her and Isaiah’s laughter subsided.
“We could hear y’all cackling all the way from the elevator. What’s the big idea?” Tyree asked, him and Lamar proceeding into the kitchen to place the bags on the counter.
“Oh, nothing except the fact that your girlfriend is a pussy when it comes to Horror movies. Who would’ve thought?”
“Correction: It is not the Horror pictures that I am afraid of, but the zombie pictures.” Kei rectified in a matter-of-factly tone, holding her trigger finger up in defense before returning to her research on contemporary furniture pieces on Bianca’s tablet.
“Same difference.”
“Well good thing she ain’t gotta worry much about zombies when I’m around to ward ‘em off, ain’t that right, baby girl?” Tyree approached his girlfriend of two weeks with a welcoming peck on her lips and a Aftera emergency contraception pill box in hand.
“Yeah.” Kei felt her full cheeks become fervent and the pit of her stomach flutter at her pet name, her top alignment of teeth closing in over her bottom lip as vivid flashbacks of their consistent late night and early morning sessions came flooding her memory as it had been all that morning.
The intoxicating aroma of his signature Calvin Klein cologne invaded her senses, taking her to a state of euphoria, but the floral and musk notes of a woman’s perfume other than those of her own had constantly left her with suspicions. She’d constantly interrogate Bianca throughout the day about the matter, but she’d leave her with more questions than answers. Damn, was he good at covering his tracks because each time she’d decide to do some diggin’ of her own, she’d come up short. As bad as she wanted to confront him on her own, she knew he’d do nothing but shut down on her again and they had already made so much progress these past few weeks, she didn’t wish to setback the bond they shared with one another. She hadn’t wished to share this source of serotonin with any other woman, but especially not Brooklyn again!
“Mm,” Tyree emulated Kei’s then dazed facial expression. “I got your stuff.” He handed over the overfamiliar box of contraceptive to which she happily accepted.
“Thanks, daddy.” Kei grinned, pressing her full lips against his once more.
“I think I’m going to barf.” Lamar overdramatically stated from the kitchen area, rolling his eyes with envy.
“For Christ’s sake, read the room! There are children in here! That’s exactly how all those hickies ended up on her damn neck and why she keep poppin’ morning-after pills now!” Bianca exclaimed, gathering all the trash from Kei’s dye job together.
“Mind your own business, Bianca!” Tyree spat.
“If y’all wouldn’t put y’all’s out there so often then maybe we would!”
“That ammonia shit reeks,” Tyree kissed his teeth, his top lip curling. “Make sure you clean all that shit up.” He ordered, retreating back to the kitchen area to begin stashing the groceries away.
“Yes, massa. Will there be anything else that I can assist you with while I’m at it? How ‘bout pullin’ the stick out your ass to start? Jeez!” Bianca expressed, tossing the tint brush back inside it’s bowl with much attitude. “This was your girl’s idea to begin with.”
“It’s true, baby.” Kei shot him an innocent grin with her shoulders hunched to which he could only stare at her dumbfoundedly.
“Whatever.” He brushed the situation off, proceeding to stash goods away with his bodyguard.
“Why don’t you come get yours done while you’re doing all that bitchin’ and complaining?” Bianca suggested.
Kei perked up when hearing this.
“Ohh! That’s a great idea, baby! We’ll be twins!”
“The fuck I look like? Arthur Fleck?” Tyree scoffed.
“No, but you sure are actin’ like him.” Bianca remarked.
“Fuck you.”
“Isn’t that what Kei’s here for?”
“Please, baby?” Kei pleaded, drawing him in with her dough-like eyes.
“I... don’t know, baby girl,” Tyree sighed in defeat, tossing the bag of Harvest Cheddar flavored Sun Chips into the air. “I got a lot of shit on my plate right now.”
“Such as?”
“Such as gettin’ styled before this cage match tonight at Club Murder. Stakes are high. This match is going to determine who stays to control New York and who flees, so it’s important to Soldier and I want to look the part although he hasn’t made his decision on who’s going to be his leading man as of yet.”
“C’mon now, Tyree. I don’t even know why you’re stressin’ that shit. You know as well as I do that it’s always going to end up being you over everyone else on the roster.” Lamar stated the obvious.
“I won’t ask you for anything else.” Kei solemnly swore.
“Not even that Edra “Boa” sofa you’ve been beggin’ for me to purchase you these past two weeks?”
“No.” She lied.
“Aight, it’s a bet then. Set me up.”
Bronx⸝ New York City
12：39 PM
Nineteen-year-old captive, Kei Valentine stood hunched over in the full-length mirror of the curved fitting room in Syndicate Urban Streetwear otherwise known as S.U.S., an privately held apparel chain, specializing in authentic curated luxury pieces, owned by one of Soldier’s former henchman by the name of Sean “Snowman” Scott, donning an original 1998 Thierry Mugler Spring/Summer Haute Couture piece.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀𝐒𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐇 𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐓⠀⦂⠀* THIERRY MUGLER ✯⠀╱⠀haute couture s╱s⸝ circa ‘98.
She’d continuously feel the need to nip and pick at her love handles or suck in the FUPA she assumed she had packed on over the past month through the high-quality iridescent mermaideesque sequin fabric with an exasperated sigh despite their being anything stored there contrary to her own insecurities. She didn’t deserve to wear this peace, at least not feeling like this she didn’t.
“Baby girl, you dressed yet?” The sound of Tyree’s voice and the hooks attached to the solid black curtain gliding against the rail when he decided to snatch it back had Kei straightening her posture and pretending to smooth out her dress on instant. That’d make one less thing for him to complain about though the answer to his question was evidently written all over her face. “You don’t like it?” Tyree sighed, somewhat disappointedly as he tucked his hands inside the front pockets of his dark wash straight-leg jeans before slowly beginning to gravitate towards her.
“No, I never said that,” Kei emulated the sigh he allowed to escape past his lips no less than a minute ago as she admired his new hairdo from afar. They were finally matching. “I love the dress. It’s just that... I feel... Fat in it?”
“Fat?! Baby, c’mon, this is like the fifth piece you’ve tried on today. We’ve spent more time trying on and purchasing shit than we have actually gettin’ ready. If this extra thickness is what you’re gettin’ so worked up about then put the blame on me. I’m the one that’s been giving you extra back shots lately.” His large hands gave her curvy backside a vigorous squeeze, causing her to fall into a fit of contagious giggles before his fingertips brushed against the unfinished ink of a floral design running up the left side of her back and gripping onto her waist, bringing her close to his groin.
“Baby, I’m serious.” She pouted at him through the full-length mirror they were standing in front of as he propped his chin upon her shoulder.
“I’m serious too. The dress looks fine, you look fine.”
“That’s the thing, I want to feel it. This is your big night, after all.”
“I can make that happen, easy.”
“Yeah? How so?”
“Let me show you.” Without a care in the world of the curtain remaining open to the rest of the department, Tyree brushed the curls of his girlfriend’s bleached afro aside before his wet lips revisited the same overfamiliar areas of her neck that he patiently learned would make her moan and bruise easily. It had all took her back to their first time.
With a wicked grin ghosting her parted lips, slit eyes, and her hands pressed flat against either side of the mirror, Kei submitted herself to him completely, knowing she anticipated this moment of passion just as bad as he did.
Fog clouded the mirror at the cadence of her breathing as he cautiously hiked the thin layer of clothing up around her waistline before impatiently yanking her G-String down to her knees with her assistance.
“Damn, baby, you givin’ all this good shit up to me in the fittin’ room?” His breath teasingly fanning over ear, his teeth sinking into her helix shortly after as their eyes enticingly locked within the reflection of the mirror.
“Yeah...” Kei concurred in an unsteady breath. She wasn’t at all embarrassed to admit to this newfound exhibitionism kink of hers.
“With the curtain wide open? You just tryna be seen, huh?”
“Yeah...” She repeated in a moan, hearing him finally undo the fly of his slim straight jeans.
“Bad girl.” He remarked, going to press his hand at the center of her back in order to get her to assume their favorite position, but not before she could catch a glimpse of something unexpected through the mirror.
Kei could’ve sworn her eyes were deceiving her when seeing Sean alongside Raphael, Tec and even Soldier himself observing her and Tyree’s actions from afar as if they were on display at a museum. She could’ve cared less about those who played part in their usual circle of allies, but she held herself up to a certain standard when being in the presence of Soldier and so did Tyree because he was the one who taught her to do so, even if he was too selfish to admit it.
“T-Tyree, the crew!” Kei stammered, her heart hammering against her ribcage in embarrassment as she attempted to sit upright.
“Fuck the crew right now. I’m tryna be balls deep in some pussy.” He stated with his hand and eyes still placed at her mid-back.
“No, baby. I mean that they’re standing right behind us!” She hissed in a pant.
“Oh, shit!” He expressed, glancing over his shoulder as he released her from his firm hold and immediately went to adjust his jeans back around his waistline before assisting her in doing the same with her G-String and dress.
With a sheepish grin stretching across both their beaming faces, The couple both would simultaneously turn to face their peers, hand in hand.
“Ahhh,” Raphael laughed out obnoxiously, one hand placed on his clenching abdomen as the other pointed out the obvious. “Tyree really out here tryna get some cutty in the dressin’ room—” Everyone excluding him had found this unamusing. It wasn’t until the back of Soldier’s heavy hand came swinging into his puny chest, nearly knocking the wind from him that he had actually piped down.
Soldier beckoned Tyree in the direction of the sitting area before walking away with Raphael and Tec in tow, leaving the couple to bid their farewells for the time being.
“We’ll pick up where we left off at when I get back, hm?” Tyree whispered into Kei’s citrus scented curls before pressing his lips into her temple and against those of her own.
“Take your time.” She simply nodded her head in agreement to this though fret was still evident in her expression as she smoothed her hand over the wrinkly white graphic T-shirt that he was then clad in before untwining their fingers. She had only hoped he would receive the answer that he were looking for on the fight that night as she sent him on his way.
She faced the full-length mirror once more, already feeling differently on the opulent fabric that adorned her physique when she spotted Sean rearranging some authentic NBA Jerseys on a display stand nearby. Then would’ve been the ideal timing to bombard him with a question that had been boggling her mind since she first stepped foot inside his establishment. Lamar was right, maybe asking questions she had no business to was her problem to begin with.
“Hey, Snow?” Kei called out to him by his nickname as she gradually approached the curtain of the dressing room while adjusting the abstract translucent bangles clamped to her right arm as well as the new one of one hundred and one authentic Jacob & Co. Astronomia Fleurs de Jardin wristwatches embezzled in “Rainbow” topaz, sapphires, tsavorites, rubies, amethysts and mother of pearl gemstones secured to her inked wrist by white crocodile straps “Mind if I ask you a question?”
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀𝐒𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐇 𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐓⠀⦂⠀* JACOB ⅋ CO.⠀╱⠀astronomia “rainbow” wristwatch.
“Depends...” His voice trailed and not once had he ripped his eyes away from the task at hand.
“On?” Kei challenged the tradesman, hoisting herself up on the glass display side of the corner L-shaped service counter.
“If I like your question or not.”
“Fair enough. Where’d you get the vintage couture pieces from though? I mean, as a self-proclaimed fashion enthusiast even I know that these fabrics weren’t just shipped here in quantities on the back of some semitruck, that’s for damn sure, so what’s your secret?”
“I’d have to kill you if I were to tell you.”
“Eh,” She giggled, hunching her shoulders as she gripped the perimeter of the counter she was then seated upon before continuously going to swing her smooth legs. “If you only knew half the shit I’ve been through these past two months, you’d know that I’ve got nothing else to lose at this point.”
“Aight, so boom, ‘bout six years back these three prep school kids from the middle-class suburbs had decided to finally find their rebellious streak in hackin’, scamming and boostin’ high-end exhibitions. I mean, from Bob Mackie’s at the Phoenix Art Museum to whatever it is you have on out in Paris. Call themselves the Notorious 3. Anyway, when shit really started gettin’ hot for ‘em out there in the streets, I figured that I’d take it off their hands for ‘em in exchange for a few racks I had lying ‘round, sent ‘em on their way. We’ve been in cahoots ever since then. Don’t get it twisted though, these niggas might be crafty wit’ the work, but nevertheless, heavily armed,” An sibilated sigh escaped past his lips as he shook his head. “They’d have my head for even openly discussing this with you right now, but with you being a new edition to The Soldier family, I’ll make the exception. Consider this information and that dress ya housewarming gift from me to you. Now while I’m surprised you haven’t heard of ‘em yet, besides Bianca stoppin’ by for a few intricate pieces here and then, that shit just been collecting dust in the basement for real ‘til Tyree bought you along. I’m pretty sure you’ll put ‘em to good use with fashion “Expertise” and all that.”
While Kei begun to see the greater good in people again, Tyree had made his way over to the suede mustard yellow Verner Panton Cloverleaf Vis-ב-vis sectional sofa of the sitting area in which Soldier, Raphael and Tec were then situated in.
He snatched a champagne flute up from the serving tray resting out on the cocktail table before him before skillfully plopping down in the seat nearest and rear-facing to Soldier without any spills, thankfully, and that’s how it’d always been established.
“What’s the word on tonight, boss?” Tyree queried, taking a sip from the Luc Belaire Bleu brand champagne that sat within his flute.
“Bones has made it clear to me; Winner-take-all, loser skips to Jersey.” Soldier had always spoken upright although with his elbows propped up on the back of the sofa and his closed fists covering his mouth, it’d always give off the impression that he wanted to remain inconspicuous.
“The opponent?”
“He’s going with his best man... RetcH.” Soldier sighed out deeply, his chest rising and falling.
“And you?” Tyree glanced over at Soldier who continued to stare straight ahead.
“As for me...” His is hands fell into his lap. “Richie’s a coward, Raphael and Slim are too damn hot-headed, Tec fucked up his wrist in the latest squabble with Teddy and as for Bianca and Kei... Immediate disqualification. They’re women, so there ain’t no way in hell I’d be putting ‘em up against RetcH, so that leaves me with you, Devlin.”
“What?!” Raphael exclaimed, jumping up out his seat on the sofa. “Man, this is bullshit!” He kicked the cocktail table over, causing the glassware atop to shatter on impact and for Kei and Sean to glance over in his direction.
“Watch yourself.” Even in the condition of a fractured wrist, Tec had still managed to stand up from his place on the sofa, fully prepared to inflict pain on his own crewmate until it came to Soldier restraining him from doing so.
“Nah, nigga, you better watch yourself!” Raphael snarled, finally having the confidence to actually step to Tec after the fact. “Can’t you see he always puttin’ this wide neck ass nigga before us?! Thinkin’ that somehow, someway he’s gonna reincarnate Trent! Yeah, I said it! Fuck it!” Tyree hadn’t paid much mind to Raphael’s usual antics, but the mention of his deceased older brother had him balling up his fists.
“That’s not true!” Soldier retorted.
“The fuck it is! I can’t even recall the last time I’ve been tagged in. Man, I’m out this bitch, and Tec, if you knew any better, you’d be right behind me!”
“Fuckin’ envious ass niggas,” Tec snarled, watching Raphael to the the exit before going to sit the cocktail table up by use of his dominant hand. “It really be your own bloodline. Don’t even trip on that shit, T. There’s much bigger shit at stake here.”
“Tec’s right,” Soldier stated with yet another deep sigh. “I need you laser focused tonight, so be lenient on the booze... And the women. We dress the part, avenge Trent, collect the cash prize and get out, hear me? Look, I know that RetcH is a rather touchy subject for—”
“Soldier, don’t take this the wrong way, but when’s the last time I’ve ever disappointed you besides what went down in the Red Room awhile back, hm? I know what I’m doing. I don’t need anyone holding my hand the way there. You just give me a time and I’ll be there.”
“Yeah, well your brother said the same thing,” Soldier sighed at the distinct memory of Trent’s fate before standing up from the sofa and signaling for Tec to send for their chauffer outside which he obliged to do so. “I’m not saying all this to get you riled up, Devlin. I have more faith in you than you probably want to believe. I just want you to understand what we’re up against. You’ll be ridin’ wit’ me to the venue tonight, so I’ll have my chauffeur pick you and the girl up around nine o’clock tonight,” Tyree simply nodded his head in agreement as Soldier placed his hand upon the fighter’s broad shoulder, giving it a firm squeeze. “Best of luck, Champ.”
Washington Heights⸝ Manhattan
9：45 PM
The twenty-eight-minute duration of being chauffeured from Tyree’s pad in Vinegar Hill to Club Murder in Washington Heights in Soldier’s custom Cadillac Escalade ESV was radio silent.
Between him, Tec, Kei and Tyree, they all were trying their very hardest to conceal their evident apprehension as far as the forthcoming street fight and all parties involved. The silence was probably most suitable to majority of them that weren’t directly involved in a situation such as this, but for someone of Tyree’s status, being too comfortable was never an option as it would somehow always lead to shit going left within his life.
Comfortability is what had gotten Trent hemmed up the same night he had met his own fate. Comfortability was what Tyree had felt that split second while lying in Bianca’s lap before death came calling shortly thereafter. Comfortability was what bind him to Kei and all the futile women that came before her; therefore, he had no intention on following the masses. This lifestyle of his required living on edge, so what was a man to do other than indulge in the fruits of his labor?
He sat slouched in one of two rear Italian-leather reclining seats aside from Kei, clad in a fitted solid white crew neck T-shirt, an solid white polyester Champion brand pullover hoodie and slim fit dark wash and distressed Diesel brand jeans which underlined the sky blue Moncler Idil quilted-shell down jacket that were responsible for color coordinating with the “Do the Right Thing” colorway of his Air Jordan 3 Retro LS’ as he carelessly faced his second bottle of Luc Belaire Bleu champagne.
The Cartier C-Decor sunglasses customized with diamond cut out lenses and rimmed with VVS diamonds seated upon the bridge of his broad nose, the Richard Mille RM 56-02 Tourbillon Sapphire wristwatch secured to his wrist, the white diamond sterling silver cross huggie earrings dangling from his earlobes, his 14K white gold diamond pinky ring, his signature Sacramento pendant draping from his neck and even the custom double white gold open face cap that spread from his left lateral incisor to his cuspid had all reflected under the SUV’s interior lights and tied the look together.
“Baby, take it easy.” As if on cue, Kei’s disparate tone came to Tyree’s distress before Soldier could, swiftly snatching the half-empty bottle of champagne from his possession in the nick of time before he could stain his attire as the SUV came to an abrupt stop in what seemed to be some sort of overcrowded back-alley.
She placed the cork back on the bottle the best way she knew how before safely placing it on the tray table before her and cupping his speckled face within her hands. The pad of her thumb swiped against the soul patch beneath his bottom lip in order to collect whatever bit of liquid that previously lied there as his hooded eyes zeroed in on her before he pressed his lips against hers.
“Don’t coddle the man. He hasn’t paid his dues just yet.” Soldier’s remarks caused the couple to drift to their sections of the vehicle as if they were two children being chastised by their father all the while his eyes remained focused outside the rear door’s window.
The 32″ LCD television installed behind the back of him and Tec’s heads displayed a default screen of The Big Apple and acted as a partition between the passengers and chauffer when it had began to descend. The chauffeur announced their arrival to the venue before going to step outside the vehicle in order to open the rear door for them.
“Ladies first.” Tec politely insisted, extending his dominant hand for the teen to grab in which she obliged to do so after nodding her head in agreement, a small smile gracing her lips at his chivalry. From there, her hand was lent over to the chauffeur who assisted her in stepping outside the idle vehicle.
Her eyes almost immediately ascended up the bustling factory building as she boldly went to step a few feet away from the vehicle with her clammy hands grasping onto the handle of her transparent glass devil-horned Coperni X Heven Swipe handbag which had only held a tube of Fenty Beauty Diamond Milk Glass Bomb Lip Luminizer and a sufficient amount of green apple flavored Jolly Ranchers.
The plant was overcome by it’s usual debris, graffiti art and bystanders which had been sectioned off by a chain-link fence. The grimy circle top muntin grid windows displayed a wavering reflection of warm lighting that she could’ve easily mistaken as burning flames upon first glance. The scenery seemingly danced in her pupils and made the hair on the back of her neck stand up. She didn’t have peel her eyes away from what looked to be purgatory to know that it was a sign.
She was merely seconds away from retreating to the vehicle until a familiar source of stability came snaking around her waist with a reassuring peck on the cheek. There was the man of the hour, Tyree with Soldier and Tec in pursuit, in that exact order.
Tyree glanced over to his right at Soldier who only simply nudged his head in the direction of the entrance where one of Bones’ brawny body men stood. He took Kei’s dainty hand in his before being the one to take on the responsibility of leading their way there.
There were no proper greeting exchanged between the quartet and body man, not even a query for entrance tickets, entrance fees nor wristbands, for one, as he broke his previous stance just to push and hold the vandalized industrial door open for them to enter. The venue had still not been fully accessed as there was a brief, yet corroded corridor for them to pass through as well as another industrial door being bogarted by yet another one of Bones’ brawny body men.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀〝⠀Like the way she work⸝ ayy
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀She always puts me first⸝ ayy
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀And I know I’ve been around
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀But I swear you got the best on Earth⸝ yeah⸝ yeah⸝ yeah⸝ yeah⸝⠀〞
The quartet moved in a phalanx of stealth in order to reach the final entrance of the venue, Russ’ “BEST ON EARTH” single as well as the various howls of excitement by partygoers were muddled while draining in through a closed door, amping their dramatic ass entrance more than ever before.
It was almost melodic to the half of them. For Kei, the feeling of insecurity had set in far before they reached the inside of the plant, maybe even before this newfound claim to fame of being Tyree’s eye candy. It couldn’t get any worse than that.
Though her resting bitch face was apparent, she could still distinguish the feeling of her heart palpitating with apprehension inside her ribcage with each leap she took towards the entrance in her transparent Season 7 Yeezy brand pumps.
The same warm lighting of the industrial caged fixtures mounted on either side of the narrow hallway which irradiated the rich rose gold Fenty Beauty Body Lava Body Luminizer that coated her fair skin, her habitual holographic beat, gemstone jewelry pieces, both old and new, and the iridescent fabric of her Thierry Mugler frock at the very same time felt blistering rather than majestic in her panicked state of mind. The forewarning of a restricted area sign pinned to the wall to their left raised her suspicions about what they had gotten themselves into even more. Very telling for a nightclub named “Club Murder.”
The industrial door was pushed open by Bones’ second body man upon their arrival, the loose curls of Kei’s high ponytail surging in the humid wind the nightclub bore. Ironically enough, all of the teenager’s previous subconscious protests leading into the makeshift Steel Cage Match venue had dissipated the very moment she was welcomed into it. The scene was becoming second nature to her.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀𝐕𝐈𝐒𝐔𝐀𝐋𝐒⠀⦂⠀* CLUB⠀╱⠀murder ☠︎
Beams of light from the strobes suspended above the eight-foot wire cage in the center of the room danced upon the members of the secret society who surrounded it or hung out in the mezzanines on the outskirts of it, making bets or simply indulging in their preference of alcohol or marijuana.
Speaking of bets, Richie had nearly missed their arrival when jogging past them in his “Space Jam” colorway Air Jordan 9 Retro OG sneakers, a No. 2 pencil tucked aside his prescribed Cazal brand eyeglasses on his wide ears and a Casio brand printing calculator in hand just as “Flipside” by Freeway commenced throughout the scene, but not before Soldier pulled him back using the Puerto Rico flag bandana hanging from the back pocket of his dark ankle jeans.
There was absolutely no one that they could name who stood more proud in not only their line of work, but their ethnicity as well other than Richie. He was absolutely ecstatic to be back in his hood.
He swiftly dapped up his eses, planted an appropriate kiss on the cheek of his “Mamacita,” simply bid “Good luck,” to Tyree and he was on his merry way, and so were they.
The quartet remained phalanx as they moved towards the caged platform where Lamar, Bianca and Slim had been anticipating their arrival. They embraced each other, the women practically squealing to be in the presence of each other again since the early hours of the morning so that they could excessively compliment one another on their risquי evening attire.
Tyree came out his Moncler puffer and Champion pullover, handing the items over to Lamar just as the feedback of a microphone could be heard throughout the venue, causing the sidebar conversations of the crowd as well as the accompanying 2000′s music to slowly minimize.
Who would’ve thought that the 1967 Boogaloo single of Pete Rodriguez’s “I Like It Like That” would summon such an hyperactive spirit that would put the male as well as some of the female species in attendance in an uproar.
She playfully salsa danced her way to the middle of the caged ring where a suspended vintage microphone swayed, just a swinging her 30″ bone-straight frontal as well as the high-slit maxi skirt of her crystal-embellished canary yellow Moschino by Jeremy Scott set that meshed well with her Giuseppe Zanotti Harmony Sparkle sandals and Loree Rodkin jewelry pieces. Her signature stiletto shaped acrylics, white toes, toned stomach and bronzed skin is what had really set it off.
She didn’t have to try hard to garner anyone’s attention. It was as if she was born for this. An organic entertainer.
“What’s up?!” She greeted, peering out into the open crowd that fully welcomed her. “It’s hot than a motherfucker in here! Y’all ain’t hot?!” She asked to which the crowd verbally agreed. “Cue the fans, please! Let’s get my people’s some air!” She demanded, the industrial floor fans stationed around the venue powering on subsequently after. “There we go! That’s better! Anywho, how y’all doing out there tonight?!” She gripped the microphone, stalking the ring as she received mixed feedback from the crowd. “I heard that. If you ain’t catch on by now, I’m ya Master of Ceremonies for tonight, Celina Rodriguez, but ya nigga just might know me as Cece from Seventh Heaven Gentlemen’s Club back in my stripping days, haan!” She expressed with her tongue hanging from her mouth. “Ain’t no shame in my game, but we movin’ on to bigger and better things, jhu herd?! One of ‘em being that it feels so fuckin’ good to be back in my hood of The Heights, but it feels even better introducing tonight’s street fight between RetcH of The Stallions,” She extended her arm in the direction of RetcH whom was making his way to the platform, tugging at his joggers with a Backwood tucked snug between his lips. “And Tyree of The Soldiers!” Tyree pressed his lips against Kei’s before doing the same. “Price just went up! Yesterday’s price is definitely not today’s price, feel me?! So we got $17,000 on the line tonight which will be in safekeeping between my legs until the winner is announced,” She smirked, her face contorting in the most animated fashion yet, causing everyone including the fighters to break out into a fit of contagious laughter. “So I hope you can recognize the scent of good pussy once it reaches your possession, okuuurt?! I kid, but not really though. Fellas, please let it be known that there will be no crowd or weapon assistance during this quarrel, just y’all fine asses and this metal gate, so without further ado, let’s get duuurty!” She emphasized in her thick accent, Redman’s “Let’s Get Dirty (I Can’t Get in da Club)” cueing subsequently after, causing the crowd to go berserk. She made an exit from the ring and boldly approached the rest of Soldier’s crew.
“What’s up, girl?!” Celina exclaimed, tapping at the shoulder of none other than Bianca who had her back turned towards her at the time being as she sipped her Sugarfree Red Bull Energy Drink through a coffee stirrer, obviously attempting to sway the attention of someone other than.
“Hey, girl!” Bianca greeted once turning to face her and proceeding to pull the announcer into a tight hug. “Long time, no speak.”
“Yes, how long has it been now? What, six years?”
“Yup! I think the last time I seen you was when me, you, Star, Trent, Tec, Ra and Soldier were kickin’ it at Seventh Heaven in Chelsea.”
“That’s right! The good ol’ days. I kind of miss it sometimes, y’know? The underground was way different then,” Celina recollected, shaking her head as she glanced down at her crystal-embellished sandals. “I’m sorry to hear about Trent. I know he cost you guys a great deal.”
“He did,” Bianca nodded her head in agreement while playing with her stirrer, trying her very hardest not to reopen old wounds though the fight transpiring before them was already triggering enough. “But all that’s water under the bridge now. Uh, let me introduce you to Kei, Tyree’s girlfriend,” She switched the subject matter, swiftly grabbing a hold of Kei’s wrist and yanking her to the forefront. “She’s game now.”
“Hi.” Kei squeaked bashfully, extending a wave in Celina’s direction as she sucked on a Jolly Rancher from her handbag.
“Nice to meet you.” Celine winked, internally wishing to suckle on the newbie the same way she sucked on the hard candy.
“That’s his personal bodyguard, Lamar and close friend, Slim. Also apart of the family now,” Both, Lamar and Slim would exchange simple head nods with her. “I’m pretty sure you remember Tec and your ex-fiancי, Soldier.” Kei had nearly choked on her candy at the mention of Soldier and Celina’s failed engagement.
As much as he inserted himself in the affairs of his tribe, you’d think he’d barely have any of his own. This whole “Mixing business with pleasure,” myth had never stemmed from Bianca and Trent to begin with. It had all stemmed from him and Celina.
“Celina...” Soldier greeted bitterly, keeping his eyes forward on the fight.
“Safir...” She smirked while calling out her ex-fiancי’s government name, folding her arms across her full breasts, fully aware that her presence alone was getting beneath his skin. It would pain him to state his ex-fiancיe was doing well without him.
“It’s nice to see that Bones finally took a chance on pullin’ your ass out of Seventh Heaven and puttin’ you on an actual stage.” Soldier chuckled amongst himself and the men of his crew. This was the most Kei had heard him speak since meeting his acquaintance.
“Yeah, something that your broke, egotistical ass couldn’t do at the time!” She retorted, causing ‘Ooh’s’ to fall from the women’s lips almost immediately.
“Get lost, tramp.”
“Fuck I thought, sorry ass nigga,” She rolled her eyes, reshifting her focus on the women. “Anyway, I’ma go make my rounds around the club before I catch another case over this nigga. It was nice seeing y’all.”
“Bye!” Kei and Biance said in unison, watching her walk away before focusing in on the cage match as everyone else had been.
It was an active game of tug of way by this time within the brawl with who would ultimately win.
For a minute, it seemed as if RetcH wouldn’t give Tyree a break from his repetitive combination of restraining him before slamming him face down into the bloody vinyl tarp of the ring using all his body weight. He had given Tyree enough space to bring himself up to his feet this time, but maybe that wasn’t the brightest idea, seeing Tyree charge at him with a closed fist then another that was powerful enough to have RetcH’s blood splaying against his white T-Shirt merely seconds before falling face down on the vinyl tarp.
Picking RetcH up by the sides of his face, Tyree sent two straight blows to his nose before finishing the combination off with an effective dropkick. He maneuvered the ring enough to keep his adrenaline flowing until RetcH collected himself.
You would’ve assumed he regained the upper hand of the brawl when front kicking Tyree into either sides of the metal gate, causing him to enfold in pain before attempting to lock him in a weak grapple which Tyree broke with an upper cut punch straight to his chin, causing his head as well as his body to fly back against the gate.
“Doesn’t feel so good being defenseless, does it?!” Tyree skillfully spat blood onto the tarp, his right hand gripping the back of RetcH’s neck before repeatedly slamming his face into the gate until he was leaking profusely. He was sure to have some facial fractures after that.
RetcH laughed menacingly, his face almost unrecognizable as ichor fell from his split lips and nostrils simultaneously.
“Just like your bitch ass brother!”
This is for my brother, pussy!” One last powerful head thrust against the gate was enough to lay RetcH out for good.
“I believe we’ve got our winner,” Celina exclaimed, her voice vociferous enough to carry out throughout the arena without the use of an microphone as she entered the cage, waving a small kraft paper bag of the winner’s earnings. “Tyree of The Soldiers!” She announced, causing the arena to erupt in a wave of celebratory howls as she handed the money off to Tyree. “Congratulations, T!” She grinned, giving him a round of applause.
Fat Joe’s “Take a Look at My Life” blared throughout the scene as Tyree soaked it all in, pulling Celina into his chest while pumping his fist into the air.
The hype soon began to die down, causing everyone to begin to disperse. Instead of walking outside the cage as any ordinary person would do, Tyree jumped it, landing directly where his crew mates were then located at.
Kei was the first to approach the reigning champion, awarding him with a soft kiss on the corner of his lips as his arm snaked around her waist.
“Yeahhh,” Tec was next to approach Tyree, chuckling as he lifted his arm in victory. “I knew you could do it!”
“Send me a postcard from Jersey!” Soldier teased, watching Bones and those of his crew escort RetcH off the premises. “Time to celebrate!” He exclaimed, turning on the heels of his oxfords as he went to vacate the building with the vast majority of the attendees.
“Where we headed?” Kei asked, perking up.
“Sorry, ma. Grown folks business. Maybe next time.” Tec answered, making her feel less than as he went to follow behind Soldier.
“Sorry, baby. Lamar’s going to take really good care of you.” His statement had almost sounded promising as he went to remove his arm from around her waist, retrieve the rest of his personal belongings from his bodyguard and caught up with the rest of ‘em, but even she knew it was bullshit.
Another night of staying out late, rippin’ and runnin’ the streets for him and crippling anxiety for her.
When did the cycle end?
11：56 PM
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀𝐓𝐘𝐑𝐄𝐄 𝐃𝐄𝐕𝐋𝐈𝐍
The cork being popped on a cold bottle of Moכt & Chandon Imperial Brut by Soldier resonated throughout the rear end of his custom Cadillac Escalade ESV as we, as in me, him and Tec cruised down Lexington Ave.
I was elated to know my winning streak had yet faltered as everyone was probably expecting it to due to previous conflicts and now this war between The Soldiers and The Stallions had finally came to a standstill which meant RetcH was out the picture, yet something on my spirit still felt uneasy about this whole “Skipping town” ordeal. Bones or anyone on his crew, for that matter, had never took too kindly to coming in second place, even in our earlier fights. Though they were far too cowardly to admit to it.
I made a mental note to check in on Kei once we reached our destination just to put my racing mind at ease some. It’ll make me less anxious knowing that she at least successfully made it home in safekeeping with Lamar.
“You really proved yourself tonight, kid. You should be proud. We all are, and I know damn well Trent is,” Soldier gloated, reeling me back in. “The Soldiers obviously still have a lot of work to do. More training and I want to believe I spoke about expanding our operation, but before I get into depth about that, I think that you should have this.” He reached into the pocket of his seasonal Louis Vuitton brand pinstripe suit and pulled out a sentimental piece I felt I hadn’t seen in ages.
“Trent’s chain?” I was almost sure there was an whole assortment of emotions wavering my face as I outstretched my hand for it. It was simple, but it meant a lot to me. His initials encrusted on a small script pendant with a 14K yellow gold diamond tennis chain to match. “I’ve searched high and low for this. Where’d you get it?”
“Trent gave it to me your first night of witnessing his street fight. Said to keep it in safekeeping ‘til I felt you deserved it. It was almost as if he knew he would... As if he knew you would...” He cleared his throat. “You’re a man now, Tyree. No one can take that from you.” He nodded, a reserved smile ghosting across all of our lips as I clasped my brother’s chain around my neck with pride.
I was in the midst of admiring my new piece when we pulled up to a traffic light on the intersection of Lex & East 125th Street.
If someone would’ve forewarned me that the next chain of events to take place would change my life for the worse, I probably would’ve assumed that they were lying, but at least I could’ve braced myself and those around me.
It all happened so fast. The LCD used as a partition situated behind Soldier and Tec’s heads descended for the second time that night. An overfamiliar stenciled arm stretching right outside of it, a Glock 29 handgun clenched within their unsteady hand with the barrel pointed straight in my direction the very second multiple bullets began to propel from the chamber.
Fortunately enough, my reflexes had kicked in, causing me to lean over in my seat and the lead to hit the LCD behind me instead, blowing the fuse completely out of it. Yet a slug had still managed to penetrate my shoulder when the chauffeur went to wrestle the hitman for control of the firearm which fell into the rear seat once his wrist smacked against the perimeter of the partition.
“Get down!” Soldier shouted, yanking me down to the vehicle’s floor with him and Tec by my Champion pullover.
One situation was nearly under control and here went another when a year 1970 model Cadillac Coupe DeVille convertible pulled up to the left of us and began to riddle our vehicle in more hot projectiles, some shattering the rear windows, causing shards of glass and champagne to rain over our tense bodies as we took cover. It was mad wild to me how the ESV was custom made without a bulletproof feature.
I could distinguish the distinct smell of gunpowder and the rubber burning from the tires slipping as the chauffeur attempted to lead us to safety. We barely made it past the stop light when the vehicle began to swerve, making it even easier for the convertible to ram us from the side, sending both American owned vehicles crashing straight into a street light.
The realization of me catching another stray bullet hadn’t set in until my hand was clutching onto my side where the injury resided and the indistinguishable taste of metal was overfilling my mouth. I was sure I’d be reunited with my brother that night.
There wasn’t much time to spare on thinking a rational decision through, only acting on impulse when multiple footsteps could be heard shuffling towards the 125th Street Station entrance.
I reached across what looked to be Soldier and Tec’s unconscious bodies in order to retrieve the same loaded Glock 29 left lying in the seat, that was once used to take me out with before pulling the inner handle of the rear door to the right of us. A guttural groan escaped my larynx, fresh blood staining my fronts and veins protruding my temples as I went to pull myself up from underneath the two of them. I was almost positive that the chauffeur had died on impact by the way the imploded airbags upfront were then hissing.
“T, it ain’t worth it, man!” Tec shouted after me once stirring from his previous state, his dominant hand outstretching in my direction as if that were enough to stop my reigning terror.
I hadn’t exchanged a single word back to him, only a daring glance before sprinting towards the entrance off pure adrenaline. Someone had to pay for the damages caused.
A round of bullets from an submachine Uzi being handled by RetcH himself rang off just as I had reached the top of the mezzanine leading into the subway system, blowing out the fluorescent light fixture below the nomenclature, making it even more difficult for me to identify which direction he was heading in without my eyeglasses. I recoiled to refrain from being struck a third time that night.
The moment I heard him duck off like the little bitch that he was, was the moment I picked myself up the best way I knew how and boldly jogged down the staircase leading to the turnstiles in which I jumped with whatever strength I had left in me. My wounds carelessly leaving a vestige of my very existence not too far behind.
I jogged the second mezzanine leading to the empty platform of the train cars just in the nick of time to witness one depart the station with my cousin onboard, him gesturing finger guns to his temple. As I stood there applying pressure onto the wound on my left hip, I really couldn’t help but to think was he behind the whole operation and were RetcH onboard as well.
I guess I got the answer to at least one of my questions when a silhouette emerged in my peripheral. The clicks of an empty clip coming to his dismay.
As he went to discard his weapon onto the train tracks to our right, I cocked mine back, aiming straight for his left kneecap and pulling the trigger. My hit had obviously landed, hearing the way his below resonated throughout the station before he went to hurl himself against one of the vandalized tile columns of the platform. I did the same, unbeknownst of what he was capable of pulling next.
“RetcH, what’ll you say we put these guns down and settle this like real men?” I queried breathlessly, my head tilting back against the pillar and my heavy eyes squeezing shut the second I felt a spell of dizziness overcoming my body.
“Let me get this straight. Y’all niggas initiate the war between us and now you really expect for me to believe we’re both gon’ walk out this bitch alive, on some “Kumbaya” shit?!” RetcH chortled, groaning in pain and I’m sure, clutching his knee shortly after. “Nah, fuck that! Bones’ deed gets done tonight! With you and your brother out the picture, Soldier’ll have no choice but to leave the underground. I can reclaim the title of what’s rightfully mine, Bones takes back control of his clubs again and The Stallions live happily every after.”
“So that’s what you want to be remembered for?! Going out like a sucker?!”
“Well thank God you or Trent won’t be there to tell it.” This slick response came from the right side of my column.
All I could dwell on in the moment was how’d he make it to me so fast as my feeble body was slammed into a nearby metal column, my wounded shoulder catching majority of the impact.
“Aah!” I shouted out in pain, striking my elbow into the middle of his back continuously until he broke his restraint around me and went reaching for the gun secured in my hand instead.
Though severely injured, our bodies scuffled around the perimeter of the platform for possession of the firearm. My index finger impulsively pulled back the trigger, lodging two bullets directly into RetcH’s abdomen.
I had to admit that it was most exhilarating to finally witness the emotion of fear wash over my long-term rival’s face than anyone else’s in my past body count as he clutched onto my shoulder for stability, his body going rigid before me. The distinct traction of a nearby train car could be heard as well as felt beneath the soles of our name-brand sneakers.
I knew I was slightly immoral before that moment, but chuckling in a man’s face as he was losing his life just made me seem damn near demented. Gee, maybe I had lived up to those Arthur Fleck accusations after all.
“You shot me...” Retch heaved the inevitable, blood seeping from the corners of his mouth and instead staining my attire furthermore.
“You bought this on yourself,” I stated, peeling his hand away from my shoulder before carelessly shoving his declining body overboard onto the train tracks to finish off the job. “Payback’s a motherfucker, ain’t it? Ya drop-off’s here.”
I hadn’t once flinched when hearing the way the train car impacted his body as it passed through, instead I stashed the gat inside the waistband of my jeans, pulled on the hood of my pullover, turned on the heels of my Air Jordans and proceeded to limp my way back to Tec and Soldier’s aide this time around.
“Yo, he aight?” I had arrived on the scene just as Tec was pulling Soldier’s wounded body from the burning ESV, police sirens wailing in the near distance.
“He’ll survive, I’m sure. You on the other hand...” Tec grimaced, catching a glimpse of me hissing as I added pressure onto my side wound again by use of my hand.
“It’s just a flesh wound. I’ll be aight.” I lied.
“Well don’t just stand there. We at least gotta get him to the other side of the street before the Jakes come.”
I went reaching for Soldier’s arm only for him to snatch it right back.
“You two get outta here!” Soldier sputtered on his own blood.
“No, no way! You’re coming with us!” I protested, attempting to grab for him again.
“I said, ‘Go!’” He bellowed. “They’ve been trying to pin me down for years now. There’s no sense in fighting it. Y’all have a better chance at escaping without a cripple at your sides.”
“Fuck that! You gon’ be alright. We gon’ get you the fuck up outta here, man. Bones gon’ get his!” Me and Tec grabbed at either of Soldier’s arms in attempts to get him across the street safely, but by then, cop cars had begun to swarm the area, making it less likely for us to make an escape with Soldier without the risk of being caught up.
“W-We gotta get the hell up outta here, man!” Tec stammered, tapping at my shoulder. “Let’s go!”
“Freeze!” The detective of an Italian descent shouted out as he barricaded himself behind the passenger side door of him and his partner’s assigned vehicle with a firearm aimed in our direction and a ginger beauty, clad in a lab coat, standing not too far behind him.
“He said, ‘Freeze,’ punks!” His partner of an African-American descent reiterated his command quite rudely, might I add, as he aimed his weapon in our direction as well.
Still, Tec and I boldly ducked off in the opposite direction with a plethora of unanswered questions on the momentous night we had. The main one being, how would the crew ever function properly without the dependence of Soldier?
It was all downhill from there.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀？ as 𝐒𝐄𝐀𝐍 ゛⠀𝐒𝐍𝐎𝐖𝐌𝐀𝐍⠀〟𝐒𝐂𝐎𝐓𝐓
⤷ occupation：sole owner of syndicate urban streetwear ❪s.u.s.❫ clothing shop
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀belcalis ゛⠀cardi b⠀〟 marlenis almבnzar as 𝐂𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐀 ゛⠀𝐂𝐄𝐂𝐄⠀〟𝐑𝐎𝐃𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐔𝐄𝐙
⤷ occupation：past exotic dancer for seventh heaven gentlemen’s nightclub⸝ soldier’s ex-fiancיe⸝ upcoming rapper⸝ actress and now master of ceremonies for club murder
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀erin kellyman as 𝐋𝐀𝐔𝐑𝐄𝐍 𝐖𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐙𝐄𝐑
⤷ occupation：forensic scientist
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀nashawn breedlove⸝ circa 2002 as 𝐃𝐄𝐓𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐊𝐔𝐒 ゛⠀𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐊⠀〟𝐑𝐄𝐄𝐃
⤷ occupation：active detective on the ゛⠀bloody valentine⠀〟 investigation
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀michael imperioli⸝ circa 2004 as 𝐃𝐄𝐓𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐒𝐀𝐋𝐕𝐎 ゛⠀𝐒𝐀𝐋⠀〟 𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐈
⤷ occupation：detective reed’s partner
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀YOU’LL DISCOVER...
CHAPTER 𝐒𝐄𝐈𝐒⸝ PRT 𝟐╱𝟐⠀⦂⠀゛FORTUNE FAVORS THE BOLD.⠀〟
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀،̲،̲⠀𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐁𝐀𝐓 ❪chapter cinco：hell hath no fury like a woman scorned❫ [𝟏𝟖+] 🇯🇲
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀〝⠀I don’t wanna drive when I’m TOO LIT I just wanna VIBE when I’m TOO BLOWN，⠀〞
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀✱ Tory Lanez — Blowin’ Mine’s╱╱Leah’s Introduction — SKIT ❪2019❫
ׂ ̣ ○ . ° ♰ 𓈒 ॱ 𓂂FOREWARNING：this chapter will contain use of strong language，use of drugs and alcohol，violence ， infidelity and sexual content. read at your own discretion.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 〝⠀That's why I need a one dance
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Got a Hennessy in my hand
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀One more time ‘fore I go
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Higher powers takin’ a hold on me，⠀〞
ㅤㅤㅤ𝕬S PER MY REQUEST， THE infectious Afrobeats inflections of Drake's smash hit "One Dance" blared throughout the bashment known as "The Babylon," putting any and every active Global Citizen in attendance under a simultaneous trance. We were assembled in what seemed to be an incubator of neon blue LED lighting that illuminated our brown, black and blue complexions beautifully, thriving off nothing but top-shelf liquor, high-grade marijuana and classic Dancehall records, so I guess we all debunked Beyoncé's 2006 theory in more ways than one.
I was stationed by one of four vertical fluorescent light tubes mounted to the pillars located on the upper-level of the makeshift nightclub, my back pressed straight up against the eroded wood paneling that seemed as if it would cave in on me at any given second while I casually took sips from my own personal 750mL bottle of Don Julio 1942 Tequila.
As much as I craved to be secluded other than just mentally, I would always be accessible both, emotionally and physically to those of my crew mates and fair share of jump offs, so while Richie had been repeatedly planting both, optimistic and affectionate lines in my ear about our futures with being initiated into The Soldiers more than usual for the past forty-eight minutes and counting— Which I had only been halfway agreeing to with the use of a simple head nod— Brooklyn had been popping her ass against me with a bottle of Myx Fusions Moscato in hand, not catching a single beat! I had no clue on what was making my dick so stiff other than my alcohol intake and the fact I had been discreetly invested in the moves of some other woman on the opposite side of the room through my oversized gold rimmed prescription eyeglasses since we first entered, 'cause truthfully speaking, all that Brooklyn was doing was adding creases to my C-note's worth of that short-sleeve Polo Ralph Lauren Tiger patchwork button-down and olive green Chinos.
I had finally eased up on being so officious towards Kei and gave her the leeway to do whatever it was that she so pleased for one night, but I had began to regret it. It was the first time I had ever witnessed her be so out of character.
She was posted up in the DJ booth built on top of various rows of subwoofers, horn loudspeakers and bookshelf speakers alongside the disc jockey himself; a stout and middle-aged man of a Jamaican descent with a vibrant red and yellow split dyed afro. I guess Ronald McDonald had finally met his match. Unlike Brooklyn, Kei's slim waist and sleek legs found a stupid rhythm to work against her partner with as if she had been experienced in the art of Dancehall her entire life span, and had even dressed the part. The vintage Jamaica.. No Problem graphic souvenir V-neck T-shirt Bianca handed-down to her was now severed at the sleeves and made into a macramé muscle crop top that clung to the glistening flesh of her flat stomach and collar bone, exposing her fuchsia colorline belly ring while the lengthy rhinestone tassels sewed onto the hem of her high-cut denim shorts and the ostrich feathers laced to the hot pink over-the-knee Yves Saint Laurent Yeti 110 boots I guilt tripped myself into purchasing for her for all the harsh shit I spewed her over the last month seemingly followed her every move. Rimless retro gradient pink and yellow Butterfly framed sunglasses, Blue Lagoon cocktail, spliff, lighter in hand and all.
I was jealous, no doubt about it, and it wouldn't be my first time having that kind of emotion towards her. I had only hoped I hadn't made it obvious this time around.
"Baaaby?!" I hadn't tuned-in on Brooklyn's obnoxious way of calling out to me over the music until she was facing to the front of me.
That was definitely obvious, T.
"Yooo?!" I slurred, clearing my throat before going to readjust the prescribed specs up on the bridge of my nose, giving her my full undivided attention. "What's up, mamas?"
"I wouldn't have to repeat myself if you were listening the first time, now would I?" Her index finger pressed into my chest as her hazel lenses bored into those of my own. "I'll be right back, I'ma make a quick run for the ladies room. Hold on to these for me?" She swapped out her finger for the items held within her hands instead, which so happened to be the half-drunken bottle of moscato and a simple black lace fabric coin purse— That I had assumed only held her smartphone from the weight of it— before I could even begin to protest her demand and placed a small kiss on my right cheek that had more than likely left my face stained in her favorite shade of Amplified MAC brand lipstick. "Thanks, baby!"
"No problem. Take your time." I trailed off, seeing her and those multicolored Versace "Dvea" patent-leather platform sandals that I loved so much off to the restroom area before my eyes cut back over to the DJ booth, which was now being preoccupied by the scratching disc jockey only.
Where'd she go that fast? I thought, assuming she had finally executed her great escape from me, but soon realizing I had a watchdog posted at every corner and exit within the room and how it wasn't that difficult to spot a 5'10" goddess in hot pink boots with a beautiful toothy grin maneuvering her way through a pit of intoxicated and desperate equals to a brief interlude of DJ Khaled's "Wild Thoughts" in order to get to the bungalow themed bar with outdoor patio lights draping from it's roof and various washed-out Dancehall artists' and alcohol flyers stapled to or around it.
I know that I had previously stated how I would keep my distance and observe for the night, but I'm man enough to admit when resentment was eating at me. I wanted to at least know if the feeling were mutual, but it wouldn't happen with Brooklyn's being there, so I had best make a run for it.
Standing upright from that wall after holding it up for what felt like an eternity, but was really only an hour in real time, had me registering just what other short-term effects binge drinking had on my 6'2" frame besides enduring erections. Lightheadedness was evidently coming in second, and it nearly sent me stumbling back until Richie caught me and thankfully straightened me back out.
"Aha, woah!" Richie sarcastically snorted, grasping at my shoulders until I found my balance. "Watch yourself, ese. You good?"
"Man, I'm good," I kissed my teeth, shrugging myself from his grasp. "Don't I look good?" I scoffed, sizing him up with a slight mug. I was irritated with his comedic antics to say the least. I had women to cater to, I didn't have the time nor the patience to sit there lollygagging with him the rest of the night.
"You know what?" Richie started, throwing his hands up in defeat.
"What, Richie?! Damn!" I coaxed.
"See, that's your problem right there! You looking so hard across the damn room, you can't even see what's in front of you!"
"Are you hearing yourself right now? What are you even saying?"
"Don't try and reverse this shit on me as if you're not in the wrong here. Yeah, don't think I didn't take notice to you admiring Kei as of lately. You feeling her, huh?" I groaned, rolling my eyes in defeat. "I wouldn't even trip on you if you were being more clean about your shit and hadn't played a part in kidnapping her, but instead of that, you have a wife at home, a side chick in the bathroom and potential in-home coño at the bar, in the same setting at that, like damn, save some putas for the rest of us, cabrón. Not only that, you know how Soldier feels about that mixing business with pleasure shit after what happened to Bianca when Trent passed."
"Ah, so this what all this is about? Y'all wanting my life? O-Or how I'm supposed to regret being the nigga I am because of the death of my brother?"
"No, but it's a start. Truthfully speaking, I'm just here to watch you fuck this up."
"What?! You joked out. Do you realize who you're talkin' to right now? I majored in pandering. You should be more concerned about yourself."
"Oh, yeah? That's how you feelin'? You got it, playa. Floor's yours." He extended his arm out towards the open bar where Kei was situated at, anticipating for me to make my first move.
"Bet. Watch that." I swallowed spit, my heart brimming with adrenaline as I handed him Brooklyn's moscato and coin purse.
"I'ma let you do what you do. I'ma watch you fuck this up!" Richie taunted, watching as I took another swig of my liquid courage before completely emerging myself in a crowd of lively guests in order to get to the woman I had been lusting after since making her acquaintance back in August. I feared rejection, specifically coming from her lips now after what we had put her through this past month, but I wasn't about to turndown a challenge to do what I did best, and that's mack. "Remember, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, T!" He shouted after me.
That had to have been the most logical shit he had spoken all night, whether I chose to consider his advice or not.
"Beep, beep, Richie!" I shouted in response, indicating that he spoke too damn much.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀〝⠀So every single Summer (Hey，hey，hey)
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀I'll be the one that you'll remember
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀And I better find your loving，I better find your heart
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀I better find your loving，I better find your heart，⠀〞
By the time I accomplished my goal of reaching the bar's hut, Drake's nostalgic "Find Your Love" record faded into the club's scene, sedating the cadence of the atmosphere. I admit that Ronald McDonald had taste. Everyone was either already paired with their desired partner or working their way towards earning one, that including me. Only I— As greedy as I was— was working on a second.
"Baby girl, I never thought I'd see the day where you picked up any beverage besides a can of ginger ale." My breath teasingly fanned over her ear while my hand caressed her bare waist for merely a few seconds prior to her turning to face me.
The expression written on her own was perplexed to say the least, the empty steel cocktail pick of what would be her fourth refill that night was still trapped between her gloss coated lips until the moment she realized who she was actually standing in front of and embarrassingly broke out into a fit of contagious giggles.
"Oh, Tyree!" She paused briefly in order to hiccup with her hand covering her mouth. "Excuse me. I thought you were someone else for a second there, and to pick up on whatever it was that you were saying before. If you wouldn't underestimate me so much and actually opened your ears to listen every once in awhile then you'd know that I'm an occasional drinker and smoker, it just depends on the event. Besides my man is a drug dealer, so that wouldn't exactly make me the typical killjoy."
"Is that so?"
"Mmhm." She gave me a lopsided smirk as she finally took a sip out of her drink.
"Well you're gonna have to prove it to me," I reached for her dainty hand and did a brief salsa two-step as Wayne Wonder's "No Letting Go" commenced. "Out on the dancefloor."
"I don't think so, sir." She snorted, pulling away from me.
"Why? You scared? Or does Ronald McDonald have something that I don't?"
"None of the above. I have nothing to fear, but you on the other hand... Don't you have a date with Tracey Barbie or something?"
"Funny," I chuckled, raising my eyebrows in amusement. "Actually she had somewhere to be."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"Then explain why she's approaching us in a jealous rage right now with Richie trailing not too far behind her?"
"What?" I whispered, dumbfounded, only to turn around and have my jaw connecting with Brooklyn's Famous four-finger ring. I ended up falling back into Kei's arms with my glasses misplaced.
Damn, that shit packed a lot of power.
"What the hell do you think you're doing, Tyree?!" Brooklyn shouted, causing more than a few onlookers to form a tight circle around us.
"Ah," I groaned, shifting my jaw in order to get it loosed as I attempted to pull myself together in front of the crowd of complete strangers. "Baby, it wasn't even like that!"
"T, man, I tried to hold her back—" Richie began to explain only to be cut short.
"Bullshit, Tyree! It is like that! It's already an inconvenience that the little bitch is livin' under the same roof as you; sleepin' in the same bed as you and eating the same food as you! I mean, I can't even go to the damn bathroom for ten minutes without you tryna get your dick wet by somebody else! You're sick!"
"Tyree, you better get her 'fore I do, 'cause I'ma hurt her feelings!" Kei warned with her drink in hand.
"BK, could we please discuss this someplace else?" I gritted harshly, snatching her up by her upper arm.
"No, Tyree!" Brooklyn screamed, snatching away from me before glaring me down. "What?! You embarrassed now?! You better get this hoe in line or—"
"Or what?!" Kei challenged with her eyes slit, and Brooklyn had almost seemed flabbergasted that she was actually brave enough to have done so. "That's what I thought." The crowd slowly began to disperse, giving Kei the opportunity of escapism, but everyone in that venue, including myself knew that Brooklyn wasn't going to let that sly comment slide without putting up a fight.
"Not so fast, bitch!" Brooklyn waited until the very moment Kei was near the weak wooden barrier of the top floor to charge at her and shove her frail body straight through it. The planks and the heel on one of her boots snapped on impact and with no support from the crowd, Kei's back and cocktail was smacking the floorboards within seconds, causing her to emit the most excruciating groan.
I had no ability to put a stop to the chaos that was happening around me. I truly felt for Kei until like a Phoenix, I witnessed her rise from the ashes. My eyes never once departed from her as she stumbled around the pit a bit in order to pull the boots from her bare feet with so much infuriation in her eyes.
If Brooklyn hadn't been so set on shouting at me, she would've probably had enough time to brace herself for impact when Kei went to pull her down into the pit along with her by the leather Roberto Cavalli crop jacket that she was sporting. Instead she lost her balance in those Versace platforms she hardly knew how to walk in to begin with and hit the ring's floorboards probably harder than Kei had.
The very second Brooklyn hit the floor, she was seeking to avoid confrontation by crawling her way to a possible escape route, but unfortunately for her, the crowd was already enclosed around them and showed no signs of dispersing this time around.
"Yeah, don't try to run," We onlookers all found ourselves gasping in disbelief when Kei went to dig her fingers through Brooklyn's Barbie blonde inverted bob and began to forcefully yank her up on her own two until her wig was literally sliding back. "When this is exactly what your ass wanted!" Two straight punches to her narrow nose and Brooklyn's body was smacking the floorboards, yet again, within a matter of seconds.
I didn't think that Kei had it in her, but here we were. Maybe I have been underestimating her. To say I was somewhat proud was an understatement.
"Woo-hoo-hoo!" Richie exclaimed, grabbing my shoulders for support as he began leaping in midair and rattling my body in excitement. "T, you're a fuckin' genius! I'll never doubt you again! A girlfight between your two side pieces?! I mean, who would've thought?! That chica's gonna bring The Soldiers a lot of revenue! I'm gonna take up bets before it's too late! Keep up the good work, ese! You're the man!" He pointed before stepping down from the platform and routing his way towards the DJ booth.
I don't think Richie truly understood the gravity of the entire situation. I wouldn't exactly say that I wasn't the cause and effect of it all, but Brooklyn and Kei shared a mutual resentment towards one another since being acquainted, so this was bound to have went down regardless of my input. Leave it up to him to always have some get money quick scheme up his sleeve.
I could only flick my wrist in his direction in the most nonchalant manner before averting my attention back on the catfight transpiring in front of me.
Brooklyn hadn't tapped out like everyone, including myself, had expected of her to do after eating her words in the first round, and Kei showed no signs of taking it easy on her anytime soon either.
Kei hooked her left fist into Brooklyn's jaw twice then came a right hook aimed directly for her lips, splitting them open with her radiant cut beryl ring before she went to reach for Brooklyn's shoulders in order to set her next attack in motion. Once Brooklyn caught wind of this, it was a wrap. She broke free of Kei's grapple, snaking her arms beneath hers and going to reach for her left shoulder instead. Brooklyn had finally successfully landed a combo attack that night; a uppercut punch and a weak attempt at a push kick that sent Kei stumbling back towards either of the four glowing pillars standing in the center of the room.
"Let's get dis paypa ting started for mi bredren, Richie, ay?! Place yuh bets on di bad gyals fight!" The sound boy announced, dapping Richie up shortly afterwards. I see he had finally reached his destination.
I don't think anyone in attendance had truly came prepared when some ignorant motherfuckers decided that it would be a brilliant idea to trigger the fire sprinklers in the ceiling of the building by use of their lighters, causing the liquid filled bulbs built inside the sprinkler heads to bust and pellets of water to hose over us. Some individuals went seeking an escape from the deluge, but majority of the crowd accepted it, coming out of their top layers of clothing as if they were cast in an 2000's Nelly music video. This had to have been the first shower some of them had taken in weeks, 'cause the atmosphere was quite musty. Luckily I had worn my Vintage White & Indigo leather Vans tonight of all nights, otherwise I'd be lethal.
You would've assumed that the downpour would've been enough to make the two women scatter, but in actuality that had only fueled them to be more vicious towards each other. It was getting grimy.
By this time Brooklyn had came up out her leather jacket, indicating that the fight was not yet finished. This had only made it easier for Kei to grab the back of her solid black fitted T-shirt and the hem of her Sass & Bide fishnet leggings before colliding her knee with her nose, causing blood to leak onto the floorboards. Kei launched Brooklyn's frail body into the light pole of either pillar as if she was using her own personal entry ram, causing it's energy to drain completely. She immediately went to snatch it from it's socket and was seconds away from cracking it across Brooklyn's dome until she took cover and began to crawl away once again.
Once way or another, Kei was going to catch up with her, and did, cracking her straight across the back, causing the pole to shatter on impact and Brooklyn's body to collapse against the floor. That was the very moment that I had realized that Henry and I had awakened a beast. She was out for blood.
"Bomboclaat!" The sound boy provoked.
I watched as Kei spat blood on the floor directly beside Brooklyn's head before going to stomp her foot directly into her side, turning her on her back and crouching over top of her limp body. When she began to front hand and back hand slap her repeatedly as if she wasn't unconscious already, that's when I knew I would have to step in since no one else bothered to do so.
"Aight, clear the way!" I demanded, carefully leaping down from the platform and pushing my way through the crowd until reaching the center where all the action took place at. "C'mon, baby girl. That's enough fighting for one night. You won." I admitted, retrieving her boots from the floor before wrapping my arm around her waist and going to drag her off to the side with ease while Slim and Tec assisted in escorting Brooklyn off the premises. I bet that'd be Brooklyn's last time ever laying a finger on another woman without knowing how to throw hands again.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀〝⠀More than a million miles away
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀More than a million words to say，ohhh
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Now and forever and ever
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Will be just you and me，⠀〞
The soothing voice of Jah Cure faded into the scene, putting everyone at ease after witnessing a brutal ass whooping. They resumed their regularly scheduled programming as if nothing had ever happened, and I wished the same for myself.
"You aight?" I smirked, gently stroking Kei's chin with my free hand while the other remained pressed against the wall beside her head. She was definitely going to be my good luck charm from here on out.
"No, Tyree!" She scoffed in disbelief, jerking her head in the opposite direction as my hand before glaring at me in pure disgust. "I was just attacked by the same bitch you called yourself scrolling in here with and now you're comforting me while she's being dragged out? I mean, how does that sound or look to you?! You're as twisted as she said you were."
"Things move pretty fast in the underground, I admit—"
"Oh, save that bullshit for some other dumb broad!" She spat, throwing her hand up in my face. Her pink eyebrows were furiously knitted together, the water from the sprinkler positioned above our heads was still hitting against her pouting face while her damn curls clung to her cheeks. She couldn't get anymore prettier.
"Look, I'm—" I started to say something you almost rarely caught leaving my mouth until Richie intruded.
"Yo, I don't mean to interrupt y'all little session, but Soldier called a meeting at The Nata." Richie stated breathlessly.
"Right now?!" I bellowed.
"Yup," He patted my shoulder before jogging the small staircase. "See y'all there!"
Kei was seconds away from following in his footsteps until I grabbed her hand and pulled her back. After all, this would be her first time coming face to face with our boss, so I couldn't fault her excitement, but I came first being that I had provided her with everything else.
"Where you going? You still owe me a dance."
"What about the meeting?" She sighed, knowing I wouldn't give up until she gave in.
"It can wait. You're not going to leave me stranded again, are you?" I smirked and moved to the beat of the song just long enough for her to break character by laughing before I began reeling her into the middle of the dancefloor.
"I guess not." She giggled.
Vinegar Hill，Brooklyn · Sunday，September 25
2:54 AM
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀𝐊𝐄𝐈 𝐕𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐄
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀〝⠀Give you ice like Kobe wife
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀We sorta like Goldie，right?
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀The way we mold 'em right
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀I could make you a celebrity overnight!⠀〞
ㅤㅤㅤ𝕬S IF THE VOLUME INCREASE on the stereo of that custom painted 2010 Audi S4 weren't enough, Tyree was reciting every lyric he could memorize to Twista's "Overnight Celebrity" at the top of his lungs, into his iPhone's camera through the Snapchat app.
He was completely shirtless, his Polo button-down left to air-dry on the headrest of the driver's seat I was seated in while he carelessly threw back the bottle of Casamigos Soldier supplied us with back The Nata, some managing to escape his bottom lip and drip onto his toned chest. Every now and again he'd call himself copping a feel with me by reaching over to grip my thighs while I was focused on the road and I'd be the one prying them right back off, like now.
"Tyree, please. Okay?" I sighed out, prying his hand from my thigh before going to reach over him in order to feed his seatbelt plate through it's loop all while keeping my eyes on the road ahead. "We're almost home." I assured him as I buckled him in as if I were caring for a child.
My bruised knuckles anxiously drummed against the steering wheel while my eyes skimmed over the rear-view for any sign of cops as I reflected on how we got into this predicament in the first place.
After me and Tyree's brief intermission back at The Babylon, what I assumed would finally be my proper initiation into The Soldiers family had turned out to be nothing more than a pat on the back for me and another useless celebratory afterparty for them. Everything about tonight felt ass-backwards and risky. I was paid under-the-table and we were celebrating, but for what? Yes, I beat Brooklyn's ass, but because she was infamous for throwing rocks and hiding her hands, not because she was apart of The Stallions and definitely not for Tyree. So while everyone was going past their alcohol limit, I was left to sober up enough to get Tyree and I home. Wherever the fuck that was.
Between avoiding temptation to misroute while following the directions that Bianca had given me to get back to Vinegar Hill without actually having my license or registration on me, going the correct speed limit, looking out for cops on Tyree's behalf again and keeping him under control, my nerves were shot to hell! It were the only night I had actually wished that Lamar were on duty. This shit was a whole 'nother job.
I knew I had finally reached our destination once making out the overfamiliar confined and abandoned parking lot sandwiched between our apartment building and another. I quickly chose a space furthest from the backstreet to remain discreet but closest to our complex so it wouldn't be such a hassle tryna get this man inside, safe and sound before putting the gear shift in park and killing the engine.
"Lord Jesus, please give me the strength to get through the rest of the night with this man." I spoke a quick affirmation barely above a whisper before reaching down to unfasten me and Tyree's seatbelt when realizing that he was slipping into a drunk slumber just that fast. As much as I wanted him to stay in that position for the remainder of the night, I knew I couldn't possibly make it to the third floor carrying all our items plus his body mass alone. I needed his assistance.
I reached my arm back, snatching his button-down from the headrest before going to wrap my sunglasses, lighter, his eyeglasses, keys and smartphone that once sat in the car sole or his hand within it, creating a bindle. I retrieved my boots from the floor in the back before pulling the inner handle of the driver's seat door and allowing the soles of the backup holographic wrap around Diamante bow square toe heels to hit the pavement. I circled my way around to the passenger side door after slamming my own to find Tyree stuck between a state of wakefulness and sleep.
"Yo, what time is it?" He slurred with his bloodshot eyes halfway closed shut.
"Time for bed! Now, help me out here, Tyree," I grunted, positioning his scrawny legs so that they were hanging outside the parked vehicle and pulling his arm over my shoulder before using using whatever strength I had in me to pull him straight up beside me. "Upsy-daisy!" I expressed, trying my very hardest not to tilt over with all his weight leaning up against me as if I was a damn support post. "Are you okay? Can you walk?" I interrogated, wrapping my brimming arm around his torso, giving him even more of an advantage to crush me.
His choice of tequila, Calvin Klein cologne and Degree antiperspirant were all invading my senses at once. We were so close at one point in time, I thought we'd conjoin.
"Yeah, yeah." He assured me, but his Vans skidding against the pavement said otherwise.
If we at least made it to the elevator then I'd feel a little sense of relief.
I was accustomed to the routine by now. I was sure to check our surroundings before entering the building I had adapted to calling my second home before dragging the both of us inside the overfamiliar caged elevator. The rusted accordion door creaked once I went to pull it close and smack the button for the third floor before me and his back smacked the back panel of the shaft the second we took off. No lift music to distract me from the fact, so Tyree hummed his own sequence until we reached our floor. That being Lloyd's "Player's Prayer."
How ironic? I thought, shaking my head.
As if hoisting him wasn't already a hassle within itself, there were a plethora of unnecessary locks just waiting to be picked by me. While I was praying that Isaiah hadn't placed the door chains on for the night, I had kind of hoped that he had. I'd find any old excuse to knock and get assistance at this point in time. My shoulders were practically begging for release!
I kicked in the door of the apartment, careless of any other occupant whom might've been resting inside. Hell, they should've been used to the racket at these hours.
Feeling as if I would collapse at any given second, I had no time to spare in shutting the door back closed. I staggered through the living room area as quickly as possible, leaving my boots at the door, dropping the bindle off on the marble countertop of the kitchen island and falling back onto the leather sofa along with Tyree with an sigh of relief, but I knew my work here was yet completed.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 𝐎𝐌𝐍𝐈𝐒𝐂𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐓
ㅤㅤㅤ𝕿YREE HAD ADJUSTED HIMSELF SO that his lanky figure was slouching into the leather interior of the couch, creating friction as his onyx irises were intensely boring into Kei's through his hooded eyelids the very second she went to anchor herself onto her knees in front of him. His top alignment of teeth had almost immediately closed in over his bottom lip as he interlocked his fingers behind his head in order to restrict himself from impulsively doing something he had been contemplating on the entire night.
What he was envisioning as some faulty submissive fantasy in his intoxicated state of mind had only been Kei unlacing the shoestrings of his Vans and going to pull them from his feet in her reality, leaving him in nothing but his Pokémon crew socks and Chinos. She found it quite amusing how a man who tried his very best to be an aggressor could still thoroughly enjoy his fair share of old school Anime.
Kei safely set his tennis shoes aside and used the seat of the couch as a support system to help pull herself up before going to reach for the half-drunken bottle of Casamigos within his hand.
"I'll be right back." As soon as she went to turn her back on him, there was a harsh smack against her backside that caused her to glance back at him grinning in pure disgust. Kei knew her choice in tonight's clothing pieces were a little high-cut, but that didn't give him the right to lay hands on her. He was a totally different breed when this intoxicated, and he had to have his way with her.
She carried out her failed plan from earlier before she was so rudely interrupted; going to close and place the locks back on the door before making her way into the confined kitchen area where she emptied the remainder of the tequila down the sink's drain and disposed of the bottle. They didn't need anymore occurrences such as this one happening for a very long time.
She grabbed one of the Fiji water bottles stashed away in the door of the tall freestanding larder fridge and went to grab the bottle of 800 milligram Ibuprofen from the medicine cabinet of their bathroom before coming back to take a well-needed seat next to Tyree.
"Okay, Tyree. Take and wash this down." Once unscrewing the top from the water bottle and shaking one of the oversized tablets into the palm of her hands, Kei passed the items on to Tyree. She watched intently as if she were monitoring a psychiatric patient as he skillfully placed the pill on the back of his tongue and went to wash it down the second he decided that he wanted to ask her a question.
"Kei..." Tyree choked. "Kei, I have to tell you something."
"Okay," Kei tried to choke back laughter as she went to push the bottle back towards his lips so that he could wash the pill down completely. "Whatever it is that you so urgently have to tell can wait until after this medicine is in your system. I'm the very last person you'd want to suffocate on, trust me. I don't know any CPR techniques."
"Well with what I'm 'bout to say, hopefully you won't be the one who needs it," Tyree went to set his water bottle down on the glass coffee table in front of them before giving Kei his full undivided attention, and that's when she knew he meant business. "Kei, I think... I think I'm feelin' you." He ran his tongue over his lips as he rubbed his clammy palms together in apprehension all while keeping eye contact with the young woman.
Kei allowed a nervous giggle to escape her lips as she quickly tried to think of a response to his confession. She stressed that if she responded with mutual feeling then he'd do something impulsive and if she responded with rejection then he'd break, so she chose to play it off, but the truth of the matter was that he was more nervous than she was.
"Of course you're feeling me, you've been feelin' on me the entire night." Kei played it coy, running her fingers through her damp curls before interlocking her fingers in her lap and looking straight forward. She was in desperate need of an actual shower after that rain shower back at The Babylon.
"No..." He sighed out, shaking his head frustration while shutting his eyes for a split second as he felt his head spinning. He was trying his very hardest not to intimidate the teenager for once. "No, Kei. I mean, like on an intimate level. You get me?" Tyree's hand went from caressing Kei's thigh to holding her hand, and she had snatched back just as quick as he had came.
"Tyree, I-I don't want to do this right now. We can discuss it later, but right now you're drunk and—"
"I'm not drunk, Kei!" He shouted, but quickly piped down when seeing her flinch. "I-I'm just passionate about what I say, so when I tell you that I love you I—"
"You what, Tyree?! You mean it?! Are you going to confess that to every beautiful woman you spot at a nightclub and decide to hold hostage?! Huh?! Answer—" Tyree's hand palmed the back of Kei's neck, bringing her face closer to his so that he could seize the opportunity to smash his lips on hers before she could protest any further.
Her fists were restrained between the both of them. They could distinguish the tequila, vodka and cherry infused lip gloss lingering on each other's lips as the kiss grew more intense.
Adultery is what it was. Falling for her abductor was out of the question, Kei knew it was and somewhere deep down inside Tyree's fucked up brain, he knew so too, but she couldn't help but relish the thought of an older man dominating what he thought was his, even if just for a moment.
"Tyree, stop..." Kei mumbled into the kiss, pushing against his bare chest, but he hadn't budged. Just pushed her further by lingering his kisses down to her neck. "I said stop!" She shouted, shoving him back onto the couch before her hand impulsively came flying across his face. It wasn't until then that he had noticed the tears staining her face.
She leapt up from her seat on the couch and staggered her way over to the kitchen's island with her fingers pinching the septum of her tinted nose.
She couldn't believe she took it that far with Tyree. She couldn't fathom being unfaithful to Antonio. It would already be jeopardizing enough having to explain the loss of their child in these circumstances, but having an affair with another man would officially end it!
"This is so wrong." She sniffed, needing a distraction from the previous situation, and getting that bindle untied seemed ideal in the moment.
Her hands went from gripping the perimeter of the countertop to getting the bindle unloosened. The way her nerves were set up, every item wrapped within the fabric slid off the countertop and hit the kitchen titles, that including the dress shirt itself. She was grateful that none of the fragile items had shattered once bending her knees to retrieve them, but something unexpected garnered her attention. A metallic gold wrapper peeping from the patch pocket of Tyree's button-down that she could've easily mistaken as a condom upon careful examination.
Royal Honey?
The sticky substance webbed through the tips of her fingers as she spread them apart in curiosity until finally coming to conclusion on what it truly was. Vital honey. A liquid enhancement used to increase male stamina. She got wind of the trend back in Harlem by her fellow peers, but never bothered engaging in it. It was a wonder why Tyree was all over her like a mule in heat, he was strung out on a combination of tequila and liquid Viagra! Now the only question was if this was intentional or an accident?
"Tyree?" The young woman called out to the man who had been quietly stripping from his Chinos the moment she went to turn her back on him. She stood up with his shirt still pressed against her heaving chest, and Tyree thought it'd be the perfect chess move to corner her into the counter.
He picked up where he left off at, sweeping her curls off to one side so he'd have access to trail wet kisses up the back of her neck. The action causing her to unexpectedly cave and loose grip of not only the items, but what she initially wanted to ask him in the first place. His lasting erection was so evident against her ass in this position and the only thing that stood between them now were their clothes.
"Tyree, please..." Kei gritted back a moan, refusing to give him the benefit of the doubt until his tongue came trailing over the most sensitive area of her neck. His eyes rolling back as if it would be the sweetest thing he tasted on her body that night.
She thought she'd go into sensory overload when his hand went from pushing back her hair to snaking around her larynx, applying minimum pressure at the same time, causing her to reach for his forearm with both hands. It was tantalizing and had her soaking the seat of her panties within seconds, but little did she know, it wouldn't be her last time doing this tonight.
The fingertips of his free hand teasingly danced around the folded waist band of her unbuttoned Daisy Dukes. He finished off the job by unzipping them. It was then she became self-conscious once recollecting the last time she actually had a wax treatment or picked up a razor other than for her legs or armpits.
"Tyree, please don't!" She shrieked, feeling her cheeks become flushed. "I—"
"I know and I don't care," His breath fanned over her ear as his slender fingers were finally able to slip between her sleek folds. "You've got to be crazy enough to think anything's coming between me and taming this sweet little pussy of yours, Kei." He planted a gentle kiss behind her ear as his fingers finally strummed against her clit, making her weak at the knees.
There was always words of affection being exchanged between her and Antonio when in the bedroom in the past— Pillow talk, if you may— so what Tyree had just spoken to her almost sounded foreign. Degrading in a way, but she thoroughly enjoyed it.
"Mmm... Aah!" Kei couldn't seem to bring a stop to the strand of moans parting her lips as the palm of her hands came down on the granite countertops in front of them more than a few times. She felt as if she were being stripped down to her own promiscuity.
He found it amusing how she tried so desperately hard to restrain herself from him when in the end, he'd wind up winning this game of Cat and Mouse.
"You've known me long enough to know I don't tolerate that humming shit," He hooked his index finger through the back loop of her shorts, turning her to face him. "Speak, Kei." He demanded.
"I— I..." Kei was at a lost of words yet again. A unsteady sigh parting her lips as she intently watched him slip his hand from her shorts and bring his fingers to his lips just to sample her arousal. This man was a whole demon out here. "The honey in your shirt pocket..." She blinked.
"What about it?" His hands was back around her throat in no time, applying more pressure than the first time, causing her breath to hitch as he bought her in for another hungry kiss.
"Is... It... Yours?" Kei managed to pant out every word spoken between the aggressive pecks Tyree was planting against her lips. She hadn't noticed him drawing their bodies back towards the couch in the midst of holding a conversation until he pulled back in order to answer her question.
"No. Now I'm tired of talking. Take off your shorts and panties so I can really get to work on that pussy." He licked over his lips, releasing her throat from his grasp with a slight shove that caused her fragile body to fall back into the couch with a slight bounce.
He could care less whether or not someone had slipped something in his drink at that point, he had built up an increased five-hour sexual appetite that immediately required fulfillment by her, but Kei couldn't possibly. Some one had set her up big time.
Kei's eyes bounced around the overfamiliar area of the spacious living room as she hesitantly reached for the straps of her heels with her heart out her chest.
"Tyree, maybe we shouldn't do this out in the open like this. What if Isa—"
"This is my crib and I'ma eat you wherever the fuck I please," He bellowed, intimidatingly overshadowing her with his right hand slipping halfway past the waistband of his Tommy Hilfiger boxer briefs. "Now keep the heels, loose the shorts and panties. Don't make me have to ask again."
Kei knew better than to press him further. She swallowed spit, hoisting her hips in midair in order to hook her thumbs around the handles of her shorts and panties before guiding them down her smooth calves with ease.
"Lay back and spread ya legs for me." He directed, a goofy smile playing on his supple lips.
Both Kei's hands slid between her inner thighs, cupping her most prized possession before she eased her upper body back against the cushions of the couch. Even the sound that the sofa produced when her soft skin chafed against it had her flushed with embarrassment rather than the fact that she was opening herself up to another man, but he was gonna work that shy shit right out of her.
"Like this?" She murmured.
Tyree could only shake his head in disappointment at the timid young woman as he finally kneeled before her. He was tired of the games.
"No," His veiny hands impatiently caught the back of her right calf, dragging her body to the edge of the seat, causing her upper half to completely recline against the cushions before bringing her leg over his shoulder. "Like this."
Her hands impulsively went from cupping her sex to digging into the arm and cushion of the couch in order to bring herself back up, but Tyree refused to let her go that easy. She hadn't felt so vulnerable in front of another individual until now.
"The fuck you runnin' for? I ain't even do shit."
Kei parted her lips to retort only to swallow her words with a moan once he went to thrust his middle finger inside her. Initially just testing the firmness of her grip, he immediately regretted doing so once he went to pull back and witnessed her draw him right back in. Giving him that vacuum action he was so desperately seeking.
"So fucking tight." Tyree was in awe of her, trapped under his own hypnosis as his free hand gripped her thigh in order to keep her stilled with his head resting against the same area. His lips were pressed against the ticklish area of her pelvic bone when he went to add another finger to her mix.
"Ooh, Tyree!" Kei shrieked, her stomach flexing at his penetration. "That feels s-so good!" Her hands inched beneath her top in order to knead the flesh of what little breasts she did have, his dick twitching within his briefs at that display. All that shy shit was out the window then.
Her clit ached for attention at that point and he was desperate enough to provide that. The pad of his thumb gently swiped between the folds of her sleek labia, toying with her clit enough to make it swell. Her opaque cream collecting at the base of his fingers where his gold ring bands rested at as he simultaneously picked up his pace, really working those deep moans right out of her.
"You gon' let me taste you?" He seductively whispered through her state of euphoria, still holding intense eye contact with her.
"Please?" She whimpered, her body writhing against the couch for release as she didn't hesitate on bringing his face closer to her dripping mound using both hands.
Since she had asked him so politely, his lips closed in over her aching clit, creating a tight suction with his index and middle finger still working through her needy pussy. With her eyes screwed shut and her jaw left unhinged, Kei locked his head in place while momentarily accepting the pleasure that came out of that until it came to him changing the course of action.
He swiftly slipped his fingers out of her and cleaned them off before his large hands smoothed up the back of her left thigh, locking her knee against her chest as his tongue repeatedly glided over her clit. Her body responded well to this, her arousal dripping down her crack and leaking onto the seat. He couldn't believe she held him off from something as sweet as this, but it was worth the wait.
"Uhh, Tyree, I'm cum'n! Shiiiiit!" Her nails dug into the leather of the seat again as she went to slide back in order to alleviate some of the pressure from his tongue, but with his nails digging into her ass cheeks to keep her in place, that was nearly impossible.
"If you gon' cum then cum, but don't keep runnin' from me." He dragged her back in place and took this time to lap at her clit instead, feeding off the cadence of her pleads.
The sheer excitement of being caught in that predicament and the gushing sounds her body produced, bouncing off the four walls of the room, had her spraying against his chin in no time. Tyree left the teen in tears, seeing and hearing nothing but white noise. Even with her thighs conjoining in overstimulation, he made sure to clean her before letting up.
Tyree wasted no time standing on his own two before coming out his briefs, his solid dick effortlessly slapping against his stomach with precum. It had an evident hook that already made her want to run. How would all of it ever fit inside her?
"Tyree—" Kei started, already climbing up the back cushions of the couch until his hand caught her ankle.
"Shut up," He muttered, pressing his right knee into the seat and pulling her body close to his while his free hand lubricated his shaft in precum. "Told you 'bout that runnin' shit."
He dragged his tip across her sensitive clit more than a few times in preparation before slipping inside her without an ounce of contraceptives. The initial penetration had them both shuttering in pure bliss. Kei's hand abruptly pressed against his abdomen in hopes that he'd ease up, but that moment never came.
"Move your fuckin' hand, Kei." He sucked in a sharp breath, his hand immediately groping her neck the very moment he drew his hips back and came back down onto her with so much force that the couch slid back. He repeated this action, her clit sticking to his pelvis and her pussy releasing necessary air from how wet she was each time until he found a steady rhythm against her. He pounded her out, steadily reaching for that spot.
Kei felt winded as she felt for anything to hold onto; a throw pillow, her breasts or his arm for one, but he pulled her away with a vengeance every time. No running.
"Fuck, daddy... Not on the couch!" She whined, unaware of what she was truly saying.
Tyree watched in amusement as she convulsed beneath him. Her frizzy curls clinging to her beaming face due to the humidity of the room as her eyes rolled back. His thumb traced her bottom lip, pulling it back before spitting directly into her mouth.
"Yeah, on this couch, baby girl. You taking all of daddy's dick, huh?" He watched her breasts bounce to the cadence of his strokes and her cream slide off on his shaft before his forehead and lips touched hers. The Sacramento pendant of his chain resting on the indents of her collarbone, causing her to quiver from it's chilling sensation.
Kei nodded vigorously to his previous question, tears forming in her eyes and her hand slapping his wrists the moment she felt him slip deeper insider her, if possible. She had never been turned out before, not even by her own boyfriend. This was grown man dick and she'd be damned if any one else shared any parts in it from that moment on. She was hooked.
"Make a mess with that pussy. Give me all of it."
Those few words were all it took for her to leak onto his dick and the couch. Tyree followed suit inside her womb not even a second after delivering a few more hard thrusts with a violent groan. His hand groped his shaft, tapping himself against her clit a few times before he pressed his lips against hers.
"Can you teach me?" Kei's eyes innocently peered into his as her index finger traced his sculpted jawline before hooking around his chain.
"Teach you what?" Genuine confusion leaked throughout his baritone voice as his eyebrows stitched together.
She briefly nibbled on her bottom lip in apprehension before answering his question, truthfully.
"How to please you?"
Tyree hadn't given her a direct response, but Kei took the hint once he went to position himself on the end of the couch with one hand stretched across the back cushions and his dick resting in the other.
"On your knees." He ordered, licking over his lips, causing her clit to pulsate.
Kei leaped from her spot on the sofa off a pure adrenaline rush as she was finally comfortable enough to peel her top over her head and toss it onto the recliner. She used his knees as assistance to get down on her own. Her hands repeatedly ran over her thighs to pace herself as she anticipated her next set of instructions.
Tyree could only admire how beautiful she was in that position. He ran his tip along her smooth lips before tapping it against her for an invitation in.
"Open those pretty ass lips up."
She obliged direct orders, parting her lips so he'd have the freewill to slide his dick into her warm mouth. Her tongue impulsively running over the slit of his head to collect any of their leftover juices before her lips closed in over him fully, causing him to tense up from the sensitivity.
"Fuck yeah. Just like that, baby girl. Clean your dick off." His fingers tangled within her hair so he'd have the advantage to guide his length further down her throat.
Her lips were unyielding around him as she caught on to his rhythm and started doing the shit on her own. What she thought couldn't accommodate to her mouth was being squeezed by her dainty hands as she proceeded to throw neck.
There was a moment in time where her jaw tired out, causing her lips to pop off of him with a thick cord of saliva trailing not too far behind. She teasingly licked every visible vein around him while jerking her wrists as if she was working a shake weight. Tyree became bored of it rather vastly.
"I'm not with these games, Kei. Move your hands and open your mouth so you can catch all this dick."
Kei restricted her hands back to her lap and welcomed his length back into the warmth of her mouth with much attitude. She relaxed with her jaw slacked, giving him the access to mercilessly fuck her throat. Her eyes rolled back, watering with ever deep thrust that touched her uvula. Saliva uncontrollably dripped onto her chin and chest as she gagged on him.
"Mmm." She moaned around him as her fingers found her clit. She was getting off from this, and that told him that this wasn't her first time experimenting with this.
They both would reach the peaks that they had needed simultaneously; Tyree's load shooting down her throat and Kei's leaking onto the carpet. He didn't even have to ask for confirmation that she swallowed all his kids as she stuck her tongue out for further examination. That was so sexy to him.
"Shit, ma. C'mere." His fingers found that comforting place around the base of her neck yet again as he leaned down to suck on her tongue before bringing her on to her feet.
They both unconsciously leaned back into the couch in the spur-of-the-moment. Kei found herself taking charge this time around; mounting herself on top of him before aligning him at her entrance and slamming herself down onto him unexpectedly hard like any true amateur would do, her forehead pressed against his with her eyelids fluttering. Her lips departed from his with a shattering moan. Her body convulsed above him as her hands gripped the back of the couch.
"Sorry," She breathed, pressing her lips against his again. "You got me so sensitive, baby."
Tyree bought his mouth to her full breasts, clamping his teeth over her erect nipples the moment his fingers squeezed at her hips to bring her down onto his dick repeatedly. Her walls hugged him with every bounce as her juices coated him in the sweetest glaze. She paused all action momentarily to bring his arms beneath her thighs, wanting him to take control again.
"That's what we on now?" He showed improvement where she lacked. Grabbing handfuls of her ass as he effortlessly slammed her into his pelvis. He stood up with this action, her arms locked around his neck as her body writhed. She couldn't even make it to the bedroom threshold before she was helplessly leaking all over him yet again.
Tyree absentmindedly slipped from her grip, causing her to clench at his absence as he allowed her fragile body to fumble into the clean sheets of their King sized mattress. He hardly allowed her to fully recuperate from her fifth orgasm that night as he caught her ankle and proceeded to flip her onto her stomach, bringing her into a strong arch that had her back dimples on display, just how he liked it. He was going to tear her apart.
He positioned himself behind her with his teeth sinking into his bottom lip hard enough to draw blood. His heavy hand came cracking down on her bare ass a few times, causing her to wince as he pushed into her overworked pussy without warning. He bottomed out in her cervix, causing her arm to fly back with a powerful gasp.
She initially reached for his chest, but ended up digging into his forearm instead as he restrained her. She felt her nude polish chipping against his skin as effortlessly pulled her back further onto his dick. Her ass rippling against his torso and his balls slapping against her clit from such force.
"Aah, Tyree! You're in my stomach!" Kei shrieked with her face smushed into the mattress and tears pooling her eyes. She couldn't move and the sheer fear of it had her ready to bust.
Tyree took it up a notch, spreading her cheeks and spitting directly on her asshole before slipping his middle finger into her back entrance. The double penetration causing her to cry out loud.
"Mmhm. Throw that ass back." He demanded, beating her pussy to a pulp. Sweat beads were forming along his hairline as his jaw clenched in concentration. "You love me?"
"Yes, yes, yes! I love you so fuckin' much! Fuck! I love daddy's dick!" She slurred, her arch lessening as she melted into the mattress and weakly began to meet with his quick thrashes against her.
"You here to stay, you hear me?" His hand was wrapping around the base of her hair with no response, yanking her head back into his chest so that he could mark his territory by leaving bite marks and hickeys all over her neck. "Do you fuckin' hear me?!"
"Yesss, daddy! I wanna cum so bad!" She whined with tears staining her face.
"Cum then, bitch." Tyree became vexed with the young woman holding off from herself after their first encounter, so he gave her a few more encouraging slaps to her beaming ass until she finally eased up on clawing at the burning flesh of his veiny arm.
His aggressiveness caused her body to seize against him. She was squirting against his pelvis and the clean bedsheets nonstop as he shot inside her womb for the second time that night, finally reaching his peak while off a deadly combination of liquid Viagra and hard liquor.
He turned the young woman loose from his hold, allowing her fragile body to hit the soaked bedsheets once more as he finally grounded himself when overhearing her light snores. She was finished, and so was he.
He generously unfastened the crystal ankle straps of her pumps before pulling them from her feet so she'd be able to rest comfortably while he went to shower off their late session and gently went to press his lips against hers. She was, without a doubt in his mind, his to keep.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀〝⠀‘Cause it’s HARD to⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀CREEP them BROOKLYN STREETS.⠀〞
⠀
An urban novel and future cinema by Paris Yv’onne. Heavily inspired by the raw⸝ nostalgic and action-packed video game that once was def jam：fight for ny ❪2004❫.
ׂ ̣ ○ . ° ♰ 𓈒 ॱ 𓂂 TRIGGERS：this book will contain violence，use of drugs and alcohol，strong language，sexual content，implied sexual assault，physical abuse，gore，character death，extreme angst，abduction ⅋ more as the storyline develops.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀゛⠀ayo, alexa？play “take me there” by faith evans，the notorious b.i.g.，sheek louch ⅋ styles p! ⠀〟
playing “take me there” by faith evans ⅋ the notorious b.i.g...⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀*⠀cues⠀*
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀𝟓𝐓𝐇 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐓.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀𝐃𝐄𝐓𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐑𝐄𝐄𝐃：
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀〝⠀That car came outta NOWHERE. I BARELY got a look at THE GUY.⠀〞
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀𝐋𝐀𝐔𝐑𝐄𝐍 𝐖𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐙𝐄𝐑：
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀〝⠀Just try your best to REMEMBER. Take a look at THE MUGSHOT. anyone here ring a BELL？⠀〞
𝐒𝐊𝐄𝐓𝐂𝐇 𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐈𝐒𝐓.
ㅤㅤㅤ〇〇〇.ㅤㅤㅤ ⨳𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐁𝐀𝐓.ㅤ╱ㅤ゛HAVING BEEN BIRTHED IN SEATTLE, Washington of late August with vaguely enough parental guidance, Kei Valentine had rightfully earned the persona of being spunky, straightforward, eccentric and diligent, but so had the boy whom was birthed twenty-four hours later, five years earlier and more than two-thousand miles apart from her. The only difference was that while Kei was discovering the positives in life though being abandoned at an early age, Tyree Devlin was raking up all the negatives before her. He was eager, callous, streetwise and rebellious as they came, thanks to the teachings of his only false God.
ㅤㅤㅤFar from compatible, how the two Leos paths aligned was something that only the underbelly of New York City took to swallow, digest and keep sacred, but it wasn't at all unattainable to one's own access. You just had to know the correct route to take and connects to make. This is Underground Combat.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀or⠀⠀⠀in which even the innocent can wind up being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀〇. kelis rogers, circa 𝟏𝟗𝟗𝟗 as 𝐊𝐄𝐈 [k-ay] 𝐕𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐄
⁰⁰⁰.⠀⟆⠀CHARACTER VISUALS.
⁰⁰⁰.⠀⟆⠀ACT I：〝MONEY⸝ POWER ⅋ RESPECT.〞╱SOUNDTRACK╱CHARACTER AES.
⁰⁰⁰.⠀⟆⠀MASTERLIST.
⁰⁰⁰.⠀⟆⠀TAGLIST.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀HERE!
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀༺☆༻ㅤparis’ ❪very old❫ reflections，
I’m going to attempt to not make this author’s note as long-winded as I usually would on the Wattpad app. Let me start off by giving a warm ‘welcome’ to those of you who are new to discovering me or my craft, and to those of you who’ve migrated along with me from the Wattpad app：‘Hello!’ I’m so glad you could join me! If you haven’t gotten the memo yet, my name is Paris. I think it’s pretty obvious that this is far from my first time utilizing this app, especially with my writing considering that I did pen an Odd Future fanfiction back in twenty-thirteen. Soon after quitting this and YouTube as my writing platforms, I’ve since migrated to the Wattpad app for the past seven years where I’ve improved immensely in writing and in editing ❨obv.❩. You guys are probably curious as to why I’ve decided to backtrack to this app. Well more than a few weeks back, Wattpad had this huge glitch happen. To make a long story short, people’s accounts and hard earned work were suddenly being deleted from every which angle ❨Even my fair share of favorite authors) and all of our personal information ❨emails and passwords❩ have since been leaked to the dark web. Though I’ve reset my password, email and email passwords as they’ve suggested, I’ve since been on edge about the security of my own account and hard work ❨Though I do routinely write everything out in my notebooks before typing, editing or publishing❩, so in the midst of my own family’s quarantine and losing my father this past month and a half, I’ve had more than enough time to self-reflect. I’ve finally came to the decision to proceed in sharing my work with a different audience again, so hopefully I’ll receive the proper feedback I’ve been longing for, especially with this book. With that being said, all my previous work will remain published on Wattpad and I will remain active until I’ve come to a decision on whether or not I wish to migrate all my previous work here, ‘cause that will certainly take some time.
Let me tell y’all somethin’ though, this book is my most prized possession. My baby. It basically came to me in a dream back in twenty-fifteen though I did mash it with some of my favorite urban, childhood video games and a previous Justin Bieber╱Jason McCann idea that I was working with back then which will explain the first three chapters’ lack of description, but the story line ❨Not to be modest❩, is overall... *⠀chef’s kiss⠀*. The book has since had many alterations, revamps and hiatuses done with me being caught up with life in general and being that I am a very slow writer now ❨Notorious perfectionist and procrastinator, if you may❩, but this is the final draft until it’s time to adapt it into it’s film. Yes, I am planning on adapting this book into an aesthetically pleasing film like that of Queen ⅋ Slim once it’s completed and professionally published, and yes, I am speaking all of this into existence. I’m taking it one big step at a time, ‘cause if I can dream it, I can damn sure achieve it, and so can you! I’m just content with you guys being my first critics. Thank you all for taking the time out to read my work, it really means a lot to me! If you’d like to be apart of my tag list then don’t hesitate to on asking. God bless!
I’m making all of this happen for you, Daddy! I can only hope that I’m making you— Along with grandma and papa— proud. Would you mind kissing and hugging them tight for me, please? I miss you, and I love you even more. Until we meet again.
Before I dip out, let me remind y’all to not, and I repeat— do not take from my plots, edits or formats and try to use them as inspiration to those of your own advantage without asking me for permission or rightfully crediting me first! I’ve had enough of that from the previous app and I promise you that I can be a nightmare bitch! Good day 🙃
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀dedication to pops ❪𝟐╱𝟖╱𝟔𝟕 — ∞❫. no man on this strange place called earth could ever replace or make me laugh the way you did! 🕊
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀〝⠀I can FEEL when you’re AROUND，you FOREVER HOLD ME DOWN I return the favor when I’m on stages IN LOVING MEMEMORY，no enemy could SEPERATE US and so I gotta say this...⠀〞
ׂ ̣ ○ . ° ♰ 𓈒 ॱ 𓂂 FOREWARNING：This chapter will contain use of strong language，verbal and mental abuse，angst，violence and infidelity. Read at your own discretion.
Staten Island, New York · Monday, September 5
6:30 AM
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀𝐊𝐄𝐈 𝐕𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐄
ㅤㅤㅤ“𝕿HAT WAS GOOD. REAL GOOD, baby girl. All I'm gonna ask is that you put more pressure onto the heel of your palm and rotate your wrist a bit more when driving forward on your next set of strikes, alright?"
"Yeah," I nodded my head in agreement, my dainty hands which were securely clad in Everlast brand cotton hand wraps rested at my exposed hips while my high-top AMBUSH x Converse Chuck 70's dragged against the soiled vinyl tarp of the boxing ring's canvas multiple times. "Yeah, I can do that."
My chest heaved, sweat beads forming at the hairline of my now frizzy stitch braids, the bridge of my broad nose, the double-curve of my upper lip, my collar bone and stomach. The training session had gotten so intense that sweat saturated the hem of my compression shorts and matching sports bra.
The only noise being generated were those of the ribbons tied to the vent screens mounted throughout the gymnasium by rusted chains, blowing in recycled air, my own heavy breathing and Cassie's 2006 debut single "Me & U" playing on the intercom system at a low volume. The suspended LED panel light above us did this heat just about no justice at all.
We had been at it, at the crack of dawn for fifteen days straight in Stapleton Athletics which was something I was hardly getting adjusted to. The operation was below street level, the atmosphere was damp, poorly lit and reeked of Davy Jones' locker. It was owned by a hardbody that went by the name of Henry Rollins. He was infamous for being short-tempered with the men, but he was pretty sweet on me in a non-sexual kind of way though Tyree told him otherwise. He had taught me how to channel all my pent-up frustrations through a punching bag in our short span of being acquainted.
"Yeah, and quit bobbing and weaving around the ring like a fucking tube man each and every time your opponent goes to land a punch. This ain't slapboxing. Henry tell her like you tell us, man." I cut my eyes in Tyree's direction whom stood at the skirts of the boxing ring, sporting a fleece Dope brand tracksuit set paired with white leather B-Troop high-top Balmain sneakers, his elbows propped up on the canvas. If looks could kill, he'd be one dead motherfucker!
It was like walking on egg shells these past sessions with him being present. With every kick, slap and punch I successfully landed, a sly remark had to follow. While his passion to have everything perfected by his deadline at midnight for this Soldier character was somewhat touching, it was also exhausting and triggering on my part. Not a moment passed where I wasn't on edge about what insult was coming next, whether it'd be verbally or even physically. Who knew one person could have that much power and authority to drive another past the point of insanity?
"So you'd rather for me to be bruised and battered than to rightfully protect myself?!" I scoffed, batting my natural eyelashes. "I-I don't get you, Tyree! I've done nothing but try and please you this past week, the least you could say is 'Thank you!'"
"Thank you?!" Tyree's head snapped in Henry's direction as he began to chuckle almost dauntingly, showcasing his gold open face fronts. "Now she wants notoriety?! Well here's your fuckin' notoriety, Kei! Thank you for believing that you were important enough to receive gratification!" He stalked the platform, spewing more heart clenching insults on his journey there. "Better yet, thank you for proving us right about how you're built off nothing but being weak! You can't even carry a baby to full-term, how on Earth did I expect for you to fight in a match?"
"Hey!" Henry shouted. "All of that was uncalled for! I really think you should apologize to the young lady."
"I-I can't work like this!" I stammered through tears.
"No!" Henry now shouted in my direction with his hand outstretched as if he wanted me to stay. Believe it or not, that had even caused me to flinch. "Tyree if you don't quit insulting my trainee inside my gymnasium while she's in session, I'm gonna have to ask you to leave. You're creating a hostile work environment for her, and you of all people should know that I don't tolerate that shit! You want that kind of show, you carry your ass down to Sweatbox Brooklyn!"
"Me?!" Tyree exclaimed through his obnoxious snickering with both his hands placed on his chest for emphasis. "You want me to leave?! Aight, Henry, you got it," He nodded. "And go where? Hm?"
"Anywhere but here!"
"He can stay, I'll go." I approached either side of the dimgray ropes, preparing to limbo my way through them that is until Tyree intruded. "Where are you in a rush to? We're not even halfway through today's training session."
"I'm going to use the restroom and get a refill on my water bottle, or are you going to restrict me from doing that as well?" I pursed my lips, anticipating his response. "Thought so. Move out of my way, Tyree."
I successfully carried out my plan from earlier; escaping the ropes, leaping from the platform and retrieving my iridescent Louis Vuitton brand monogram keepall and filtered water bottle sitting over by the rusted metal lockers.
"Make it quick. Ain't nobody got time nor money to be wasting on your ass." Tyree shouted after me.
I chose to be the mature one out of the both of us and ignore him rather than give him the reaction he was so desperately seeking, seeing him spark a different discussion with Henry. Now would've been an ideal moment of escape with them being distracted, too bad the exit was located on the other side of the gymnasium. I grew pretty restless with the idea of escaping after the Denny's incident. It was evident that no one was searching for me and I wasn't looking to be found at this point. I had accepted my fate; I was here to stay.
I slung my keepall over my right shoulder before proceeding to unscrew the top to my filtered water bottle and approaching the water dispenser that was stationed by Henry's office. I was in the midst of discarding the lukewarm water inside the drip tray and refilling the bottle with cold water when overhearing Fox 5's breaking news broadcasting on the analog television inside of Henry's office.
"On the morning of Monday, August twenty-second the New York City Police department received a phone call from the Valentine residence on what is now considered the missing persons report of nineteen-year-old, Kei Valentine and XiXi Tsang. The 2016 metallic pink Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sport which was owned by XiXi and used to chauffer the two around in the early hours of Sunday, August twenty-first was discovered in a vacant parking lot in Manhattan just near what was believed to be an nightclub engulfed in flames the same morning," The clip of the African-American detective— Whom went by the name of Detective Reed— standing at the podium of a press conference room with Mr. & Mrs. Tsang and members of my own family standing background, clad in custom memorial T-shirts of XiXi and I while comforting one another dramatically faded into a photograph of XiXi's Jeep Wrangler. "Since then we have conducted an extensive search party and as of today, September fifth the remains of nineteen-year-old, XiXi Tsang were discovered on a dead end street in Gowanus, Brooklyn while those of Kei Valentine have yet to be found. In these circumstances the missing persons report has now been overturned to an homicide investigation with no possible leads as of yet. We have reason to believe conspiracy was indeed involved..." A sentimental shot from an airbrush backdrop photo shoot XiXi and I took in our wife beaters, denim jeans and heavy gold jewelry dated only four Summers back at the Manhattan Mall appeared across the screen. A harsh reality check that I'd never see her face again.
For the first time in a week I felt sick on the stomach. Nauseated by the fact one group of human beings were inhumane enough to discard the remains of another on a dead end street. Was it not enough to riddle her delicate body in bullets?! Was giving her the proper burial too much to ask for?! If she couldn't have that then she and her family at least deserved some justice! I was her closest friend and I couldn't even bring her that!
"My name's Jasper Valentine. I'm Kei's oldest and only sibling," There my older brother stood at the press room's podium with a sleeping Joie held tightly in his arms. It looked as if he hadn't slept in ages. "Uh, starting the morning of August twenty-second, both we and the Tsang family noticed that XiXi and Kei had gone missing after a long evening of celebrating Kei's nineteenth birthday the previous day. Kei's phone was active at the time. Our text messages were being delivered and phone line was still trilling. After many failed attempts of trying to contact or trace her, the authorities were obviously called. My sister was a honors student who was well on her way to attending a new semester at Columbia University. There were no signs of my sister nor her best friend being in distress or followed. Though it was unfortunate what events have taken place with XiXi, I'm still holding on to whatever faith it may be that my baby sister is still out there somewhere, fighting for her life! Kei, if you're watching or even listening to this right now, HANG ON! Help is on the way!"
My hands trembled uncontrollably to the point where cold water escaped the rim of the bottle, causing me to lose grip of it. It hit the cement floors, completely shattering on impact. I hadn't bothered picking it up, seeing as though the damage had already been done.
I blinked away the tears that were threatening to fall. Every word my brother exclaimed was only driving me further away from that office. I soon found myself turning on my heels and sprinting with no real destination in mind until bumping into something solid.
"Woah. Where you off to so fast?" Tyree asked, grabbing a hold of my shoulders to keep me stilled.
"I wanna go home..." I spoke barely above a whisper.
"We're not even ha—"
"Take me home, Tyree! NOW!" I grimaced, snatching away from him and quickly going to wipe away the stray tears that once stained my face before making my way towards the exit.
I guess that he could sense that something was wrong being that he hadn't put up a fight with me. He could only bid Henry farewell.
"Aight, Henry, I'ma get up outta here. I'll keep you posted on what's new in the underground scene tonight."
"I'll be looking forward to it. Tell the girl I said: 'Best of luck!'"
"No doubt. Peace out."
Vinegar Hill, Brooklyn
8:56 AM
ㅤㅤㅤ𝕴 SAT COMPLETELY EXPOSED WITH the both of my knees pulled up to my breasts on the toilet lid of the forest green mosaic tile detailed bathroom I had been forced to familiarize myself with these past three weeks. The WoodWick candles burning on the back of the tank's lid were of no assistance when it came to lightening my damp mood and the cool water streaming from the bathtub's faucet wasn't enough to drown out the sounds of my constant sniffling, and that was pretty obvious hearing Tyree's heavy taps and pleads for entrance from the opposite side of the door.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀𝐕𝐈𝐒𝐔𝐀𝐋𝐒⠀⦂⠀bathroom.
I had completely contradicted myself by downplaying my family's allegiance towards me. I was well aware of all their commitment in locating me, whether dead or alive, but I wasn't willing to give the same energy in return. If I had, I would've at least attempted at dialing one of their numbers off the corded telephone sitting out on Henry's office desk, forewarning him of how I was forced into this lifestyle the moment we met or even screaming in that Denny's parking lot sometime last week.
I was conflicted to say the least. I wanted to return to my real home with my family, of course, but I wasn't willing to turn in Tyree in order to be granted the opportunity of seeing them again. From what little Bianca had explained to me throughout last week was that Tyree had a pretty rough upbringing which resulted in him always having to have his guard up or impulsively acting immoral towards others, including myself, at times. Sure, he'd jack me up a few times, intimidate me by use of his firearm or say insensitive things correlating to the trauma I'd endured, but no physical harm was truly done. I know that it's no excuse to even acting that way, but he was the only man who treated me with some sort of damn dignity throughout this whole captivation. He ensured that I was fed, accommodated somewhere other than someone's basement and well-kept before himself or anyone else for that matter. If I had been through only half the shit he's been through, I probably would've acted the same way. I was sparing my freedom for his and I believe that's what upset me the most.
I had finally collected myself enough to wipe away my own tears, stand up from that toilet lid and bring the faucet to a stop by turning it's cold nob.
"Ay," I could finally hear the obnoxious rattling of the doorknob that Tyree was causing clearly now. "I don't know what's gotten into you lately, but you know how I feel about locked doors. I'ma let it slide this time and give you enough time to pull yourself together, but don't let it happen again, Kei. Be ready by eight o'clock tonight."
I hadn't bothered responding or even asking where he was off to just as I had been doing the entire morning. I wasn't his woman so it wasn't my business no way. Instead I eased my aching joints inside the comfort of the ice bath before completely submerging myself in a recurring pipe dream of what was home in Harlem.
Corona, Queens
9:00 PM
ㅤㅤㅤ𝕿HE LIMIT, TO SUM UP, was a hole in the wall tavern. Amy Winehouse's "Stronger Than Me" played at a decent volume on the sound system as a variety of sports reruns broadcasted on the flat screen televisions mounted throughout the bar. Everything from the swinging saloon doors, to the chipped and hairline cracks in the grey plaster walls, to the ceiling fans, to the authentic longhorn wall mount, to the autographed grand auditorium guitar, to the jukebox, to the pool table, to the mechanical bull, to the fluorescent chicken sign screamed Southern hospitality.
If only I had gotten the theme of the party earlier, I probably would've dressed the part, but instead I stood clad in a light pink satin overbust corset top, the hip-hugging pencil skirt I designed myself that started off with amethyst sequins and cut off into a light pink cotton seam detail paired with my suede red Tom Ford Padlock Naked sandals. The purple mother of pearl disc pendant I had tied to a red wax cord created choker necklace while the rose quartz beaded and pink sapphire halo bracelets and the beryl green gemstones that climbed my earlobes and fingers all complimented the holographic beat and fresh stitch braids I managed to recreate after my ice bath.
I was practically an escort the way I had gotten dolled up only to accompany Tyree to these Chitlin' Circuit events that I was never too fond of to begin with, but he assured me that my position was far more important than what was previously stated with all those training sessions with Henry. If this was what my life was going to consist of from here on out, I had minus well made the best of it, so after placing my order of mild wings and my regular drink of Canada Dry ginger ale at the bar, I had excused myself from Tyree and Tec's conversation on the various woman stationed around the roadhouse in order to join Lamar, Bianca and a couple of RetcH's crew members by the pool table.
"So what's game and who's winning?" I put a little switch in my hips as I approached the table with my soda can in hand.
"The game is called mind the business that pays you!" Lamar grimaced unprovoked, posted with a wrist grab. "Yo, ain't that the reason you in this predicament now?"
"Hm," I pursed my lips in order to prepare myself for whatever I was about to spew out. "I'm in this predicament because your "Massa's" Klansmen thought—"
"What?! Massa?! Bitch, I ain't no damn slave!"
"Couldn't fool me." I smirked, taking a sip of my ginger ale as Bianca stepped in between us.
"Hey! Would you two lay off? You're gonna get Tyree going and I personally don't want to hear his mouth right now, not while we're off to a great start," She sighed. "Kei, the name of the game is cutthroat and—"
"You might want to come around this side of the table to better your chance at winning." One of RetcH's crew mates gloated, tracing his tongue along his custom diamond fronts while chalking up his pool cue stick.
"Well it's gonna take a lot more than some bling to impress a woman like me," I boldly circled my way around the pool table until I was standing directly in front of him. "So what they call you?" I wrapped my index and thumb finger around his cue before seductively giving it a nice stroke.
"The name's Torque, shit, but you can just call me Papi." He smirked, allowing his eyes to roam my backside when I went to lean back against the sturdy table.
"I wonder why."
"I can show you better than I can tell you," I had almost took him as a joke until he roughly grabbed my wrist, facing me towards the pool table before pinning me against it. "That's why." He whispered in my ear, causing me to giggle.
"Ay!" Tyree's voice carried throughout the saloon just as Bianca expected it to, ruining a perfectly good moment. "Kei your wings finished. Come eat."
"I'll eat when I get ready to, Tyree." I spoke softly.
Torque took his precious time when releasing my wrists and giving me enough space to sit up and adjust the straps of my girdle.
"I said—" Tyree was seconds away from charging at me until Torque stepped in.
"Ay, homeboy, she just said she'll eat when she's ready to. You hard of hearing or something?! Step!" Torque's Brooklyn accent was becoming thicker with each word spoken and I was honestly thrilled by the fact that two men were bickering over having my attention.
"No, but you're 'bout to be." Tyree sneered. That was literally all it took for Torque to snap his cue stick over Tyree's head and just that quick, a fight had been initiated.
They both willingly eased their way into what looked to be a circle pit of belligerent-starved bystanders. For them, this had been the peak they had been anticipating not just for tonight, but for months on end and the fellas seemingly shared a mutual understanding while I contemplated on tactics to disperse the fight before it could even start. For even I knew this situation was merely scratching the surface.
Torque set his first combination attack in motion with a spinning hook kick that drew Tyree back towards the jukebox where he momentarily swayed in a lethargic state. Torque took this moment of distraction to charge off into a back kick flip that had nearly drained the jukebox of it's energy had Tyree crashed into it but he instead regained consciousness enough to break Torque's grapple and head-butt him, causing to stumble back to the center of the room.
Tyree charged at Torque's direction with a closed fist straight to the jaw, the impact being enough to lay Torque out on the hardwood flooring with a loud thud. The crowd's howling amped Tyree enough to manipulate him into attempting his next move until Torque swept him off his feet. Now they had switch positions with Torque having the upper hand and Tyree instead taking the floor, but this hadn't lasted long seeing Tyree kick Torque into Tec's arms where he was immediately passed into a tight grappling hold.
Torque was receiving blows from both ends like a game of ping-pong. Tyree gripped Torque by the sides of his head, pulling him just a few feet forward so Tec had enough leg room to side kick Torque in his lower back. Torque's face practically fell into Tyree's knee then back into Tec's fist and back to Tyree's before hitting the floor once again.
Newcomers such as myself would've assumed the match was concluded, but the expertise knew there was more to be expected. A stillness seemingly overcame the ring as a boost of adrenaline rushed through Tyree's veins.
I watched in horror as Tyree bought a nearly unconscious Torque into a firm chokehold before using all his body strength to spin Torque past the point of woozy and breaking it by slamming him directly on his neck, snapping it on impact. Victory was without a doubt his.
"You just got owned, bitch!" Tyree sneered.
I started to approach Tyree about the whole incident until those of his crew, excluding Bianca, swarmed him in a frenzy. I couldn't help but to take notice in the woman with a beach blonde waterfall root unit whom, in the moment, had her tongue down Tyree's throat. She was dressed in a bizarre Shojono Tomo brand top that under lapped her furry hot pink bear hoodie, leopard print tights and hot pink Moon Boots. She was a little too animated for my liking, but whether real or fake, her ass made up for it. Everyone was seemingly comfortable with her being there, especially Tyree seeing that he was all over her like flies on shit, so it was evident that this wasn't her first time interacting with the group of men. I couldn't front as if I wasn't threatened by her presence, but I wasn't about to make it obvious.
My body tensed the moment Tyree caught my gaze. The group then began to move towards me in a shoal, Tyree and the mystery woman being hand-in-hand.
"Let that be a lesson to listen to whatever the fuck I tell you next time if you want what's best for you," I kept my head down the entire time, my sweaty hands clasping onto the pool table's perimeter as I leaned against it. There was nothing I could say. I literally felt as if I were shrinking under Tyree's shadow meanwhile his eyes shifted over to his bodyguard's. "Make sure she gets home safe tonight, aight?" I watched Tyree sneakingly slip half the earnings he had just made from the brawl between him and Torque into Lamar's hand when pulling him in for a friendly pound hug.
"Anything you say, Boss. You know I'm your guy." Lamar nodded, slipping his babysitting profits into the front pocket of his jeans. Even I could sense his bullshit from a mile away.
"Ugh, I can't stand that bitch!" Bianca exclaimed as we watched the group move towards the swinging doors of the exit.
"Who is she?" I quizzed, genuinely curious on knowing her name.
"Brooklyn. One of T's groupie jump-offs," She flicked her wrist in their direction. "But don't let this situation distract you from the real reason as to why we're all here. There’s still a war going on out there and it ain't going to win itself." She stated, still staring off into a distance.
"If you say so."
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀YOU’LL DISCOVER...
𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 CINCO⠀⦂⠀﹅ 𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐋 HATH NO 𝐅𝐔𝐑𝐘 LIKE A 𝐖𝐎𝐌𝐀𝐍 𝐒𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐍𝐄𝐃. ﹅
ׂ ̣ ○ . ° ♰ 𓈒 ॱ 𓂂 FOREWARNING：This chapter will contain use of strong language，use of drugs or alcohol，violence，gore，character death，abduction and angst. Read at your own discretion.
Flatbush，Brooklyn · Sunday，August 21
11:00 AM
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀𝐊𝐄𝐈 𝐕𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐄
ㅤㅤㅤ𝕾INGING BIRDS，MOVING CARS，CHILDREN laughing, and Shyheim playing from a boombox was all that could be heard as I made my way down the street my boyfriend lives on, sporting out my white Polo Ralph Lauren baseball cap, Columbia University T-shirt, solid black leggings, white slouch socks, “Georgetown Hoyas” colorway Reebok Question Mid sneakers and Louis Vuitton Alma BB handbag.
The humidity was high in New York City about this time around which would explain pimps and hustlers occupying every block, parents shouting at their children from open windows, and kids freestyling on stoops or playing around open fire hydrants.
I could see Antonio's grandmother, Mrs. Lewis, in her kitchen apron, emptying trash into the galvanized trash can sitting beside her brownstone from a distance.
"How are you today, Mrs. Lewis?" I asked once I was near her.
She stopped what she was doing just to take a glance at me.
"Blessed and highly favored, Kei. I didn't see you in service today. I wonder why?" She smiled.
Antonio's grandmother is a pastor and his grandfather is a retired war vet. They're genuinely kind hearted folk. Who do you know welcoming their home to any and everybody, including the homeless?
"Yeah, about that; Jasper had to fill in for someone at the deli, so he left me to look after our grandfather, but since he's playing checkers in the park with Mr. Lewis and Joie's with his babysitter, I decided to past time by coming to visit."
"Mhm," She hummed with her hand on her hip. "Well, come on in, child. I don't want you having a heatstroke."
"Y-Yes, ma'am." I stammered, following her inside where it was cool— most likely from the air condition running in the living room window— with lodgers roaming from one room to another.
"Are you hungry? I have curry chicken and dirty rice sitting on the stove." She said, gesturing towards the kitchen.
"That sounds delicious, Mrs. Lewis, but I can't even look at food right about now. I think I ate too much of Jasper's waffles this morning." I confessed, rubbing my stomach.
"Alright, well, Antonio is sitting in the living room with Dimitri and Erick 'cause I know that's who you came to see."
"No, I—"
She shot me a glare that caused me to laugh.
"Alright, thank you."
"You're most certainly welcome."
I entered the living room area where Antonio, Dimitri and Erick were sitting around the analog television screening Rosemary's Baby. I would never understand how these guys could sit and watch horror flicks midday like it's nothing.
"Hey big head!" I greeted Dimitri with a forceful mush in the back of his head, almost causing the eyeglasses he was prescribed to wear to fly off his face.
He kissed his teeth, looking back at me.
"You play too much." He seethed, adjusting his eyeglasses and violet purple Billionaire Boys Club snapback.
"You play too much." I mimicked. "What's up, architect?" I gave Erick a gentle nuggie.
He chuckled softly in response, removing my arm from around his neck.
"Happy birthday, Kei." Surprisingly, he was the first in this household to acknowledge that it was my nineteenth birthday which caused Dimitri and especially Antonio to glare at him in envy because they weren't the first to say.
"What I do?" Erick asked innocently, looking to and fro between Antonio and Dimitri whilst shrugging his shoulders.
"You didn't do anything wrong, Erick. They're just hating 'cause you were the first to say. Thank you, Erick." I hugged his neck from behind.
"Don't sweat it, Kei."
I slid down to Antonio who wasted no time pulling me down on his lap and securing his arms around me.
"Careful." I warned causing us both to gaze at each other in concern.
"Get a room!" Dimitri commented.
"Shut up, Meechy!" Antonio and I said in unison.
I pitched the closest thing I could find at Dimitri's head which so happened to be the pack of Trolli Sour Bite Crawlers Antonio was eating.
"Happy birthday, beautiful." Antonio directed his attention back towards me.
"Aw! Thanks, mi amor." I rested my forehead against his.
"C'mon, I got something for you." He helped me stand up before helping himself up, our fingers still entwined.
He led me upstairs to the third level of the apartment where his bedroom was located. Our faces fell at the sight of a bum snooping through the drawers of his 5-drawer dresser.
"Yo, what the fuck?! Get the fuck out my room!" Antonio bellowed.
I pushed back the urge to giggle as I hid behind Antonio's back like an anxious one-year-old clinging to her mother. My immense dark brown irises watching the bum's every step out the door.
"You seriously need a lock on your door." I stated, releasing his hand and making my way towards his neatly made twin size bed.
He kissed his teeth.
"Tell me something I don't know."
My eyes wandered his small, yet overfamiliar bedroom that was far from extravagant.There was the twin bed I was currently sitting on, a Playstation 3 console and small television sitting on top of the dresser for when him, Dimitri and Erick wanted to play WWE, an iMac and condenser microphone crammed in the corner, and we can't forget the self-made paintings, psychedelic art, and family portraits he had hanging on the gray walls by push pins.
"Here we are!" Antonio exclaimed, pulling a black security box from under his bed.
I watched as he blew dust off the lid before getting off his knees and taking a seat beside me on the bed. He slipped a single key from his back pocket, preparing to unlock the box until I stopped him.
"Before you open and show me whatever is in the box... I-I need to share something with you." I breathed.
His arms fell loosely by his sides.
"Good or bad?"
"I-I'm not sure," I answered honestly, placing my Louis Vuitton pom-pom keychain aside before unzipping my handbag. "I know it's my birthday, but surprise!" I exclaimed, flashing him the positive First Response early result pregnancy test.
With his mouth ajar and his eyes widened, he reached for the test.
"You're... Pregnant? I mean, we're pregnant. H-How? I-Is it even accurate?"
"Well, remember when I told you I accidentally forgot to take the pill a couple months back and a little while after that we insisted on having sex without a condom? This is the result and I'm pretty sure it's accurate after pissing on three different tests." I entwined our fingers again and propped my chin up on his shoulder as we both gazed at the test.
"Why do you sound so offended? I was only asking. You know I got you, Kei. I won't let you down." He placed a soft kiss upon my forehead causing my cheeks to warm up. "That brings me to my next point," He finally managed to get his security box open, revealing his gold Desert Eagle and quite a few stacks of $100 bills being held together by rubber bands.
Antonio is evidently a street pharmacist, but it was only to sustain this career in music he had going on with Dimitri and Erick. It might've not been the safest job in the world, but it was efficient and efficient is what they needed in order to make it up out of here. Who am I to judge? Besides, who wouldn't want a hood gentlemen?
"You remember that house in Staten Island we were looking at after visiting my mom's burial last year?"
I nodded.
"Yeah, what about it?"
"I'ma buy it for you... For us," He stated, glancing down at my present flat stomach. "I want what's best for our child and I know you do too. This is $450,000. All I gotta do is make 19,000 more and it's ours, baby. I just need you to do me a favor."
"Anything."
"I need for you to hold on to this for me."
"Antonio, I can't. I-It's your mo—"
"It's our money, Kei," We both looked into each other's eyes intently. "You know I wouldn't be asking you if I didn't trust you. I trust you, Kei. I know you'll keep it safe." He gently unclenched my fist and placed the money in the palm of my hand. "I'm sorry that I couldn't get you anything better, but I know how bad you wanted that hou—"
I pressed my lips against his, cutting him off mid-sentence. I could feel tears of joy beginning to well up in the brim of my eyes.
"It's perfect." I whispered against his lips, a smile playing on my own.
He lowered himself on to the bed, pulling me along with him. His hands caressed what little curves I did have as my hands caressed his face. Our lips touched yet again.Before the kiss grew anymore intense, my rose gold iPhone 6s Plus began vibrating inside my handbag causing us both to pull away.
I sat up and reached for my bag, pulling my iPhone out. Unlocking it, I tapped the unread message badge and pulled XiXi's text up.
XiXi 👯💛：
I'm outside
"That's XiXi. She's outside waiting on me." I informed, locking and slipping my phone back inside my handbag.
I stuffed the money Antonio gave me and the positive pregnancy test I showed him earlier inside my purse before zipping it closed, grabbing my pom-pom keychain, and standing up.
Antonio stood up and pulled me into a tight hug.
"I love you. Stay safe, okay?" I said, kissing his cheek.
"Yeah, okay."
I wished Dimitri, Erick, and Mrs. Lewis farewell before walking outside to XiXi's chrome pink Jeep. Once I was seated in the passenger's seat with my seat belt strapped across me, we both reached across the armrest to embrace each other in a hug.
"Hey, best!" XiXi squealed as if she hadn't seen me just yesterday.
"Hey!" I giggled.
"Yo, we gotta go swoop mi abuelo up at the park."
"No problem." She pushed her mirror sunglasses over her eyes and switched the gear stick to drive.
Manhattan，New York City
4:30 PM
ㅤㅤㅤ“𝕱IRST OF ALL，YOU USE a griddle while cooking quesadillas, not a skillet.”
"Why does it even matter? They're both frying pans."
" 'Cause it just does, okay? Leave it to the professionals."
"You call yourself a professional?!"
Jasper and XiXi's voices trailed from the kitchen to my bedroom. The aroma of my favorite Mexican dish traveling throughout the apartment caused my stomach to growl.
I was finally back at the two-bedroom apartment in Harlem that I shared with my older brother, Jasper; my nephew, Joie; and my grandfather.
Everyone told me to lock myself in my bedroom and find something constructive to do until dinner was finished. I wasn't exactly sure what they were doing, but it wouldn't exactly be a surprise if I could hear their conversations all the way from the kitchen either.
To keep occupied like everyone had suggested, I sat on my full size bed with my navy blue Chinese Shar Pei puppy, Toto and decided to create my own photo album that I could share with everyone at the dinner table.
After slipping the photo of Jasper holding me at three years old behind a photo sleeve, I reached for the photo of our mother holding me as an infant.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀𝐕𝐈𝐒𝐔𝐀𝐋𝐒⠀⦂⠀kei ⅋ jasper，circa ‘00.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀𝐕𝐈𝐒𝐔𝐀𝐋𝐒⠀⦂⠀kei ⅋ mommy，circa ‘97.
It wasn't too long after this her and my father left Jasper and I to travel the world. The responsibility of raising Jasper and I fell on my grandparents.
It's funny how they're travelers, but we haven't received not one postcard nor letter informing us that they're still breathing and coming to take us home. That's just wishful thinking, I guess and I'm just lying in wait.
My grandmother passed away peacefully in her sleep on a Tuesday. She was the heart of the family. These past three years without her has taken a hard toll on all of us, especially my grandfather. He once worked as a boilermaker at a steel mill, but injured his hand on the job. He was forced to quit his job and face disability. The incoming money helped us rent this apartment, but Jasper couldn't bare the thought that we were only depending on our grandfather's money to get by, so he insisted on getting a job at a local deli where he met the love of his life, Jennie.
Jennie died from amniotic fluid embolism while giving birth to Joie. Of course, it took a toll on Jasper worse than it did mi abuelo and I because we were growing to like her. Jasper figured she gave him a beautiful blessing, so he quit displaying his feelings, but I know there's not a day that passes him by where he doesn't mourn the loss of Jennie and our grandmother.
I guess we've grown immune to people walking out of lives without a simple farewell.
I felt something wet trailing down my cheek. It wasn't until I reached up to wipe it away that I had noticed I was crying. For what reason was perplex to me. I was never the one to get emotional over my current situation.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
There were a few knocks at my bedroom door causing me to flinch.
"Kei? You in there, girl? Dinner's ready." I could hear XiXi's angelic voice coming from the other side of the door.
I cleared my throat before speaking up.
"Y-Yeah, I'm here. I'll be out in a second." I sniffed.
After placing the last photo behind a photo sleeve, I closed the photo album and slid off my bed. I approached my bedroom door with Toto following behind me. Unlocking and pulling the door open, revealed XiXi with her head turned in the opposite direction. Her gaze hadn't fell upon me until I cleared my throat.
"Oh, Kei, you scared me!" She gasped.
"Sorry?" I said softly.
"It's okay, c'mon." She gently grabbed my wrist and began leading me inside the kitchen area.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀〝⠀For she's a jolly good fellow，
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀for she's a jolly good fellow
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀For she's a jolly good fellooow，
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀which nobody can deny!⠀〞
I couldn't help dying of laughter at the sight of Jasper, Joie, mi abuelo, Antonio, Dimitri, Erick, and Mr. & Mrs. Lewis dressed in sombreros, faux mustaches, and maracas. Not to mention their God awful singing, but it was their way of showing affection, so it was only considerate of me to enjoy every minute of it 'cause I could've received nothing.
Jasper approached me with a triple layer marble cake made from scratch that instantly caused my mouth to water.
"Make a wish, little sis."
The dancing flames on the number candles reflected against my face. I closed my eyes and thought long and hard about something reasonable to wish for this year.
I wish to have an healthy and happy full-term pregnancy.
With my photo album clenched tightly in my hands, I leaned forward and blew out my candles. A round of applause followed after causing me to smile.
10:00 PM
ㅤㅤㅤ𝕬FTER A FUN-FILLED EVENING OF feasting, storytelling, and opening gifts, my birthday celebration had finally came to an end, sending everyone their own separate ways. Dimitri, Erick, Antonio, and his grandparents headed home, Jasper went to put Joie down for bed, and mi abuelo eventually KO'd in his recliner while watching those Western movies on the DVR, leaving XiXi and I on kitchen duty.
Out of the few gifts I received today, I really took a liking to that sewing machine and kit Jasper bought me. It'd come in handy when I start my new semester on Wednesday.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀〝⠀Ladies leave yo man at home
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀The club is full of ballers and
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀They pockets full grown，⠀〞
I was aimlessly sweeping confetti and cake crumbs from the tile floors of the kitchen while XiXi loaded the dishwasher when Destiny's Child's single "Jumpin', Jumpin' " began playing from the Amazon Echo speaker sitting over on the counter. I fixated my eyes on XiXi as I aligned the broom at my side, already knowing what to expect of her.
"Don't do it..." I warned through a giggle while pointing my index finger in her direction.
XiXi, of course, accepted my warning as some sort of challenge; inching towards the speaker and boldly wrapping her hand around the volume ring.
"Everyone is asleep, XiXi! You better not! I swear to—" I was abruptly silenced by the increase of volume on the speaker. My head almost immediately fell forward into the palm of my hand at the thought of Jasper storming inside the kitchen and making a fuss about how we woke up Joie and possibly mi abuelo as well.
XiXi was so hardheaded. Speaking of whom, she sashayed her way towards me; taking the broom from my hands and sitting it up against the wall.
"C'mon, dance with me, Kei." She insisted, grabbing ahold of both my hands and dragging me to the middle of the floor though I showed no signs of amusement throughout this whole nuisance. "Will you stop being so stubborn and just dance with me, Kei?" She urged me even more than before.
Her hip coming in contact with mine and me almost flying into the dining room table is what caused me to break character and breakout into a fit of giggles.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀〝⠀Though he say he got a girl
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Yeah it's true you got a man
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀But the party ain't gon' stop
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀So let's make it hot，hot，⠀〞
Watching XiXi prance around the kitchen and sing off-key to the throwback tune eventually intrigued me enough to join in. What I thought was outrageous, especially at this time of night, turned out to be quite fun and not a single soul bothered interfering, surprisingly.
Eventually the up-tempo record was replaced by something more quieter, allowing us to unwind in the chairs at the dining room table.
"Ugh, that was so much fun!" XiXi exclaimed, tilting her head back only to have it fall forward again; strands of her ginger-dyed coils covering her eyes. "Let's go clubbin'."
"Clubbin' on a Sunday, XiXi? What are we paying tithes at the door in order to get in?" I shook my head in disbelief at what she was suggesting as I dragged the Tupperware bowl full of Smartfood's white cheddar cheese flavored popcorn towards me.
She laughed at this.
"Of course not. Look, I got the perfect spot. You remember when I told you I met someone a few weeks back?"
"Yeah, what about 'em?" I asked, grabbing a handful of popcorn and stuffing it inside my mouth.
"His name's RetcH. He's the boss at this nightclub and casino called the Red Room right here in Manhattan. I'm telling you he could get us in for free."
"Uh-uh. Nope. Negatory." I immediately declined her offer by shaking my head. "Ain't no way I'm 'bout to get caught third wheeling with you and your "supposed" fling. You know the minute this bonnet goes on my head, I'm in for the night."
"Oh c'mon, Kei! It's not like he doesn't have homies and you know I'll willingly style your hair for you."
"No." I stood up from the dining room table with the Tupperware bowl and approached the trash bin which I proceeded to empty the popcorn into.
XiXi was very skilled in the field of cosmetology though she had yet to earn a diploma to show for it while I was more devoted to fashion which is probably why we clicked so much. We made the perfect team. I'd piece together our outfits for certain occasions while she went crazy with the hair dye and nail art. In fact, XiXi was the only person I trusted styling my hair and doing my mani-pedis other than myself, that is, but even that wasn't enough to make me take one for the team.
"Please?" She pleaded, following me towards the kitchen sink.
"Didn't you just hear me say 'no' or do you not comprehend? What would I get in return if I decided to go anyways? Another faded memory?"
"Or a box of strawberry Eclair's and I'll even pitch on on helping you find that bismuth crystal that you've been searching for."
I slowly turned to face her, a goofy grin playing on my lips as I batted my mink eyelashes. Her offer sounded fabricated.
"Cross your heart and hope to die?" I asked, holding out my pinky.
"I swear." She promised, but that still wasn't enough to make me accept.
"No," I shook my head. "You have to pinky swear."
"Fine! Cross my heart and hope to die." She smiled, entwining our pinky fingers.
2:00 AM
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀𝐎𝐌𝐍𝐈𝐒𝐂𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐓
ㅤㅤㅤ𝕶EI’S INDEX FINGER TRACED THE rim of her Canada Dry ginger ale soda can continuously as she sat by the bar, attentively observing her best friend shooting craps alongside RetcH and a few other betters.
Five hours is how long she had been seated in that bar stool, only daring to get up when she needed to use the restroom. It could've been the eight ginger ales she had washed down while patiently waiting on XiXi's say-so on when they'd be leaving, but then again frequent urination was a common symptom amongst pregnant woman.
There were offers to dance and drink from several different men, especially those of RetcH's crew, but she politely declined. She wanted to observe.
She noticed an odd group that consisted of five males, standing on the opposite end of the craps table. Three of the five men seemed rugged by their heavy streetwear and more engrossed in the game while the other two seemed to be more engaged in their cell phone or undressing Kei through their vintage Gianni Versace shades for one.
"Vodka straight." The mellowest male voice came from beside Kei, breaking her previous train of thought.
To her left stood her secret admirer whom was currently in the process of pulling $20 from his leather wallet.
Kei's eyes shifted over to the brown skin bartender placing a shot glass on the counter and cracking open one of the most expensive bottles of Roberto Cavalli Vodka then back over to her admirer.
She took this time to really admire his physique. His coiled hair hidden beneath a black snapback, his full pink lips, killer jawline, and the speckles adorning the bridge of his nose and cheekbones. The gold hoop earring dangling from his left ear, the Jesus pieces draping around his neck and the gold Rolex peeping through the sleeve of his white bomber jacket had only enhanced these features.
Little did Kei know, he was admiring her through the red lighting of the nightclub also. Her signature afro full of curls— the roots which were dyed honey blonde and exceeded out, blending in with the pink ends— were now twisted back into double buns using hair sticks. Her eyebrows were dyed the same shade of pink as the ends of her hair. Only she could pull that off with the beautiful mocha complexion she had. Her eyes were wide, but slightly slanted, giving the impression that she identified to more ethnicities than one. They were the perfect shade of dark brown. Her nose was small, but pointed outward. She had a round face, chubby cheeks, and full pink lips. She was sporting a red Cheongsam style blouse, a Louis Vuitton Alma BB handbag, black dress pants, and glossy red Giuseppe Zanotti wing sandals. A gorgeous woman with expensive taste was definitely his weakness.
He thought now would be the perfect time to introduce himself.
"I'm Tyree, Tyree Devlin. And you are?" He extended his hand out for Kei to shake.
Normally, Tyree wouldn't find himself being this polite to any ordinary female sitting by the bar past midnight. He'd just denigrate them until they found it appealing, take them to his pad in Vinegar Hill, Brooklyn for him and his crew mates to share, then he'd be kicking them all out like Martin Lawrence come morning, but Kei gave off a different aura. The same aura that got him caught up with his wife, Alina and his girlfriend, Brooklyn, but that's another topic for a different discussion.
"Uninterested." Kei responded dryly, passing on his handshake.
"Ouch." Tyree smirked, playing it off by stashing his wallet away in the pocket of his bomber jacket.
He was truly affected by Kei's response. She was definitely taking the hard to get route.
He removed his shades from his face and placed them on the counter beside his shot glass before taking a seat in the bar stool beside Kei.
She couldn't help but bite the corner of her lips at the sight of his dark brown irises.
He chucked in reaction at her, ending it by tracing his tongue along his bottom lip. It wasn't until then that Kei had noticed his gold-plated bottoms glinting in the dim lighting of the nightclub.
"Can I offer to buy you something to drink, uninterested?" He asked, finally throwing his money's worth shot of Roberto Cavalli Vodka back with ease.
Kei forced a phony cackle to leave her lips.
"No, thank you. I'm not much of a drinker." She confessed.
"Well, then can I purchase you another ginger ale? I'm almost sure that one's gone flat."
"Me and my ginger ale are just fine, thank you."
Truth be told, Kei's bladder was full and she knew she'd be excusing herself any second for a restroom break which is why she had passed on Tyree's offer.
"Suit yourself," He followed her gaze which wasn't fixated on him, but on the craps table. "Is someone catching your attention over there?" He nudged his head in the direction overcrowded table.
"My best friend, XiXi. She's standing next to the guy in the Polo bucket hat."
"Ah, I see. If you were standing next to me when I was shooting, you would've made one helluva good luck charm. I would've made a fortune off of you." Tyree slipped his fingers beneath Kei's chin only to have them slapped away.
"Don't," Kei warned. "Now, if you'd excuse me, I have to make a restroom run." She hopped off the bar stool and rushed off into the women's restroom before he even got the opportunity to see her blushing over his cheesy pick up lines.
Once she handled her business inside the stall, sanitized, and refreshed her appearance, her Giuseppe's were echoing towards the exit of the bathroom yet again.
As she extended her hand out for the handle of the door, it swung open, colliding with her nose. Her head flew back in the process. The impact was enough to send her fragile body flying across the marble floors.
She groaned in pure agony, feeling something warm gushing from both her nostrils. When she reached up to touch the substance, she noticed blood covering her fingertips in her near focal point and a 9mm MAC-11 in her far.
"Move another inch and I'll blow your fucking brains out."
Kei froze from where she was lying on the marble floors, but couldn't contain her heavy breathing nor trembles. She had been lucky enough to empty her bladder before she had faced her taker who so happened to be one of Tyree's rugged crew mates.
"Get up." He demanded, waving his MAC-11 in her direction causing her breath to hitch.
She started to pick herself up, but it seemed too slow for his patience; therefore, he didn't mind gripping the back of her neck in order to speed up the process.
"Faster, bitch! You think this shit a game, huh?" His nails were now sinking into her flesh.
She had finally released an ear piercing scream for his enjoyment.
"Shut up!" He bellowed, pushing the steel barrel to her temple as a warning.
"Okay, okay." She pleaded barely above a whisper. Tears were now escaping freely from the brim of her eyes.
"Open the door." He demanded.
She did as she was told, pulling the door open. The club was mostly clear aside from RetcH and Tyree's crew mates. Only difference was that Tyree's crew mates had all of RetcH's crew mates held hostage, that included XiXi.
"KEI!" XiXi screamed for her best friend from across the room, tears staining her face.
"You tryna die tonight?" Tyree whispered to XiXi since he was the one holding semi-automatic pistols to her and her boyfriend's dome.
Not even twenty minutes ago, Kei viewed Tyree as harmless, but now she looked at him in pure rage and it was only feeding that rebellious ego of his.
"Since y'all don't wanna play fair and swindle me out my money, we taking everything valuable around this motherfucker!" Another one of Tyree's rugged crew mates spoke through a sinister smirk while aiming AK-47's at Pockets and the bartender's head. "Slim, how's it coming along back there?"
"It's coming." Slim answered breathlessly from behind the bar.
"Aight, well, hurry up. I need for you to pull the Escalade out front."
"Bet."
"Richie, you holding up?"
"With these two lanky motherfuckers? Yeah, Raphael, I'm straight." Richie said sarcastically, holding Raptor rifles at the back of Percy and Teddy's head.
Slim managed to slide across the bar with an Adidas duffle bag full of cash, liquor, and handguns The Stallions had hidden around the Red Room. He approached Raphael, yanking the keys to the Escalade from the belt loop of his jeans.
"Be out in two minutes." He informed.
"Two minutes, no less." Raphael muttered.
That gave Slim the OK to evacuate the building.
"Fuck y'all, niggas! Y'all won't suppose to step foot on our territory anyways! Just wait 'til this gets around to Bones! Y'all dead men walking!" Torque spat.
"Bones ain't gonna do a God damn thing! You best shut the fuck up before I end your life right here, nigga!" Raphael removed his AK-47 from the bartender's head and pushed it beneath Torque's chin instead causing him to swallow spit.
Everyone but Kei seemed so distracted by Torque and Raphael's antics that they hadn't even noticed XiXi's hand inching behind RetcH's back. What would her weapon do against seven handguns?
It wasn't until the distinct sound of a car horn blowing from outside that everyone's head snapped in XiXi's direction. RetcH's 9mm Smith & Wesson clenched in her trembling hand.
"NO!" Kei screamed.
It was as if everything was in slow motion as Kei witnessed multiple bullets being lodged into her best friend's chest. Her blood splattered from Tyree's pale face to RetcH's solid white T-shirt.
XiXi fell to her knees then face first into the marble floors where she took her last few breaths until she was eventually lying in a pool of her own blood.
"YOU KILLED HER!" Sobbed Kei, dramatically collapsing in her taker's arms.
No one could actually make out what she was screaming through her uncontrollable sobbing and sniffling. She wished that this was all a bad dream and that at the click of her heels, she'd be back home with Jasper, Joie, abuelo, Toto and a breathing XiXi overshadowing her.
"Let's bounce! Matta fact, Tec, bring that bitch along too since she wanna scream. We gon' give her something to scream about." Raphael traced his tongue along his ceramic braces as he inched towards the exit, his crew mates following his every step.
You had to be a fool to think Kei was going out without putting up a fight with Tec. Of course, he wind up winning in the end, dragging her out into the pouring rain by the collar of her blouse. The buttons began popping off one by one, revealing her solid red Victoria's Secret bra.
"HELP ME!" Kei screamed in the midst of the boys stashing their gats away in the trunk of the car; her soon-to-be one way ticket to hell.
"Shut that bitch up!" Raphael demanded.
"You're the damn enforcer of this crew, I don't see why— AH!" Tec yelped at the sharp feeling of one of Kei's hair sticks being lodged into his thigh.
She attempted to crawl away, only to have Tec compress his teal high top Air Force 1's into her back before she could get any further.
"Stupid bitch." He gritted, restraining her arms behind her back and using a plastic security loop to bind her wrists together. Next would be her ankles.
Kei helplessly laid there whimpering from the throbbing discomfort of her restraints and the constant replay of witnessing her best friend get murdered. She feared for her and her unborn child too.
"Let me take you out your misery, baby girl." Tyree cooed, a smirk playing on his lips.
He stifled her screams and cries with a rag drenched in chloroform until she gradually became unconscious in tranquility.
The last thing she had seen was his alluring eyes in the rain fall.
Any dream would be better than this one.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀dimitri ﹅ meechy darko ﹅ simms as 𝐇𝐈𝐌𝐒𝐄𝐋𝐅
⤷ occupation：antonio’s homie╱brother ⅋ upcoming artist
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀erick ﹅ erick the architect ﹅ elliott as 𝐇𝐈𝐌𝐒𝐄𝐋𝐅
ׂ ̣ ○ . ° ♰ 𓈒 ॱ 𓂂 FOREWARNING：This chapter will contain use of strong language，use of drugs and alcohol，symptoms of depression；suicide attempts，slight physical and mental abuse，mentions of miscarriage and angst. Read at your own discretion.
Manhattan，New York City · Monday，August 22
8:00 AM
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 𝐎𝐌𝐍𝐈𝐒𝐂𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐓
ㅤㅤㅤ𝕿HERE WAS AN UNEXPECTED TURN of events brewing at the Valentine's residence. Their normal morning routine that consisted of firing up breakfast while laughing amongst one another had altered to unselfishly taking on the responsibility of being sure that a neighbor was fed and comforted in their time of grief in the course of an eleven-hour time period. The energy radiating from each individual was so moving that even the infant wept for them.
"It's alright, little man. Daddy's here." Jasper swiftly wiped away the stray tears traveling down his flushed cheeks using his bare hands before pushing past the guest occupying their living room in order to reach his four-month-old son's playpen by the doorway.
He offered him a pacifier, binky, bottle and even a rattle, but nothing seemed to extinguish the wails emitting from the infant, and that only made Jasper more frustrated than the fact that he couldn't reach his younger sister. For once he had felt more powerless over a situation than when he had lost the love of his life and grandmother, and he could only pray that his sibling wouldn't face the same fate, 'cause with the way things were lookin'? His luck had ran out.
"We've followed every lead possible to find your daughters—" The African American detective standing tall beside his partner with his cap clenched tightly in his hands had started only to be cut short.
"Sister." Jasper corrected, cradling his son in his arms.
"La nieta!" Their grandfather shouted. He wasn't known to take that tone of voice with people, but he had heard more than enough excuses about his granddaughter's whereabouts in a three-hour time frame.
"Girlfriend..." Antonio muttered from the kitchen chair he was seated in, surrounded by his good friends, Erick and Demetri and his grandmother.
"Whether it'd be a daughter," The detective's eyes fell upon the Asian couple seated on the leather sofa that identified as Mr. & Mrs. Tsang, parents of XiXi Tsang. "Sister, girlfriend or granddaughter, our team has followed every lead possible, but we're still not making much progress further than that destroyed building and metallic truck. If approved, we could conduct a search party if our team were to stumble across some concrete evidence. Now you said yesterday was Kei's nineteenth birthday. Her mood seemed content. Are you absolutely sure that her and XiXi didn't just extend the celebration? Possibly plan a trip somewhere out of town without anyone's knowledge?"
"No!" Jasper bellowed, shaking his head continuously. "No... It isn't in my sister nor XiXi's nature to take last minute road trips out of town without running it by at least one, if not all of us first! Where could they come across that much money in such a short timespan with both of them not having a stable income besides their parents or legal guardian?"
Antonio's legs bounced at the uneasy feeling of having to confess his and Kei's secrets to the family prematurely or maybe it was the thought of Kei possibly betraying him. Did he really know his woman after all?
"Shí, and if that the case, why XiXi no take her car?! That they only transportation!" Mr. Tsang pointed through his broken English.
"What about someone targeting them?"
"I don't mean to intrude, Detective Reed, but if you could excuse everyone's frustrations. We all understand you're just doing your job, but if I could make the suggestion of a missing college student report? Kei was supposed to start her new semester in fashion designing at Columbia University on Wednesday and XiXi was well on her way to cosmetology school. Both were respectable young women in my few years of knowing them." Mrs. Lewis interjected.
"Well I—" Detective Reed began to consider the families suggestions only to be interrupted once again.
"Bullshit!" Antonio muttered, finally breaking his silence. "This is all bullshit, and y'all know it!"
"Antonio Lewis!" His grandmother gasped, taken aback by her grandson's vile language. "I understand that you're frustrated, but that is no reason to be disrespectful in someone else's household. I taught you better than that, boy!"
"Nah, fuck that," Antonio croaked, standing from his seat and allowing the built-up tears to escape freely from the brim of his eyes. "I mean, w-why would Kei find any reason to just up and flee town without informing us? The idea of it sounds even more ridiculous than someone targeting her. The way I see it, if someone was actually after her or XiXi, it was at that damn nightclub, so why don't you pigs do your job by calling on the search party and stop wasting our time with this useless interrogation 'cause the last thing any of us would want is for them to be another statistic plastered on the back of a milk carton, flyer, billboard or worse, in a fuckin' ditch!" Antonio made an exit from the apartment as his grandmother began to defend his sudden outbursts.
Jasper quickly excused himself from the commotion before going to catch Antonio by the building's stairwell with his infant still cradled in his arms, figuring there was more to his story.
"Yo, Juice?" Jasper called out Antonio's nickname, placing his free hand on his shoulder until he found the courage to face him. The moment never came.
"I ain't mean to come off disrespectful under y'all roof, man. I was gonna come back and apologize after a smoke break. I just need to calm my nerves."
"Ain't really a need for all that, your grandma already did the honor. You seem a little more jittery than everyone else, man. Am I missing something?"
Antonio licked over his chapped lips as he stood completely still on the first step leading down the stairwell with his clammy palm grasping the bronze railing. The more his eyes focused on the floor level number in front of him, the more it seemed as if the cement walls were closing on him to tell the truth, and nothing but it. This wasn't exactly how he envisioned breaking the news of his firstborn to the family and he didn't want it to only be his decision, but Kei couldn't exactly speak for herself anymore.
"Aight, man listen. We fucked up, aight?" Antonio had finally made eye contact with Jasper. "I got Kei pregnant—" Antonio couldn't even brace himself for impact as his back was slammed against the wall. His windpipe was being crushed by Jasper's forearm alone.
"You got my sister pregnant?!" Jasper seethed between clenched teeth as his nostrils flared in pure disgust and their eyes bored into each other's.
He was fully aware that his little sister had became the legal age where she could consent to sexual intercourse with her partner, but the fact that they weren't practicing birth control methods like he and their grandparents had always stressed made him feel defied. He wanted her to break a generational curse that he, himself had gotten trapped in. They were still practically babies themselves and now they'd have to raise one.
"At least I'm man enough to admit to it, and even then I'll never regret Kei bearing my first child! I loved her and wanted her to do better than I'm doing myself! I loved her so much in fact..." Tears began overflowing worse than a spillway during a hurricane as his eyes fell elsewhere. He disliked being so vulnerable over this woman. "I loved her so much that I literally gave her my last dime!" He croaked.
"W-What you talkin' 'bout, Juice?" Jasper queried, stumbling over his own words. He had to admit that he kind of felt for him, but he wasn't letting up until he gave a straight answer to all his questions.
"Yesterday morning when she swung by my crib and broke the news that she was pregnant to me. I had already planned on gifting the $450,000 I made from pushing to Kei as a birthday gift, but I guess I got overwhelmed with the news of the baby, so I gave it to her earlier than expected, thinkin' she'd somehow keep it safe until I made up the rest so that we could both make a deposit on her dream house in Staten."
"Ain't no way my sister walking the streets with that much cash on her. I-It's gotta be in her—"
"Wall safe? You think I ain't already raid that? Under her bed? Between the mattress? Shoe boxes? Her vanity? All empty!"
Jasper began to ease his arm from Antonio's windpipe as every worse case scenario yet began to play out in his mind. What the cops had questioned them on started to seem more logical than suspicious to him. Kei and XiXi taking the money and skipping town for an abortion? Kei and XiXi taking the money for a shopping spree? Kei was always the expensive type. Taking money out her financial aid refund to spend on a seasonal Louis Vuitton handbag instead of on textbooks and having their grandfather reimburse had always seemed ideal to Kei, but the real question of her daring to flip it with her boyfriend's cash was still up in the air. It was time he'd start doing some digging of his own.
ㅤㅤㅤ𝕬ROUND THIS TIME EACH YEAR following the events that took place on August twenty-second of two thousand and ten, it seemed as if Tyree's regularly scheduled programming was interrupted. The first day was only an entryway to the downward-spiral he was actually heading into.
He'd shut off any contact from the outside world just to make up for what they'd call "lost time" with his older brother, and the circumstances only seemed to grow more rough and tedious with each year. There was absolutely no electronic devices, no penthouses accompanied by his beautiful young women, no under-the-table labor while being incompetent to even his own mental health. However, he seemed to cling to booze, Xanax, illegal firearms and self-indulgence, in hopes that at least one of them happened to reunite him with his older brother again.
His stature was only a silhouette in the periwinkle, coral pink and canary yellow backdrop of the New York City cityscape as he stood on the ledge of the rooftop in his black Timberland boots. With his right hand clenching his semi-automatic pistol, he used his left to bring the expensive bottle of Don Julio 1942 Tequila up to his lips for a swig before releasing a blood-curdling cry of desperation that echoed miles ahead where other abandoned buildings and construction sights stood. If he couldn't sleep then neither could they.
His body swayed in the wind from the effects of his six-day alcohol-binge and nearly sent him diving over the edge until he felt something tug at the back of his wife beater.
"How do you expect to carry out the family's legacy if you continue down this path of destruction each year, huh?"
Tyree couldn't believe his ears. He had almost thought that they were deceiving him when picking up the voice he had been searching for these past seven years and counting. The same voice that made him stiffen right where he stood as an adolescence when he knew he was doing something he wasn't supposed to, even now. It was the voice of reason, Trent Devlin, in the flesh.
"T-Trent... I—" Tyree had spent countless long nights rehearsing conversations he'd have with his older brother if he ever was granted the opportunity to speak to him again. He even went as far as jotting them down in a sacred Composition notebook of his, but now that the opportunity had actually presented itself, he went blank.
"What's the motive here, T? You gon' take a bullet to the brain? Or maybe you're counting on your liver to give out on you in hopes that you'll see me again? Well here I am, T and you ain't dead yet. Y'know what?" Trent chuckled lightly. "I always wanted to see a live sideshow act at Barnum & Bailey Circus, so by any means, please kill yourself," Trent forced the semi-automatic pistol clenched in Tyree's hand to his temple. "Get on with it!"
"I don't have time for this," Tyree sniffed, tears spilling from his eyes as he stashed the firearm in the waistband of his blue and grey camouflage cargo pants. "The underground's been crazy without you."
"Then make time, Tyree! See what you're not getting is that the game never needed me to begin with which is exactly why it ended me, but you on the other hand? It needs you now more than ever. I mean, you have all this opportunity in front of you. Why waste it?"
"Maybe because I'm not half the man you were."
"Is that what all this suicidal shit is about? You seeking validation?" Trent sighed, placing his hands upon Tyree's broad shoulders. "You've surpassed my virility. By the grace of God, you lived to see the age of twenty-five. A age that most of us Black men don't live to see, that including myself. You got hitched. Shit, Bianca couldn't tie me down to a damn bed post back in the day," This caused the both of them to chuckle. "I often regret not doing it 'cause she really held me down. You got your name out there without having to use mines. All these ventures y'all youngins got The Soldiers undergoing was shit I, myself didn't have the balls to do seven years back. I was caught up in the money sight of it all. You smart, kid. I've never been more proud to be your older brother than I am right now."
Trent slapped his right hand into Tyree's before pulling him into his embrace. Tyree felt himself wanting to pull away from the abnormal feeling that really hadn't been instilled in him for a few years now, but Trent had only squeezed him harder and suddenly he couldn't hold himself together any longer. The weight had finally been lifted from his shoulders.
"Keep your eyes open, kid or you'll end up just... like... me..." Right before his very eyes, Tyree watched his older brother disintegrate to ashes so fine they slipped through his fingertips and became one with the wind.
Yes, he wished they could've spent more time bonding together, but having that burden lifted from him was far more rewarding. They both were finally free.
Tyree awoke in a sudden panic on the leather sofa of his Vinegar Hill apartment living room. His chest heaved with every inhale, his inflamed eyes in desperate need of lubrication, his olive flesh covered in a sheer layer of sweat, making it almost difficult to peel himself away from the material of the couch when the time came. He instantly sat up on the sofa, frisking himself to be sure that every limb on his body was still in tact after witnessing his own brother's cremation. The dim room suddenly felt as if it were spinning, so he attempted to put his focus on the glass of lukewarm water and 800 milligram Ibuprofen being displayed on the glass coffee table before him, but even the thought of having to force painkillers down his throat at this time of morning made him more nauseated than the side effects of feeling hungover.
"Try to relax yourself, T." All it took was a familiar voice carrying from the shadows of the room for Tyree to act on impulse, retrieve his semi-automatic pistol from the glass coffee table and begin to spray bullets. That's until the fabric of the roller shades were bought to their peak, an open invitation to the sun. That's just how easy paranoia set in when being in this industry, so you had to stay on your toes.
"Lamar?" Tyree hissed, hiding his face in the palms of his hands. "What time is it?"
"10:30 in the morning, my brother. If you're wondering, I found you unconscious on the building's rooftop as I do with every passing year. The crew has been concerned 'bout you and while it's none of my business, I noticed how you tend to shut down around this time and usually I'd allow you to pull yourself out of it, but not this time. I won't allow you to wallow in self-pity for another week, 'cause that's really all we have before getting active with The Stallions and not to mention, we haven't even begun training the newcomer, so what's it gonna be, boss?"
Tyree was merely seconds away from spewing a regretful comment until a knock came at the door. Not like it would've made much of a difference anyway. He knew Lamar meant good intentions.
"I'll get that. In the meantime, you work on getting that pill down. Your non-alcoholic diet starts now!" Tyree's top lip curled in annoyance at his bodyguard using his parental tactics on him of all people. He knew he meant well by it, but both, Trent and Tyree were raised under no adult supervision. They basically raised each other, so why would he chose to start conforming now?
Tyree watched as Lamar approached the door and picked apart every lock, without bothering to ask who was standing on the opposite side. Lamar had only cracked the door but the guest had took it upon themselves to invade the apartment with their Louis Vuitton monogram garment bags, pullman trunks and cosmetics cases in which Lamar hadn't hesistated on assisting them with.
"Bianca?" Tyree called out, carefully standing up from the couch. "What you doing here?" He was in a trance while watching her ginger shoulder-length flexi rod curls and her crystal Chanel drop earrings sway as they met each other halfway.
"Well it's nice to finally see you too, Tyree and—" Bianca couldn't help but to cut herself short and pinch her nose closed when a pungent smell invaded her nostrils. "Jesus! You smell like you've bathed in tequila!"
Tyree presumed his crewmate was being her usual overdramatic self, but once he got a whiff of his wife beater which was damp in his alcohol-ridden sweat, he could no longer object. He needed a shower, bad.
"I know you're going through hard times right now, Tyree, but so are the rest of us. You have to pull yourself together for the sake of this family, baby boy. We're all we got now," Tyree caved into her touch when she went to place a dainty hand against his cheek. He craved affection now more than ever. "I figured you might need some help with the new girl, so I took it upon myself to bring over a few scraps of clothing and shoes I can't fit because I just know you have her rippin' and runnin' through here in only boxer briefs and 2XL T-shirts. Maybe this gesture'll help lift her spirits some, so where is she?"
Tyree couldn't give Bianca a straight answer because truthfully speaking, after an entire week of neglect, he didn't know his damn self. He could only look to Lamar whom's eyes shifted down the dark hallway and that's where Bianca's multicolored Amina Muaddi crystal-embellished slingback pumps followed.
While Tyree may have been dealing with his battles externally, Kei was battling hers internally, and the progression came rather vastly. It was already traumatic enough being an eyewitness to the murder of her best friend, but passing the remains of her and Antonio's offspring through a sewage just added fuel to the fire. Afterwhile it became so intolerable to look at that it resulted in her urinating herself then Lamar would be the one left to clean it up and force her into the shower. Menstrual cramps became so unbearable at times that it'd result in her vomiting. Lamar was naive to the fact that both, Kei and her body was undergoing miscarriage and the only way he knew how to contain her cries and pleas of 'help'— Which he assumed stemmed from her missing her family and close friends— was to sedate her using doxylamine and he had even kept her on the oxycodone and proprylaxis Tyree had her taking for the pain she was experiencing. Between her vomiting and sleeping majority of the day away, it became difficult to nourish the young women (Not that she would've been accepting of the gesture to begin with), so she spontaneously began to shed weight throughout the week.
This was by far the most challenging situation she had to endure in all her nineteen years of living. She had poured so much of own aspirations and prayer into their child over the weeks that she felt like a disappointment for not being able to protect them from harm's way, even inside the comfort of her womb. Maybe God figured that it wasn't the right timing.
"What happened to her face?" Bianca questioned barely above a whisper as she sat on the edge of the King size bed in which Kei rests on and reached her hand out to push her matted 4c textured curls back in order to get a better examination of the purple blotches decorating her pale skin.
"Raphael's what happened." Tyree confessed between clenched teeth. He still found himself getting worked up about the whole incident, even a week after.
"Well we can't just sit here dwelling over the past. I think we've done enough of that already. Let's just start with getting her bathed and made-up then we'll take it from there."
Brooklyn, New York
12:27 PM
ㅤㅤㅤ𝕿YREE, LAMAR AND BIANCA HAD went through great lengths within a hour and fifty-seven-minute time limit to ensure Kei's stability. They forced her into a cold shower, got her hydrated enough to function and forced her into the backseat of Tyree's Audi where the child safety locks were activated just in case she thought twice about planning her great escape while being trapped inside the moving vehicle, but little did they know, Kei had some tricks up her sleeve.
The ending result sat inside one of the many booths of a local Denny's restaurant. Bianca assisted Kei with her unkempt appearance; putting her untamed hair into two stitch braids, getting her dressed in a velour Juicy Couture brand tracksuit paired with low top Air Force 1's and had even offered her a pair of her frameless FEИTY brand mask sunglasses to conceal some of the bruises that her favorite blush couldn't exactly cover.
Tyree grew irritable observing Kei use her fork to shift the yolk of her over easy eggs around her plate instead of actually attempting to eat them.
"Kei, why don't you try and eat your breakfast instead of playing in it, huh?" Tyree went to pull a napkin from the dispenser to rid his fingers and the corner of his full lips of syrup.
She hadn't responded. She had only moved onto what looked to be the next interesting thing to play in which were the bananas and chocolate chips topping her buttermilk pancakes.
"Yo?!" Tyree shouted, slamming his fists against the tabletop causing the utensils to rattle from such force and a few onlookers to glance in their direction. The last thing they wanted was to draw attention to Kei, but Tyree was too egotistical to be ignored. The most amusing thing out of the entire situation was that Kei hadn't once budged.
"May I be excused to use the restroom?" It was the first time Kei had parted her lips that day other than to scream. She found it ridiculous having to ask for permission to use the restroom.
Tyree swiftly took a bite out of his strip of bacon before his eyes shifted over to Lamar then landed back on Kei.
"Yeah, you can go..." Kei quickly gathered her Louis Vuitton handbag and began to slip out the booth until Tyree trapped her bruised wrist. "On the condition that you choose one of us to go with you."
"Tyree, don't be ridiculous! I'll—" Bianca started only to be cut short.
"No!" Kei shouted. If Bianca joined her in the washroom, her plan wouldn't be executed properly. It had to be a male, and one she knew wouldn't be bold enough to part that door, so it was between Lamar and Isaiah at this point. "I-I want Lamar to come with me." Sure, she could've took the easy route by choosing Isaiah, but it would've made her scheme obvious being that he's mute with timid tendencies, plus she didn't want him to feel taken advantage of. She was still dissecting him.
"Fair enough," Tyree nudged Lamar in Kei's direction as he allowed her wrist to slip from his death grip. "Don't try no funny shit either 'cause I won't hesitate to come and find you." He chuckled maliciously before tracing his tongue along his top lip as Kei's subconsciously twitched in disgust at his actions.
"Let's get a move on, new meat." Lamar snatched Kei up by her upper arm, causing her to gasp and began to drag her frail body to the front of the restaurant where the restrooms were located. "If you're not out in five minutes, I'm coming in." He threatened, shoving her into the traffic door of the women's restroom. Kei fell through the door with a slight stumble— her sneakers squeaking against the marble floors— but was quick to straighten herself out and crack a smile before any stranger could sense that something was wrong.
She made her claim on the handicap stall in the back of the public bathroom before fishing through the pockets of her tracksuit jacket in order to retrieve her smartphone which she had located in between the seats of Tyree's Audi during their twenty-minute drive there. Pressing the pad of her thumb against the power button, Kei anticipated to see her home screen only to end up with an empty battery icon instead.
"Shit!" She hissed as her arms fell loosely by her sides.
Her time to sulk was limited. She immediately began to think on a possible resolution and that's when her mind had traced back to the portable charger in her purse. She pulled her handbag from her shoulder and unzipped it before getting down on her knees. Once again all her personal items were emptied and scattered across the floor before her; her wallet, her tube of Dior Lip Glow Oil, her positive pregnancy test, a couple maxipads and her portable Chanel lipstick charger. She was seconds away from jumping for joy when she had noticed the charging cable was missing from the picture.
"No! No, no, no, no, no! Fuck!" She whispered, shuffling the items as if it would somehow show up in the rearrangement. Things were beginning to look a lot shadier.
"Lookin' for something?" An overfamiliar voice came from above her, and she knew then that she had been caught. Five minutes had came and went that fast.
Kei exhaled and shut her eyes in defeat for only a few seconds. She tilted her head back until locking eyes with Tyree through his skinny vintage oval sunglasses. He was towering over into her stall from the toilet of the next with her charging cable dangling in his hand just as the gold chains draped around his neck were doing.
"Grab your stuff and exit the stall, Kei." Tyree ordered, carefully stepping down from the pedestal.
Kei rolled her eyes at his demands as she began to shove the items back inside her handbag, that excluding her smartphone and pregnancy test. She got up off her knees and went to dispose of the test in the wall-mounted sanitary napkin receptacle before finally deciding to unlock the stall. She figured it was better to let go than to hold on to something that was killing her.
"Give it to me." Tyree had already had his hand out for the cellphone by the time Kei went to forcefully swing the door open with a stale facial expression. She couldn't even completely place the item inside his hand before she was snatched up by her upper arm yet again. "Leave it up to you to pull some slick shit like this. I've been nothin' but kind to you, but you just had to keep testing me. Playtime is over. Your training with Henry starts today."
Kei kept the same stale expression up until the very moment that they had entered the parking lot.
"Go to hell!" Kei spat, aiming directly for Tyree's face. He'd oughta be lucky she didn't scream for help.
Tyree stiffened right were he stood. His face twisting in pure disgust as he quickly went to clear her saliva from his cheek using the back of his free hand. He couldn't believe she had it in her.
"I had already planned on it. You just be sure to keep the same energy in the ring, baby girl." Tyree forced her into the backseat of his vehicle again, but this time by her head. He made sure that the child safety locks were still activated before going to slam the rear door shut.
