Page 28 of The Birthday Girl
“Perfect,” she whispered. “All that noise you made before, gone. Now you’re mine.”
Tahlia slid her arm beneath Mercedes’ shoulder and pulled, the dead weight working against her, but she didn’t rush.
Mercedes' head lolled, hoops swinging as her cheek pressed against Tahlia’s sleeve, and with a grunt, she eased her out of the car.
Mercedes’ feet skidded across the gravel, her body folding against itself. The night air clung to her skin, but her eyes, those wide, darting eyes, betrayed her fear.
“Don’t fight it,” Tahlia drawled, adjusting her grip and hauling her toward the abandoned house.
She dragged Mercedes over the threshold and into the darkness, the scent of mildew rising to greet them. Tahlia let the door close behind her, sealing them off from the world outside.
Exhausted, she dropped Mercedes onto the floorboards, then crouched beside her, tenderly smoothing stray curls from her face.
“You thought you were clever,” she giggled, as she shifted Mercedes’ limp body so her arms stretched neatly at her sides. “You thought you could sell me out and walk away with my money.” She adjusted one leg, dragging the heel until it was perfectly aligned with the other. “But rats don’t get to profit off me.”
Tahlia rose and stepped over her, pacing slowly in a circle. “Do you know what I hate most about you, Cedes? It isn’t your greed; I can respect that. It’s the way you’re loud about it, but you’re cheap. You’ve always been cheap.”
Mercedes’ eyes rolled toward her, wet and shining. Her lips quivered, a muffled rasp catching in her throat.
Tahlia crouched again, pressing two fingers against Mercedes’ chin to still her trembling. “Ah. It’s coming back, isn’t it? That little tongue of yours. That’s okay. Just know that when your mouth remembers how to work, you’d better use it wisely.”
Tahlia rose, brushing invisible dust from her skirt. “Sit tight,” she said softly, turning toward the door. “I won’t be long.”
Her heels echoed across the warped floorboards until the groan of the hinges swallowed her into the night. The silence that followed wrapped around Mercedes, broken only by her ragged, shallow breaths.
Her eyes darted wildly around the room, scanning the corners for Tremaine and Jimmy. They had to be there. They had to have seen what was happening. Any second now, one of them would come running, pull her off the floor, and drag her out of this nightmare. At least that was what she told herself.
However, the room remained empty, and her fear grew in intensity, gnawing at her chest until it felt like her heart might claw its way out. They weren’t coming, and deep down, she knew it. They would’ve already been there.
The crunch of gravel outside, followed by the soft slam of a trunk, made her flinch. Moments later, footsteps returned. The hinges moaned again, and Tahlia stepped back inside, the black duffel swinging from her hand.
Her smile was delicate as she set the bag on the floor and unzipped it. “Now, we can get to the part I’ve been waiting for.”
Tahlia unzipped the duffel and pulled out a hammer. She stepped back to Mercedes, the tool hanging loose at her side.
Mercedes’ lips trembled, her tongue heavy in her mouth. A garbled sound slipped out, broken and wet. She swallowed hard, tears streaking her face as she tried again.
“P–pl…” The sound cracked, barely a whisper. Her chest hitched, lungs fighting her. “Pl…ease… don’t.”
The hammer rose.
Her throat rattled as she pushed harder, the words dragging themselves out one by one. “I… I got… info.” Her jaw sagged, then clenched again. “Danielle… told me… everything.”
Tahlia froze mid-swing, eyes narrowing. “What did you just say?”
“Y–your… m-mother… she… she set it all up.” Mercedes gagged on the words, her jaw trembling. “She… told Danielle… t-to… to mess with Tyriq. S-said… you got money already… s-so… so he’d be… better use… to your sister.”
Mercedes’ throat worked, every word dragging like gravel. “D-Danielle… she bragged… said it was all… Tisha’s plan. Said… she deserved Tyriq… ‘cause he had money… and you… you already have plenty.”
Tahlia lowered the hammer a fraction, her eyes narrowing as she took in the stammering mess at her feet. For a moment, she said nothing, just listening to the ragged breaths that shook through Mercedes’ chest.
“Keep going,” Tahlia ordered, her voice low, calm, and dangerous. “Don’t choke now, Cedes. You’ve finally found your tongue, use it.”
Mercedes’ lips trembled, drool shining at the corner of her mouth as she forced another broken syllable out. “Sh-she… wanted… Danielle to have… everything… so-so she can take… care of.. her and your dad.”
Mercedes coughed, spit pooling at the corner of her mouth as she forced the words out. “Th-they… been laughing… at you… this whole time.” Her voice cracked, wet and broken. “And… T-Tisha… she ain’t… the only one… pulling strings.”
Her eyes rolled back, then fixed on Tahlia again, wide and pleading. “You… you really think… Shanice just… just showed up… on her own?” She gagged on her next breath, then pushed harder, her lips trembling. “S-somebody… close… to you… made that happen. They… want to… humble you.”
