Chapter 9 #2
He snatched his pack of cigarettes out of his suit jacket followed by a lighter.
Quickly, he lit the tip and inhaled deeply, then plopped down on the couch like all of his energy was depleted.
La’Nova rocked back and forth on her knees as the disgusting smell of smoke drifted up to her nose.
She closed her eyes and inhaled the remnants of its fumes.
It seemed like Lennox purposely blew it in her direction.
Goosebumps spread across her arms as she replayed every word that Lennox spoke with so much conviction she believed him.
She watched her mother walk out of the room with one of the guards following closely behind her.
She said a silent prayer, asking for God to protect her and her parents from the monsters that stood in her home on a perfect Sunday evening.
“Don’t say shit else, Lennox,” Dontrell warned his brother.
That alone was enough to make Lennox obey, his mind already gearing up to put on an evil show for Dontrell and his men to witness.
When it came time to killing, Lennox got creative in the coldest ways.
Lennox was precise and methodical. Every movement was deliberate, even the words he spoke.
Killing to him, was not just the outburst he just had. It was an execution of skill.
To Lennox, killing made him feel powerful, untouchable, and heartless.
He embraced it and fell in love with breaking people down until they felt worthless.
Outside of the mafia, he created a dark world.
A world where men like him took from the innocent and made a living off treating young women like objects.
Killing was just something that made him feel complete.
He fed off of folk’s fear, and knew that people praised and worshipped him to escape what he would promise if they fell out of line.
“You and your wife don’t get it,” Dontrell broke the silence. “Even if you had the money right now, me paying you a visit out of my busy schedule only ends in one way.”
Richard shook his head violently. Tears continued to pour down his face.
“Just give me a chance, Donnie. I swear I can—”
“You toyed with me.” Dontrell stepped close to Richard then kneeled until he was eye level with him.
“You made promises. I even gave you an extension. You thought because you smiled, because we shook hands, and because you kept saying next week…I’d just keep waiting.
” Dontrell shook his head in disappointment.
“Do you have any last words?” Dontrell asked just as Alisa came back into the living room.
Tears rolled down Alisa’s face, her shoulders were slumped in disbelief.
Her hands shook with the plate full of food as she slowly looked up at the staircase where her only child sat.
She mouthed the words ‘I love you’ as a broken sob escaped her lips.
This wasn’t how she pictured the end of her life being.
She wanted to grow old enough to see La’Nova give her some grandkids.
Alisa had to have her uterus removed because of huge fibroids sitting on it.
What made her feel better about not being able to conceive anymore was having La’Nova.
“I love you too, Mommy,” La’Nova whispered the words lowly.
“Awww.” Lennox fake shimmied his shoulders like he got the chills from the mother and daughter’s display of devotion.
“Sooo cute!” He pestered, eyeing his plate of food.
He snatched the plate from Alisa, causing some of the gravy from the steak to drip down on his expensive pants. He sneered and grabbed Alisa by the front of her dress. The cleavage from her double-D breasts spilled out of the top of her dress as he grunted lowly in her ear.
“I can give you a couple of options.” He inhaled her sharply.
Lennox couldn’t help himself, the sweet smell of Alisa and the fear that radiated off of her made him want to take her right there in front of everyone.
“Option one, you be my good lil bitch and I won’t beat you to death with my axe.
I’ll just mark you. Option two… I make that little gray-eyed bitch go to her room so she won’t see her daddy get murdered, but in order for that to happen…
” He paused to lick his lips. “You pull out those juicy titties and let me suck and bite on those nipples. Now if you agree to those two options, you keep your life… Become my bitch and stay alive…maybe… you decline, you die. Hurry and make a choice.” Lennox tugged at her dress some more, his lips watered as he set the plate of food down to peer into Alisa’s eyes.
“I—I’ll take option one and two, s-s-sirr,” she stuttered out.
Alisa couldn’t bring herself to turn around and eye Richard. Her only hope was to survive to see her daughter again one day.
“That’s a good bitch, and you can cook! I might put you in my main house, too. I gotta test the pussy to see if it can make back y’all debt… Hold on a sec, and stand right there. If you turn or even move an inch, that axe gone split yo mutha fuckin’ dome.” Lennox gritted out.
Dontrell shook his head, he didn’t make out the words Lennox just said to Alisa and didn’t give a fuck. He stood to his feet as he waited for Richard to utter his last words. Lennox marched past Dontrell and Richard until he reached the steps to head to La’Nova.
“Please! Dontrell!” Richard screamed at the top of his lungs.
“Not my baby girl, she’s innocent—”
“Nigga, shut the fuck up! I’m doing you a favor by making the little bitch go in her room so she doesn’t have to see what I’m about to do to your wife.” Lennox spat venomously.
Richard shivered from Lennox’s words. He kept his eyes on Lennox’s back as he took the steps by two.
When Lennox reached La’Nova, he told her to get up and go to her room.
La’Nova was frozen in fear but still managed to stand on shaky legs and walk toward her room with him following closely behind her.
“You a pretty lil bitch…” He mumbled underneath his breath.
He thought about his son with Lucille and smirked evilly. La’Nova would be perfect for Kentrell. There were so many things he could do with La’Nova and Alisa to make triple the profit off the Bonetti Mafia since his father called himself disowning him for his trafficking business.
Once La’Nova was safely inside of her room, Lennox stood at the door staring at her.
“Here, you gon’ need this by the time I come back for you,” Lennox said roughly.
He held out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter.
“Hurry the fuck up!” He yelled at her.
La’Nova jumped, almost tripping over her own two feet. She took the pack of cigarettes and eyed them suspiciously.
“Here.” He snatched them back from her and took two out the pack.
He handed her one then put the other between his lips.
“Lennox!” Dontrell yelled his name.
“I’m coming, got dammit! I’m just having an innocent conversation with Lil Annie here!” Lennox yelled back, chuckling dryly.
“Put it between your lips like me and once the fire sparks at the tip, inhale it.” He stepped closer so that she could smell the smoke on him before he even lit his.
Once the mint from the cigarette numbed her small thin lips as she kept it captured like Lennox had showed her, La’Nova’s small hands shook as he lit the tip of his then lit hers.
“Now you don’t bite the shit, nor do you attack it…Let the smoke come to you first.”
He grabbed her shaky hand and adjusted the angle until it rested just right. Lennox leaned in then lit his own cigarette. As the tip flared red, he mumbled lowly.
“Slow.” He demonstrated, taking a pull from it. “Pull like you’re breathing in a secret.” He smirked sinisterly.
La’Nova inhaled shallow at first and began to cough violently. Lennox didn’t laugh because he expected that to happen to her fresh young lungs.
“I know it burns.” He took a long pull from his cigarette.
“That’s it scraping you clean. The shit hurts because it’s honest. It gives your nerves something else to answer to.
That heat and bitterness from that cancer stick will pull your thoughts out of the dark corners and loud noises that you are about to hear from your bedroom.
You’re going to panic, ya little heart is going to feel like it’s going to burst out of your chest from pain.
It’s best you light one of these so your worries don’t own you…
because when I come back up here to get you…
I’m going to mark you. I’m gonna mark you something crucial too.
It’ll keep you in line so you won’t go looking for the ghost of your parents.
” Lennox’s words sent chills down La’Nova’s spine.
He stood, adjusted himself and swaggered out of her bedroom, slamming the door shut behind him.
Lennox kept his word because in seconds, La’Nova’s ears heard excruciating screams from both of her parents.
She also heard his loud grunts and growls followed by him and Dontrell arguing.
Not being able to stay in her room much longer, she eased toward her room door.
Hearing nothing but silence, she used the back of her hands to clear her vision from tears. Soon as she opened the door, she was greeted by Lennox’s mini axe.