CHAPTER NINETEEN #4
“No, you hate what he did. You hate that he made you look stupid. You hate that he gave another bitch space to disrespect you. But you don’t hate him.”
I looked away because she was right, and that made me even madder.
“I wanna hate him,” I whispered.
“I know.”
“I wanna not care.”
“I know.”
“But I do.”
“That’s why we going to see her. Not because of him. But because she disrespected you. Sosa gon’ get his too, but tonight, that bitch gon learn how to talk to people.”
* * *
By the time we pulled up near Allure, the club was still lit up like it wasn’t damn near one in the morning.
The sign out front glowed in pretty gold cursive letters, sitting above black tinted doors and velvet ropes.
Expensive cars lined the curb. A Bentley.
Two Benz trucks. A matte black Hellcat with red guts.
Niggas stood outside smoking, laughing, and trying to look important.
Women in tight dresses and heels crowded near the entrance, taking pictures like the sidewalk was a runway.
It was exactly the type of spot a bitch like Sheree would own.
Mya drove past slow, her eyes scanning everything. “She got security.”
“I see.”
“And cameras.”
“I see that too.”
“You sure you wanna do this?”
“I’m sure.”
Mya nodded and circled the block before parking across the street near a closed beauty supply.
We could see the side entrance from where we sat.
It was black with a small gold sign that said PRIVATE ENTRY.
A big dude in all black stood by the door with his arms folded, looking half bored and half ready to put somebody through a wall.
“This her club, right?” Mya asked.
“Yeah.”
“Then she probably ain’t coming out the front with everybody else. Owner bitch gon’ use the side door.”
“Exactly.”
We sat there watching.
Ten minutes passed.
Then twenty.
Then almost forty.
The longer we sat, the calmer I got. Not peaceful calm. Not healed calm. More like that dangerous type of calm that settle over you when your mind has already accepted whatever consequences come next.
Mya kept glancing at me.
“You still with me?” she asked.
“Yeah.”
“You ain’t gotta do nothing you not ready for.”
I laughed dryly. “Girl, you the one who told me to get dress.”
“I know, but I’m also the one who gotta make sure you don’t crash out and end up on the news.”
“I’m already crashing out.”
“True.”
We both laughed a little, but it didn’t last.
The side door opened suddenly, and the security guard straightened up.
A woman stepped out first wearing a tight black dress, red bottoms, and a fur coat hanging off her shoulders like she was some type of celebrity.
Her hair was jet black, in a bob that was bone straight, Diamonds sparkled on her neck and wrist. She had that look on her face that said she was used to being catered to.
Behind her came two girls and another security guard carrying what looked like a designer bag and a money pouch.
Mya leaned forward. “That her?”
I didn’t answer right away.
Then the woman lifted her phone to her ear and started laughing.
“Girl, I told his bitch she was the flavor of the month. She called from his phone like she was about to check me.” My whole body went still.
Mya slowly turned her head toward me. “That her.” It wasn’t a question. I opened the passenger door immediately.
“Yah-Yah,” Mya warned.
But I was already out.
The cold air hit my face as I crossed the street. The closer I got, the less I heard everything around me. The music from the club, the cars passing, the people talking. It all faded until it was just Sheree’s laugh ringing in my ears.
She was standing near a black Maybach now, digging in her purse while her security guard looked down at his phone.
“Sheree?” I called out. She looked up, annoyed at first.
“Who asking?”
I smiled, but it wasn’t a nice one. “The flavor of the month.”
Her face changed instantly. For a second, she looked shocked. Then she smirked.
“Oh, you really pulled up to my club?” she said, looking me up and down like I was beneath her. “You braver than you look.”
“No, bitch. You gotta be brave cause hoe you definitely aint smart. If you were smart you would know you shouldn’t have ever fucked with me.”
Before she could get another slick word out, my hand connected with her face so hard her head snapped to the side. The sound echoed off the brick wall, and one of the girls behind her screamed.
“Oh my god!”
Sheree stumbled back, grabbing her cheek. “Bitch!”
Her security guard stepped forward, but Mya came from nowhere, pulling a small black pistol from her hoodie just enough for him to see it.
“Mind yo’ business, big man,” Mya said, calm as hell. “This right here is a woman’s work.” The security guard froze.
The girls with Sheree started backing up, them hoes were suddenly not as loyal as they looked a few seconds ago.
Sheree swung at me, and she actually caught the side of my face with her nails. The sting made my eyes water, but it also made me madder. I grabbed a handful of her hair and yanked her forward.
“You had a lot to say on that phone!” I yelled, swinging again. “Say it now!”
She fought back, I’ll give her that. She wasn’t weak. She was scratching, kicking, and trying to pull away, but I had too much anger in me. Every time my fist connected, I thought about that text message. Every time she screamed, I heard her laughing in my ear.
Flavor of the month.
Sheree stumbled against the side of her Maybach, breathing hard, one heel twisted halfway off her foot. Blood dotted the corner of her mouth, but she still had the nerve to laugh.
“You dumb ass bitch,” she panted. “You think beating my ass gon’ make him stop fucking me?”
Mya’s head snapped toward her. “Oh, this hoe got a death wish.”
I hit her again.
This time she went down to one knee.
People were starting to notice now. A couple niggas from the front of the club were walking over. Somebody yelled for security. Somebody else pulled out their phone.
“Mya,” I said, breathing hard.
“I see ’em.”
Sheree tried to crawl away, but Mya grabbed her arm and snatched her back up.
“Where you going, Miss club owner?” Mya said in her ear. “I thought this was your spot.”
“Get off me!” Sheree screamed.
“You should’ve thought about that before you got cute with my sister; she did say cute right Yah?”
The security guard took another step, but Mya lifted the gun just a little higher without even looking at him.
“I said stay right the fuck there.”
That was when a black car pulled up slow near the curb, it was smooth and perfectly timed.
The back door opened.
For one second, I froze. because I realized this had gone way past a fight, but I didn’t give a fuck. I could tell Sheree realized it too.
Her eyes widened, and for the first time tonight, she looked scared.
“Wait,” she said, her voice cracking. “Hold on—” Mya tightened her grip on her arm and looked at me.
“Yah-Yah,” she said sharply. “Now.”
And before I could think, before I could talk myself out of it, before anybody could stop what was about to happen, everything around Allure turned loud, blurry, and completely out of control.