by T. Styles
So Banks had no eye in the sky in the one place he wanted to see most.
Mason sat in a metal chair across from Minnie in Arlyndo’s room.
They were alone.
And she was stressed.
“You were his favorite,” he said.
“Were?” She whispered.
He smiled.
“Banks wasn’t…” He looked down at his bloody hands. The ones used to assault his wife moments earlier. “He wasn’t always…I mean…”
She moved uneasily on the side of the bed.
“Uncle Mason,” she cleared her throat. “How…I mean…how was he? In school?”
He smiled. “He told you kids?”
She nodded yes.
“And here I thought he would take that info to his grave.”
“So, Uncle Mason,” she kept saying uncle in the hopes that he would remember the past, and not hurt her like his eyes said he was capable of doing. “What kind of…I mean, person was he?”
“She was my first girlfriend.”
Minnie looked down. Once again she was forced to realize who Banks really was in what she deemed a gross way. But this was about survival.
“Oh…was he—”
“I’m going to kill you.” He paused. “You know that right? I don’t want to but…I won’t have a choice.”
Her jaw hung.
And as if on queue, huge droplets of tears rolled from her eyes.
“But w…why?”
“Because he will give me no choice,” he paused. “And he has my son.”
She didn’t know.
“Uncle Mason, please don’t—”
“Don’t worry, your blood will make great art. And I’ll be sure your father gets a copy.”
She was confused. What was he talking about?
Suddenly the door opened.
“Dad, what you doing in here?” Arlyndo asked walking into his room. He looked at his father and then his girl.
Having said all he came to say, Mason stood up slowly and smiled sinisterly. “Nothing.” He looked at Minnie and back at him. “Make sure she stays in this room.”
****
Arlyndo and Minnie lie in bed inside his junky room.
His father and the way he spoke to her were still heavy on her mind.
Although she was wearing panties and a bra, which meant she didn’t want to have sex, it didn’t stop him from trying. “Please don’t be mad at me,” Arlyndo begged crawling up behind her, his chin on her shoulder. Warm breath against her cheek, his cast hand touching her arm.
She looked back at him and rolled her eyes, before sobbing harder.
“Don’t cry, Minnie.”
“How could you do this to me?” She whispered. “I trusted you. I love you and you…you broke my heart.”
“I didn’t know…I mean…Dad didn’t say he would snatch you out my car. And what did he say to you in my room anyway? Earlier tonight?”
“Don’t lie, Arlyndo.” She sniffled. “You know he gonna hurt me. He said it himself.”
He sat up in bed with his back against the headboard. Wearing only boxers. “He not gonna hurt you.”
“How you know?” She turned around and looked up at him.
“Because he’s my father and…I mean…”
“We don’t have any control. They own us.” She wiped tears away. “I’m finally starting to see that, maybe, maybe we shouldn’t have said nothing at dinner that night.” She turned back around and cried harder.
He moved back down behind her and kissed her neck. “If he tries to hurt you, I’ll kill him.”
“You just running your mouth.”
“I’m serious. I won’t let nobody come in between you and me. That goes for your father too…or whatever he is.”
She frowned. “What that mean?”
“He a woman right?” He sat up again.
Her jaw dropped and she rose. “Wait. Your father told you too?”
“Everybody knows.”
Her eyes widened. “Oh my god, my life is over.”
He shrugged. “Why your life over? It ain’t got nothing to do with you.”
“Oh my god, he gonna be so sad.” She said softly. “He—”
“Fuck that nigga,” Arlyndo yelled. “I don’t want you caring about him since he don’t care about us.”
She eased out of bed. “You don’t understand…if he kept it secret this long, he didn’t want nobody knowing. He, he—”
“Who you more concerned about?” He yelled. “Me or him?”
“You but—”
“Then stop acting different.” He continued. “We gonna be—”
Suddenly there was a large BOOM and the lights went out. The sound had weight and rocked the floors. Within seconds the alarm system beeped repeatedly, indicating that the power was out.
“What’s going on?” She asked.
“You stay here.”
“Don’t leave me!”
“Be back.”
“Please don’t go. He gonna kill me.”
He grabbed her face with warm palms and looked into her eyes. “Nothing will happen to you. I promise.”
He slipped into his grey sweatpants and white t-shirt before leaving the room.
Once Arlyndo was downstairs, he saw his brothers Patterson and Howard looking out the window by the door. The moonlight shining inside gave them a little light.
“What’s going on?” He asked them.
“I don’t know,” Howard said. “Something’s up though.”
“Why the lights out?” Arlyndo continued.
“Didn’t I just say I don’t know, nigga?” Howard repeated. “Stop asking stupid questions.” He looked behind him. “Where your girl?”
“She good.” He nodded. “She sleep.” He lied.
“You better hope she don’t escape.”
Within seconds Mason came downstairs, wobbling a little. When Arlyndo looked at his hand he noticed it was bloody red. He hadn’t seen it earlier when he was in his room but now he saw clearly. “Dad, where ma?”
All three of his sons looked at Mason, also noticing the blood. “She laying down somewhere.” He paused. “And she need to with that mouth of hers.”
Arlyndo frowned. “Why your…why your hand bloody?”
Mason pushed past him and looked out the window. “Don’t look like a storm outside,” he said ignoring him. “Fuck the lights out for?”
“I’m gonna check on ma,” Arlyndo said before rushing away, moving into the darkness.
Mason looked at Patterson and Howard. “We should call the electric company.”
They looked at him with distaste, still afraid of asking what was on their minds. Did he hurt their mother?
“I don’t got the number,” Howard said.
“Well go get it then,” Mason snapped.
Howard nodded and walked away, before glaring at his father once more.
Patterson looked out the window again. “This don’t feel right. “You don’t think this about Banks do you?”
“Stop giving the nigga so much credit. He ain’t do this.”
“I don’t know…maybe we should pack up and—”
“We not leaving our house,” Mason said. “We safe here. Besides, if he did do it, just for us to leave, we could run into a set up.”
As they paced the floor, a minute later, Linden pulled up in the driveway with Tops. Mason opened the door and approached them. “Any word?”
“Why the lights out?” Tops asked looking up at the chandeliers.
“A power outage or something.” Mason said. “Any word?”
“Whoa,” Tops said waving his hand past his nose. “You went heavy on the bottle didn’t you?”
“Did you check on what I asked you to or not?” Mason yelled.
Tops cleared his throat. “Yeah, but we didn’t get Vanguard.”
Mason frowned. “Who you hit then? When you told me you did kill him?”
“He had a twin brother,” Linden said. “So
he went down instead.”
“Twin brother?” Mason roared. “Fuck you mean?”
“Sorry, man, but we didn’t know.” Tops continued. “You didn’t tell me either. So when I went to his house, I hit the wrong Nig.”
“Fuck!” Mason yelled. “Well can we still pull Vanguard? We need to find out where he parking his plane, before Banks get at—”
“Nah, we can’t get to him,” Linden said. “One of Garret’s men got into a shoot out trying to get on the block earlier. Banks’ soldiers are everywhere.”
“Dad, what’s that?” Patterson asked looking out the window.
Wanting to get a better view, Mason opened the door and in the distance he saw three sets of headlights approaching the house. “Get everybody and move downstairs.”
“Why?” Linden said.
“We got a generator and the double bolted doors,” Mason said. “This looks like an attack.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
MOMENTS EARLIER
Arlyndo walked into his mother’s room and stood by the doorway. He didn’t see her in the darkness, but he did notice a bloody handprint on the white wall. Walking further inside he said, “Ma…are you okay?”
Silence.
“Ma.”
“I’m in here, son,” she said softly. “The bathroom.”
He walked inside and froze when he saw Jersey sitting on the toilet with soiled bloody tissue at her feet. She had her phone on for light, so it made her visible. Both eyes were blush red and her nose was massively swollen.
Rushing up to her, he dropped to his knees and observed her face. “What happened?” He touched her leg and then the side of her cheek. “Why you bleeding?”
“I’m okay, Arlyndo.” Still seated, she turned the sink on and ran cold water, placing more tissue under it to wipe her nose. “Don’t worry.” She dabbed her face and winced a little at the pain.
Arlyndo’s temples throbbed. “Ma, did…did dad do this to you?” He glared. “Please tell me he ain’t hit you like this.” He was so mad he thought he would explode.
“Leave it, Arlyndo.” She took a deep breath. “I’ll be okay.”
“But he can’t be—”
“I don’t want you fighting with your father.” She said softly. “Do you hear me? Not over me. Protect your girl. Besides, its not like you haven’t picked up on his ways too.”
He stood up slowly. “Why you say that?”
“I know how you are with Minnie.” She rose to her feet and turned the water off. “It’s just a matter of time before you put her in line too. If she survives all of this.”
“Never!” He said loudly. “I’d never do—”
“Where is, ma?” Howard asked walking into the bathroom with his cell phone flashlight. “Some dudes pulling up and—”
The moment he entered the bathroom and saw her face, Howard stopped where he stood. “I know this nigga didn’t—”
“Leave it, Howard.” She begged. “Please don’t make things worse than they already are. I can’t take much more.”
“Fuck that!” Howard went storming out the bathroom with Arlyndo and Jersey moving as fast as they could behind them. “He don’t need to be hitting my mother like he crazy.”
Within seconds they were in the basement, with Mason locking the door behind them. There was light downstairs because of the generator, so everyone could see what he’d done.
“What took you so long?” He yelled at the three. “You know some niggas rolling up!” The moment Mason turned around, Howard shoved him across the room.
“Why you hit, ma?” He shoved him again. “Fuck is wrong with you? Huh?” Mason was trying his best not to drop the boy even though he was too drunk.
“You hit Jersey in the face?” Linden asked Mason.
“She gonna need stitches,” Tops added. “Her nose all the way ‘cross her face.”
“Pops, why you hit ma like that?” Patterson said. He felt faint seeing his mother’s grill. “I’m not understanding.”
“Don’t worry what I do to your mother,” Mason replied. “That’s our business.” He glared at all of them.
“Look at her fucking face!” Howard yelled pointing at her. “Her nose twice the size of her—”
“SOME NIGGAS ROLLING UP ON THE HOUSE AND YOU TALKING TO ME ABOUT—”
“STOP IT!” Jersey yelled flopping down on the sofa. She rubbed the sides of her temples. “I can’t…I can’t think right now. I’m worried about Derrick and…just stop the fighting.”
Silence.
Howard glared at Mason again and sat on his mother’s left side, while Patterson sat on her right, as if protecting her. Mason could hardly bring himself to look at her face because he hadn’t realized he’d gone so far.
And at the same time, due to pride, an apology was out of the question.
“This shit crazy,” Linden said looking at Jersey again.
“You ain’t lying,” Tops added.
When Tops and Linden sat on the sofa also, Mason looked down at all of them, trying to figure out what to say. As it stood he looked like the bad guy, which after beating the shit out of Jersey, he was.
“Did you call the electric company?” Mason asked.
“I didn’t get a chance. You told me to come down here remember?”
“Let’s strap up.” Mason said walking to the large gun safe across the way. He removed twelve weapons and handed them two each. They had been loading guns since things first kicked off, so they were ready.
Tops sat the guns at his side. “I appreciate it but I stay strapped,” he raised his shirt.
“Then you better now,” Mason said. Clearing his throat he looked over at his wife and then his sons.
The guilt hit him again.
“Maybe they weren’t coming here,” Linden said, referring to the vans approaching the house. “And why you ain’t keep men out front?”
“I got them out there fucking up Banks’ plans that’s why.” Mason rubbed his temples.
Everyone grew as silent as possible as they looked at the ceiling waiting for the intruders’ footsteps.
“I’m confused,” Jersey said holding her face. “What’s going—”
“Minnie!” Mason said looking around the room. He had drank so much that he made a huge mistake. “Where the fuck is Minnie?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
MOMENTS EARLIER
Fully dressed, Minnie opened the door exiting Arlyndo’s bedroom. It had been fifteen minutes since Arlyndo left, and now she felt it was the perfect time to make a run, especially since the power was off and her boyfriend was occupied.
Creeping down the dark hallway, she moved carefully toward the steps leading to the living room. When she saw no one, she rushed to the front door, pulled it open and bumped into Garret and three other men behind him.
****
BANKS’ OFFICE
Spacey rushed to Banks’ office door and pulled it open. “Dad! I see her!” He yelled. “I see her!”
Hearing his name, Banks rushed into his office and up to the computer. From one of the cameras embedded in the light fixture, he could see his only daughter out front. And for the first time since he dismantled their power, he could breathe.
She was safe.
“What you gonna do now?” Spacey asked.
“The next part of my plan.” He sat in a chair.
“What’s that?”
****
MASON’S HOUSE
Standing in Mason’s doorway, and looking past Garret, Minnie noticed three vans in the driveway.
“Who are you?” Garret asked glaring.
“I’m a friend of the family.” She lied, walking past him, preparing to make a run for it.
“Not so fast.” He grabbed her arm, slowing blood flow in her bicep. “How come I never met you before?”
“I don’t know,” she shrugged, snatching away from him. “Excuse me though.” She walked around him again.
“I think that’s Banks’ daughter,�
� one of the men whispered to Garret. “She look like one of them red niggas.”
Garret smiled and yanked her full body by the waist and maintained his hold. “You hear my man?” He paused. “He says you a Wales.”
“I don’t know what he talking about.” She shook her head rapidly from left to right. “I’m just a friend.”
“I hear all that but for now, you coming with me.” He took her kicking and screaming into the dark house.
****
BANKS’ OFFICE
While looking at the computer screen, Banks and Spacey sat on edge. Seeing Minnie being yanked back into the house caused his temples to bubble.
“Fuck,” Banks said to himself. He was so angry his yellow skin reddened. “She almost got away.”
“I know,” Spacey sighed deeply. “Now what?”
“Bring up the basement camera again,” Banks continued. “Who in there?”
“Pat, Mason, Howard, Jersey and two other niggas I don’t know.”
Banks sighed. “They gotta bring her down there.” He paused. “I took out the power and it’s the only place with a generator and light.”
“How you know they won’t leave?” Spacey said.
“Cause they being hunted.”
Spacey sat back. “I wanna ask you something, and I don’t want you to get mad.”
Banks glared at him. “The last time you said that I almost crashed my plane.”
“This ain’t that bad.”
He nodded. “What is it?”
“I was talking to Harris about something Minnie told him.”
“What?” Banks asked, eyes still on the cameras.
“You think, if you let Arlyndo come with us to Wales Island, that Minnie would act right?”
“Nah.”
“Why though?”
“Cause he ain’t the one.”
“Even if—”
“I didn’t want her with a Lou, because I know what kind of man Mason is. He ain’t raising men with respect and honor. He breeds maniacs. And I want better for my daughter.”
“How you meet Mason?”
Banks sat back and folded his arms over his chest. Telling his son that they dated as children was not something he was prepared to do. “Pull up all the screens and keep your eyes peeled, Space.”