by Nikki Turner
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
It was nearing seven o’clock, and Bunny was more than ready to start her date with destiny. Running hot water in the sink, she took one of the winter-white fluffy washcloths and submerged it in the water. After lathering up the soap, she washed her kitty cat, making sure it was fresh and clean. Moving the rag in small circular motions, she imagined it was Spoe’s hand touching her the way he used to before his death. A few minutes into her mind being taken over by her fantasy, she was snatched out of the sexually charged trance by her cell ringing. She’d set the alarm to ring at exactly six fifty-five. Okay, let me get dressed and make this call to this stupid-ass fool.
Throwing on something supersexy and expensive she’d packed in her overnight bag, Bunny stood in the mirror jocking herself. Oh yeah, it’s going down tonight. That nigga Dino about to pay for it, Spoe. Don’t worry, my baby, I got you!
Walking over to the desk, she lifted the phone’s receiver and pushed the number nine to get an outside line. Dialing Dino’s cell phone, the eager, soon-to-be victim answered Bunny’s call on the first ring. “Hello, Dino.”
His voice sounded like that of a kid about to go on a shopping spree at a toy store. “Hey, now, Krissi. How are you? Did you have a good day? We still on for this evening or what?”
Bunny smiled that she had him going, but at the same time, was slightly annoyed that he came off as so desperate. “Wow, yeah. Slow down with the bombardment of all those questions. One thing you’ll learn about me is that if I say I’m going to do something, then you can consider it as good as done.”
“Oh yeah.” Dino felt as if he was about to hook up with his soul mate.
“Yeah, dude. I said I’d call at seven, and it’s seven. When I’m with you I’m all the way with you. So with that being said, please tell me you got the suite for us to chill in already, ’cause I’m really not in the mood to wait around.”
Dino was ecstatic to tell her that not only did he get a suite, he got the best one the hotel claimed to offer. “Yes, baby doll, I mean Krissi. Me and you is good to go. I was going to see if you wanted me to have my personal chef prepare us some late dinner, but I don’t have a number to reach you at.”
“Oh yeah, that’s right, you don’t have my number. Well, I’m quite sure after tonight you’ll have my number and a little more than what you was probably bargaining for. Is that okay with you?” Bunny poured the charm on extra thick as she seductively spoke into the phone while tucking two blades in the side compartment of her purse.
Dino hurried up revealing the room number to his dream date and was glad to hear Bunny would be up in ten minutes or so. He checked to make sure the champagne he’d ordered was chilling and the room looked presentable. He’d been watching television and chilling since checking in at five o’clock. Shortly after making sure all his traps were set, he heard two short taps on the door. Damn . . . Okay, she’s here. Shits about to be on and popping. Even if I don’t get the hookup on some shit, I’m about to get some of the best-looking pussy I done seen in months! Rushing over, Dino yanked the handle downward, swinging the door wide open. “Hello, my queen. Please, come on inside.”
Listen to this damn fool-ass nigga. He gone! This nigga act like he ain’t get some good pussy in who knows how long. Pitiful. Just fucking pitiful. This bullshit gonna be way easier than I thought. “Why, thank you.” Bunny stepped into the spacious multiroom suite and smiled. “Wow, okay, I see you up in here doing it big; champagne chilling and even some chocolate-covered strawberries.” She picked up the bottle, turning it so she could read the label. “And I see you even got us the good stuff tonight. I’m definitely impressed.”
Dino was feeling himself that he’d made Krissi smile, and she was more than satisfied. After opening the bottle and pouring them two glasses, the pair sat down on the plush couch. Reaching for the huge remote off the coffee table that controlled everything from the climate of the room, the lighting, and the curtains, to the four gigantic flat screens mounted throughout the room, along with the surround sound system, he felt like he was a boss amongst bosses. His house was indeed a showplace, and he could, and would, be proud to bring any female to see where he laid his head at, but it was apparent Krissi was different, and it’d take more than some solid gold fixtures and a marble countertop to impress her. This suite was only the tip of the iceberg for what he had in mind for her. She had potential to be wifey material; the legal-white-dress-standing-at-the-altar type. He knew he’d just met Krissi and didn’t even know her last name, but he believed the gods may have sent her to him to make up for all the bad luck he’d been having lately. She was like a gift; a blessing.
After scanning over the hotel menu, they ordered room service. Indecisive over what to get, Dino bossed up getting almost one of everything that they had to offer. Cleverly not to be seen by any of the hotel staff, Bunny conveniently excused herself to the bathroom to freshen up when the small buffet carts arrived with their appetizers, main courses, and desserts. Finally kicking off her shoes, which Dino automatically recognized as being expensive, they sat down, eating, drinking, and enjoying music for hours on end. Bunny wanted her target to be good and relaxed so when the time came for her to send him home to the devil, he wouldn’t be expecting it or able to put up much of a fight. The less struggle or opposition to certain death, the better she always believed.
Checking her cell, Bunny noticed it was almost ten o’clock. Having made watching the news a priority due to the recent crimes she’d been unfortunately involved in, and not caught, Bunny had Dino turn the music off and the television on. Glad to have a female that was more interested in current events than who was having a half-off sale on weave was refreshing to him. Together, they listened and watched attentively, as he was just as guilty of heinous crimes as she was and had yet to be brought to justice for them. Five minutes into the broadcast, a special segment was about to air pertaining to crime in Richmond.
“In between all the murders and other crimes, our fair city is turning into a cesspool for criminals to feel as if they can run amuck. Well, the chief, along with the mayor, has revealed to our reporters a plan to not only clean up our city, but other locales within close proximity to ours. We spoke to Detective Chase Dugan earlier, and here’s what he had to say about some of the more recent high-profile crimes.”
“Yes, we are definitely closing in on more suspects in not only the bank robberies and the cold-blooded murder of exotic dancer Tiffany Ross, but also in the cases of the bodies that have been discovered floating in the James River. We will be bringing certain people to justice by week’s end. Some extremely valuable leads have just surfaced, and trust me when I tell you, it’s only going to be a matter of time before these animals are apprehended, charged, and locked up behind bars.”
Both feeling as if Detective Dugan was speaking to them, their demeanors somewhat changed. Bunny was the first to speak out on the segment. “Wow, so it looks like this city is about to get hotter than July; you think?”
“Maybe, maybe not. I mean, there’s always crime in major cities, and they gotta get some scapegoat-ass cop to get on the news and make up shit; lie and say they about to get a handle on the crime. First, it makes for good television, and second, you gotta give the people what they want. And the people wanna believe it ain’t gonna never be no more crime, or at the very least, less of it. It makes them sleep good at night just hearing the lies!”
“You think?” Bunny quizzed as she sipped on some more champagne.
“Of course. I don’t think, I know. And as for that bitch, Tiffany Ross, I knew her. She was a snitch that set dudes up. And between me and you . . .” Dino was trying to prove his dislike for snitches and guys in the game that robbed other cats out in the streets making serious paper and making real bosslike moves just for an easy-ass come up. “As for them bodies that’s showing up in that river, niggas can’t expect to try to get down on the next moneymaking motherfucker and not suffer the consequences. You hear me?”<
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“Really.” Bunny started to get in her emotions, knowing where this conversation was headed. It was one thing to bad-mouth Tiffany’s bitch ass, but now she knew he was referring to Tariq and her beloved Spoe. Motivated by Dino’s basic confession, which was his acknowledgment that he had no problem whatsoever throwing a person into the James River that crossed him, Bunny decided to speed up her plan. Suddenly leaning into his personal space, she nudged her head underneath his chin. Using one hand to play with his well-groomed dreadlocks and the other to massage his growing manhood, Bunny wanted to just bang him really good and get it over with.
Dino’s head bobbed backward as he closed his eyes. Lifting her chin with his hand he stuck his tongue deep down her throat. Embraced in passion, he slowly worked his other hand down her curvaceous body, resting it in between her legs. Returning the favor, he now was massaging her moist box. Shoving his hand up in her tight-grip pussy, one finger followed by two worked her over until she was practically screaming out his name. Seeing that she was all in, he swooped her off the couch, carrying her to the king-sized bed. Finding no opposition, he raised her dress up devouring her inners. Hearing her moan, Dino dropped his pants, then went in for the kill. Fucking the dog shit out of her like his life depended on it, he was met with Bunny throwing it back on him. She hadn’t had sex since Spoe’s death, so she was long overdue to get it in.
Almost forty-five minutes later as they both lay exhausted on the bed, Bunny started to feel guilty. Killing Dino was still very much at the top of her to-do list, but the fact that she’d enjoyed the sex so much was starting to eat away at her conscience. Where a part of her wanted to just get down to business and carry on with the rest of the game plan, the freak in her wanted to maybe go another round or two before sending him on his merry way. Fighting the urge to lower herself to suck his huge dick, she grabbed his hand, urging him to go get in the shower to not only wash some of the sweat off his body, but to also get a special blessing from her. Quick to oblige, Dino jumped up as if he hadn’t just put in some serious work and bolted into the bathroom. Turning on the shower, he stepped in underneath the strong flow of hot water, washing his balls as he waited for Bunny to join him.
I can’t believe I was all into that nigga sex game like that. I’m so sorry, Spoe; so very sorry. Please forgive me. Don’t worry, I’m about to make it right for both me and you. I promise. That ruthless and rotten no-home-training murderer is going to get what he has coming. I love you, Spoe. Talking to herself, Bunny dug into her purse, removing both blades. Holding them tightly, she crept into the steam-filled bathroom. Easily making out Dino’s muscular back through the glass door, she felt a strange sense of happiness for what was about to go down. She was seconds away from everything working out the way she planned.
Okay, girl, here we go again! Easing the glass door open, the coldhearted and crazy hood diva stepped her naked body inside. Feeling a slight breeze rush in, Dino knew he was no longer alone in the marble-walled shower. With soap in his eyes and his back still turned, he let Bunny know she was by far one of the most exciting women he’d ever been with, and he hoped to get to know her better in the near future.
Waiting for a verbal response from the female he knew as Krissi, Dino was met with the bitter excruciating pain of not one, but two sharp blades being savagely plunged into his upper torso. Showing no mercy, Bunny brought down one blade overhanded and the other under at a rapid pace, enraged. She repeated the monstrous process until her dreadlocked lover collapsed to his knees. Not saying a word, Dino’s lifeless body slumped over underneath the flow of the steaming hot water. Stepping out of the shower to avoid getting his blood even more on her, Bunny allowed him to bleed all the way out until he was well on his way to hell. Bending over his corpse, she cut off one of his dreads as a souvenir. “And, oh yeah, you ho-ass nigga, Spoe said, ‘What up!’”
Leaving Dino facedown in the shower, Bunny washed her face along with her kitty cat in the sink and got dressed. Fuck him! Let them find him when they do! Placing a do not disturb sign on the door of the Dino’s suite, she casually strolled to the elevator, making sure she was not seen. Returning to her own room, which was located several floors below, Bunny pushed the plastic-issued key into key slot of door 217 and entered. Getting comfortable, she took her cell, which was on silent, out of her purse, along with Dino’s dread. Immediately she saw she had several missed calls from the same mysterious number and one voice mail. Lying across the bed, Bunny listened to her lone message and couldn’t believe her ears.
“This is Detective Chase Dugan of the Richmond Police Department. I was wondering if you could please give me a call at the number showing on your caller identification. I’d like to speak to you in reference to a few important matters that we are investigating. I need for you to please return this call within a twenty-four-hour time span. Once again, this is Detective Chase Dugan of the Richmond Police Department.”
Taking her sister’s boyfriend’s message as more of a direct confirmation sign from God on what she was intending on doing in the first place, Bunny decided to at least call Simone and let her know that her cop beau was sniffing around for answers. “Hey, sis, this is just a heads-up. Your nosy-ass man just called my damn cell, leaving a fucking message. What the fuck you going to do now, bitch?”
“What? What in the world are you talking about? How did he get your phone number?” Simone panicked, and rightfully so.
“Why don’t you tell me?” Bunny wasn’t about sit there and be oblivious that Simone may have slipped up somewhere.
“Well, first, what did he say exactly?”
Bunny was even more determined to go ahead with her original game plan and didn’t have time to possibly lose her nerve by a long drawn out emotionally charged conversation. “Look, Simone, I don’t know what he knows and certainly don’t give a shit at this point. I just wanted you to have a heads-up when dealing with him and to tell you I love you, Ginger, and Tallhya’s crazy ass. Oh yeah, the rest of my share of the money is in the linen closet. Give it to Ginger’s greedy ass! Now, bye, sis, I gotta go.”
“Bunny, Bunny . . . Bunny . . .”
Bunny had enough of living life without Spoe. Nothing really mattered to her. She’d taken care of everyone she held responsible for his murder, so now she could rest in peace. Now she could go to sleep for good and wake up in heaven dancing on the clouds with her better half, Spoe. Opening a bottle of pills, she swallowed three handfuls to ensure the deed would be done, washing them down with a bottle of wine she’d brought with her. Making sure her hair was perfect, Bunny Banks lay down in the bed, waiting patiently for death to take her to Spoe.
“Bunny, wait, what are you trying to say? Where are you at? What are you about to do?” Simone didn’t receive a reply to any of her questions as she was met with the sound of silence. Bunny had hung up. Trying to call back several times, she repeatedly received the voice mail.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Simone couldn’t believe what was happening. She’d been through so much over the past year that she knew she needed some type of therapy if she ever hoped to be right in the head again. She’d lost her father and become almost destitute. Slapped her stepmother and fought off her father’s lecherous business partner. Watched her grandmother collapse at church and die, then lose their family home. Been in a bank robbery and planned another. Taken part in setting up a major drug dealer and fought her mother after taking a gun away from her boyfriend. Watched her sister butcher their own mother and that man. Cut off her mom’s hands before dumping their bodies and setting them on fire. She committed her sister Tallhya to a psychiatric facility. Tried to fight her sister’s husband and his baby momma in front of the man she was hoping to get closer to. And lastly, got shunned from her childhood church because of some stupid dumb shit she had to be a part of in order to set the wrongs right her grandmother left.
Simone had gone too far to turn back and too far to go on. She felt like she was on the verge of having
a serious nervous breakdown. Now after all of that, Bunny had just hung up, having her to believe that she was going to kill herself after saying Chase was snooping around. What else could happen she fretted as her head felt as if it was about to explode. While trying to calm her nerves, there was a knock at the door. Praying it was Bunny saying she was playing some sort of cruel, twisted joke, Simone flung the door wide open. Unfortunately, it wasn’t Bunny but two policemen.
“Yes, Officers. How can I help you?”
“Ma’am, are you the family of a Mr. Gene Banks?” Their expressions were solemn as they both looked her in the face.
Simone was in a panicked state as she answered, “Yes, yes, I am. I’m his sister. What’s wrong with my brother? What’s going on?”
The policeman had made these types of house calls before and hated doing so. “Well, it seems he was involved in some kind of what we think was a hate crime. He and several other openly gay men were beaten to death near the park. We need for you to come down to the morgue and possibly identify his body. This is the address listed on his driver’s license.”
Simone’s mouth dropped open. She couldn’t speak, and her feet couldn’t move. As the room started to spin and she grew increasingly dizzy, the last thing she remembered before blacking out was Chase’s voice asking the two officers what they were doing at the house. When she finally came to, she was lying on the couch and Chase was wiping her face with a wet rag he’d gotten out of the linen closet.
“Hey, Chase, did I hear . . .”