Page 51 of Love & Vendettas
I stare at him, refusing to say anything.
“Oh, that’s the game you want to play?”
The man standing beside me who took my purse slaps the shit out of me, causing me to stagger backward. I glare at him, but the moment that I reach my hand up to hit him back, he grabs my wrist and squeezes so tightly that tears instantly pop in my eyes.
“I’ll ask you one more time. What’s the lock code on this phone, li’l mama?”
These guys are clearly younger than Zaire and me. I can tell they’re roughly in their late twenties. That lets me know that they’re more dangerous than most. They have no respect, morals, or values.
These guys don’t come from the old streets that Zaire did. They don’t look out for their own, and definitely not for anyone else.
Sometimes, I find it difficult to control my attitude, but I suspect in this instance that I better get a handle on it, or I’ll get fucked up.
“Three. Nine. One. Eight,” I say, repeating the dates of each of my guys’ birthdays.
Unlocking the phone, he scrolls through it, and I’m sure that he’s going through my contacts. I get my confirmation moments later when he looks at one of the other guys, laughs, and states, “This shit shouldn’t be so easy.”
He places the phone to his ear just as I ask, “What do you want from me?”
“Not you, sweetheart.”
That comment scares the hell out of me. Could it be that he’s going to get rid of me as soon as he gets what he wants?
“No. Sorry, this isn’t your love. But I know where she’s at.”
The man listens for a moment, and though I can’t hear his words, I can hear Zaire’s voice through the phone.
“Zaire!” I scream.
The man scowls at me and turns his back on me, just as the man holding the gun on me pulls me close to him. The other two men move into place as a barrier between me and the man on the phone.
“No, you’re not in a position to make demands. I simply wanted a meeting with you. But you were too fucking arrogant to make that happen. Turning down my calling card wasn’t in your best interest, sir.”
He listens some more, and I try to decipher what’s being said on the other end.
“It’s too late for that. The only thing that I want now is to take you down and take over your empire.”
“Zaire!” I scream as the man ends the call, powers my phone off, and pockets it.
“Toss that bitch in the trunk,” he demands.
The man holding me lifts me and throws me over his shoulder. I fight, kick, and scream, but one of the other men moves forward and punches me in the chin.
24 – ZAIRE – COINCIDENCE, I THINK NOT
Denial. Anger. Bargaining. Depression. Acceptance.
Those are the five stages of grief.
Guilt. Anger. Bargaining. Regret. Murder.
Those are the feelings that I go through.
Guilt that I allowed Essence’s mayoral run and her mere existence to consume me to the point of distraction.
Anger that they dared fuck with my woman and take her from me.
Bargaining with God to please return her safely home to the boys and me, even if it means that I have to give up my life for hers.
