Shyt List 3 (The Cartel Publications Presents)

by Reign (T. Styles)

  “I figured you didn’t. But maybe in the future, we can try hypnosis again. It worked for you in the past.”

  “Whatever,” she said shrugging her shoulders. “For real, I don’t think I wanna know.”

  “But it’s important, Yvonna. There may be some other children who are going through what you are. As a matter of fact, I’m sure of it.” When Terrell saw her hesitancy he said, “Let me take you somewhere. Just for a little while.”

  “Let’s go,” she said shrugging her shoulders.

  A half an hour later, they were in front of a church. The brick structure looked familiar but she couldn’t be sure. “Why are we here?”

  “Have you been here before?” Terrell asked parking.

  “No. But for some reason, I hate churches.” She seemed to disappear into her thoughts before she focused back on Terrell. “I always have. You know how some people gravitated toward crosses? Well I ran the other way. But I don’t know why.” She said looking at him. “Why are we here anyway? And at night?”

  “When you were institutionalized this time, I wanted to know why you took on personalities of people you…well…killed.”

  “You don’t know what you talkin’ about!” she said with an attitude. There’s no proof that I killed anyone.”

  “Listen, I’m not here to judge you, Yvonna. I just want to help you. I’m on your side. But I do need to know. Did you kill Avante?”

  She swallowed hard and said, “No.”

  “I knew it,” he smiled.

  “But why are you here? One minute you don’t like me, and the next minute you dating my doctor. Why should I trust you?”

  “Yvonna, I never hated you. Ever. Think about it. The last time I spoke to you personally, I testified in your defense in court. Does that sound like a man who hates you? Even after you stole my money I was still there for you when you needed me. And I’m trying to be here for you now. Allow me to.”

  “I’m listenin’,” she said softly.

  “Gabriella, is not somebody you just dreamt up, she was real. Someone you knew when you were younger. Now, you’d been subjected to so much mental abuse, that it’s easy to see why you pushed the thoughts of her out your mind. And from what I understand, she was a strong personality in your life. A protector. Just like she is now.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Someone who met you when you were a kid, who is no longer with us told me.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  Terrell opened his glove compartment and removed a newspaper article with a picture of Gabriella when she was a child along with a sketch drawing.

  “Now when you were institutionalized, you helped the artist draw a composite of Gabriella. That’s what this picture is,” he said handing her the sketch which she remembered.

  “How did you get that?”

  “It’s a long story.” He paused. “But look…this is the picture of a girl who went missing from this church.” He said pointing at the building. “The resemblance to the sketch and article picture was uncanny.”

  Yvonna took the pictures and held them side-by-side. And then she looked at his face.

  “Are you okay?” He asked lovingly.

  Yvonna wiped a tear from her face, looked up to him and said, “She’s real. You can actually see the person who has haunted me forever.”

  “Yes,” Terrell smiled as he reached over and touched her shoulder. “She’s real.”

  Yvonna reached over to Terrell and gave him a hug and said, “Thank you so much. You don’t know how much this means to me. You can actually see her when nobody else could. What happened to her? Why is this a missing persons picture?”

  “It’s a long story. But unlike this article says, I have reason to believe that she’s still alive, and the information I need is probably in that church. I wanted to bring you here in case you remembered anything.”

  She looked at it again and said, “Never.”

  “I’m going to come back here tomorrow, to find out more information. But Yvonna, I’m going to need you to stay low-key. Stay away from Penny and watch everyone new and old in your life. I believe you’re surrounded by dangerous people.”

  “I know.”

  “But also, there are four people who are trying to kill you who you wouldn’t expect. They will stop at nothing to murder you.”

  “Is one of them my doctor Jona?”

  “Just be careful,” he warmed. Yvonna had so many people after her that she wasn’t surprised anymore. She just felt defeated.

  “Do you know them personally, Terrell? The people who are trying to kill me?”

  “Yes.”

  “Please forgive me if this comes out wrong. But…,” she said looking down at her baby in her arms, “I started out wanting revenge. I felt there were people I cared about who used me, and I wanted them to pay and most of them have. I even hurt some people in my life that didn’t deserve it,” she said touching his face softly, “mainly you.” She continued.

  “But I’m a mother now…who also knows how it feels to be alone. And I don’t want that for my baby. I don’t want her to have the kind of life I did without knowing a mother’s love. So I’m askin’ you to do whatever’s necessary to keep me safe. I can tell you still love me, and I’m askin’ you to prove it.”

  “Are you saying to me what I think you are?”

  “I’m sayin’ if you know who wants to hurt me, please take care of them.”

  Terrell sat back in his seat and examined the most beautiful villainous woman he’d ever met in his life.

  “I don’t know.” He said shaking his head.

  “Do it for me.” She pleaded. When he seemed hesitant, she placed her baby softly on the back seat of his car. And then she removed her pants.

  “What…what are you doing?”

  “I’m gonna make love to you,” she said climbing softly on top of him.

  “This is not what I want.”

  “I know you want me. I saw it in your eyes the moment I saw you today.”

  She removed his penis from his pants, and released his thickness. She softly stroked it her hands and bit down on her bottom lip. His body trembled and she knew instantly, how much he still cared about her. Looking at him deeply she said, “Before we make love I need to let you know that I think there’s someone else in my life. Someone I care about a lot.”

  “You love him?” He asked anticipating being inside of her after so long.

  “No. But I like him a lot. And the way he argues with me, I think he cares about me too.”

  Disappointment covered his face. “Have you made love to him yet?”

  “No,” she smiled kissing his lips softly.

  “Then make love to me now,” he paused, “and worry about that nigga later.”

  Terrell pulled her down onto his dick and pumped softly into her waiting body. Yvonna’s head dropped back as she kept her moans to a minimum, not wanting to wake Delilah. The wetness from her pussy trickled onto his pants and allowed for an easy entrance. Being overwhelmed with how good she felt, he bit softly on her shoulder.

  “Why can’t nobody come close to how good you feel?” he asked in a heavy whisper.

  She kissed him on the lips breaking any chance he had at speaking again. But this time, unlike the other times they had sex, he wasn’t cumming quick. Instead he grabbed her waist and moved her up and down as he met each thrust with passion. Minutes passed and she finally allowed herself to enjoy him, without fear of it ending soon. She needed to be ravished and he was doing exactly that. Her body trembled and her pussy throbbed.

  “Damn, Terrell, you makin’ me feel so good. I see you got your stamina up.” She whispered.

  “A lot of shit has changed about me. I’m not the punk I use to be, Yvonna. You changed that about me.”

  Loving the idea of finally being able to reach an orgasm with him, she rotated her hips so that she could feel him fully. Her soft lips covered his as he suckled her tongue. It was too good to believe, she
was about to cum and Terrell was to thank.

  “Don’t stop,” she said a little louder than she wanted. The fact that she couldn’t scream because her baby was in the back seat, and that they were in a public parking lot aroused her even more. “Please don’t stop. I’m…I’m…about to—,”

  Just when she said that, she came all over his stiff dick and he released his cum into her warm body.

  “Oh my…oh my…goodness!” she moaned trying to catch her breath. “You don’t know how much I needed that.”

  “And you don’t know how much I needed you.” He said seriously.

  “Don’t fall in love with me again, Terrell, I don’t wanna hurt you.” She saw something familiar in his eyes and it worried her because all she wanted was peace and a chance at a normal life.

  “It’s too late. I already fell…I just never got up.”

  “But this is not good. I want to be real wit’ you. I’m trying, Terrell.”

  “Yvonna, I felt guilty for having you and letting you go so easily. I mean, you were the woman who was supposed to be my wife, and I was so consumed with work that I didn’t know you were suffering. I never got over the fact that I was your man and a psychiatrist and still didn’t know what was going on in my own home. I neglected you,” he said smoothing her short hair. “Now I know you have somebody. I get that. But all I’m asking is that you give me a chance to make right the wrongs I did to you in your life. Please, baby. Just one more chance,” he said kissing her lips.

  “Do you hear yourself?” she said getting off of him putting her clothes back on in an agitated rush. “You always blamin’ yourself for shit I do. I hate that about you.”

  “As well you should, but it doesn’t change how I feel. I was your man, and I let you go through this alone. I’m not going to let that happen again, Yvonna. If that nigga you got cares about you, I’m happy for you. I just need you to know that I’m here, no matter what because I still believe you belong to me.”

  “What about, Jona?”

  “I don’t love Jona. I never did.” He said looking out before him. “I think I fucked with her because of you. It was my sick way of staying connected to someone I still loved. When you got married to Dave, that shit crushed me. I felt it should’ve been me. To this day I haven’t taken your picture off of my desk, that’s because I never took you out of my heart.”

  “I don’t know what to say right now.” Yvonna said. “I’m not a good person. I don’t deserve this kind of love. You’re good…and I’m evil. We don’t mix well.”

  “Don’t tell me that. We’re perfect together. And in time you will see.”

  The Right Bitch

  “Can I come in?” Yvonna said holding Delilah in her arms.

  Bricks rushed up to her and wrapped his arms around her body. “Girl you don’t know how fuckin’ worried you had me about you.” He said closing the door behind them. “You call me and tell me to watch my back and hang up without sayin’ shit else.”

  “I’m sorry. I just had a lot of stuff to think about.” She continued placing Delilah down so that she could play with Chomps.

  Melvin stood up and said, “Man, I’m ‘bout to bounce. I’ll get up wit’ you later.”

  He didn’t bother speaking to Yvonna. When he left she said, “That’s your brother?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Real nice,” she said sitting on the sofa.

  “We need to talk, Yvonna.” He said making no excuse for Melvin. “A lot of shit kicked off today.”

  “You telling me. Today was the longest day of my life.”

  “I can believe that. I ‘preciate you callin’ me ‘bout Bet. You were right…she was tryin’ to set me up but we took care of it.”

  “I see you got Chomps.” She said looking down at him playing. “What happened?”

  “I can’t speak on it.” He said sitting next to her.

  She inhaled and exhaled. “Well, what now?”

  “We wait.”

  “Is that what you wanted to tell me?” she asked looking into his grey eyes.

  “No, I wanted to tell you that I care ‘bout you.”

  It was the second time that day she heard that someone cared about her yet she didn’t feel worthy. “Bricks, I care ‘bout you too. But I’m…I’m not the girlfriend type. I’m loud, mean, heavily opinionated and very vindictive.”

  “You right about that shit.”

  “I’m serious.” She said looking into his eyes. “I’m all those things but I wanna be different for you. I wanna open my heart to you because I’m tired of not havin’ real love.” Her body was slumped into the couch and she looked subdued. “I don’t wanna fight wit’ you no more. I just wanna learn how to love again.”

  “Damn, ma, I never saw this side of you before.” He said as Delilah played with Chomps on the floor.

  Then all of a sudden, Delilah bopped Chomps on the head with his own truck and said, “Don’t touch!”

  “Delilah! Don’t do that!” Yvonna said embarrassed.

  “Don’t worry about it,” Bricks said. “They just kids. Look,” he pointed at Chomps. “He not even cryin’.”

  What he said was true about Chomps going on about his business, but what scared Yvonna was the look Delilah had in her eyes. It was undeniably rage and hate mixed and it scared her. But then as if someone flipped on the light switch, she stopped expressing hate and started back playing.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  “Uh…yeah. I think so.” She said examining her baby’s strange behavior.

  “Where were we?”

  She smiled and said, “I wanna be real wit’ you. I don’t know how this is gonna work out between us, but I’m hopin’ you will give me a chance. And that you don’t give up on me.”

  “Naw…I can’t do that no more. I’m in it to win it.”

  “You say that but your actions are different.”

  “I know. Remember when we was at the club, and I said I wasn’t ready for a relationship. I finally get that I wasn’t talkin’ ‘bout you. I’m trynna see if we fit. We been through everything together in these last few days and the only thing I know is that I wanna be wit’ you. ‘Til death do us part.”

  Yvonna’s heart raced as she thought about her first love Bilal and the tattoo he wore on his arm. It read, ‘LalVon’ inside a coffin and it meant he and Yvonna ‘til death.

  She swallowed hard and said, “So you sayin’ you really wanna give us a chance?”

  “I’m sayin’ I need to be wit’ you. So what you wanna do?”

  Just when he said that, Tina knocked on the door and Bricks let her in. “Hey, cuzo, I’m here to get Chomps.” She said looking at Yvonna. “Hey, Yvonna.”

  Yvonna waved and said, “Hi, Tina.”

  “Can I wrap to you for a second, Bricks?” Tina said turning back around to face Yvonna. “Alone.”

  Bricks looked at Yvonna and said, “Gimmie a sec.” He saw the seriousness in his cousin’s eyes as they walked into the kitchen. “What up? You cool?”

  “Carmen’s at my house,” she said in a low voice, “she said she was sposed to be stayin’ with you for two weeks and that she flew all the way up here from Georgia. Had it been any other bitch I would’ve sent her on her way but I know you fucks wit’ her like that. So what you want me to do?”

  Bricks walked away from his cousin and leaned up against the refrigerator. The Captain Crunch cereal box fell off the top and hit the floor. With all of the drama, he had forgotten to tell Carmen not to come. And now that he had fallen for a woman he hadn’t even fucked, he had forgotten all about her.

  “You forgot didn’t you?” He nodded in agreement. “What you want me to tell her, Bricks? I can get rid of her if you want. Just say the word. She came on the block but you know they wouldn’t let her on the street without approval. So she called me like all your chicks do and now I got her up in my crib. But it ain’t nothin’ to get rid of her either.”

  “Naw…don’t do that,” he said as he put his ha
nds in his face and dropped them by his sides. “Let me talk to Yvonna first. I’ll call you later.”

  “You sure?” She asked with raised eyebrows. “Don’t mess your thing up here if you don’t have too.”

  “Naw. Let me wrap to my peoples and I’ll call you.” He confirmed.

  “Cool.” Tina said as she grabbed Chomps and walked out the door. With Chomps gone, Delilah was happy to have full reign of the floor and appeared unmoved by his absence.

  When they were alone Yvonna said, “Look, I was thinking about making us a nice little dinner tonight. Just the three of us now since Chomps gone. Since we gonna be up in the house waiting to get rid of Swoopes ass for three weeks. I might as well show you my cookin’ skills.”

  Bricks sat down next to her on the couch and allowed the seriousness of what he was about to say to show on his face. He placed one hand on her knee and said, “Look, before me and you started kickin’ it, I told somebody I would be wit’ them today and I forgot about it.”

  “Okay…is it a…girl?” she asked hoping it wasn’t the case.

  “Yea.”

  Realizing she’d just been with Terrell a few moments earlier she decided not to be stupid and immature about the matter. I mean Bricks was fine and he was bound to have someone around who wanted him. But she really liked Bricks and wanted things to work out between them too. “Okay, I’ll give you tonight. But tomorrow you mine.” She smiled trying to take it all in. “So you have to let her know.”

  “Actually, she’s here for two weeks.”

  “Two weeks? This sounds serious. What about all that you love the single life shit? I mean…why wouldn’t you tell me ‘bout her?”

  “It’s not like that, Squeeze. For real! I’m not a cruddy nigga so I can’t just send her back home on a plane to Atlanta. The girl came all this way to see me and I was so caught up with this drama and Swoopes, that I didn’t catch her in time. The girl wanted to be wit’ me and I fucked up.”