Renee 3 Page 15

  “I trust her, and I want to build a sisterhood with her,” Renee admitted. The words came out scratchy and on edge, but true nonetheless.

  Julian gave the door a once-over. He remembered the voice that belonged to a new long-lost sister. He replayed her tone and searched for her personality within it. They were almost destroyed twice by sisters of Renee’s, and if the saying “three times the charm” held any truth, then any ill intentions on Madison’s end would cause their world to crumble.

  “Say something,” Renee pushed. She understood why Julian’s words now either fell short or came out far and few between, but she needed to have this conversation. It was her last chance at a family, and the only way she saw that happening was if Julian agreed.

  “You know what I’m thinking, Renee.”

  “Still, tell me.” Renee knew his thoughts, yet hearing them would help her determine whether letting someone new in their life was the right thing to do.

  “You want to dive right back into what pulled us all apart? We’re still on shaky legs and in the process of healing. Concentrate on us.”

  “I am. That’s why if you tell me you don’t approve, it won’t happen. But I have to tell you how I feel. I want to have at least one healthy relationship with someone in my family, so I have to take into consideration that there’s a chance she may be the sister I might need.”

  “What else do I need to know about her?” Julian asked.

  “Everything if she’ll be around. But the most important thing you should know now is that she despises Carmen just as much as we do, and she is just as hurt and lost as me.” After she spoke, Renee sat up to look directly at Julian.

  “So, you can relate to her.”

  Renee nodded her head.

  “Fine, but one fuck up, one indication that she’s a relative of Carmen’s, and she’s gone.”

  Renee smiled, the truth in his words apparent and understood on her end.

  “I promise.” She kissed his cheek, her hand rubbing the right side of his face. “Now, let’s go meet her.”

  It had been a long time since Madison cooked a meal for anyone except herself. She kicked herself for entering Renee’s room without knocking, yet she looked at it from a positive perspective. Now she knew how much food to make.

  The pots and pans sizzled with breakfast as she cracked an egg from its shell and dropped it into a pan. Madison turned the bacon off, the strips now hardened and brown. Cut fruit sat in a bowl while she waited for the hash browns, sausage, and pancakes to cook. While organizing the plates on the island, which resembled a buffet, she remembered the orange and cranberry juice she’d placed in the freezer. She retrieved it along with drinking glasses, and she set the table. Checking on the rest of the food on the stove, it hit her. Did she make too much? According to the clock, it was technically lunchtime, but since they’d slept in late, Madison tried to play catch up and show her appreciation for Renee’s hospitality.

  Dressed, and with peaceful looks washed on their faces, Renee and Julian found their way into the kitchen. “Madison, you didn’t have to cook.” Renee looked at the spread, reminiscing on how far she used to take it when cooking for company.

  “I know. It’s a thank-you for letting me stay.” Madison turned off the stove and put the remaining food on separate plates.

  “Madison, I want to introduce you to Julian.”

  Madison couldn’t hide it. The surprise she felt reflected in her big eyes. She’d heard so much about Julian, but she didn’t expect to meet him so soon. After wiping her hands off on a rag covered with stitching of rolling pins, seasoning bottles, and spatulas, she held out her hand. “Nice to meet you.”

  Julian took her hand, shook it, and released it within seconds. He never spoke, only nodded his head.

  This was Renee’s first time eating at her kitchen table. Since moving in, she either ate out or took her food with her into her room, so sitting here was a nice change of setting. For the first few moments, no one exchanged words. They only ate, a newcomer changing the dynamic of things.

  Julian was the first to finish his meal. He wiped his mouth with a thick golden napkin and stared at Madison until she returned his glare. However, Madison concentrated on her dish. And when she finished, she dropped her fork, only to look up and see that Julian and Renee had finished their meals. Madison then took it upon herself to stand and clear the table.

  “That will be taken care of,” Julian voiced. His hand signaled for her to sit back down. Placing her empty cup and dirty napkin on her square plate, she sat down.

  “First, I would like to thank you for the meal and let you know that it was good,” Julian began.

  It was now Madison’s turn to remain tight-lipped and nod her head.

  “But you didn’t come here to cook, so tell me, what do you want?” The saying “fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me” played in Julian’s head. Making the same mistake twice would never be their reality again.

  “You think I have a motive, like Carmen.”

  “I think exactly that. Now, if you and Renee spoke for as long as she says you did last night, then I take it you know quite a few things about us.”

  “You don’t scare me. If that’s what you’re trying to sell me, I’m not buying it.” She knew where this conversation was headed, and part of Madison was jealous. Never had she had a man defend her, only humiliate and degrade her when she didn’t acknowledge his entrance into the club. She had yet to meet her knight in shining armor.

  “I don’t work off fear. I work off facts and promises. Now tell me some facts, and I’ll make you some promises.”

  Renee waited for Madison’s response. Madison saw Renee’s and Julian’s hands clasped together under the table. It must feel good to be loved, she thought.

  “I have no motive up my sleeve. And if I did, I would have put my plan in motion a long time ago. I knew about Renee for years,” Madison confessed.

  Julian looked at Renee. He had no idea she was aware of Renee’s existence before they even knew Madison’s name.

  “I didn’t come looking for Renee. I didn’t expect to even meet her. But now that I have, I want to get to know my sister. I don’t have any family left.”

  “And how do you feel knowing that one of the reasons death has hit your family is because of us? How can you build a relationship with the person whose friends are behind it?”

  Maybe Madison was a monster, because the answer she was preparing to give still sat right with her since she first felt it. “Because I don’t care. None of this would have happened if it weren’t for Carmen and her fucked-up ways, but then again, my family had been fucked up since the beginning of time. What do you want me to do? Seek revenge? Slither my way into Renee’s life, and make you all pay one by one? Then what would I be doing? Nothing but continuing a cycle that only proved to be destructive for people who barely even cared about me. I’m done. I just want to be happy and live life the best way I can, even if it means breaking bread with murderers.” Madison balled her hands into fists, willing her gumball-sized tears away. “Now make me a promise,” she challenged.

  “Zeke is dead, Madison. That same little boy who followed you around as a child is dead. The person we put on the job never misses,” Renee admitted. She needed Madison to understand what she was doing.

  “I tried talking him out of it, but he made his bed, so now he must die in it.” Tears dropped, and when they did, Renee and Julian squeezed each other’s hand.

  “You bring any harm her way, and I promise you I’ll kill you,” Julian warned.

  Wet faced, Madison smiled and said, “Good to know.”

  Chapter 26

  John Legend’s “All of Me” circulated through the modern home dipped in darkness. The living room curtains danced as the wind trespassed and forced its way through the open window. Stillness invaded the foodless, sparkling-clean kitchen as a drop of water threatened to fall from the sink’s faucet, hanging in the balance. The droplet held on
for dear life as its liquid physique stretched low, then snapped back up.

  The second-floor hallway floorboards and bare walls squeaked. Its creaks and old interior moved with the wind and spoke in the night. The bathroom performed magic tricks, the lights flickering on and off, then randomly blinking at an unreliable, unpredictable tempo. The bedroom held the most dreadful sense of serenity. Its loss of romance suffocated the air and tore away at reality. A flat, even surface occupied the right side of the bed. Its perfectness brought attention to the dip on its neighboring side. It should have never been that well kept, even leveled, or maintained. It should have been ruffled, scented with perfume, and sprinkled with love. Renee should have been there. She should have been his bed partner and the warm body he melted into, but she wasn’t, because she was too busy falling into waterfalls with Julian.

  After Jared killed Zeke, he drove straight to a hotel in Staten Island. He avoided his home after a kill. He craved to see Renee and celebrate what she asked for him to do, but he couldn’t. If he was being followed, he refused to lead anyone to his queen. So he waited and locked himself away, suppressing the urge to call and text Renee. He waited until sunrise on a Saturday morning while the rest of the world remained in bed to check out. After stopping by his home, his car took him to Renee’s. Anxious to see her, his hands shook while controlling the steering wheel. Pulling into her driveway, he stepped out of his vehicle and inhaled the fresh air.

  In search of the only person tolerant enough to deal with him and tainted enough to understand him, he skipped steps to make it to his love. His new mission was to make it to her as fast as he could. Inside her room, nothing was different or outside of Renee’s personality. Nothing except for the bathroom door being wide open and exposing her and Julian’s lovemaking. Jared’s heart stopped, eyes blurred, and legs wobbled. His comfort zone was stolen, and he was locked away in a land of heartbreak.

  Jared felt his heart giving out. The sensual touches, bites on the skin, whispers in Julian’s ear, and heavy releases of breath validated what Jared was missing, what Renee never gave him and saved for Julian. Their bodies clicked together like puzzle pieces snapping into place. Her facial expression was a painting on an easel, captured by an artist. Her body formations emulated undiscovered flexibilities and struck a jealous chord within Jared’s soul.

  His boots took a step farther in the water, his firearm in his hand and just as alert and visible as he. However, the danger slapped in front of the two lovers went unnoticed. Their love was blind, and it canceled out anything surrounding them. Jared raised the gun, pointing it directly at the side of Renee’s temple. He pictured himself blowing her brains out, but when he imagined her body hitting the bathroom floor, his need to murder vanished. This was not a life he could take. He could not add another lover to his chain of kills. This woman meant too much to him. Jared lowered his gun. With it still exposed, he walked out of the house slowly with his heart ripped out of his chest.

  * * *

  At Jared’s dreary, loveless home, Jared’s favorite gun and six bullets sat on a circular table once dusty and cloudy and now cleaned to perfection. One by one, Jared loaded the gun with each of the bullets. Only one would do the trick, but a game of Russian roulette was not in his plans. Jared pushed the final bullet inside the weapon, and his eyes clung to the picture of Renee on the table.

  Tears rolled and tumbled down Jared’s face, moisturizing his skin for the last time.

  “I pray the Lord my soul to take.” Jared’s prayer broke the silence, his heartfelt words filling God’s ears and taking His hand. Jared’s blurry vision held on to the portrait of Renee. He pointed the gun to the right side of his head, and one last tear splashed against the table.

  “Amen.”

  Chapter 27

  Carmen selected one of the many cabs awaiting passengers at the entrance of the hospital and jumped inside. Proud and feeling accomplished, she rattled off the address to the new hotel where she would now lay her head and meet up with her luggage. Courtesy of Detective Reynolds, her belongings were transported to the establishment and the bill for her stay paid. Carmen pushed the slanted-styled glasses farther up her nose and watched as New York’s architecture rushed past. She was in a state of admiration. Her thoughts rewound to the manipulation she exercised on the detectives and psychiatrist.

  Being a prisoner of a mental institution and unaware of the possible protection it would supply was not a desire of Carmen’s. She wanted out and the ability to finish what she started. Her acquaintance with the cat in her dream sparked the need for survival and supplied her with everything needed to keep her from seeing the inside of a psych ward. Carmen was very manipulative when meeting with the psychiatrist. Her words were well thought out, filled with emotion, and believable. It didn’t help that the doctor was new to this profession and a gullible young’un who ate everything Carmen was feeding her.

  “I should become a psychiatrist,” Carmen whispered. Her education took a backseat to her need for a man to care for her. Her intelligence was never a problem. Her goals and lack of independence had led her into an unstable, easily deleted position. Both sisters chased after their education, and although Renee was the only one who finished her time in a classroom, disappointment filled Carmen over not even attending college. Carmen was using her wits for all the wrong reasons, and only God knew where she would be now had she used them for good.

  Carmen dropped her head back on the worn leather seat. Her body rocked with the car as it made a sharp left and drove them into a large, dimly lit alley surrounded by nothing but space and a large building. Not even the sunlight lightened its mood. The cab sat at a red light, where she caught a glimpse of a group of women entering a building. It was the early afternoon, and by the looks of the building they entered, the establishment was closed. One by one, the young ladies draped in tight clothing and loud accessories disappeared inside, the lurid sound of the heavy metal door closing behind them. Carmen sat up, the words, Madison’s job, popping in her head. The car took off, and the large building shrunk in size.

  “Change of plans,” she told the driver. “Take me to Long Island.”

  * * *

  Carmen sat in the car staring at the home she used to visit as a child, the home she wished she could visit more since they couldn’t bring her sister home.

  The cab driver sat there quietly. No music filled the silence, and instead of listening to instruments and vocals, he listened to the afternoon’s breeze. The meter was running, so why complain and rush her? The time Carmen used reminiscing and looking out the window gave him a moment’s peace.

  The quietness and stillness the home gave off made her see that she wanted her family. Lying in that hospital caused random thoughts to swarm, twist, and turn inside of Carmen’s mind. One of those thoughts was if she had died, no one would have cared, and no one would have been concerned enough to hold a funeral for her.

  Everyone who loved her was dead, and those who weren’t had thrown her into a sea of isolation. Being in close proximity to sisters she had no dealings with, other than violence, was not a healthy life to live. There was no bettering her relationship with Renee, but Carmen hoped there was still a chance with Madison. Things didn’t go right the last time they spoke, but Carmen was a believer that time healed all wounds. In due time, Madison would come to her senses and speak with her once more. Madison’s sharp words and forward attitude had pain labeled all over them. She was a hurt creature who had always looked for a way out but could never outsmart the cage her emotions had placed her in. Now all Carmen had to do was be vulnerable and honest. All she had to do was be human and begin the process of building a relationship with her sister. Madison did nothing to her, and all she wanted was to be a part of the family their parents forced apart.

  Carmen removed the shades from her eyes, repairing what had been damaged before her birth required her to come in plain sight: no hidden agendas, no manipulations, just her. She slapped money into the driver�
�s hand, and as the door slammed, she heard him tell her, “Good luck.” He knew nothing about the problems of her life, or the thoughts in her brain, but he knew the sight of pain and nervousness. He knew the battle within and what it felt like to have to right what had been wronged for so long. A small, timid smile graced her face while she speed-walked to the front door.

  Ringing the doorbell, she brushed her fingers across her cheeks, her makeup terribly missed. The need to cry flourished and scratched at her. There was but so much wrong a person could do before they broke down and just wanted to be loved. She rang the doorbell several more times, then turned to knocking when no one answered.

  She looked out at the neighborhood, unaware of whether she should make her way to the club in case no one answered. Carmen didn’t know where Madison lived. She chose not to obtain that information after finding out about the life her sister lived, but now that she stood outside in the cold for the second time, she wished she’d gotten the address. In the middle of her admiring the home across the street, the front door finally opened. Carmen looked at Roy. His heavy eyes, ruffled hair, and alcohol-spewing pores told the tale of dismay. Carmen froze momentarily, unsure of how to react.

  “I was meaning to come visit you in the hospital, but I’ve been a little busy.” Roy reached over to the side of the door, and when he returned, he had a bottle of whiskey in his hand. It had a few sips left, and by the look in Roy’s eyes, he would eliminate it if it was the last thing he did. Instantly, Carmen’s heart dropped.

  “When did you get out? Did you give the police a description of the bastard who did this to my son? Is it that same motherfucker from the funeral?” Although his appearance said one thing, Roy spoke very evenly paced. The poison he took, which normally slurred speech and sprinkled forgetfulness over heads, seemed weakened by Roy’s system.

  Catching herself staring, Carmen came out of her thoughts and answered, “I got out this morning, and yes, I told them who it was. But it wasn’t the guy from the funeral. It was someone associated with him.”