Page 75 of Breaking the Rules
“What’s good nigga?” Sincere questioned.
“Ruby, nigga. It’s fuckin’ Ruby.”
That was the code. Ruby was a hustler, ambushed in his own house by his own men. Ruby was used amongst Crimson Kings as a call for action. Sincere would know who to call, what to do, and it would be done efficiently.
“Fuckin’ Brixx!”
TWENTY-FOUR
She tried to tell herself to stay calm. To breathe. To not show fear. But everything about Brixx’s wild eyes on her was setting alarm after alarm off in her head. Savanhi had to think about her unborn child, Areli, Remi, and Lawryn.
“Nice fuckin’ spot you laid up in,” Brixx gritted his hand, squeezing her throat just enough to tell her know that if he wanted to, he’d kill her. “I could’ve killed you weeks ago. You see what I look like bitch?”
Brixx had a long, nasty cut from his hairline down to his chin. It was healing horribly. The more Savanhi looked at it, the more it repulsed her.
“I didn’t have anything to do with that, Brixx,” Savanhi spoke evenly. “You brought that on yourself.”
He punched her in the face. “Why do you always do this, huh? Your fucking mouth. Use that shit to tell me where the fuckin’ money is.”
Savanhi ate it. It wasn’t the first time he’d hit her, but she knew it would be his last. He was expecting her to cry, plead, and beg the way she had before she found her self-respect again. “What money, Brixx?”
“The money your brother hid in the apartment. The money from his spot. Where the fuck is it?”
“I don’t know what money you’re talking about. I have money in my purse you can have it and go.”
“I don’t want your fuckin’ chump change. I want the fifty thousand, six hundred and seventy-five thousand dollars.”
Savanhi glared at him, aching face be damned. That was the exact amount she used to pay retainers. The money Zay told her to use to live off of.
“I don’t have it.”
He shoved her into the wall so hard her head bounced off it. “I want my fuckin’ money!”
His shout was accompanied by Areli’s scream and the front door of their home being kicked in. “You called the cops on me bitch? You fuckin’ stupid ass bitch!”
Brixx landed a series of hits to her body before she fell and curled into a ball. Too many memories were associated with this. Too many flashbacks threatened to pull the scar tissue apart and make her start all over again with her healing.
She was stronger than what he was trying to reduce her to. And she was protected. Brixx hit her for the last time and ran toward the window of the room, opened it up, and ran into the night. Despite the pain, Savanhi ran down the hall toward Areli. Her hands in the air.
“I need to get to my baby!” she shouted back in combat with their orders.
Lawryn, who’d gone out to get weed for her and Remi, was outside fighting to get in the house. “Let me in!”
Savanhi opened the closet door, dropped to her knees, and pulled Areli into her. Sobbing, she held her tightly. “Are you okay? Look at me, are you okay?”
“No! I want Deucey!”
“I want him too,” Savanhi cried. “I want him too.”
The police cleared the house and encouraged the women to get checked out. Most importantly, Savanhi, who’d taken the beating to keep the rest of them untouched. Neither Remi, Lawryn, nor Areli let Savanhi combat the orders. Though the women didn’t give a statement, they allowed the officers to escort them to the hospital.
It took the emergency room doctor two minutes to examine Savanhi and find the forming bruises to her face, sides, and back to admit her. Not even an hour later, Savanhi was in a luxury suite. She lay in the hospital bed with Areli, refusing to let go of her. Even in her sleep. Savanhi rubbed her back, continuing to comfort her. Every so often, she would kiss the top of herhead and let her know she was okay. No child should have to be traumatized like this. The guilt rested heavily on Savanhi like a weighted blanket.
“How’d he even get in the house?” Lawryn asked from the recliner near the window. She’d been pacing for minutes before Savanhi grunted, a clear indication she was on her nerves.
“The back door,” Remi shared, pulling the blanket an orderly provided for her over her shoulders to combat the coldness of the room.
Savanhi still hadn’t said much of anything. Only to Areli as her tears fell without sound. Remi continued, “I had just gotten Areli to go to her room. He fired a shot through the back door. I heard it and screamed for Savanhi to call Noble. I got Areli in the closet and called him.”
