Page 88 of Honey Sugar
Mario let out a harsh laugh and pressed his forehead against the barrel of my gun. “You wanna shoot me, Shadow? All I have to do is say the fucking word and those big motherfuckers behind you will shoot. So back the fuck up.” There was a singular sound of metal on metal as Bear cocked a gun behind Mario.
“Nah, Mario.Youneed to back the fuck up,” Bear growled. I reached across the stretch of grass between Mario and I then pulled the gun from his waist and handed it to one of Bear’s men. His eyes went wide. Seas of white surrounded two small brown dots.
“Bear? W-What’s going on?” The bass in his tone vacated quickly. He was reduced to an insecure little boy with puberty still in his voice. Bear walked around so that he was facing Mario then he looked at me.
“You’re a goddamn snake, Mario. I can’t have you in my circle. You don’t have integrity. You don’t have any loyalty. Shadow has been more loyal in a week than you have the entire month you’ve been a pain in my fucking ass. You’re reckless and you’re out here killing innocent people. Letting Shadow have his way with you his two-fold. I get you out of my hair and he gets to have an eye for an eye.” He moved out of the way and held his hands up, nodding to Mario.
“He killed your brother, Bear! I’m just showing you how loyal I am by…”
“You said yourself it didn’t matter if Shadow killed him or not. That tells me you have no fucking clue who killed my brother. Who says it wasn’t you? Hmm?” Bear turned to me and said, “Shadow, take care of this motherfucker before I steal your glory.” He didn’t have to say another word.
Instead of shooting Mario first, I cracked into the side of his face with the butt of my gun. Blood sprayed and droplets landed on my knuckles. I glanced at them for only a second before I finished beating Mario’s ass. I wanted him bloody and begging for his life when I was done.
It was more time than he deserved because he didn’t give Mama a chance to beg for her life. My fists were throbbing and raw from beating him with my bare hands. I broke through bone until it sounded like I was ramming my fist into a bowl of oatmeal.
When I stood up, sweat blanketed my forehead. Mario rolled to his side, coughing and spitting blood onto the green grass beneath his face. The air carried a sharp metallic scent while thunder rumbled overhead. It was like the atmosphere knew it was time to open up and receive a lost life.
“Wait,” Ivy’s voice came from the house. I jerked my gaze to the backdoor and saw her bolting outside toward me. “I want to see this,” she said, gritting her teeth. I nodded and aimed my gun at Mario’s head. He was still in the fetal position, shaking and coughing. I kicked him then turned him over with my foot so he was flat on his back.
“Open your fucking eyes, coward.” I pressed my foot against his throat until glassy, bloodshot eyes glared up at me. The only consistent thing about Mario was how much he loathed me for being better than him. “I want my face to be the last thing you see before this bullet rips through your skull.” He opened his mouth to speak but my 9mm silenced him immediately.
The shot rang out in harmony with another thunderclap and ended just as quickly. Mario was gone. His eyes stared up at the sky forever etched with a blank expression void of feeling.
Fat raindrops fell from the sky turning the blood splotches on Mario’s face into marbled red rivers that ran into the grass.
It was done.
He was gone.
It would never bring Mama or Aunt Liv back but at least the scales were balanced again. I could close that chapter. I didn’t want to kill another motherfucking soul again in life. I’d leave that shit to Bear.
“Go ahead and toss your gun, Shadow. My soldiers will take care of it. We’ll be out of your hair in a minute.” Bear made a few hand gestures and his men started the cleanup process. “Go in the house and take showers. Bag your clothes up and bring them here.” He pointed to the spot where Mario laid on the grass. “Wash your hair too. When you’re done, pour drain cleaner down the drain. Hire a cleaning company to clean your house from top to bottom. Tell everyone it’s to help with the cleaning process after your parents died. If you don’t trust any cleaning companies, I’ll give you the name to the lady I use. Her and her daughter do a good job. They’re discreet. Been with me since I was little.” Bear had flipped a switch and went into business mode. He pulled out a white business card with the information for his cleaning lady on it. I nodded at him before I went into the house to take a shower. It was time to wash away all the death and darkness once and for all.
…
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
I woke up to Titan shaking my shoulder repeatedly. I was in a dead sleep and must not have heard my alarms. I cracked my eyes open and looked around the bedroom to see pink, black, and white balloons filled nearly every space. Some of them were blank balloons while others were emblazoned with the double C logo.
Titan knew exactly how to surprise me on my birthday. I damn sure wasn’t expecting any of that. “Oh my god, how did you get all this in here while I was sleeping?” I asked, my voice still heavy and creaky. I waded through the sea of pretty balloons while Titan stood back smiling from ear to ear.
“You were knocked the fuck out, old lady. Lately, you’ve been dead to the world when you sleep. I knew I’d be able to slide the balloons in.” He pulled me close to him and I breathed in his cologne. “Happy birthday, baby girl.” He kissed the top of my head and I sank into his strong frame.
“Thank you, Titan. This is beautiful.”
“I have a day planned for you in New Orleans. So, get dressed and meet me downstairs.” The moment the words left his mouth, I saw shopping bags tethering several balloons to the floor. I dug through them like a little kid.
I pulled out a white Chanel dress from one bag and a pair of matching shoes from another bag. “Titan!” I shouted happily. “Thank you!”
“You’re welcome. Did I do good?” He asked, hopefully.
“You didsogood. This is cute!”
“I wanted to make sure I got you something that would look good on you and good on the floor once I take it off you.” He dragged a finger along my shoulder and goosebumps followed his touch. “Go get in the shower and meet me in the parlor, okay?”
“Okay,” I beamed. When I went into the bathroom, I saw Titan had filled every empty surface with my favorite lotions, shower gels, and perfumes. There were fancy bottles on the sink, on the shelves and on the edge of the tub.
My cheeks nearly popped from the smile plastered on my face. Nobody had ever showered me for my birthday. Not the way Titan was doing it.
