Chapter 9
The dreadful past…
La’Nova was nine years old, sitting cross-legged on her light lavender fluffy rug in her bedroom. In front of her was a Bratz doll coloring book. She only had about two pages left to color out of the one hundred pages she flew through in under a week.
She had four different purples in front of her; the bright purple crayon was worn down to a nub between her little artistic fingers.
La’Nova carefully filled in Yasmin’s jacket, staying inside the lines the way her mother always told her to do.
Her room smelled like crayons and clean laundry before the smell from downstairs drifted through the vents into her room.
Today was Sunday, a day that La’Nova enjoyed the most. The smell of fried onions, garlic, and something else savory mixed with seasonings made her stomach rumble.
She hummed to herself, quiet and contently.
After thirty minutes of coloring, La’Nova changed her position, laying on her stomach with her legs kicking in the air as she traced the edges of Yazmin’s pants with perfect precision.
La’Nova was making sure that this particular picture she colored would be perfect.
She was almost done and couldn’t wait to proudly show her mom and dad.
Both of her parents were always super geeked about her coloring and drawing.
She won countless of kids coloring and drawing competitions.
La’Nova was fascinated with coloring. She loved colors, but most of all her favorite color was purple and all the different shades it came in.
Boom!!!!!!!
The sound detonated through the house like a sonic bomb.
The walls shook violently. The ceiling creaked.
Her favorite framed picture of her and her parents on vacation fell off her wall, hitting her dresser which caused it to shatter before landing on her floor.
La’Nova screamed, her crayon snapped in her hand as fear slammed into her chest so hard it knocked the air out of her lungs.
“Mama?” She called, voice trembling.
Hearing no answer, her heart rate sped up as she slowly stood.
Standing by her door, she listened to the heavy footsteps and a lot of loud shouting.
A raspy deep voice caught her attention as she crept out of her room door.
The hallway felt longer than it ever had; it was also dimmer, stretched thin by fear clogged in her throat.
She edged forward, breath shallow with one hand pressed against the wall for balance.
She crouched low on the side of the steps and saw everything that a nine-year-old should never witness.
To her, she was looking at two strange men standing tall in her parent’s living room.
They wore dark suits with grim looks plastered on their tight faces.
Behind them were several men in all black guarding the door with guns in their right hands.
One of the main men looked very demonic.
His eyes were pitch black, hair slicked into a low ponytail that stopped mid-back.
In his hand was a mini axe. The other man looked calm from his posture; his facial features were relaxed but didn’t take away from the dangerous look he had.
La’Nova had no clue that the Bonetti Mafia was standing right before her eyes.
The man with the axe was Lennox Bonetti, and the other man with a Ruger handgun was Dontrell Bonetti. Her knees went weak when she saw her father drop down to his knees in defeat. Slowly, he raised his hands above his head, and her mother Alisa followed the surrendering action.
Blood trickled from her father’s mouth, dripping onto the carpet that her mom vacuumed thoroughly every Sunday morning.
His eyes were wide, wet, and desperate. Her father, the same man who carried her on his shoulders to take her to bed and read her bedtime stories about her favorite princesses was crying.
That was a sight she’d never seen before, and it had her petrified.
“Please,” her father Richard begged, voice cracking. “Please, I just need more time, Donnie. I’ll get it, I swear I will.”
Lennox laughed tauntingly, his legs were far apart as he rocked from side to side.
Slowly he tilted his head from left to right like he was under a spell.
His pink tongue darted across his black lips like he couldn’t wait to taste blood.
Out of both of the Bonetti brothers, Dontrell was the more reasonable one with principals and morals.
Richard only looked at Dontrell, not wanting to give his attention to Lennox.
“You been saying that for about three months too long,” Dontrell said, shaking his head in disbelief.
“I understand you have a beautiful wife and daughter…” Dontrell paused and looked up at the steps.
La’Nova’s breath got caught in her throat when Dontrell’s dark eyes captured hers. She thought she was out of sight while squatting at the side of the steps. But Dontrell never missed a beat when getting his hands dirty.
“What you don’t understand is that I have a family too, Richard.
Two sons by my beautiful wife Lucille… and a couple of outside babies that I make sure have nothing but the best. I’m always a man of my word…
Any man I do business with…I expect them to be the same.
” Dontrell gave one of his short speeches.
This was the ugly side of being the Don.
While he understood that things happened in life like bills and debt.
This was the Mafia, and Dontrell being the perfect leader couldn’t let feeling sorry for the next man cloud his judgement.
Nobody got away with anything, especially when it came to owing big sums of money.
If you came to the mafia for a loan, they didn’t handle you like legal loan firms did.
“If you wanted to get a loan and not pay it back, Richard… you should have gone about it the right way.” Dontrell schooled him.
“See a legal loan, if you don’t pay the shit back, it makes your credit score drop.” Dontrell pulled at his beard and sneered. “You get a shit load of scam-likely calls, but they’d never come to you like the Bonetti Mafia would, now would they?” Dontrell raised his thick bushy brows at Richard.
Lennox’s eyes traveled toward Alisa; he bit down into his bottom lip until the metallic taste of blood coated his teeth and taste buds.
Alisa was a beautiful, curvy chocolate drop that he couldn’t wait to sample.
His sick mind went to all the twisted ways he would take her while she struggled to hold on to her life.
The sick thoughts that roamed his mind as she remained shaking on her knees, made all the blood rush to the tip of his dick.
He didn’t bother concealing the thick bulge in his pants either.
He wanted her to see it and prepare her insides for the monster he was packing.
“T-the money’s coming…I’m just—I’m running short. Business has been slow, and I’m trying to make a double in profit so—”
WHAM!!!
The axe hit the table, causing the wood on Alisa’s favorite coffee table to splinter.
La’Nova flinched hard, clapping a hand over her mouth to keep from screaming.
She didn’t understand what was going on.
She didn’t know about debts or deals being made out of desperation.
She only knew her parents worked hard. Her dad woke up early each day, while her mom stayed up late.
Bills got paid, and food was always on the table and in their refrigerator.
“We don’t want to hear that shit!” Lennox took a step forward.
“It smells like steaks, lobster, and some more expensive shit drifting around in this bitch.” Lennox frowned as he kept his eyes trained on Alisa.
“Matter fact, get yo pretty ass up, bitch… go make me a mutha fuckin plate of everything,” He turned to the men who stood guard behind him and Dontrell.
“One of you niggas, follow that bitch and make sure she don’t do nothing funny.
” Lennox smiled, watching more than one man step forward to please him.
“Just one of you niggas, damn!” He shook his head.
Dontrell didn’t bother looking over at his big brother Lennox. His capo was out of town taking care of mafia business, causing Donnie to almost opt out of bringing Lennox with him. Lennox always went above and beyond to display his ruthless behavior.
Lennox stomped toward the leather sectional couch and took in every feature of Richard’s two-story home.
His eyes went up the staircase and landed on little La’Nova.
She was on her knees shaking and crying silently.
He winked his eye and blew her a kiss before turning his attention back to Alisa.
She looked between Richard and Dontrell then licked her dried lips before speaking.
“This doesn’t have to end badly. We are only twenty-five thousand short. I can go down to the basement and get the hundred-thousand and—”
“Bitch y’all mutha fucka’s dying today! The only favor I’m giving is that lil bitch upstairs! She’s a pretty, gray-eyed bitch that will do well in Vegas—”
“Lennox.” Dontrell spoke his name gravely.
“What? You don’t believe in killing kids and women…
that’s why you brought me here nigga. Now do you want a plate or not?
I’m gonna eat while you do a fuckin’ speech and let this nigga beg for his life till he hoarse.
Everybody in this room know what the fuck going on except lil miss Annie upstairs.
Let’s get to it.” Lennox eyed his axe that was lodged in the coffee table.
“GOOO BITCH! MAKE MY MUTHA FUCKIN’ PLATE!” Lennox slammed his hand against the table hard.