Renee

by Brandie Davis

  “Came home three days ago.”

  “What does she want?”

  “I don’t know.”

  Carmen watched the old woman take her time as she walked the rest of the way across the street. With every three steps she took, she spewed what Carmen assumed were more derogatory words. Carmen’s head followed the woman until she was safely on the sidewalk on the other side of the street.

  “What do you think it is?”

  “There’s only one thing she can want to talk to you about, Carmen. That night.”

  Carmen pushed down on the gas pedal, and this time she drove within the speed limit. “Will you be there?”

  “I offered to, but she wants to meet with you alone.”

  Carmen was grateful for the number of turns she had to make. It forced her to focus more on the task at hand, driving. If she had to drive straight, she would get lost in her thoughts. Carmen knew deep in the pit of her stomach that meeting with Renee would be no easy task. Every time they’d been in each other’s presence, it hadn’t been easy. Each and every time Carmen had been humiliated and insulted. It had taken a lot of drinks for her to work up enough guts to show up unannounced at Renee’s house that night, and it would take double that amount to meet with Renee now that she had summoned her.

  “When does she want to meet?”

  “I don’t know. She said she’d let me know.”

  Carmen remained focused on the road. Lyfe couldn’t see her, and her silence denied him the ability to feel her out through her voice. However, he still knew where her mind was.

  “Don’t worry, Carmen. You’ll do fine. Just be yourself.”

  Little did Lyfe know that this was exactly what Carmen was afraid of.

  Chapter 43

  New clothes and clothing that was not over a year old were scattered around Carmen’s bedroom. There were pants and shorts covering the bed, dresses and blouses on top of the dresser, and skirts and blazers piled in front of the closet. She had already tried on numerous outfits, and nothing had been right. All that she owned was either too tight or too short. She looked herself over in the body-length mirror. “This isn’t right.”

  She unbuttoned the sleeveless top and wiggled out of her jeans. Whatever clothes she paired together didn’t seem good enough to meet Renee in. This conversation would determine how close Renee would allow her to get. Had Renee chosen to keep Carmen at a distance after Carmen saved her life, then Carmen would have decided that Renee would never open up to her. But Renee wanted to meet. Today was all or nothing, and if Carmen wanted positive results, she had to have a positive attitude, and that started with having the right attire.

  Carmen stepped inside her shoe closet and looked at every pair she owned. She’d allow the shoes to decide on her outfit. Each shoe told its own story, but not one exuded the confidence and control Carmen needed to radiate during her meeting. Her frustration increased and almost spilled over before she remembered the gold-plated beauties resting in the shoebox on her kitchen counter. Her creative juices got the kick start they needed by the mere thought of her new addition. She pulled out her cobalt-blue jumpsuit, which she’d worn only once; dug inside her jewelry box for the right accessories; and put together the vision of a woman ready to take over the world.

  “Now we’re talking.”

  * * *

  The bar Carmen had agreed to meet Renee at gave her déjà vu. The TV screens embedded in the walls, the water beneath the glass dance floor, and the glow in the dark bar stools pulled on her memory. She was sure she’d been here before, yet she couldn’t pinpoint when or recall the experience. Carmen was the only customer in attendance; no regular Joes sat around her and the bartender.

  “Slow day, huh?” Carmen said to the bartender.

  Dressed in a dingy striped shirt, the short Caucasian male turned his back on Carmen without replying and prepared a dirty martini. He placed the glass on top of a napkin in front of Carmen and went to the other side of the bar.

  “I didn’t ask for this!” she yelled at his back. He was out of sight by the time Carmen finished shouting, and that alone agitated her more. His nonverbal disrespect pulled Carmen out of her seat and compelled her to follow the man. Her gold heels led her to the opposite side of the bar and straight in front of Renee, who was at the door.

  “Leaving already?”

  Taken aback by Renee’s sudden appearance, Carmen stuttered, “Oh, n-no, no.” Aware of her weak speech and repetitiveness, she closed her mouth, cleared her throat, and started her response from scratch. “No. I only wanted to have a word with the bartender.”

  Walking past her, her shoulder slightly brushing against Carmen’s, Renee said, “You’re here to speak with me, not him. Now, let’s have a seat.”

  Following behind Renee, who strolled farther into the bar, Carmen held her tongue. Her teeth grinding against one another made it possible for her to maintain her composure and remain professional.

  Shouldn’t she have a cast on? Carmen wondered.

  Carmen sat across from Renee at a high table, crossed her legs, and arranged herself so that her shoes and purse were in eyeshot of Renee.

  “I love your shoes and purse.” Renee gave the items a once-over.

  Carmen held back an enormous smile, then narrowed it down to a polite beam. “Thank you.”

  “Those shoes and that purse are two things from last season that I believe will never go out of style. I admire the designers’ work so much, I bought two of each. One set I wear, and one I keep in my shoes and purses hall of fame.”

  The mute bartender brought Renee over a drink, along with the martini Carmen had left behind at the bar.

  Renee took a sip of her drink. “Thank you, Tox.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  Oh, so he does talk. Carmen damn near inhaled the martini.

  “I wanted to meet with you in person to speak with you about that night. Why exactly were you at my house at that time of the morning?” Renee’s head was cocked to the side; she’d gone heavy on the black eyeliner, mascara, and foundation. She indulged once more in her drink.

  Maybe she’s trying to hide her battle wounds, Carmen thought.

  “The last time we met, like all the other times, didn’t go well. I wanted to talk and try to figure out how we can get along as a family.”

  Renee turned her head and spit her drink out. Violent coughs followed, and she pounded her chest with her fist. “You want to get along?” she asked, her voice raspy. She dabbed at her mouth with the napkin underneath her drink.

  “Yes. I know you’re not a fan of it, but whether you like it or not, we are sisters. The least we can do is act civil when we’re around one another. We both love our uncle, so we’re bound to be in the same room together from time to time.”

  “I don’t know him to love him,” Renee retorted.

  “Okay, but you do get along with him.”

  Renee drank the last of her vodka. With the glass still in her hand, she pointed at Carmen. “Why the fuck would I want to surround myself with the motherfucker who wants my life?” Renee took Carmen’s purse off the table and sat it on the floor. “The purse is too fabulous to fuck up with your blood.”

  Carmen hopped out of her seat, but Renee was already out of hers. Renee leaned halfway across the table. With the collar of Carmen’s jumpsuit in her clutches, she said, “No, no, no. Don’t go.”

  Carmen pushed Renee off of her. With her unexpected strength, she knocked Renee back in her seat, and Renee lost her grip on the jumpsuit. This caused Carmen to stumble, and one of the heels on the eye-candy shoes she’d fallen in love with broke, sending her to the floor. She pushed herself up onto her knees, and then she was pulled up on her feet by her hair. She grabbed at the hands wrapped around the high bun on top of her head, and when the hands let go, she looked into the eyes of the person they belonged to. She blinked one time before Tox’s fist met the center of her face. Carmen fell backward, her body fully erect. The back of her head banged aga
inst the floor, and the impact and shock distorted Carmen’s vision. Specks of white flashed in front her eyes, and she temporarily lost the will to fight.

  Renee squatted down next to Carmen; she waved her hand in front of Carmen’s eyes. Carmen’s head moved from side to side, and her eyes rolled upward, but she said nothing. Renee nodded at Tox. He removed his gun from the holster strapped to his belt buckle and handed it to his boss. Carmen’s vision was blurry, but she was still able to see a contorted version of Renee standing over her, with a gun pointed down at her. Carmen’s head fell to the side, and she was able to make out the tattered, burnt-out sign collecting dust in the corner. It had once hung on the front of the building. She read the words on the sign out loud. “Lyfe’s Bar and Lounge. I knew I recognized this place.”

  “He’s my uncle now.”

  Carmen heard Renee’s comment and saw a blast of light before it all went black.

  Chapter 44

  Failure to breathe was what forced Carmen out of her sleep. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and just sat there, hunched over and holding the exact spot where Tox had punched her. Outside of her dream, she could still feel the impact of Tox’s fist on her face and the undeniable throbbing pain in the back of her head. As it was for Renee, dreams were Carmen’s worst enemy; whenever she had them, she found herself too connected, so connected she had difficulty distinguishing real life from fake. She remembered that when she was a child, she would say that if she could have a superpower, it would be the ability to never dream. After she closed her eyes at night, a majority of the time she either had nightmares or dreamed about her father. She saw him hurting too much, and this resulted in nothing other than grief as long as the dream continued. Peace didn’t exist when she slept.

  Ever since Lyfe had told her she’d be meeting with Renee, she’d been on pins and needles. Unsure about what would transpire during her encounter with Renee, combined with not knowing when their interaction would take place, had left Carmen feeling uncomfortable. Her nerves were in a frenzy over the idea that so much good could come out of Renee accepting her inside her circle. It would fundamentally transform her life for the better. Then there was the possibility of absolutely nothing changing and Renee banishing her from her kingdom, thereby kicking Carmen back to square one.

  Her eyelids were lowering once again, and her body was slowly swaying. The bed was beckoning Carmen to fall back into a state of slumber, but she knew it was best to ignore this. The worst dreams came about when she fell right back to sleep after waking, as such dreams were merely a continuation of the dream that had shaken her out of her sleep in the first place.

  Defeating the dream, she dragged herself out of bed and out of her bedroom, covered by nothing except her spaghetti-strap pink silk lingerie. She slipped into her terry-cloth robe in the hallway bathroom and headed for the front door. She stepped outside and found the lack of night life comforting. There was no activity at this wee hour, no blaring car horns, no partygoers stumbling home, no teenagers sneaking out and racing down the streets in their friends’ cars. This summer’s night in New York was as soothing as a country day. A short-lived breeze caressed Carmen’s skin while she looked up at the crescent moon in a corner of the sky.

  Carmen took a seat on the doorstep, and through her robe, she felt every inch of concrete beneath her. The minor discomfort shoved away whatever tiredness remained and opened her eyes to the reality that if she really wanted Renee’s world, she’d have to take it by physical force. The idea was nauseating: murdering and strong-arming people into doing what she wanted wasn’t Carmen’s style, and she lacked any relevant experience. Had she dabbled in this lifestyle, watched from a distance as the men she’d dealt with, including her uncle, engaged in violence? Yes, but witnessing those things was hardly comparable to actually doing them.

  Battling for comfort, Carmen rocked back and forth, then leaned against the flowerpot tucked in a corner in front of the door.

  I have to water this thing.

  The flowering plant in the pot was a gift given to her by some random guy she met and slept with from time to time. She barely fed or watered it. She left that up to Mother Nature, and that was what had kept the flowers blossoming and the soil damp. But the weather had been dry lately. She put her nose up to one of the yellow pansies and inhaled the perfume-like scent.

  I defiantly gotta stay on top of watering these.

  The fragrance made all her stress and anxiety vanish, and she felt like she was in two places at once. First, she felt like she was at a mall, strolling past a perfume counter in a department store; and at the same time, she was in a field of flowers. Her phone chiming inside the pocket of her robe was what stopped her sniffing fest. She retrieved her phone and read the text message.

  Renee wants to meet with you tomorrow afternoon at Rockwell’s Café.

  Carmen took a whiff of the flower once more, the captivating aroma therapeutic. Then she answered the text.

  I’ll be there, Unc.

  She pressed SEND. Placed her clasped hands in back of her head and waited for sunrise.

  * * *

  Renee still had a ways to go, but she was starting to look like her old self again. She had set up the lunch date with Carmen, which she knew she could no longer avoid.

  Sitting at an outside table at the restaurant, with a huge pair of shades on, Renee watched as Manhattan’s elite walked by in their finest summer threads.

  “Hello, Renee.”

  Renee turned to face Carmen. She looked stunning in a pearl halter dress.

  “Hello, Carmen. How are you?”

  “I can’t complain, but I should be asking you that question. Your face looks good.” Carmen wondered how her eyes looked. The sunglasses hid the damage.

  “Once this cast comes off, I’ll be as good as new. I never stay down for long,” Renee said.

  Both women quickly glanced down at Renee’s broken leg, and then they momentarily flashed back to that horrible night.

  “I was surprised when Uncle Lyfe called me and said you wanted to meet up for lunch. I thought you guys would talk more concerning his text.” Carmen was fishing for answers. She knew of Jared’s death, a big glitch in her plans, but she had to know Renee’s plans for Julian now that he was exposed.

  “What text?”

  “You know, the text about Lyfe warning you about Jared.” She searched Renee’s eyes for answers.

  “What? I never got that text.”

  “I’m sure Uncle Lyfe mentioned it to me. Maybe you should double check.”

  Renee’s face scrunched up while she dug her hand inside her purse and pulled out her smart phone. After tapping the screen a few times, she paused and read her messages, her lips moving with every word she saw. Renee sucked her teeth and shook her head right before dropping the phone into her bag.

  “He tried warning me about Jared, but too little too late. He died that night.”

  “Is that all he said?” Carmen questioned.

  “That and some family stuff.”

  Renee was calm—too calm for someone who had just learned her boyfriend cheated.

  “Are you sure that’s all he said?” Carmen continued to pry.

  Renee’s face tightened as she tilted her head slightly to the side. “That’s all,” she replied, her voice low and hardened.

  Shit. That text didn’t go through, Carmen thought. She forced a smile and chuckled a little. “Sorry, just making sure you got it all since you originally missed it. Anyway, what’s on your mind? Why have you summoned me?” Carmen asked, her attempt at changing the topic.

  “I owe you a thank-you. Never in a million years would I have thought my father’s illegitimate child would save my life.”

  Renee had given thought to a lot of things that led to speaking with Carmen on this day, pushing aside her displeasure for how Lyfe had arranged for her and Carmen to meet. Renee had allowed herself to get to know him, and she had seen a lot of her father in Lyfe, which made it easier
for her accept him as family.

  Carmen nodded her head. She knew it would take time before Renee could fully accept who she was. “After that incident between us, I came back to try to fix things, but when I saw Jared laid out on the floor, I knew something was up. I know your lifestyle. I may not have lived it like you are, but I’ve had my dealings with it. So, I grabbed Jared’s gun and made my way to you. I couldn’t let you die, no matter how bad you treat me.”

  Carmen’s last statement stung a little. Renee’s cold heart was officially melting.

  “I’m not gonna lie to you, but I need some time to get used to the idea of having a sister I knew nothing about. But we’ll touch on that another time. Lyfe has told me everything about you, and after some thought, I have something I want to ask you.”

  Carmen wished a million times over that Renee wasn’t wearing any shades; she wanted to look her in the eyes and get an idea of where this conversation was going.

  “Sure? What’s up?” Carmen pretended to be calm and chipper, when really her insides felt like they were unraveling.

  An Asian waitress with bone-straight black hair came to the table and asked if they were ready to order. Carmen wanted to scream for her to get lost, but when Renee ordered a meal, she knew she had to relax and play things her way. She kindly told the waitress, “I’ll have a Caesar salad with grilled chicken.” She gave her a fake smile and then turned her full attention to Renee when the waitress walked off.

  “I’m getting out of the game,” Renee told her. “I’ve run my course, and now it’s time for me to move on. But seeing how you performed when you saved my life, and knowing that you’re not totally green to it all, I have decided that instead of letting my empire go under, I’ll hand it over to you and make you my protégé, like Metro did me.”

  Carmen’s heart skipped a beat, and her hands started to sweat. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She’s giving it all to me? Carmen had to suppress her smile and stop herself from jumping in the air while yelling yippee!

  “I don’t know what to say, Renee.”