Page 71 of Rewind

She turned around to see Candace still blocking the door. Amina had had enough of this bitch and glared. “And you, what are you getting out of this, Candace?”

Candace rolled her neck and sneered. “Bitch, what do you think? You think you’re better than us, the way you walked into that party and talking about me and my momma like we didn’t take your ass in when no one wanted you. Not even your own mother wanted you. That’s why she disappeared from your life because you suck.” Candace began cackle.

Amina was too angry to be hurt. Her cousin had said way worse things to her before. Her words no longer held power over her.

“You know what your problem is Candace? You’ve been told how pretty you are all your life and you are. Very pretty.”

Candace rolled her eyes. “Duh. Bitch. I know that.”

“And that’s all you’ve got is your looks. You’re not particularly smart. You’re a mean-spirited witch. Your personality sucks. You’re lazy. You have no special skills beyond sucking the dick of the next guy who will buy you what you want. And deep down you know it. You’re scared of the day when your looks fade away and people will see for the worthless piece of trash you are.”

Candace’s face turned deep red. Her nostrils flared and her face transformed into something monstrous as she charged at Amina. Remembering the skills that Ethan had taught her, she caught her cousin’s wrists as her hands came windmilling toward her and kneed her in the stomach.

Candace folded like a chair and fell on the floor clutching her midsection. For good measure, Amina kicked her in the knee cap so hard something popped.

Candace wailed in agony.

Well at least she wouldn’t be getting up anytime soon. Amina stepped over her and made her way to the door. But just as sheplaced her hand on the knob. Mark grabbed her by the hair and yanked her back with so much force, she fell to the ground.

He was on top of her in an instant. Straddling her, Mark’s backhand collided with Amina’s cheek. She tried to push him off of her but he was too strong.

The next thing she knew his hands were around her throat and she clawed at them, but he held on. His eyes were red with rage and she had flashbacks of her previous life. Did she change the trajectory of her life only to die all over again?

The more she struggled the harder he squeezed.

“Die, you fucking bitch!”

Stars danced before her eyes and slowly everything went dark.

Ethan peeledinto the parking lot of the rundown hotel. He barely closed his door as he got out. He’d been trying to contact Amina since he left the hospital but she wasn’t answering her phone.

Running into the hotel, he raced to the front desk. The reception area was behind a wall of Plexiglas and there was no one there. He frantically rang the bell.

When no one came responded, he called out. “Hey! Is anyone back there?”

Finally a young African-American male with shoulder-length dreads, who couldn’t be that long out of his teens came out of the back room, holding a hand-held game system. If he wasn’t wearing a crinkled shirt with the hotel’s insignia, Ethan would have thought he was just some random guy. “Hey man, you don’t have to be ringing the bell like that. I heard it the first time.”

“Yet you didn’t come out until I called you and I’m not your man.”

The young man kissed his teeth. “You’re the one who needs my help. What do you want?”

Ethan groaned in frustration. Amina’s safety was more important than going back and forth with someone who clearly didn’t want to be at their job. “Look, I need to find someone.” He racked his brain for the name of Amina’s mother. He was sure she’d mentioned it before.

“Man, I ain’t got all day, if you?—”

“Tracy Fletcher! That’s her name. Could you please tell me what room she’s in?”

The desk clerk shrugged. “The computer is down. Can’t do it.”

Ethan pulled out his wallet and removed the largest bill in it which happened to be a 50. He waved it in front of the young man. “Are you sure about that?”

“I mean, I can check to see if it’s back up.” He slowly sauntered in front of the computer as if he had all the time in the world.

This little creep.

After a few minutes, he shook his head. “I don’t see anyone in the system by that name.”

Ethan pulled out his phone and showed the young man his screen saver which happened to be a picture of Amina.

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