Renee 3 Read online

  Roy walked away, and Zeke stood broken by the days’ past events. He knew what streamed through Madison’s thoughts, and he comprehended that, after she left their home, they would never see her again, because once again they had exiled her. “There’s still time to see things our way,” Zeke pleaded, his last chance of keeping Madison inside of the family.

  “And there’s still time to see things my way,” Madison insisted. She knew that it would never happen, but they still had time to take back what they said before she cleared out the room she’d had there since she was a child. The same room was left untouched when their family bond first broke. When Zeke didn’t respond, Madison got up and left the room, hours of packing ahead of her.

  Zeke sat on the chair his mother always rested in. And for the first time since her passing, he took a deep breath and examined his life. His leg shook, a simple, quiet way of releasing his grief. Cool air entered the room and dried the emotions appearing on his cheeks in the form of liquid.

  With a few taps on his phone’s screen, he searched for new text messages. From the corner of his eye, he noticed the deserted luggage he’d retrieved from outside tucked behind the living room’s curtains.

  He expected to hear back from Calloway, but instead, Jared responded. The new additions to his crew would be the perfect people to handle his dirty work. He’d use whom he was paid to keep an eye on. They had to be a threat for Dane to be watching them. Satisfied with what Jared wrote, Zeke jumped out of his seat, grabbed the luggage, and rushed out.

  Chapter 21

  This was no television show where, after Madison finished packing, she would stand in the middle of her room and reflect on all the good times, and a pinch of fear, regret, and sadness would suddenly wash over her and make her fight to stay. No, this was the straw that broke the camel’s back and the last time her family would push her away.

  Two suitcases and three duffle bags were scattered around the room, the empty shelves, dressers, and closets giving off an echo. Madison wanted out. Refusing to sit one last time on that bed, she stood and dialed a cab. Immediately, she heard the busy tone, which led her to roll her eyes and dial once more. On a Saturday night, this was no coincidence. All lines were busy. The sad thing about it was that this was the only cab service installed in her phone, and going out on icy sidewalks to hail a cab with five heavy bags was not in her future. And still, with all this taken into consideration, Madison refused to use Uber or any other of those new car services, Madison was old school and left those upgrades to the millennials.

  After she called for the fourth time and received the same response, Madison’s cell phone chirped with tropical birds singing to the rise of the sun, informing Madison of an incoming text. It was Nancy, and if Madison wanted to be specific, it was Nancy texting for the tenth time. They all read the same:

  Where are you? Are you trying to get fired? These girls are over here having a ball talking shit. Just let me know your dumb ass is still alive.

  Madison exited the text and dialed the cab service once more. She had disappeared from the job without informing them that she’d be attending her mother’s funeral and never bothered reaching out when she landed back in New York. After everything she’d encountered, she didn’t think she ever would.

  Beep. Beep. Beep.

  Pressing the end button so hard she nearly broke the tip of her finger, Madison flung the chair from underneath the vanity table and crashed down on it. The drawer slid out due to the rumbling, and a pack of cigarettes showed itself. Madison’s goal was to throw her bad habits out the window, but if she didn’t find a silver lining somewhere in this dark cloud, she’d find herself somewhere jammed in a straitjacket. She lit a cigarette and, for a few minutes, released aggravation out into the lung-slaughtering smoke. With her free hand, she used the tip of her long, colorful nails to write Nancy. The nicotine awarded her the clarity she needed to form a sentence.

  I’m okay, and tell them bitches to keep my name out their damn mouths!

  Her mentioning her coworkers shouldn’t have even made it into the text, but when it rained, it poured.

  Where the fuck have you been? I went to your house every day for the past week and you weren’t there! Nancy wrote back swiftly, her timing confirming that she was either off work or finished with one of her sets.

  I’m not home, Madison wrote back.

  Since you’re all secretive and shit, can I use your shower? I’ll sneak in that shit if I have to. This funk I’m carrying around is becoming unbearable.

  Madison put her cigarette out in the ashtray paired with the Newports. Her chuckles aired out the poison she’d inhaled. She forgot how good it felt to laugh. Positivity held on to her and allowed time to slip away. Throwing the cigarettes into her purse, she made one more call out to the cab service. Her change in demeanor must have blocked the negativity, because the line rang, and after answering destination questions, the dispatcher informed her that her vehicle would be there within three minutes.

  Madison’s cell phone chirped. She rammed the phone inside the pocket of her jeans, slipped into her coat, and grabbed the two suitcases. Like a penguin, she wobbled from side to side, speed walking so that she could relieve herself of the heaviness at the front door. Dropping the suitcases on the doormat, she rubbed her arms and then jogged back up the steps for the rest of her belongings. When everything was situated at the exit, she opened the door and came face-to-face with a younger version of herself.

  The cab honked its horn while Madison stood planted to the ground, examining the stranger’s bone structure and stature. The cab driver rolled down his window and screamed out, “You call a cab? You coming?”

  Madison dropped her bags, her stare never shifting. Instead, she threw her hand up, signaling for him to leave. Madison stepped back. Not only was their physical resemblance uncanny, but also the aura Renee gave off. Renee was her: a sister she knew about but had never met, a sister who, if their family were different, she could have possibly bonded with.

  “How are you?” Madison asked. After seeing so many pictures of Renee as a child while snooping through her father’s wallet, Madison always wondered how she’d look as an adult, and now that question was answered. “It’s nice to finally meet you.” Madison extended her hand.

  Renee’s forehead caved in. “Who are you?” Renee became uncomfortable, her guard increasing instantly.

  “I’m Madison, your sister,” Madison told her, her hand still held out.

  So this is she, Renee thought. Without notice, her body fell tense.

  Renee hadn’t prepared herself for this. She had no plan when it came to meeting Madison. In fact, she didn’t know that she ever would. Renee imagined herself giving her condolences to Roy and moving on. However, looking at this mirror image of herself, she wondered if subconsciously she knew Madison would be there and if that was the real reason she even cared to come by.

  The stay at Dane’s Miami home had been a short one. Renee’s visit seemed to brighten Dane’s behavior and get her off bed rest sooner than Metro had anticipated. Landing in New York two hours ago, the team followed Zeke back to New York, confident he would bury his mother where she lived and create a distance from the Miami turmoil. Leaving the airport, the five adults parted ways, but not before Jared and Renee partook in a kiss that sent Julian’s insides spewing with violent anger.

  Julian marched away, refusing to watch the “couple” engage in an emotional goodbye when he suddenly stopped. He needed to look back once more to make sure his relationship with Renee was truly over. The kiss was still taking place, but when Jared pulled away and jumped in a cab, Renee caught Julian’s eye. She wiped Jared’s kiss away, batted her eyes, and wrapped her arms around her waist. For the first time since she found out about Julian’s infidelity, she actually looked like she loved him again. Julian walked her way. People walked back and forth in between them, blocking his view of her, then allowing him to see her and vice versa. When he was seconds from reaching Rene
e, Dane grabbed him and led him in the opposite direction.

  “Not now. In due time,” she whispered.

  Julian didn’t know what that meant. He looked over at Metro, who nodded his head, confirming the truth in his wife’s words. Renee went home alone that night with no worries concerning Jared being out on a job. She walked in her home and, after looking out her window, felt compelled to give her condolences to the family she’d grown to know.

  Ignoring the formalities and Madison’s introduction of herself, Renee told her, “I’m sorry about Prue. I live across the street and thought I’d give my condolences.” Renee pointed backward at her home.

  Madison laughed, her hand dropping and slapping against her leg. She wished Renee at least shook her hand, but she understood the disconnect. She let out a heavy sigh. Today was a bad day, and it only seemed to get worse.

  “Prue mentioned the new, pretty neighbor who reminded her of me. And if it means anything, she didn’t know who you were. Never even knew how you looked.” Madison’s eyes zeroed in on Renee’s home. At least I know why I couldn’t keep my eyes off this house. “Thank you. I appreciate you coming by, and I’m sorry for your loss as well. I know how fast you two became friends.”

  Discomfort continued to invade Renee’s body. This was the most awkward moment to date. She didn’t know what to do or how to act. Should she just walk away, leaving behind yet another family member and ignoring once again what she wanted—family? Or was she to jump into another tank infested with fish called “sisters” who turned out to be sharks?

  “Let me know when the funeral is. I’ll think about attending.” Renee didn’t know what she thought she’d get out of possibly attending the funeral, but she brought it up anyway. Turning around, she looked back at her home, which appeared to be miles away. She wanted to run away from the drama known as her family and disappear. Speaking with Madison further could result in too many issues. Too many things had been done, would be done, and she could never turn a blind eye to Carmen’s wrongdoings. Renee could not forget that she was the odd sister out, but for some reason, she couldn’t walk away.

  “You want answers, don’t you?”

  Renee heard Madison speaking, but she didn’t acknowledge her and didn’t pull her gaze away from her home.

  “You want to know things. I understand. It’s natural, but you will never ask because you think I’m like Carmen.” Madison chuckled some more. No matter what I do, Carmen will always haunt me.

  Renee faced her. “She is your sister.”

  “Was my sister,” Madison corrected her.

  Renee gave her her back and walked away. Madison reached out and grabbed her arm. Renee looked at Madison’s hand wrapped around her upper arm. What is with the women in this family, grabbing people? Renee asked herself.

  Madison looked Renee straight in the eye. “I’m not Carmen.”

  “Let me go,” Renee warned.

  “Listen, I have a lot of issues concerning Carmen, but none of them has nothing to do with us being alike. I have been abandoned by this family more than once. I will not have another back turned on me today.” Madison’s hand never separated from Renee’s arm. She didn’t know where this strength came from. Maybe it was from being pushed over the edge more than once.

  Renee snatched her arm away. “You’re not like Carmen, because she’s not crazy enough to touch me.”

  “I’m sorry, but you really shouldn’t judge what you know nothing about. Let’s talk. Let me get to know you.”

  “You don’t want to know me,” Renee responded, her boots smashing leftover snow beneath her feet as she walked across the small street.

  “I know I want to fill in the blanks for you about our father!”

  Renee’s Achilles heel, her kryptonite, or however you wanted to describe her father, stopped her in the middle of the street. She thought Lyfe had filled in all the blanks regarding her father, but then again, before she knew who Lyfe was, she never knew there were blanks to be filled. Renee’s hesitation was enough for Madison to react. She dove back into the house, bringing the rest of her belongings out, and slammed the door behind her. The tropical birds started to sing, a reminder that Madison had an unchecked text message.

  Holding on to a few bags, Madison walked over to Renee while struggling not to fall on the ice. Her head pointed toward the house. “Shall we?”

  Renee’s face wrinkled. “I shall, and you shall not,” Renee informed her.

  Madison dropped her bags. “Our father threw his two other kids the leftovers of his time because you and his wife were his priority. I’m coming in,” she insisted.

  “I never knew about you or Carmen until recently, especially you. And the person responsible for killing Prue and your mother is my mentor. Since meeting Carmen, she gave me hell. Now her life is on the clock, and I will kill her. Now, do you still want to get to know me?”

  And there they were, the facts that would separate sisters before they came together.

  “Fine.” Madison smiled and jammed her bags into Renee’s hands. “Now, tell me about your childhood.” She retrieved the rest of her belongings from in front of Prue’s house and headed over to Renee’s, unfazed by her honesty and determined to get out of the cold.

  As Madison stood in front of Renee’s doorstep, waiting to be let in, Renee continued to stand in the middle of the street oblivious to what was taking place. Renee looked down at the luggage and back up at Madison.

  “I’m no longer welcome there!” Madison screamed. “And why travel home at this time of night when there’s a sister of mine who lives right across the street for me to learn all about?”

  Chapter 22

  Jared sat in the hotel’s lounging area, staring at the entrance. His lack of movement and silence created an uncomfortable feeling in each of the hotel workers’ stomachs, which led them to constantly watch him.

  “He’s been sitting there for an hour. What do you think he’s waiting for?” one of the clerks questioned her coworker.

  “I don’t know,” the short girl with neatly twisted locks responded, “but he’s creeping me out. He’s not talking, moving, or nothing. He’s just . . . there.”

  Jared noticed the looks being given to him, those fearful glances in the eyes of many. People wore their emotions on their sleeves and never bothered hiding them within themselves, so to stumble upon a person they could not read hindered their comfort zone and made them become suspicious of the unknown. Individuals from all walks of life came and went from the temporary place of residency. However, none were the prey Jared was ordered to demolish. An hour early to his agreed appointment, he took heed of his surroundings, dissecting the place chosen by Zeke to meet.

  This kill he would cherish and carry out with precision, simply because it would be the first he’d accomplish while officially being in a relationship with the love of his life. There were no more disruptions between the two or a time of absence keeping them apart. It was just Renee and Jared, and to celebrate, he would give her what she asked—kill Zeke. Zeke was in the wrong place at the wrong time and saved the wrong life. Even though this story could be turned in so many different directions, it landed in the direction where they must rid themselves of future problems and allies who could eventually help Carmen.

  Jared was lost in a world where only he and Renee existed and time stood still. His eyes remained cemented on the rug. A faint gush of wind carried Jared out of his thoughts and pointed him in the direction of Zeke, who walked quickly past him toward the elevators with luggage in hand. The fast steps awarded Jared the idea that he would drop his belongings off, meet with him, then stay the night, another customer in need of service.

  After pushing the button for the elevator, Zeke stepped inside and the doors closed. Moments later, Jared took his place in front of the elevators. He watched as the numbers lit up and finally froze on the number four. Aware of where the establishment’s staircase was, Jared took to the steps. Jared made it to the fourth floor just in ti
me to see Zeke headed in the opposite direction, his focus straight ahead.

  Jared’s boots sank inside the soft navy blue carpet, its material taking away any indication that a savage was near, on the prowl, and determined to slaughter its victim. The distance between the two gave Zeke the advantage to reach his room safely. He withdrew his room key, slid it in the slot, and let himself in.

  Zeke being out of sight did nothing to increase Jared’s speed nor worry him. At a normal pace, he continued to walk down the brightly lit hallway with freshly applied wallpaper. Along the way, he inhaled the flowers propped up in vases that were plucked early that morning. Women covered in penis necklaces and other bachelorette party accessories staggered out of their rooms while talking loudly to one another as if they were miles away instead of shoulder to shoulder. When pink sashes and crowns turned the corner and were out of view, Jared stood in front of the door Zeke had entered. He knocked. Its lurid yet harmless banging masked the danger that stood on the other side. Stillness filled the room, and Zeke glanced at the other breathing body looking his way. “Room service,” he mouthed.

  Zeke pushed away the peephole’s metal covering and listened to it click-clack. Many hotels withdrew from having peephole covers, but not this one. This roadhouse was against Zeke and worked in Jared’s favor 100 percent. It was the reason Zeke didn’t see Jared first, the reason the carpet masked footsteps and the numbers on room doors jumped around, making it challenging for him to find room 404 within seconds. Zeke lowered his head, looked through the peephole, and before his vision cleared and straightened to perfection, the peephole exploded. A bullet entered his eye and traveled out the back of his skull.