“Done.” He said, wiping his hands before throwing them up in the air.
They managed to engage themselves in small conversation while they looked at all the celebrities around them until Yao approached with Onik and six other henchmen. “Gentlemen,” he bowed slightly, “Bricks,” he bowed again, “Yvonna, come with me.”
Without bothering to object she hopped out of her seat. They were all proceeding to the exit when Bricks jumped up and grabbed her hand. “Yvonna, you good?” Her fingers rested softly in his palm.
Not sensing Yvonna behind him, Yao stopped, turned around and addressed the love-crazed couple. “She’s with me, why wouldn’t she be fine?”
Bricks gaze remained fixed on Yvonna. “Not for nothing, Yao,” now he looked at him seriously, “but I’m talking to her.”
Yao smiled and said, “How much longer do you think I’ll let you come in between her and I?”
Kelsi stood up preparing to take a ride to hell with Bricks if it was needed.
“Uncle, please. He cares about her.” Ming interjected hoping he wouldn’t have Bricks killed. She knew how much he meant to her best friend.
“Don’t talk to me!” Yao said. “You’re nothing but a disappointment.”
Ming ran away crying and this angered Yvonna even more. So much was popping off in Vegas that she wondered why she even bothered to board the plane.
“I respect you, Yao, I do, but where Yvonna is concerned, I’m gonna always be in the picture. And if we gonna do business together you need to know that.”
“If we do business together,” Yao repeated. “That remains to be seen.”
Bricks was about to put the press on his ass but the look of desperation on Yvonna’s face made him ease up. “I’m just making sure she’s cool. That’s all.”
“I’m good, baby.” She smiled gripping his hand tighter before releasing it. “Really.”
He was about to drop the matter when out of nowhere Bricks saw a face he hadn’t seen in years. It was the same dude who was in the car the day Yvonna reentered his life. And it was the same dude who was in the car when he took a bullet in the arm. “Kelsi, keep your eyes on them niggas over there.” Kelsi zeroed in on the dudes. “They with the YBM.”
Yvonna’s heart dropped when she saw the men pile into the arena. She now realized how stupid it was to be in Vegas when the world would be there.
“Fuck!” Kelsi said out loud. “I wish I knew who the fuck lifted my piece.”
One by one, members of the YBM started trailing into the arena, not knowing Bricks saw them. “Call my family and tell them we got problems.”
“Well it looks like you have your hands full,” Yao said, “Yvonna, come.”
Yao walked off and Bricks held Yvonna back for a few more seconds. “I love you. Everything’s gonna be fine. Okay?” Not caring who saw him, he pulled her to him and kissed her softly. “Now go see what he wants and call me when you can.”
“Be careful, Bricks.”
“I always am.”
With that they walked away and Yvonna tried to ignore the buzzing of the phone in her pocket. When she looked at the phone’s screen she saw that it was Bilal calling again. I should’ve never given him my number. She thought. Things were moving so fast that she forgot all about the meeting and now it was after 7:00.
When they made it to a private area in the hotel Yao said, “Where is Urban, Yvonna?” He paused. “And before you lie to me, remember that I might find out the truth. And if I find out you fucked me out of millions and lied, there will be consequences.”
Yvonna thought about the consequences and then looked at Yao. Mustering up enough courage she stared intently into his eyes. “I don’t know where Urban is.”
Yao glared at her. “So you didn’t do anything to him?”
“Where the fuck is Greggs at?” One girl yelled walking past them to the arena.
“Damn, this gonna be some bullshit tonight!” the girl’s friend yelled.
“I could’ve saved my money and paid my rent if I knew this.” The original girl said.
“I wouldn’t lie to you,” she lied trying to block out the women. “I don’t know where he is.”
He sighed heavily. “It’s okay, if you really don’t know then we have to hope he shows up,” he said squeezing her shoulders. “Now,” he smiled, “have you given any thought to my proposal?”
“You mean your demand?”
“Easy, Yvonna.” His eyebrows creased. “If anybody should be upset it should be me.”
She frowned. “Why? I’m not forcing you to marry me.”
“No you aren’t.” he grinned. “But I’m the one who has to explain to my family why I married a nigger. So,” he smiled again, “if I can deal with this, you can, too.”
“Did you just call me a nigger?”
“I didn’t call you a nigger. But I know that you are.” He corrected her. “Don’t worry, I’m man enough to handle anything that comes my way.”
Yvonna felt all kinds of anger brewing inside of her. Part of her enjoyed the anger, because it meant she would no longer feel guilt for having killed Urban, essentially fucking him out of millions. However the other part was afraid of what she might do to Yao. As far as marriage, that was a mute point and a thought of buying that small island was becoming more appealing.
“Thanks for not calling me a nigger directly.” She smiled. “That would make things awkward since you just asked me to be your wife.”
“Why?”
“If I’m a nigger, what will that make our kids?”
“I don’t intend on breeding with you. Once you’re my wife, your tubes will be burned at once.” He smiled again. “Now, I must see where this Urban is. I’ll be in touch, Yvonna.” He smiled. “Always in touch.”
As he walked past her she made a decision. “Yao has to die.”
She was just about to go back into the arena when she saw Phillip. He was on the other side of the arena talking to five men dressed in suits. They were cops and she knew because she could spot detectives if she was blindfolded. When he pointed in her direction, she dipped off before they could see her.
“You shoulda killed the mothafucka when you had the chance,” Gabriella appeared. “Now you left a witness who could finger you.”
“They gotta catch me first.”
She was just about to walk away when her phone vibrated again. This time it was Quita. “I told you not to call my phone unless it was about my daughter!”
“It is!” She paused. “Yvonna, I have terrible news.”
“What now? I got a lot of shit going on.”
“This is important,” she cried. “Someone has taken Delilah!”
Sin City
Yvonna
The room seemed extra hot as Yvonna sat on Quita’s stomach with her right hand pressed firmly against her throat. Her fingers squeezed her lower jaw open just enough to see the pinkness of her tongue. Behind her stood Onik and four other members of the Dynasty, and they were waiting on her command.
Tears filled Yvonna’s eyes although her cries were not audible. Although she hadn’t expected to love Delilah the way that she did when she first got pregnant, she now loved her more than life itself. Delilah gave her purpose and a reason to live. Without her, nothing would matter. Who was going to tell her she was the best mother in the world? Who was going to hug her and plant soft kisses all over her face? And who was going to, despite it all, love her unconditionally?
“Yvonna, please, this isn’t my fault,” Quita cried. “I…I had to go to the bathroom and the next minute I know she’s gone.”
“I don’t believe shit this bitch is saying!” Gabriella said, kneeling down beside Quita’s head. She looked over at Yvonna and pointed at Quita’s face. “Look at the lies in her eyes.”
Wiping her own tears away with the back of her hand Yvonna said, “What you telling me don’t make sense. How could you let my daughter walk out of here by herself?”
Barely able to breathe due t
o Yvonna sitting on her stomach she said, “Yvonna, I swear, I was in the bathroom. If you don’t believe me you can ask Boy.”
Yvonna’s eyes found Boy who was in the corner trembling. The other kids were held up in the bedroom because Yvonna didn’t want to expose them to whatever happened next. “Boy, come here.” Yvonna smiled, her eyes bloodshot red and tears rolling down her face.
“No.” he said shaking his head. “I’m scared.”
He held on to his backpack not sure if he would have to throw it at her or not. He’d never seen Aunt Yvonna like that, and if he could help it, he never wanted to see Aunt Yvonna like that again. Yvonna stood up. “Boy, come over here now.” She remained next to Quita’s body.
Boy walked slowly over to her and Yvonna stooped down. When she was at eye level with him she said, “Honey, tell me what happened.”
Boy could smell the alcohol on Yvonna’s breath from earlier. “Ummm….Delilah wanted to get some ice for her drink. And Miss Quita was using the bathroom so she said she’d get it herself.”
“Why didn’t she ask Quita?”
Jumping in to prevent him from saying any more under Yvonna’s interrogation Quita said, “Because I was using the bathroom. And I couldn’t bring all of them in there with me.”
“Bitch, shut the fuck up!” Yvonna screamed. Focusing back on Boy she said, “Did anybody put you up to lying to me? Anybody at all?” Yvonna placed her foot on Quita’s stomach. “You can tell me the truth, Boy. I won’t hurt you.”
Boy was crying hard. “No, that’s what happened, Aunt Yvonna. I swear.”
“See, I’m telling the truth,” Quita mumbled.
“Kill her ass.” Gabriella appeared. “Put your hand back around her neck…and snap it. This bitch thinks it’s a game.”
Yvonna thought about the fact that Quita was in charge. She could have lined every kid up and they all could have given the same story, in the end she was the adult and under her watch her child went missing. “You’re right. This bitch doesn’t deserve to live.”
Onik and the men looked at each other wondering who she was talking to. And while their minds wandered, Yvonna grabbed Quita’s neck, a trick she learned in China. She was preparing to snap it when Boy said, “No, Aunt Yvonna! Please don’t!” He was crying so hard his body was shaking. Wrapping his arms around her neck he said, “Please don’t kill Miss Quita. Please.”
Boy’s wide eyes and his innocent face immediately brought her back to reality. It wasn’t until that moment that she realized how much she really loved him. At the end of the day she knew she cared about him; after all, he was her best friend’s son and Delilah’s brother.
Releasing her neck Quita rolled to the side to grab a few quick breaths. “If I find out you lying, bitch,” she pointed down at her, “I’m gonna come back here and kill you.” Then she looked at Boy and back at Quita. “And there won’t be a man, woman or child in the world who could stop me.”
“I’m telling you the truth.” Quita replied. “I wouldn’t fuck with you like that. I know you love your baby.”
Yvonna moved to the door preparing to turn the hotel upside down in Delilah’s honor when Quita said, “Yvonna, the YBM is here looking for you. I saw them in the hotel.”
“And,” Yvonna said figuring they were trying to get at her anyway. “What does that mean?”
“I just wanted to tell you. In case they have her.”
Yvonna didn’t see them grabbing Delilah although she couldn’t be sure. Because she’d kill everyone in their family and she hoped they knew it.
“I saw them earlier.” Yvonna paused. “In the arena, I don’t think she’s with them.”
“Well there’s something else,” Quita paused. “Delilah talks a lot about two scary lines. She’s seen a few while here, too.”
Yvonna frowns. “That’s not real. Delilah is just having fun.”
“There’s something else,” Quita paused. “She mentioned something about a lady today.”
“I know. She told me that, too.”
“But this time was different. She said she knew the woman. Said she watched her when she was younger.”
Yvonna’s eyes widened. “Did she say her name?”
“I think she said the woman’s name was Penny.”
Hotel Lobby
Yvonna whooshed by the people in the lobby on her way to the Check In counter. She wanted to know if anyone had come asking about her, and more than anything, if any information was given. The moment she approached the counter with Onik and the rest of the Dynasty, the Agent who had been giving her shit looked as if the color had drained from her face. Although Yvonna didn’t know what she knew, based on her reaction she was positive she knew something.
She stepped to the counter and put her elbows on it. The coldness of the granite counter felt icy against her skin. “I’ma ask you something and I need you to be honest,” Yvonna paused, “did anybody come here asking about me?”
“I’m sorry, who are you again?”
“So you’re actually saying after the performance I gave you when I checked in on Thursday, that you don’t remember me?”
“Look, I see girls kissing each other all the time. So you ain’t nothing special.”
“So you do remember me?”
Getting caught in her makeshift lies she said, “Look, how can I help you? ‘Cause I’m about to get off and I got people waiting.”
Yvonna smiled. “Enough said.”
Parking Lot - 30 Minutes Later
The temperature had cooled down slightly when the Agent walked out the back door to her car, which was in the employee parking lot. She was so scared after her contact with Yvonna that her feet sweated profusely and moved uncomfortably around in her shoes.
She was ten feet from her car before Onik hit her in the back of the head with a closed fist. Once she was down she was dragged by her hair to an awaiting van and throw inside. Once there, she saw Yvonna sitting in the cargo part of the van with a flashlight lying down for light. Onik and the rest of the Dynasty men remained outside of the van so that they could have their privacy.
Yvonna was distraught over the loss of Delilah and had she not been so deep into murders, she would have gotten the police involved. But one call from them could have opened the doors on what she had done to Greggs and every other murder she committed. And behind bars, she couldn’t find her daughter.
Wiping the tears, which crept on her face she said, “I remember sitting at a restaurant, some years back, with my daughter.” She smiled although tears continued to flow down her face. “We were waiting on my friend, Ming.” She giggled. “Delilah was sitting at the table playing with her fries. She always played with her food.” More tears filled the wells of her eyes and she wiped them away so she could see the Agent’s face. “That day… I remember making her a promise that I would always protect her. No matter what.” She paused. “And I’m trying to do that now, but I need your help.”
“I don’t understand.”
Yvonna inhaled before exhaling. “Someone has taken my daughter away from me, and I need to get her back. I need to bring her home.”
“But I don’t know nothing…”
Yvonna threw her hand up to silence her. “I said my daughter is missing.” She said seriously. “And I need to find her.” She paused. “And if you have any information that can help me make this happen, I will be eternally grateful.” She placed her hand on her heart and swallowed. “I’m not a nice person all the time, and I even got a lot of shit with me, but on my life I love that little girl.” She sobbed harder. “Please….please help me find her,” she swallowed and looked deeply into her eyes. “I want to do right, but if you don’t tell me everything I need to know, I will kill you with my bare hands. And I promise you, it will be the most painful thing you’ve ever experienced in your life. Now,” she paused, “did anybody come into the hotel asking about me?”
Feeling Yvonna’s pain she said, “Yes.”
A brief moment of relief
washed over Yvonna. Because at least now she was on the right track. “Okay, who?”
“Several people. A lady. Some dudes.” Yvonna knew it was the YBM.
“Okay how did the woman look?”
“She was fat. And old.” She paused. “But I didn’t give her any information.” She lied.
“Well she has my daughter, so you must’ve given her something.”
“She seemed to be occupied by some lady who had a bunch of kids with her.” Realizing her fate she started crying.
Yvonna grabbed the flashlight and took a picture out of her back pocket of Delilah. Shining the light on the picture she said, “Did one of the children look like her?”
The Agent stared at the picture and said, “Yeah. She was with them.”
Yvonna dropped the flashlight and it made a loud clanking noise against the side of the van. Then she shook her head and threw her face in her hands.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t know any of this would happen. Otherwise I would have never given her your info.” The Agent was beyond emotional as she sobbed.
Yvonna grabbed the light again, scooted up to her and softly patted her on the back of her head. “Stop, crying.” She paused. “We both can’t be both crying now can we? We need to find my daughter.”
“I know.” She sniffled. “I know…I’m just so scared.”
“And everything will be okay. Trust me.” She paused. “Now listen, I need you to tell me anything else you know. Anything at all.”
“Okay, the woman who asked about you, had a napkin in her hand.”
Shyt List 4: Children of the Wronged (The Cartel Publications Presents) Page 19
