“Quit.” Tricie laughed. “Everybody aint got it like you. Some of us still gotta work to get what we want.”
Ryan rolled her eyes, as she rested her head on her pillow. “Whatever. Don’t act like Twin don’t be breaking bread with your ass.”
“Yeah, your brother helps me out, but I like having my own. God forbid anything should ever happen to him. Then where would I be if all I had was him to fall back on? Besides, with the way his ass philanders around town, aint no telling when we’ll break up.” Tricie piped. She was one of the few chicks that actually cared if Bryan got with other women. There wasn’t enough money in the world to share her man. She loved him, so she was trying to fight for them. But even she knew that if he didn’t eventually change they’d have to go their own separate ways.
“Girl, you know Bryan loves you. He’s just young and dumb right now.”
“And full of cum.” Tricie added.
“That too.” Ryan laughed. “But I know my brother and you are the one. You just fucked up when you allowed him to do whatever he wants. You should have put your foot down from the beginning.”
Tricie nodded. “You right. The nigga just had my head with all the shit he was buying me. The nigga is too damn smooth for his own good.”
“I guess. I don’t know what you broads see in the dude, personally.”
Tricie looked at her sideways. “How you sound? You look just like the dude.”
“I don’t see it.” Ryan joked. Although, they weren’t identical twins she and her brother looked exactly alike.
“Whatever, girl. But I just wished that he acted more like Desmond. That nigga don’t be giving you no problems.”
“Yeah, now he don’t. He used to be on that same shit like Twin. You know that I was crazy over his ass, man. I thought the dude could do no wrong, and then I found out that he was fucking the whole hood. Talk about hurt? Had all them hoes laughing at me. I fucked a few bitches up, and then left his ass. I even started seeing another nigga for a little while.” She giggled.
“For real?” Tricie lifted a brow. “So, what happened to that dude?”
“Umm…he passed away.” She sighed as she thought of Kemo. She used to like him quite a bit before everything changed, then one day they found his body in a vacant lot. In her heart she knew what had happened to him, but the love she had for her man wouldn’t allow her to ever speak on it.
“Damn. Is that how you ended up back with De-De?”
“No, I had taken him back before that happened.”
“Oh, okay.” She nodded.
Ryan cleared her throat. “Yeah, that was some crazy shit, but since then De-De has been good. Well, at least as far as I know.”
“Girl, that nigga aint fucking with nobody else.”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess he’s too busy trying to be Vito Corleone and shit.”
“Aw, bitch you know you love that gangsta shit.”
Ryan smirked. “I know, I know. But a bitch is tired.” She yawned. “Let me take a quick nap.”
Tricie stood to leave. “Alright. I’ll let your lazy ass get some rest.”
“Bye-bye.” Ryan mumbled already halfway sleep.
She didn’t know why she’d been so tired lately, but once she closed her eyes it was a wrap. Her dreams were filled with images of her and Desmond. He was smiling at her as they held hands. Everything around seemed so pure, which was the exact opposite of their everyday lives. She wanted to live within the dream forever, but everything came to halt when a sudden noise awakened her.
“Where the fuck is that nigga?” she heard a voice yell.
She tried to open her eyes but she couldn’t. Was she going blind? She opened her mouth to let out a scream, but soon realized that something was holding her mouth shut.
“Bitch ass nigga, where the fuck is De-De, huh?!” a voice thundered.
Right then Ryan knew that her life was about to come to an end. The one thing she always feared was coming to fruition in the worse way. As she tried to move she realized that her hands and feet were bound together. Something sticky, which she assumed was tape, was burning her skin.
All she could do was sit there and listen as someone was brutally beaten. She could hear the blows but heard no voice.
“This muthafucka don’t wanna talk. Let’s see if his sister wanna try to keep her life.” She heard a dude say. She could then feel someone standing over her. Some tape was forcefully ripped from her face, causing her to moan against whatever held her mouth closed.
She looked up and saw a tall guy wearing a ski mask towering over her. Right then she literally pissed on herself. She glanced to the left and saw her severely beaten naked brother barely holding on to consciousness. Next to him was Tricie who was also tied to a chair in the nude. She didn’t look too damaged as her entire body trembled.
“Where the fuck is De-De?” the guy standing over her questioned as he aimed his pistol between her eyes.
She mumbled against the tape over her mouth.
“Nigga, take the tape off her mouth.” Another intruder spat.
The dude snatched the tape from her mouth. “Answer the fucking question, bitch.”
The voice sounded familiar, but she wasn’t sure. “I…I…don’t know where he is.” she cried.
“Bitch!” he slammed the pistol across her face. “Don’t lie!”
“Owwww!” she howled in pain.
“Shut that bitch up.” One of the intruders ordered her attacker.
The guy reached back before slamming his fist into Ryan’s mouth. “Stupid, bitch, where that nigga at?!”
“I don’t know.” she sobbed through her now bloody mouth.
“That bitch is lying. Work on her until she see shit our way, bruh.” One intruder dictated. It was obvious that he was the leader. “And get that bitch too.” he pointed at Tricie.
Blow after blow Ryan endured. She really had no clue as to where Desmond was and if she did know she wasn’t going to tell them. Her eyes were now swollen shut and she found herself begging God to take her out of her misery. Her body had become weak and she just wanted to die. The pain was unbearable as her head felt like it was about to explode.
In the distance, she could hear Tricie whimpering as she was brutally attacked. It was then that Ryan knew that this special visit was personal. Since the beating had begun not once did anybody ask for money. They wanted Desmond and it seemed that they wanted him dead.
“Ay fuck this shit. These muthafuckas aint talking. Let’s finish them.” A calm voice ordered. The only person that was hesitant was the man dealing with Ryan. He’d downed plenty of hustlers in his day, but he preferred to keep women and children out of it. Still, this was for his cousin and he couldn’t leave any loose ends.
One by one each intruder aimed their pistols. The gunmen in the middle took joy in knowing the act that they were about to commit. He glared at Bryan. “Ay, Bee, where them hoes at?” he chuckled.
Right then Bryan knew who was behind the gun. BLOW! His thoughts ended as soon as they began as the bullet penetrated his skull, killing him instantly.
Ryan couldn’t see a thing and had no clue that her brother was just a few feet away, lying lifeless. She didn’t know who’d been shot, but something told her that she wasn’t going to be spared.
BLOW!
Another shot rang out into the room. Ryan’s body shook as she waited to meet her maker. She prayed that God would take her soul knowing that her time on the earth was done.
The gunmen stood over her forcing himself to pull the trigger. BLOW! BLOW! BLOW! Three bullets penetrated her body and everything around her went silent.
******
Desmond was bobbing his head to the music in his car as he drove home. He knew that Ryan would be bitching because he’d been gone longer than promised. Suddenly, he got a nervous feeling in the pit of his stomach. He quickly shook the feeling. In the life he led, there was always some uneasiness, but he refused to let that stop him from living.
As he pulled onto his block his saw his house swarming with police cars. His first thought was that the laws had come to take him under, but the sight of the ambulances and the city morgue van told a different story.
His heart pounded in his chest as he frantically dialed Ryan’s cell. He got no answer. He sat and stared at his home trying to figure out what to do. His common sense told him to back up and leave before he’d end up behind bars, but the concern for his girl and homeboy outweighed his fear.
So he parked his car on the side of the road and hopped out. He ran over to the house which was blocked off with yellow tape. He crossed underneath the tape and walked up to a detective.
“Ay, what’s going on out here?” he questioned.
The black detective looked him up and down. “Do you live here?”
He took a deep breath. “Yeah.”
“What’s your name, sir?”
“Desmond.”
“Alright, there was a black male and female found dead. There’s a second female who was rushed to the hospital.”
“Aw, naw.” Desmond dropped to his knees. “Naw, man.” He bawled. “Nooooo!” He felt like his heart had just been ripped out of his chest.
“Hey, I’m sorry for your loss, sir.” The detective tried to get out but Desmond was too distraught. Anything that was said to him at that moment fell on deaf ears.
“We found the I.D. of the surviving victim. Ms. Reeves is going into surgery as we speak.”
“What?” he looked up. “Ryan is alive?”
“As of right now she is.”
He scrambled to his feet. “What hospital she’s at?”
******
Ryan’s eyes fluttered open. All she saw was the white light beaming above her head. For a brief moment she thought that she was in heaven.
“Ms. Reeves, you’re awake.” a gentle voice spoke.
She painfully turned to her left. Her eyes focused on a black nurse, standing at her bedside. She wanted to talk, but there was a tube sitting in her throat. She lifted her hand that had IVs stuck in it and patted the tube.
“Oh, you want that out?” she asked.
Ryan slowly nodded.
“Okay, I’ll get someone in to take care of that for you.” She smiled. “Is there anyone you’d like for us to call for you? We weren’t able to successfully reach any of your family yet.”
She nodded.
“Okay, can you write their number on here for me?” she handed her a pen as she held a pad.
Ryan scribbled down her aunt Vanity’s number knowing that she was the closest thing she had to a mother.
“Okay, I’ll give her a call. I also want to tell you that you are a very lucky young lady. After three bullet wounds you are still with us today. There was one in your leg, your shoulder, and the last one was two inches away from your heart. Baby, God is truly good. Even your babies are fine.”
Ryan gave the nurse a perplexed look. What the hell was she talking about?
“Oh, I take it that you didn’t know that you’re pregnant.” The nurse smiled reading the expression on her face. “Well, you have two well-developed babies in your womb.”
A look of sheer surprise etched across Ryan’s face. She couldn’t believe her ears.
“You’re fourteen weeks which means that you’re nearly four months along.” The nurse went on to tell her.
Soon Ryan was left alone in the room as her thoughts consumed her. After a few the nurse returned with a doctor who removed the tube from her throat. It was very uncomfortable to her. They then gave her water while explaining that it may take a while before her voice would return to normal.
She was beginning to think that she was all alone and that no one even cared to see what was going on with her; or worse they’d found Desmond and killed him. Just then he walked through the door. Her eyes stung with tears at the sight of him.
He slowly entered the room. It was almost too much for him, seeing her in that state. He barely recognized her face, with all the bumps and bruises she had.
“Baby,” he choked up. “I’m so sorry.” He apologized as he stood at her bedside.
“Did…did Tw-in make it?” she got out in a gruff voice.
He shook his head as he stared at the floor.
“Nooo.” She cried, although it was barely audible.
“It’s going to be okay, mama.” He stroked her hair. “I’ma get them niggas back.”
She shook her head as the tears slid down her face. She didn’t want to hear that. Killing those that had killed him still wouldn’t bring her brother back.
******
Desmond remained at Ryan’s side all night long. There was only a chair in the ICU section and that’s where he sat and slept. The nurses had tried to get him to leave, but he refused. They didn’t have the heart to call security on him.
At nine the next morning Aunt Vanity walked into the room. Her heart dropped as she laid eyes on the niece she’d taken in as her own.
“Ryan, baby.” She covered her mouth with her hand as she stepped to the bed. She couldn’t believe how bad her niece looked.
Ryan stirred in her sleep, but Desmond was now awake. He opened his eyes and saw her aunt. For years Vanity had treated him like one of the family. He was glad to see her there.
“Hey, auntie.” He spoke.
Vanity’s eyes landed on him. She could see that he was going through it. “Des, baby, what happened to her?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know, auntie. All she told me was that some niggas tied her up looking for me.”
“Looking for you?!” she gasped. A part of her knew that this day was coming. She knew all about the life they led, but she also understood the hustle. She was no lame to the game and never once tried to get them to leave it alone. She was the type to give tips on how to stay on top, and keep it moving. So, she was wishing like hell that she’d opened her mouth.
“Yeah.” He nodded solemnly.
“So, where is Bryan?”
He shook his head.
“No.” her eyes watered. “Tell me he’s okay.”
He looked at her with blood shot red eyes. “I wish I could, auntie.”
Her lips trembled. “Oh my God. Oh my God.” She sobbed.
The loud crying finally woke Ryan out of her heavily sedated sleep. It took her a few seconds to focus. “Ant Vanity, don’t cry.”
“Oh baby.” She knelt down and wrapped her arms around her niece.
Desmond sat feeling helpless. No amount of money in the world could bring back his boy or rid Ryan of her pain. He felt solely responsible and vowed to kill every nigga that had a hand in their agony.
“Auntie, I just want my brother back.” Ryan cried as she vented.
“I know, baby. I know.” Vanity rubbed her back.
“They didn’t have to kill him. Why would they do that? Why?”
“Baby, only God knows.”
“I…I just want to go with him.”
Desmond sniffed. “Baby, don’t say that.”
“No, fuck that!” she spat. “My fucking brother is gone, man. He gone!” she beat her chest.
“Hey, hey, calm down.” Her auntie squeezed her tighter.
“Knock, knock.” Dina entered the room.
Vanity released Ryan. “Baby, your cousin is here.” She told Ryan.
Ryan looked over at Dina. They were first cousins and were very close. Dina was the type that would ride with you through whatever; right or wrong.
“Oh, my God.” Dina let out as she saw the condition her cousin was in. She walked over and gave Ryan a long hug. “Who the fuck did this?” she asked as she stood up straight.
Desmond cleared his throat. “Some niggas that were looking for me.”
Dina shook her head. “Damn, Des. You don’t know who that could’ve been?”
He nodded. “I got a few ideas. Ryan said that they never asked for any money, so it was personal. I believe I know who done the shit and few people have called me
telling me how the streets is talking.”
“Did this situation involve Bryan?” Dina asked.
Desmond nodded.
“Well, where he at?”
Desmond stared at the window. “They killed him.”
“What?” Dina asked as her heart dropped.
“Them muthafuckas killed him and his girlfriend.”
“Aw, naw. Aw, naw. Not my cousin.” Dina shook her head as the tears fell from her eyes. She and the twins were all so close. She’d just spoken to Bryan the other day. They’d call each other just to chat, and they even did business together. She would stretch the coke he’d buy.
“That’s alright. Those niggas days are coming.” Desmond promised.
Ryan lied in bed never uttering a word but was silently thinking, when will this shit ever end?
Chapter 4
“Smile, cousin.”
“What is there to smile for?” Ryan asked Dina as they sat on the hotel’s bed.
They were preparing to go to Bryan’s funeral. After several debates the family settled on having his funeral in Baton Rouge. They’d been staying at a hotel, because no one could bring themselves to sleep in the house where two lives were violently taken.
“You still got your life, for one.”
“Well, I didn’t ask for it.” She piped bitterly.
“Hey, girl, stop talking like that.” Dina frowned. “You letting the haters win, man.”
Ryan shrugged. “Everything is all fucked up, anyway.”
“I know you might not believe me, but it will get better.”
She sighed. “I don’t know.”
“I promise it will.”
Ryan placed her face in her palms and shook her head. “I just got too much to deal with.”
“Like?” Dina asked curiously.
She sobbed. “Like the fact that I’m pregnant.”
Dina wrapped her arms around her. “Twin, stop that. That’s a blessing. I know that Desmond is happy.”
She shook her head. “He don’t know.”
“So, tell him. That might be just what yall need.”
She exhaled. “I don’t know. Nothing can make me feel better.”
“With time you’ll see.” She insisted. “Anyway, where is that nigga? I haven’t seen him around in a day or two.”
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