FAVOR #3
Melinda couldn’t speak. She was afraid if she moved or breathed too loud, Eazy would snap.
He’d always been a hothead, and she’d heard stories of him shooting niggas in the middle of a crowd and walking off.
She used to laugh it off and say it was just rumors until she witnessed the shit herself.
He never outright killed anyone in front of her, but she’d seen a motherfucker take one to the arm or foot once or twice.
“My auntie Crystal moved the date,” she whispered.
Eazy felt the air rip from his lungs. Slowly, he pivoted toward her, and Melinda cowered against her front door. Tears immediately fell past her cheeks.
“I’m sorry. I told her it wasn’t right. That you should be there, but… she said it was her daughter, and she would bury her how she saw fit. It was yesterday. She’s buried at the Lawndale Funeral Home. I can take you to her plot,” Melinda offered.
“That bitch buried my girl and didn’t let me say goodbye?”
“I’m sorry, Eazy.”
There were no words for the agony sitting on his chest when he thought about never seeing Niva again.
Nothing else mattered. She was gone, and it was over.
Anything he ever wanted was wrapped up in her.
Now he had to wonder what he had to look forward to in life if she wasn’t here to share it with.
So many plans included her. Contempt froze his face and he canvassed Melinda, needing something to lash out at.
Instead, he backed off. He wasn’t in his right mind and he was bound to kill this bitch.
“Hope you got somebody to help you pay the bills around this bitch. My generosity died with her.” He tore her door open, nearly ripping it off the hinges.
Shaken, she rushed over to the table to grab her cell phone, quickly dialing her auntie’s number and praying she answered.
“Hello.” Crystal’s hoarse tone came on the line.
“Auntie! Eazy just left.” Melinda paced and nervously ran her fingers through her wild hair.
“Are you okay? Did he do something to you?”
“No, but he was mad, and I hope he don’t run into anybody that does piss him off today.
I think he might be coming to see you. You know how he is.
Who he is. Niva told us how he moves, so I thought I should warn you.
He found out the funeral was yesterday, and he did not take that well,” Melinda expressed.
“I’m not scared of that damn goon! If he comes over here on some bullshit, I’ll deal with him like I know he deals with people,” Crystal replied.
“Just be careful. I’ll check in with you later.” Melinda quickly hung up and dropped onto the little couch nearby.
Eazy was hurt. She could only imagine the kind of violence he was capable of with the state of mind he was in. She prayed her auntie didn’t try to go tit for tat with him.
Across town, Eazy pulled up at the Lawndale Funeral Home and kicked the door open.
The two women behind the welcome desk screamed when he tore through the building and scattered from their chairs.
Both Beckies held each other, fearing the big Black man who entered was going to send them both off to God.
“Where can I find Geniva Henderson?” Eazy demanded, resting a hand on the counter and peering over at them.
Cautious, the redhead stepped away from her co-worker and approached the desk.
She stood behind her computer, pecked at it a few times, then grabbed a sticky note to jot down the information.
Sliding it across the counter with a shaky hand, her misting eyes met his, and he snatched the piece of paper up.
His eyes focused on the writing first, then switched to her before nodding.
When he turned to go, relief washed over both women as the door slammed shut behind him.
It didn’t take much effort for him to find his woman’s fresh grave.
Standing over the marker with no headstone yet, just a pile of fresh dirt, tears filled his eyes.
Chest caving, he knelt at the foot of the grave and scooped up some dirt in his hands.
He let the fresh soil slip through his fingers and took a seat with one leg stretched in front of him and the other propped up with his arm resting over it.
He wanted to kill that bitch, Crystal, for pulling this shit.
After all the shit he did for her and her family, she was foul for keeping him out of this.
“What’s up, baby? I miss you. I know I was supposed to be here to see you off. I fucked up.” Lifting his head to the sky, he inhaled the smell of rain. “I promise you this, I don’t care how long it takes, or how far I gotta go, I’m gon’ figure out how this shit happened,” Eazy vowed.
The only other promise he made to himself was that the bitch Crystal was going to feel it too.
He didn’t give a fuck that she was Niva’s mama.
Confronting her and knocking her teeth in was too fucking easy.
Some might argue that losing her daughter was enough, but she wasn’t shit as a mother anyway.
She used Niva for a check, whether it be from the state or her father in child support.
She never had a relationship with the man, but he kept a job, lived out of state, and the checks rolled steadily.
Crystal went from one sponsor to the next, and when Niva and Eazy got together, she benefited from that as well.
Since she was the mother of the woman he loved, he let her slide a lot of the time.
Unfortunately for her, Niva wasn’t here anymore.
Later that evening…
Instead of going back to his parents’ home like when he first arrived, Bull opted to take up residence in one of his own properties.
It was in a quiet suburb about forty-five minutes outside Prospect Pointe.
The modern house was almost four thousand square feet in a gated community.
With two stories, accompanied by four bedrooms and four baths plus a garage big enough for two vehicles, he hadn’t done too bad with picking out the property years ago.
The large below ground pool in back was also a bonus.
He’d used it for an Airbnb in the past but removed it about a year ago.
He whipped his car into the spacious garage, and she peeped the Harley bike in the space beside them.
It was the most immaculate, organized space she’d ever seen.
Tools lined the walls by size, there were shelves for other boxes and storage tubs, and a sink equipped with additional counter and cabinet space.
Leading her through a single large, steel door, they stepped into a pantry.
Bull was kind enough to hold the door for her, eyes drifting to her pants hugging her ass.
She took her time, very leery and aware of his eyes all over her when she moved.
The kitchen was all stainless steel, almost like one of those in a restaurant with steel countertops as well.
The space was open, going from the kitchen to the dining room right beside it, and the large living room next to it.
“Take your shoes off,” Bull ordered, tucking the key fob in his pocket and pulling his jacket off.
Doing as she was told, Toni removed her shoes and left them near the door to the pantry.
Her eyes scanned the high ceilings, admiring the molding and beams as she dropped her purse on the big, rectangle shaped island in the middle of the kitchen.
The décor was simple, a gray sectional sofa with solid white and gray throw pillows arranged neatly and a folded fleece blanket draped over the back.
A mirrored style circular table with chrome legs shaped like columns holding it up was centered over a fluffy gray rug, and mounted to the wall in front of it was a big 75-inch screen TV.
There were random pieces of art on the walls, but mostly abstract pieces.
As far as anything indicating who his family was or anything personal about him, there was no sign of it.
“This is your house?” Antonia breathed, stopping in the space between the dining and living room to capture everything.
It smelled fresh, but it seemed hollow to her as a chill swept up her spine, and she hugged herself to keep warm. It rained again, and the winds were high, singing outside the glass windows and the sliding patio doors near the dining room and kitchen.
“I own it,” Bull confirmed. “Let me show you where you can sleep.”
He took her past the living room where there was a hallway that stretched through to the master suite.
On the other side was a hall, taking them to the foyer where there was a set of double doors to a study, and a large staircase to the left.
Bull started up, and Toni followed, being hit with his masculine scent the entire way up the stairs.
A catwalk overlooked the living room below, and there was one bedroom and bath to the right with two others to the left.
He pushed open the door of the bedroom on the left and let her step past him inside.
The carpet was so soft she was sure she could comfortably sleep on the floor too.
Inside sat a large queen canopy style bed with a bunch of pillows and a big, yellow comforter.
All French designs, including the small bench perched at the foot of the bed.
A dresser and mirror were pinned against one wall, with white birch night tables on either side of the bed.
She also clocked a walk-in closet and a full bath with a walk-in shower and large tub.
Setting her bag on the bench near the bed, she moved toward the French doors leading to a balcony.
Outside, a few plants were arranged with a small glass table and matching lounge chairs.
“If you don’t like it, there are two other rooms up here, plus another small room set up as a second living room around the corner. I’m in the master suite downstairs, but I’ll probably just sleep on the couch.” He nodded over his shoulder, and Toni shook her head.