“What?” she managed to stammer.
“I’m saying that if we were called to your home to do a cleaning job, then King Dex was behind the murder. So, if you want to know what happened to her, he’s who you would have to ask.”
Ava knew that would be like asking to die herself, but still, she wanted to know what happened to her mom, or at least where her body was, to give her a proper burial. Rage filled her, and her hands balled into tight fists. She didn’t just want to ask him a question; she wanted him dead.
“How do I get close to him? Close enough to hurt him?”
Vy laughed slightly before seeing Ava’s stony expression. “Oh, shit. You’re serious?”
When Ava nodded her head, letting Vy know just how serious she was, Vy pulled the invitation out from under the tray of food. Ava took it and read it to herself, suddenly feeling a jolt of butterflies.
“Looks like your lover boy is looking for you,” Vy said as Ava read and reread the words after the “P.S.”
“What does this have to do with anything?”
“It has everything to do with it. Glizzy is King Dex’s son.” Vy made the revelation, and Ava’s eyes widened.
“His . . . son?”
Vy heard the disappointment in Ava’s voice and gave her a sad smile. “Yeah, I’m sorry, boo. But if you want to do to King Dex what you’re implying, you best stay away from Glizzy. You may be the Cinderella he’s looking for, but he rides hard for his daddy.”
“I understand.” Ava swallowed hard. With her fingers, she traced the lettering, and almost smiled to herself at the subliminal message in the words.
“Who could blame him? You were looking bad as hell the night y’all met.” Vy nudged her playfully but then got back to business. “King Dex has requested that my team be cleaners at this event. These jobs are usually two bands each, up front. I’m going to make a phone call and plug you so that no one is surprised to see your face when we pull up. The invite said the party isn’t until the end of the month, so we have a few weeks to train your ass how to shoot a gun.”
“Vy?” Ava asked, but Vy kept talking like she hadn’t heard her.
“We need a plan. King Dex isn’t just any nigga. You aren’t going to be able to just run up on him. Shit, you won’t even be able to take two steps toward him without being used as target practice. I need to talk to Blane.”
“Vy!” Ava yelled, and Vy finally stopped talking and looked at her like she was crazy. “I’m sorry, but why are you helping me? Isn’t he your boss? If something happens to him, you’ll be out of a job.”
Vy didn’t answer for a minute. She stood up and made like she was about to leave the room so that Ava could eat her breakfast. When she was almost completely out the door, she looked back to Ava and then shrugged her shoulders with a faint smile. When she spoke, her voice was low, but Ava heard every word.
“I don’t know how to explain it, but I’m a firm believer in signs, especially when it comes to the people I choose to have in my circle. It wasn’t a coincidence that we met at the restaurant. You were supposed to come out to the club with us that night because you were supposed to ride with us on that cleaning job. On top of that, you didn’t call the cops when you saw all that you saw. You’re solid. Something is telling me that you are supposed to be in my life and that I’m supposed to be in yours. Not on any creepy lesbian shit, either. But everybody needs somebody, and right now we don’t have anybody but each other and the team. We’re a family full of misfits. Time doesn’t warrant a tight bond. The others fuck with you tough too already. You just fit. Like I said, we don’t have anybody but each other. Plus, if the situation were turned and you were in my shoes, you would do the same thing.”
Ava thought about how they didn’t leave her in the club when the shooting started. They’d come back for her. She thought about how kind Vy had been to her. She had felt alone for so long, and finally she felt like she fit somewhere. The death of her mom had done something to her spirit, but all the love surrounding her did something to her heart.
“Thank you,” was all Ava could muster without crying.
“Don’t thank me, and don’t worry about the job. Everybody underground knows my team are the best cleaners in the game. It won’t be hard for us to find a new employer. Shit, I heard in Detroit they’re paying almost ten bands a job. But eat your food. I’m about to call Blane and Vince crazy asses over here so we can make some moves.”
With that, she left Ava alone to eat her food. It had gotten cold while she and Vy were having their heart-to-heart, but it was still good. She waited another hour to leave her room and go up the stairs, and when she finally made her way, she was welcomed by Blane and Vince. They were sitting at the island with Vy, seemingly in a deep discussion.
“What’s popping, superstar?” Blane said, being that he was the first one to spot her.
Vince whipped around on his barstool and raised his eyebrow at her. “Damn, girl! You’re quiet like a ninja.” He turned to Vy and nodded his head. “Aw yeah, I like her. That’s a good trait to have.”
“Come sit down, Ava,” Vy told her, standing up and offering her seat. “We were just talking a little bit about your dilemma, and I think we have a solution.”
“Hey, y’all.” Ava greeted the guys but didn’t take Vy’s seat. She went and stood next to her instead. “She told y’all about what I want to do?”
“Yeah. And, first of all, I just want to say I’m sorry about your loss. For real, baby girl. Losing a parent ain’t for nothing, man, but we got you,” Blane said, but before Ava could thank him, he cut her off. “Second of all, I just want to know if you’re out of your damn mind. You’ve been down in that basement getting high off some shit, huh? What was it, reefer? Crack? Heroin? Because it had to have been some strong shit if you’re trying to make a hit at King Dex!”
“Blane!” Vy said and punched him in the arm.
“Okay, my bad,” Blane said, rubbing his arm, and a grin spread across his face. Leaning down, he grabbed a black backpack that was on the ground by his feet. “I just had to get that out, but I’m back. Before we leave for some target practice today, I think we need to change something. I think that gun we gave you the other night was too much for you right now. Let’s see what you can do with this Ruger.”
He pulled the black gun from his bag, and that time Ava didn’t hesitate to grab it. It was lighter in her hand than the Glock, and instantly she was drawn to it.
“Ay! Ay!” Vince jumped off of the barstool he was sitting on. He fell on his side to the ground with his hands up when Ava aimed the weapon in his direction. “Girl, what is wrong with you? You the only one in this room who can’t shoot a gun and you gon’ point that motherfucka at me!”
For the first time in what felt like a long time, Ava laughed. Soon they were all cracking up, simply because Vince looked so ridiculous.
“I’m sorry for laughing, bro, but you just looked like a straight punk!”
“You wouldn’t be saying that if she was pointing at you,” Vince said, getting back to his feet. “But back to business. Ava, I know you want to get back at King Dex for what he did to your moms and all, but we have to be smart about it, or else all of our heads will be on sticks, and I like my head the way it is, feel me?”
“Tell her what’s up,” Vy spoke in an eager voice.
“Damn, nigga, can I get there?” Vince turned his attention back to Ava. “Look, word in the business is that King Dex is looking for a cleaner for his house. I’ve seen what he does in other people’s homes. I can only imagine what kinds of shit he does to his enemies in his own.”
“You think he takes niggas to his house?” Blane asked in a challenging tone.
“Hell yeah! Especially if them niggas ain’t never gon’ make it back out.”
“You have a point.”
“I know I said I would plug you with the job at the event,” Vy jumped in, “but this will put you even closer to King Dex. I’d rather plug you for that in
stead. What do you think?”
“I don’t . . . I don’t know. I thought that y’all would be with me and—”
“Glizzy lives there,” Vy said in a taunting voice.
“I’ll do it.”
Chapter 8
“You must be Ava!” a welcoming voice rang out.
Ava was standing outside the biggest house she’d ever seen in her life, and it was so elegant that she would never have thought something like it would be in Nebraska. The land surrounding was completely free, and the closest house was half a mile down the road. If she could take a guess, there were probably at least eight bedrooms inside of it and at least two kitchens. She couldn’t wait to see if she was right.
It was the first day of her new job, and she was dressed in a simple white sweatshirt that accented her curves and a pair of jeans that made her butt look a little plumper. It was a little chilly outside, but the weather had started to warm up to where you didn’t need a coat if you didn’t want to wear one. Ava must have been standing there looking lost because the older woman in front of her took a step back and raised her eyebrow at her.
“You are Ava, right? From the Maid for You service?”
“Oh!” Ava finally snapped out of it. “Yes, that’s me. Ava Dunning. I’m sorry. I was just mesmerized by this house. Oh, my God, it’s gorgeous.”
“Thank you!” The smile returned to the woman’s face, and she moved out of the way so that Ava could enter. “Well, Miss Ava, I’m Whitney. I’ll be showing you around and how to do your job.”
Ava felt a rush of cold air hit her skin the moment she walked across the threshold. The sound of running water caught her off guard. She turned her head in the direction it was coming from.
“Is that a fountain?” Ava asked, walking toward it. She touched the water.
Whitney found herself smiling at the girl’s amazement at something that had become normal to her. “Yes, honey. That big pond-looking thing with the angel spewing water from its mouth is a fountain.”
Ava felt her cheeks grow hot from embarrassment. She hated the fact that she’d just made herself seem like she wasn’t used to seeing nice things. Whitney touched her arm gently with her hand and then let it go.
“Don’t be embarrassed, honey. I’m just giving you a hard time. Sometimes I think I’ve been away from the hood for too long. I’m starting to act bourgeoisie like these white folks!” Whitney looked around Ava as if she was looking for something more than the young girl. “Where are your bags, baby?”
“Bags?”
“Yes, bags. Did you think King Dex was going to make you drive to and from work every day? He may be a lot of things, but inconsiderate he is not. I’ll just have Glizzy take you to grab some things later.”
“Glizzy?” Ava felt her face get hot and looked away to evade Whitney’s curious stare.
Ava didn’t see Whitney’s small smirk because it left as quickly as it came. She held her arm out for Ava to latch on to, which she did, and she led her away from the front door. It was time to show her to the room that she would be staying in. She took Ava on a small tour of the home, showing her all that she could on the way to where they were going. It turned out that the home did have two kitchens like Ava guessed; however, there were only six bedrooms. They passed a few other housekeepers, and what Ava noticed about them was that they were all much older than she.
“Your room is going to be on the second floor,” Whitney told her when they got to a stairwell in the back of the house. “I made sure that your room was prepped and ready to stay in yesterday, so you should find it to your liking.”
“And don’t mind the rats. They’re just not used to anyone being in that room,” a deep voice said out of nowhere.
Both women turned to see where the voice had come from, and Ava felt her heart drop into her stomach. She thought that she’d be given enough time to get her wits together before she saw Glizzy, but there she was staring into his face and feeling weak in her knees. He wore a white Levi’s T-shirt with red lettering and a pair of light denim jeans. It was apparent that he had been just lounging in the house, because on his feet he wore a pair of slide-on house shoes. He was seated at the large kitchen table and had a lot of paperwork in front of him.
Although Ava wasn’t intoxicated that time, she felt the exact same way that she did when she first laid eyes on him. Instantly, her hand went to her hair, making sure there were no pieces sticking out. She tried to make the gesture look as casual as she could, but Glizzy’s smile in her direction let her know that it didn’t look as subtle as she’d hoped.
“Glizzy, boy! What have I told you about sneaking around this house?”
“Technically, y’all snuck up on me. I was sitting at this table this whole time,” he said and then turned his attention back to Ava. “Who is this?”
“This is the new maid your father hired to help me around here. Ava, this is Glizzy.”
“Nice to meet you,” Ava said, and at the sound of her voice, Glizzy’s eyebrow shot up.
“Do I know you from somewhere?” he asked skeptically, almost hopeful. There was something very familiar about her eyes, but he couldn’t place where he knew her from. “You just seem so familiar to me.”
“No,” Ava stammered out quickly and cleared her throat. “I think I would remember meeting such a handsome face.”
The two of them stared at each other for a few seconds more, and Ava hoped that he didn’t press the issue. She wanted to tell him that she was the girl he’d been looking for, but she also knew that wasn’t what she was there for.
Keep your eyes on the prize, Ava, she told herself.
“So, you were about to show me to my room?” She turned back to Whitney, who was giving both of them a curious look.
Whitney wasn’t able to get a word out because at that same exact moment, one of the other housekeepers ran into the kitchen seemingly out of breath. She was an older black woman who was probably the same age as Whitney, but Whitney was Angela Bassett fine. The new woman was just petite and cute for her age.
“What is it, Karen?” Whitney asked, placing a hand on Karen’s shoulder. “You look like you just saw a ghost.”
“Girl! Now, don’t you be mad at me when I tell you this. I told the heffa to leave shit alone!”
“Just spit it out!”
“Alayna done spilled the beans all on the floor in the main kitchen!”
“The beans?” Whitney hollered with so much alarm in her voice that you would have thought someone had just died. “I told that woman to leave my baked beans alone. I’m going to kick that woman’s ass! Glizzy, would you please show Ava to her room? I’m sorry, honey. I’ll be upstairs to get you once I’m done.”
“It’s okay,” Ava tried to say, but Whitney and Karen had already taken off.
Ava felt like a red spot on the wall standing there in front of Glizzy like that. She could feel his eyes on her, so she looked at everything but him, which in turn made it obvious that she was avoiding his gaze.
“I make you nervous or something?”
Why is his voice so damn sexy?
“No,” she said out loud, finally making eye contact. “What makes you say that?”
“It’s just an effect I seem to have on the ladies.” Glizzy shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.
“That’s assuming that I find you attractive.” Ava mimicked his shrug. “And, I mean, you a’ight, I guess.”
“Funny gal, I see.” Her wittiness put a grin on Glizzy’s face, and he waved her over to the table. “Come look at these designs and tell me which ones you like. I’m having a masquerade ball soon, and I don’t know which one I like better.”
She did as he asked and went to look at the designs he had spread out all over the table. She had to admit, she was impressed. There was a pamphlet of the ballroom that the party would be at, and it looked huge. Of course, she didn’t know why she would expect anything but the best from the kingpin’s son. She stared at the designs for a good five min
utes before pointing at a champagne-and-gold theme.
“I like this one,” she said. “No matter what kind of event you’re having, these colors will coincide with everything. The silverware, however, should match those crystal chandeliers, and instead of a rock décor, there should be rose petals on every table.”
Glizzy picked up the paper with the color scheme she liked best and leaned back in his seat. He closed his eyes and easily visualized everything that Ava was saying, and he smiled. He liked it. He liked it a lot.
“If only you knew how easy you just made my job. Thank you.”
“Women have a better eye for things like that,” Ava responded, stepping back from the table. “Now, could you please show me my room? I kind of want to sit down before I start doing real work.”
“My bad.” Glizzy hopped up. “I almost forgot that you weren’t here to just keep me company, ma. Let’s go.”
She followed him up the flight of stairs and onto the next level of the house. At the end of the wide hallway, it opened up to a circle with three doors. Straight ahead was a large bathroom, and directly across from each other were two bedrooms.
“I never understood why there is a bathroom right there,” Glizzy said and stopped in front of one of the bedroom doors. “Both of these rooms have bathrooms in them. Whoever designed this house just was doing shit.”
When he opened the door to the bedroom and flicked on the switch, Ava couldn’t stop herself from grabbing hold of his arm. Her mouth dropped open, and her eyes couldn’t believe how lavish the room was. The king-sized bed sat in the center of the room and had a white see-through canopy. She’d always wanted one of those. To the right in the corner was a vanity two times the size of the one she had at Vy’s house, and the dressers along the left wall were so elegant they looked like something straight out of a Disney movie. The carpet looked like it was brand new, and the closet was behind the bed, to the back of the room. It had double doors, and Ava could already tell just by looking that it was huge.
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