With that thought, Henry felt a sharp pain go through his body. He was starting to feel those pains quite a bit as of late. He dealt with them in only one way – a poor way. Down to the beer can he looked. Slowly, he reached for it.
Tori sat next to the bed. She had just finished praying, which she always did when she visited her sister. She was rather awkward at it, but she always managed to handle it.
Susy looked so peaceful lying there, almost angelic. There were tubes running from her nostrils and into a computer-like machine next to the bed. The machine was one of several that were at the head of the bed. There were also several wires that were attached to Susy’s head by small pads, which looked like small round band-aids. They too were attached to a machine, which monitored Susy’s electroencephalograph, or brainwaves. The waves looked normal. They just moved slower than most peoples’ – a clear sign that Susy was fighting for her life.
“I love you so much, Susy,” Tori whispered. “Please don’t leave me . . . Don’t die on me
. . . I need you.”
Tori wiped a tear from her eyes.
“You can beat this. Fight. You’ve got too much life ahead . . . Girl, don’t you dare give up.”
Tori slowly put her hands to her temples. She gently rubbed them for a few seconds. She had had a slight headache all day. She felt it getting worse.
“ . . . Sweetheart, I’m going to have to leave you for a while. I have to go away. I’m doing it for you. But I promise, when I come back, I’ll come to see you. And I’m going to have good news. It’ll be news that puts that witch that did this to you behind bars. I’ll get Ava for this; I swear. And don’t you worry, when you get better, you won’t have to go back to her . . .She’ll be in prison.”
Tori heard footsteps come into the doorway behind her. She turned and looked back. Simone stood there.
“I know it’s painful, Tori,” she said, “but we have to go. We’ve still got so much to do before we leave.”
“I know,” Tori answered softly.
She turned back around and then stood. She stepped to the bed and gently reached down to Susy’s hand. She took hold of it and brought it up to her lips. She kissed it.
“Bye, sweetheart. I’ll come see you as soon as I get back . . . Hopefully, it won’t be too long.”
She put Susy’s hand back at her side. She then bent over the bed and kissed Susy’s forehead. The child looked so precious to her. If only she were sleeping for a much better reason.
Afterwards, Tori turned and walked to the doorway, where Simone threw her arm around her. Tears filled both their eyes. In each other’s arms, they plodded on out of the room.
PART TWO
Chapter Thirty
Tori and Simone had arrived in New Port, Virginia at a little past six in the afternoon. At the airport, Tori had rented a car. Then, with the help of Simone, and phone GPS, she had driven to the New Port Motel. She and Simone both entered into their room, carrying both a large and small suitcase. In Tori’s large suitcase, locked in a specially-made concealed compartment –which could come in handy for her detective cases – was the reward money. But if anyone inferred, she would tell them the money was stored at an unspecified location. She wouldn’t risk anybody knowing she had such a large amount of money there in the motel room. There were also guns in the suitcase, thanks to a friend at the Del Toray International airport helping her smuggle them through. Returning home, she’d have them mailed.
Tori immediately walked to the bed closest to the door and sat down. Simone went on around to the bed next to Tori’s. Her bed wasn’t far from the window, which was covered by curtains. There was a telephone table with a phone on it between the beds.
“Not bad,” Tori said.
She looked around the room. The bathroom was adjacent to the door. A large television was attached to the wall across from the foot of the bed. There was a DVD player built into it. On a small desk next to Tori's bed was a laptop computer, of which she and Simone would use in continuing their online search for Robbie; their phones as well.
A small refrigerator and microwave sat on a counter that was near the television. There was a large dresser with an equally large mirror attached, that was opposite the counter. A couch was beside the dresser. The room was fully carpeted.
“It isn’t,” Simone answered, sitting down. “There’s no telling how long we’ll be here. This could add up.”
“Well, if necessary, perhaps we can make adjustments. But remember, I can write off a lot of this trip as business expense.”
“But not all.”
“Then I’ll just have to dig into my savings. I’m determined to get that monster, Simone. Even if it bankrupts me.”
“Well hopefully it won’t come to that.”
"I only brought four sets of clothes. Hope that's enough.”
“We don’t need lots of clothes. All we need is detergent to keep them clean. Who knows, maybe we'll only need two sets. We'll be heading home this time tomorrow.”
“Somehow, I doubt that. But the sooner we get started, the sooner it can end. I’ll do like Matt Barker advised, and try Shadow Street first.”
“That’s not in the best part of town, right? We’d better make sure we get there while there’s still daylight. We don’t have a lot of that left.”
“Barker said that part of town is rough, but nothing like Del Toray’s mean streets. This is not a real big city. Still, we’ll travel there only when the sun is up.”
“We might as well wait till tomorrow.”
“Sounds good. For now, we'll grab something to eat. First, though, I have to call that so-called father of mine – to let him know my whereabouts. In case I disappear, and we can’t communicate. At least, he’ll have a place to start looking. If he cares.”
“He’d care. But hurry up. I’m starved.”
“Yes, ma’am. Just let me hit the little girls’ room.”
Tori stood slowly and headed for the bathroom. Anxious to get started, she really didn’t want to wait until tomorrow, but she knew it was best. But once tomorrow came, she would throw herself into things with a vengeance. She was going to bring Ava Edwards down. That wasn’t to be doubted at all. The princess, as many called her, would one day, become a peasant. As she entered the bathroom, she determinedly clenched a fist.
Chapter Thirty-One
It had been about nine in the morning when Tori and Simone had set out for Shadow Street. Using her GPS, Tori had taken the interstate and had gotten there with little trouble, though she had originally turned off a wrong exit.
Shadow Street was located in the southern part of the city, not far from the waterfront. It was a depressed area, with a lot of old and decaying houses, as well as a couple of housing projects. However, there was a decent amount of construction going on, indicating a serious attempt under way to revive the area.
Tori had parked her rented Hyundai Sonata in the parking lot of the small community library, where there were a number of other cars. She and Simone had then set out on foot to achieve their task, always trying to make sure they kept track of how to get back to the library. They had started at Shadow Street, but the plan was to cover as much of the area as possible. They had gone to houses and had stopped people on the street to ask them about Robbie Riley. They had distributed copies of newspaper photos of him. They carried their photos in large yellow envelopes. They had also let it be known that there was a reward available for any useful information. They didn’t mention that the police were also after Robbie, though they were sure that word would eventually get out. Tori had searched the local news on her phone about Del Toray; the police were going to contact the New Port police in regards to Robbie. They had obviously already gotten some press on him in that regards, not long after she and Simone had.
They had roamed around for nearly four hours. They wore jeans and T-shirts. The day was warm, and they had made no progress. They had made their way back to Shadow Street. They were in a residential area where both
sides of the street were lined with small houses, which were rather close together. They decided to take a load off and sit down. They sat on a bus stop bench at the corner.
“This ain’t going too good,” Tori said.
“Well, you have to give it some time. Whenever money’s involved, people will respond.”
“I just hope they respond fast. It’s not too classy here. That guy pissing in the alley a little while back was quite the sight.”
Simone giggled. “It stank too. Actually, it was kind of funny.”
“Disgusting’s a better word.”
“Yeah, well, that too.”
Tori was about to release more of her opinion on the matter, when she heard a loud noise. It sounded like a man’s scream. She and Simone quickly shot around. Directly behind them was an alley that was located between two houses. A small guy had just come out a side door, immediately followed by two much bigger men, one of whom was completely bald. The small guy stumbled down several steps and fell to the ground. He yelled even louder. The two men rushed down the steps and began kicking the guy. The guy yelled pitifully.
“Stop! Help! . . . God, help me!”
“God ain’t helping your faggot ass,” one of the men shouted.
They kicked the guy in the stomach, head, butt, anywhere they could land their army boots. The guy curled up in a ball. He especially tried to cover his face.
“We want our money, Peachy,” the other man yelled. “We want it now!”
“Somebody help me. Oh God! They gone kill me.”
Tori and Simone looked at each other. They both knew what they had to do. They dropped their envelopes on the bench. They shot to their feet and raced for the alley.
“Get off him,” Tori shouted.
The two men saw the women coming and weren’t swayed in the least.
“You pussies mind your own business,” the bald one yelled.
“Before you get hurt,” the other one added.
Tori and Simone arrived at the men at the same time. They both flew into the air and kicked out a leg. Both shots landed to the men's faces. Both men left their feet and came down butt first, head second. Their spills were rather nasty. Tori and Simone landed on their feet and immediately struck karate poses.
“Come on and hurt us, you bastards,” Tori shouted.
Both men raised to sitting positions. Their faces were covered with shock. But the bald man’s face quickly turned to anger. With blood trickling from his nose, he got to his feet and charged Tori. Tori threw another kick to his stomach. He grunted and slouched over. Tori then threw three lightning-quick punches to his forehead. The man spun around, looking disheveled. Simone threw out a kick to the small of his back. The man fell forward, landing on the other, butting into his head rather hard. They both yelled out.
Tori then saw something which she believed would bring an end to any more attempts at a counter-attack. There was a four foot board that looked to be about four inches thick, which rested against the steps. Tori quickly stepped to it and grabbed it. She planted her eyes on the two men and then put on a gruesomely frightening expression. She let out a heinous yell, and an instant later, she slammed the board back against her forehead, clearly breaking it in half. She then dropped the boards, struck her pose again, and just stared at the men furiously.
The two men looked up at her, astounded. They didn’t know exactly what to do. They took brief glimpses at one another. The bald one then looked back to Tori.
“Super bitches,” he said panicky.
He got to his feet, his buddy following suit, and started running – in the opposite direction. His buddy again followed suit. They followed the alley out to a back street, and they then sprinted away around the corner.
Tori grinned. Afterwards, she reached over and shook Simone’s hand. They both were filled with pride. They had done their good deed for the day. They stepped to Peachy, who still lay on the ground. His cheek was swollen, his eye was black, and both his nose and mouth were bloody.
Tori and Simone each reached out a hand to him.
“You okay, buddy?” Simone asked.
“I think you might need a doctor,” Tori added.
Peachy wouldn’t say anything at first. It puzzled Tori, who looked at an equally puzzled Simone.
“Take our hands, Mister,” Tori said. “Or are you too hurt?”
Peachy angrily swiped his right arm at them, knocking their hands away.
“You damn sluts,” he bellowed. “I ain’t ask for your damn help. I don’t need no help from a slut.”
Peachy got to his feet; he grabbed his side.
“You broke my damn board. I needed that damn board. I ought to call the cops on you two.”
He angrily limped past them, still clutching his side. He went up the steps, headed for the side door to the house. He didn’t bother to look back anymore.
“Goddamn women can’t never mind their own business.”
He went inside the house and slammed the door.
Tori and Simone – they were absolutely stunned. They were speechless, absolutely wracked with astonishment. They stared at each other, so embarrassed, that they couldn’t even be angry. They simply could not believe what they had just witnessed.
After a few seconds, Tori finally managed to get out a few words.
“ . . . I’ll be damned,” she said.
Women Haters Of The World. The small neon sign was lit up in the darkness – large white letters on a square background. It hung on the front door of Benny’s small house. Benny proudly stood out on the porch staring at the sign. He had picked it up from the neon shop downtown a short while ago. He had had it tailor-made for club headquarters, which was his home. Somehow, that sign seemed to give his club an air of professionalism. He just wanted to stand there and admire it, only he had to get inside and start the meeting. Somewhat regretfully, he went on inside the house.
Benny entered into the small den of his home. The room was filled with men and cigarette smoke. Some stood, some sat in chairs, others sat on the floor. The room was filled with loud conversation and laughter. There was also some beer drinking.
Benny was a big man, about six-foot-four and two hundred thirty pounds. He lifted weights regularly, and it was shown by his muscular, well-chiseled body. He had no hair on the sides of his head, and there was a thin brown strip that went down the center of his head, starting at the forehead and ending at the base of his skull with a pigtail. He wore boots, jeans, and a black vest with nothing under it. His arms had various tattoos over them, ranging from motorcycles to lifeless women. His face was scraggly with whiskers.
He walked to a podium that stood at the front of the room; behind it was a blackboard.
Benny picked up a gavel that was on the podium. He banged it several times.
“All right, yall,” he said in his raspy voice. “All right, all right, everybody shut up . . . Shut up, I said.”
The guys knew better than not to obey their leader. The room got quiet relatively fast.
“This meeting’s called to order. We got a couple important topics to take up tonight.”
“Sure do,” a tall skinny black man with dreadlocks said. “We gotta have justice for Peachy. Swift justice.” He was quite angry.
“Amen to that,” everybody agreed.
Peachy sat on the floor next to where the black guy stood. His face was swollen and bruised. One of his eyes was almost shut.
“Don’t nobody mess with our brothers like that, especially not in our own territory.”
“Be cool, Raven,” said Benny. “It’s taken care of. If everybody’ll look around, yall’ll notice that Huck and Duke ain’t here.”
Everybody did look around.
“I sent our two best enforcers out on assignment. I found out where those two bastards live who beat up on Peachy today. Guess where Huck and Duke is?”
The guys immediately started clapping and cheering. Peachy didn’t, however. He looked rather distraught. Benny was bewilder
ed, but he guessed it was because Peachy was still so upset about his beating. Benny looked at his watch.
“Huck called me twenty minutes ago. He and Duke had just finished with the first one; they were starting on the second. He said it’s already enough blood to stuff a pig.”
A lot more clapping and cheering. The guys were ecstatic. But Peachy still didn’t participate.
Benny threw both fists into the air in power signs.
“Right on, brothers.”
Everyone raised their fists in the same manner and then started slapping high-fives. Benny stood there a few seconds, proudly taking in the environment. He was proud of the club he had founded. In just two years, it had grown from five to twenty-five members. He had a goal of a million.
He decided the celebration had gone on long enough. He banged his gavel again, several times. In a matter of seconds, the room had quieted again.
“All right, gents, we gotta get on with business. We got another topic to discuss, and in my opinion, it’s a lot more important.”
“The two sluts,” a blonde guy dressed in drag shouted.
“That’s right, Dove. I heard there’s two strange ones nosing around the area. They’ve even invaded Shadow Street.”
“We can’t have that,” Dove stated. “They ain’t allowed. We wanna keep as many of them out as possible.”
Cheering backed Dove up.
“I agree wholeheartedly,” Benny said. “And we gone work on it. But we gotta be smart about it.”
“They helped Peachy today,” Raven said.
Peachy angrily punched him in the knee. Everybody laughed.
“That’s okay, Peachy,” said Benny. “Don’t feel ashamed. Every now and then accidents happen. Just remember, if women help us, we still never help them.”
Again, cheers.
“Apparently,” Benny continued, “they quite good with their fists. But they ain’t no match for us. Ain’t no woman a match for us.”
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