Pink Lips (18 page)

She took out a necklace and fastened it around her neck. It was a thick gold chain with a Jesus charm. In some way, the necklace made her feel closer to him. It made her feel as if his arms were wrapped around her and her pillow mimicked his chest. She slowly eased out of the dress that Choice had given her and threw it on the floor. With that false comfort, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

K
ail walked into the small Italian restaurant, the smell of fresh pasta and mozzarella tickling her taste buds. She was finally about to meet V face to face. She felt bad for leaving Willow in the hospital by herself, but money was her first love. Business came first, and everything else, including family, came second.

She took a seat at the table where she was instructed in the last envelope she had received from V. She put her gun on top of her legs, hiding it under the table from the view of the other customers. She ordered the food V suggested as her eyes focused on the door, the wall clock, and then the door again.

Her nerves were on edge. She had no idea who this man was that she was about to meet. She didn't know anything about him, but yet she didn't care to. She only was concerned that he could pay her for her services. Nothing else mattered.

An older man entered the building as the waitress put a plate of smoking, hot lasagna in front of Kail. She opened her silverware as the man sat across from her, his eyes locked on the plate. She set her silverware down as she looked at him up and down. She was not expecting an older man; his appearance shocked her.

“Good choice.” He kissed one of his hands after folding them together and waved it toward the sky. “Mrs. Vera's recipe looks and smells just as divine as always.”

“Here.” Kail slid him the plate, her appetite ruined.

Vinny grabbed the plate as he reached over and put the silverware into his hands. It had been a long time since he was able to enjoy the food from his childhood. With him constantly looking over his shoulder, he could never sit in a restaurant. With all of the eyes Rock had around the city, he was surprised he hadn't been spotted yet.

“I'm Vinny Mancini,” he said with a mouth full of food. “It's nice to officially meet you.”

“Mancini,” Kail said under her breath, “Gino Mancini.”

“That's my baby brother, God rest his soul.” Vinny shook his head. “You and your sister really did a number on my baby brother, and his beautiful wife.”

“If he is your brother, fuck you for being kin to him. Fuck his life and fuck that bitch Mahina,” Kail spat as she crossed her arms. “I'm here to discuss business and that's not a part of it.”

“Understood.” Vinny pushed the plate and wiped his mouth. “I need a job done and you're the only one that can do it.”

“Why me?” Kail asked out of curiosity.

“Because, you're ruthless, and the other ones aren't. Willow will do a job, but your feelings never get involved like hers, and Choice is too inexperienced for my taste.”

“What is it?”

“I need you to kill the leader of the mafia. I am willing to pay one million dollars cash.” Vinny snapped his fingers as a woman with a briefcase rushed to his side. “You have never made this kind of money on one job from anyone else. You want to keep doing that shit on the side making chump change or do you want to make some real money?” He opened the briefcase after the woman set it on the table before sliding it underneath. “The choice is
yours,” Vinny said. He reached into his coat, pulled out a folder and handed it to Kail.

Kail opened the folder and the picture of the man at the hospital looked at her. She closed the folder quickly as she saw features of her face on his. It was her alleged father. She put the folder into her purse as she stood up, pushing her chair under the table.

“Will you do it?” he asked as she stood there, her four-inch heels piercing the old wooden floor.

She grabbed the briefcase. “I'm takin' the money, ain't I?” Kail looked back stopping in her tracks. “You used to be the leader of the mafia, so why end something you helped build?” she asked out of curiosity.

“It's the business, kid.” Vinny pulled the remainder of the lukewarm lasagna in front of him. “Money talks, bullshit walks; remember that, youngster.”

Kail shook her head and exited the restaurant as she crossed the street. When she made it to her car, she put the money in the trunk, got in, and sped off through the slight midday traffic. The job didn't sit right with her and was messed up. But, money was money and she had to eat and she steady reminded herself that one key element convinced her to go along with the job.

•  •  •

The minute Willow woke up, she felt as if she were suffocating. A victim from her nightmares, she walked to the bathroom to splash some water on her face and get the morning residue off her lips and eyes. She sat there on the toilet, looking in the wall mirror as her nightmares haunted the core of her brain.

She needed some fresh air, so she left the condo and went outside to the front of the building, letting the midday air become
her medicine to breathe a little more lightly. The neighborhood was full of life and the visual of the lively surroundings calmed her spirit.

As Willow's lungs relaxed, she saw a car that she had never seen before pull up and park. She panicked as questions ran throughout her head. It spooked her a little. She didn't know if somebody had come back to finish the job because she had survived. She thought twice about going outside, about becoming an easy target, but the fresh air was much needed.

She saw movement within the car and the beating of her heart sped up. She was frozen, unable to move, and her knees started knocking together. If she was being aimed at, she was a clear shot. She checked her body for her gun, but she had left it upstairs.

A body ejected itself from the front seat before Willow could check it out. She squinted her eyes to see if she recognized the person. It was Kail, and Willow exhaled. Kail walked up on her slowly and she could see her intimidating eyes getting more intense with each step her Manolo Blahniks took.

“When did you get that car?” Willow asked as Kail stood in front of her.

“I just bought it,” she said as she looked down the street. “Why are you outta the hospital? I thought they were letting you go tomorrow?”

“I left because I wanted to.”

“We need to talk.” Kail wanted to tell her about the meeting she'd had with Vinny. The pink lipstick on her lips looked as if she had just applied it.

“I'd rather not, Kail,” Willow said coldly.

Kail brushed past her, opened the main entrance, and walked in. Willow followed her every move up the stairs while wondering
what she wanted. She entered the main door of the condo and walked over to the refrigerator and opened it.

“How are you feeling?” Kail asked.

“I don't know.” Willow sat on the couch. “My man is in critical condition. My one and only sister tried to kill me.”

“I didn't try to kill you, Will.” Kail slammed the door to the fridge. “If I was trying to kill you, you'd be dead. You know how good my aim is.”

“So you think shooting me is okay?”

“I'm not saying that.” Kail's forehead grew lines. “I'm just saying, let's put this behind us, and get back to the money.”

A knock at the door put a halt to their conversation. Willow opened it as Junior stood in the doorway with a dark-skinned girl. Without an invitation, he walked into the condo as the girl followed close behind him.

“The fuck do you want?” Kail walked up on him.

“Control her,” Junior looked at Willow.

“Yo, Kail, chill out.” Willow backed away. “So what are you doing here?”

“It's about Duke,” he said, while looking down. “Pops wanted me to come tell you.”

“What about him?” Willow asked as her mouth became dry.

“He died. He didn't make it.” Junior looked into her eyes as a feeling of compassion washed over him.

Willow's heart stopped for a brief moment. She couldn't do anything but cry. She thought seeing him in the hospital would have prepared her mentally for this moment, but she was wrong. Kail grabbed her to hold her and she released every ounce of sadness she had onto her shirt. Kail consoled her, ran her fingers through her hair, and told her to let it out.

“Do y'all know who did it?” Willow asked Junior while she fought to keep her composure.

“No, we don't,” he said. “But, we on this. Pops run this city, so trust me, if we have to make somebody talk, we will find out.”

“I'll find them before they ass can.” Kail's eyes pierced through Junior's.

“Get down,” Junior yelled while removing his gun from his waistband as the sound of glass breaking and bullets piercing the sky filled the air. Kail removed her gun while a gunless Willow ducked down.

“What the fuck is going on?” Willow whispered aloud as the sound of their large wall mirror crashing against the floor beat inside her ears.

“Stay down,” Junior said as he opened the front door and went down the stairs with Kail following.

The floor crunched under Willow as she lowered herself unceremoniously to the ground, curling into a tight ball of pain. Her eyes squeezed shut, and a strong wave of pain hit her, working its way up from her gut to spread to the ends of her fingertips and down her withered legs. She knew it would not be long. She waited, ready to welcome the oncoming darkness.

“They're gone,” Junior said as he and Kail walked through the door. “Are you two okay?” He looked at Willow and then at the woman.

“Yes,” Willow said, never leaving the fetal position she was in.

“I'm about to call Pops.” Junior walked toward the door. “We gon' get some security over here because somebody wants you dead.”

•  •  •

If you want something done, do it yourself,
Evelyn thought as she laid the gun down in her passenger seat; her speedometer reading
one hundred miles per hour. The adrenaline pumping through her veins made her feel alive. She couldn't believe that she had just shot up Willow and Kail's condo. It was something she had never done before, but she had a new-found respect for the rush that assassins felt.

She was shocked at how she had pulled the trigger, even after seeing Junior go into the building. He wasn't her son, so his well-being wasn't her concern. If she had to kill him in the crossfire, then she would. He didn't come from her, no matter how badly she wished he had.

Evelyn pulled up to her mansion as the tires screeched at her command. She got out of the car, leaving the gun she had just used in the front seat. She walked onto the porch; a rock falling from the balcony above her made her look up.

“Welcome home,” Rock said, looking down at his wife.

“Hey, baby.” Evelyn used her hand to block the rays of the sun.

“Where are you coming from?” He put his hand on his chin.

“Shopping.”

“That's funny.” Rock picked up a cigar from the box that was next to him. “Where are your bags and why is that in your car?” He pointed the cigar toward her car.

Evelyn looked back at her car as a member of Rock's entourage closed the door. He was holding the gun she had left in the seat. The gig was up. She couldn't lie any longer. Whatever she didn't say aloud, Rock already knew.

“It's a gun I used to try to kill your daughter,” she said nonchalantly.

“Evelyn, you are making it very hard for me not to kill you.” Rock dipped the cigar in a glass of brandy. “If it wasn't for Melee, yo' ass wouldn't be here.”

“Rock, you don't have the nuts to kill me.”

“No?” He pointed a gun at her, releasing a round and missing on purpose. “I'm gon' tell you this once more, Evelyn. If a hair comes out of place on them girls' heads, I will kill you personally.”

Evelyn looked up at him as the ground underneath her smoked from the bullet cracking its foundation.

“You should be more worried about the whereabouts of our daughter,” Rock said.

She walked into the house as she tried to make herself exhale. She had never seen Rock so angry with her. She knew that he would kill her eventually, even if it had nothing to do with his kids. It was only a matter of time.

•  •  •

Vinny popped a bottle of Dom Perignon as the soothing vibration of the hot tub in which he sat comfortably bubbled with warm heat. He puffed on his Cuban Davidoff cigar as he overlooked downtown Philly from the thirty-third floor of his lavish penthouse. Naked women of all races and sizes surrounded him as the rings on his fingers glistened from the light of the half-moon that filled the sky.

“Who is that?” one of the women asked Vinny as Kail approached the sidebar of the penthouse.

He snapped a finger that was layered in pure gold rings. “It's business, bitch, so that means yous hoes have to get the fuck outta' here.”

The women scattered like roaches in the kitchen when the lights suddenly flashed on unexpectedly. In a matter of seconds, Vinny was left in the Jacuzzi by himself puffing on his cigar as Kail slowly approached the outside of the hot tub.

“You want something to drink, young blood?” Vinny asked as he held the half-filled bottle of Dom Perignon up in the air.

“You know I don't drink on the job,” Kail said, declining the offer
with her hand. “I need some more information on this organization.” She took a seat diagonally in front of the bubbling Jacuzzi.

“Professional.” Vinny got out of the hot tub, exposing his naked body. “That's why I keep you around, 'cause you one of them people that's about nothing but her money.”

“I appreciate that and all, but can you put some clothes on, nigga?” Kail asked, looking away disgusted at the sight of Vinny's little dick flopping in front of her.

“Enjoy the view,” Vinny said. “Now, how did you find this spot?”