Raine
Sky knew my plan from jump. Alena Perkins, also known as Emani. Emani supposedly moved out to Oakland a few years back; around the same time Tank was in rehab. She married Jalen and they both started snaking on me. They were some real life scammers. What was her beef with me? I had what she thought was hers. I had Jay. I always had Jay.
Sky and Emani came through my door just in time.
"Welcome?" I crossed my legs lighting up a blunt.
"Wussup?" they both asked nervously.
"Las reinas, huh?" Skylar chuckled.
"Las reinas," I nodded taking a deep puff grinning.
"What's your plan, Raine?" Emani sighed. "We can't just go in on people blindly."
I chuckled to myself, "Don't worry about it, Alena love. Not like you'll be here long enough to see it through."
She looked at me wide eyed like I was the devil while Skylar got out her gun, unnoticed, shooting her dead in the skull. One down, who knows how many to go. Her body slumped down to the floor almost in slow motion. I looked on entertained. The smell of fresh blood in the air.
"Thanks, Sky," I got up about to snuff out my blunt.
"Nah, give it here. You made my nerves hella bad," she chuckled holding her hand out. "You know I don't like to kill out in the open."
I shook my head and handed her the blunt, "D gettin some people to follow behind me and clean up, so don't worry about her."
She shrugged and kicked back on my couch as I headed out the door. "Las Reinas de Muerte," I sighed shaking my head at the dead Emani.
I hopped in my car making my way to the diner I tracked Jay's phone to be at. I haven't seen him in over a week and really needed to talk to him. I sat outside of the diner watching the people leave out abruptly. I looked towards the table that still had a few people at it and saw Jay sitting across from ... My dad.
"Daddy?" I asked myself. He really was out. There was no sign of who released him. He was just let go. "Who let you out?"
I saw Garland roll through the door with a weapon drawn and go behind my father. "The fuck, G? This wasn't part of the plan." Garland was supposed to be no where near this side of Nando. I really kinda don't wanna kill him either. He cool people.
I could tell things were getting intense with the conversation, so I went into the diner to get this shit right.
"How you gon try to work me when I'm the one that got you out?" Jay smiled at my dad. Answers? I like answers.
"Bullshit. Kendrick got me out. He said so himself," my dad mugged him. Quite the opposite, dad.
"Kendrick got you locked up," G spoke up. "Kendrick and Alena." I smirked at that. G figured it out just like I had.
"What Alena got to do with anything?" my dad turned facing G. I was glad I was directly behind him so he couldn't see me. Did my dad know Alena?
"She set you up and made everybody think it was Raine. She got all her inside info on her from her husband, Jalen," G held the gun steady.
The guy that was behind Jay holding a gun up to him saw me and tried to move towards me. I effortlessly held my gun up shooting him in the shoulder. I would have to use him later.
The remaining guys at the table looked to me as I strutted through the diner and took a seat next to Jay. "Alena is Emani for all who don't know. Or should I say was?"
Both guys sitting looked over me shocked; like I just escaped the loony bin. Apparently I was too calm about shooting someone. Ain't like it's my first time.
Garland sat next to my father and smirked, "I knew I knew you from somewhere, Reina badass." I held my hands up with a sly smirk.
"Reina?" both Jay and my dad asked.
I sighed, "I've been doin this for a looong time nah. Remember when I used to "babysit" for Nadia?"
My dad and Jay both nodded their heads.
"Y'all know damn well Nadi only left her daughter with Kai or OG. Nadi, Sky, Emani and I were shootas. The best shootas the Nandins had," I shook my head reminiscing a bit.
"I heard they got snuffed out though," Jay shook his head not believing a damn word I was saying.
"We didn't die," I scoffed. "It's called cover and divide. No one knew who we were." I played with my fingers not wanting to look up at my father. I knew he had disappointment illustrated across his face. Even if I was upset at him about his deceit, he's still my father. And I'm his little girl.
"Shell," my dad sighed heavily.
I started to feel rage in my heart hearing his voice. "Randall."
"Are you serious right now?" he scoffed. "Both my children can't even call me dad."
I chuckled at his expense, "Dead serious."
His face dropped as we met eyes. He knew who was talking to. "She's dead," I whispered. "Jay, babe, maybe you and G should go. Emani's dead, so I don't know how either Pat or Jalen is gonna take that."
Jay got up from the table, "You good, Raine?"
I smiled and winked at Jay, "Very."
He proceeded to walk out of the now empty diner with Garland carrying out the guy I shot in the shoulder.
My dad's hands started to shake intensely while he continued looking into my eyes. "She's dead?"
I nodded with no real emotion. I ain't know the bitch, so fuck her life. "So is her lover," I kept nodding.
This is what really had my dad confused. "Her lover?"
"Your best friend," I snickered. "The one who molested me when I was seven because I look so much like her. So much so, he waited until I was of age, got you locked up, sprung Brendy out, and sent his son after me."
"Kendrick. Kendrick. Kendrick," he sighed. "You handled him too?"
"He was already dead when I got there," I shrugged.
The Lawrence house was actually the first stop of my return. I planned on getting two birds with one stone; hoping Tristan's bitch ass would be there too. Turns out I was right. I spotted his car outside and let myself in the huge mansion-like home.
There were small whimpers coming from the kitchen, so I followed them only to find the chef, Raine's friend, Sousa, sprawled out on the ground with a missing eye and a beaten up face.
"Sou, what's happened?" I slid in beside her.
Her voice croaked and blood came out instead of words. "Ok, I'll talk," I racked my brain. "Did Miss Bernie do this?"
She shook her head no and cried.
"Kendrick?" I asked sitting criss-cross applesauce in front of her.
She started to nod, but changed her mind and shook her head no once again.
"Tristan?" I whispered.
She cried uncontrollably and I heard a slight chuckle above me. "Yes, love? You called?"
I shot up from the spot I sat in and stared at the deranged, broken man that stood in front of me. What he didn't know was that I can get just as crazy. He didn't know me. I'm La Reina.
He slowly walked towards me with blood still trickling from his bare chest where the letter N was also scarred. I could tell the blood didn't belong to him. "Follow me. I have a surprise for you," he held out his hand for me to grab. I stared at it and he proceeded to walk away up the stairs.
I followed distantly behind him as he entered a room I never noticed. I hesitated going in, but I knew I couldn't let Raine pop back up right now. "Wait a minute," I whispered to myself. "Let him show us."
I kicked the slightly ajar door open to what looked like a crazy scene on 'American Horror Story' or something. Blood was splashed on the walls almost like intricate artwork. I admired it and chuckled to myself. Raine on the other hand was mortified.
The door closed behind me and I felt warm breath at the nape of my neck. "You like what I did?" Tristan asked.
"A little messy for my taste, but yeah I like it," I turned facing him. He put his hands around my waist pulling me closer to him. Reina wanted to kiss him and make love in the bloody mess. Raine wanted to kill him and get it over with.
"You look different, Raine," he looked in my eyes. He thought he was really doing something to me.
I seductively went to his ear and grabbed his neck whispering, "I'm not Raine."
He pushed me back and I laughed my ass off strolling around the room splashing in the small pools of blood. "Who's blood is this anyway, Tristan? Can't be Emani, I mean Alena's, because she's being watched."
He walked circles around me and looked at me like a stranger. "Don't act like we've never met before, Tank. I'm still the regular, degular, schmegular girl you met at Benihana. The same girl who kicked it wit you watchin Netflix and shit til two and three in the mornin. The same girl you mind fucked. Or thought you mind fucked. The same chick that knows you got my mama released from prison."
The intense gaze he gave me almost had Reina. I almost fell for that shit.
"Why you do this to me?" he chuckled. "I thought everything was ok with me. I stopped doin drugs, I got a good job where I could do as I pleased. Things were lookin up for me. Until I met you," he bit his lip piercing into my soul with his hazelnut brown eyes.
"I didn't do anything, Tank," I shrugged.
"What I tell you to call me?" he cocked his head to the side.
"Tristan," I exhaled.
He walked around to the other side of the desk and kicked something over. I walked around to where he was and smirked at what I saw. "You did this?" I pointed.
"For you," he chuckled nervously.
I turned my head looking at the dead Kendrick sprawled out on the floor. Tristan had to have done this with his bare hands. "For me, huh?"
He smirked a little and moved towards me. We were face to face and I looked into his eyes. He caressed my face gently and I let a tear drop fall. This is what it had come to.
"Godspeed," I whispered to him before raising my .45 to his chin and pulling the trigger.
Miss Bernie had just come upstairs and saw me on my knees in the middle of the room next to Tristan's lifeless body. No emotion, no tears, just staring at his body.
"Raine?" she asked coming closer behind me.
I stood and looked at her, "It's done, boss."
She smirked at me, "I knew you would figure it out. Money's in your account already. Tell Darren I have the cleanup also."
I nodded and left the house. I really didn't know whether to be happy or sulk over killing Tank. He was blindly led into doing what he was doing by his father. It still didn't make up for the things he did to me. He was turning into Kendrick more and more each day. Maybe I'm Randall.
"Shell?" my dad snapped me back.
"Daddy, what's your relationship with Miss Bernie?"
Patrick
I chuckled to myself and put my hands on my head. "You sayin my girl dead?" I asked Raine over the phone.
"I tried to warn you about her, bruddah," she sighed. "She was no good. She had a hand in getting our father locked up. She even set the whole thing with Tristan up."
"So what's up wit Tank since he was a part of this too? We pullin up?" I started getting angry all over again.
"He's dead too," she said nonchalantly. She acted like she did shit like this everyday. This can't be the same Raine I'm talkin to.
"Ok," I nodded. "Since you all over me about my medicine, when's the last time you took yours? You don't even sound the same."
She got silent. Dead silent. I stayed silent to hear what was goin on that way. I heard her car door close and the bell of some place ring as if she was goin inside. There were muffled voices of men and a single gunshot rang. I kept listening closer hearing our father's voice. I heard her say something about Jay and things went silent again.
"Shell," I heard our dad again.
I was gettin a FaceTime call from Raine so I answered it and was faced with both Raine and Randall.
He sighed, "Patrick."
"Randall," I nodded.
"I wanna apologize to both of y'all for alla this. Y'all have both been through some shit and all of it is my fault. From birth I had y'all fucked up," he shook his head.
I looked over at Raine and she just sat there glaring at our father.
"Yeah. We fucked up all because of you," Raine started. "I should've known we were related when you knew he was comin over to our house at night to get away from his dad. How you let your son stay in hat situation? Your only son. Tuh, you let him get beat up on by a nigga that had no business puttin his hands on him. Shit, you let your daughter get molested by your so called friend. The kicker is: you still worked with him and stayed his friend all those years. A bitch cross me once, and I put her ass down."
"A nigga crossed me once and he was cut the fuck off," I chimed in.
"Who crossed you?" Raine narrowed her eyes.
"Ya nigga, Jay," I scoffed. "He know what the fuck he did."
"Jay ain't do nothin to you, Pat," Raine scoffed and pointed to her head. "It was all in your mind. You always blame people for your shortcomings. It's not fair."
I sighed and hung up the call. I knew she was right. I just couldn't let her know she was right.
My doorbell rang and I decided to pop a couple of my mood stabilizers before answering. There's no tellin who it could be. I knew damn well it couldn't be Emani's grimey ass.
I opened up the door to two of my old friends. G stood there cheesin like the band was back together again. Jay looked at me not really knowin what to say.
"Wussuh?" I asked.
"Say, we was just comin through ta letchu know that ya girl gone," Jay said nonchalantly.
"My sister told me," I nodded with no remorse.
"You good?" G asked.
"Yeah," I sighed. "My shit just ain't been right, you know?" I pointed to my head letting them know it's the voices. "Y'all need anything else?"
"Not really, but whateva beef you and Jay got need to be done wit. We grown as hell nah and it don't make no damn sense," G scolded the both of us.
"I ain't een do nothin to Pat, man," Jay scoffed.
"You right," I nodded. "You're absolutely right. I guess it was jealousy. When you got wit Raine before I knew she was my sister, I thought you took my heart away. I thought she was supposed to be mine. Seein that she my sister though; she already was a part of me. I apologize to ya homie. I was selfish."
"Now kiss and make up," G smiled making me crack up.
Jay still looked at me the same way as when he found that I told my pops he and Raine were together. I regret doin that shit now, because things woulda been hella different.
I held out my hand to him. I wanted to at least be cordial with my future bruh-in-law. He grabbed my hand and pulled me into a hug.
"You was still my bro even when you did me wrong," he whispered in my ear. "Do right by yaself and get ya meds in order."
I nodded my head, "my number ain't changed either, so if you fuck up and Raine go upside ya head get at me."
We all chuckled and they left my porch. I watched as they pulled off going away from the city. I ain't even know where they were headed to next.