Eric walked over with gun in hand and examined Lil’ Long’s seemingly lifeless carcass.
“Is everybody all right?” Eric asked then gasped as he saw the gory twisted angle of Kamilla’s body. “Oh shit!” he exclaimed and hurried over to where her crumpled carcass rested, downed by slugs from Lil’ Long’s guns. Eric held his breath hoping but seemed unsure and cautiously moved closer. He felt her cold clammy skin and knew she was fatally wounded. Eric’s touch disturbed the carcass. Kamilla’s once beautiful head shifted awkwardly back revealing a full frontal view. For the first time, Eric could see what she looked like. He took some steps back, visibly shaken. “She’s dead,” he announced. Eric’s voice cracked from the strain of his emotions.
The grotesque look on one side of her face was enough confirmation. Kamilla was mortally wounded. Eric felt a tremor of relief when he turned and saw Sophia. He hurried to help her to the sofa. “You’re alright? Are you okay, honey?” Eric asked brushing her hair away from her face. He saw the penny sized lump just under her hairline as he attempted to comfort her.
Eric hurried to get an ice pack and held it against the lump. Sophia pushed him away and rubbed her eyes in disbelief. A worried frown enveloped her face when she saw Coco and Deedee holding guns that were still smoking and pointed at the bloody mess. Sophia surveyed the entire scene with frightening curiosity. It was as if being suddenly awake in someone else’s worst nightmare.
She saw Eric who had a defiant air about him and he seemed all right. Sophia blinked uneasily. She was still stunned and tried to slow down the whirlwind of thoughts and emotions invading her mind. The whole thing was difficult for her to absorb all at once. Sophia tried to make sense of it. How did the girls get the guns and why was this thug here in the first place? She put her hand to the side of her head and felt the bruise. It was a reminder of an incident that she was slowly trying to put together .
The whole thing seemed like it happened in a flash, she thought. The ruminations slowed and Sophia remembered the doorbell and the incessant knocking. She had thought that someone was making a delivery so she answered the door and was surprised by a man with a gun. Or were there two guns? Maybe there were two men carrying guns. Her memory was cloudy from there on. Try as she may, Sophia couldn’t remember much more of anything. What was abundantly clear was that the body of one of the intruders was bleeding to death not too far from where she sat. As the cobwebs slowly cleared from her head, Sophia heard Deedee’s eerie cry.
“Oh my gosh! Kamilla… is she ah… for real Uncle E, what’re we gonna do? Shouldn’t we call the…” Deedee fumbled for the right words but her mouth was dry from fear.
“What about him? Do you think he’s dead, yo?” Coco casually asked. Deedee sensed no anxiety in Coco’s tone. Her teenaged friend appeared far more composed about the entire incident than her adult counterparts. It was this quality that Deedee wished she had and another thing she admired about the fearless Coco. “He deserved all that shit,” Coco said as she and Deedee turned their gaze on the fallen fighter.
Deedee felt a rush of adrenaline as if she had accomplished a huge feat. She had defeated an enemy who had raped her. The gun felt cold and heavy against her sweaty palm but she refused to let it go. It was as if she wanted to savor this moment. Deedee wanted to secure it in the same manner that Coco hid her scars after she had been raped. Coco had buried that feeling of being violated somewhere deep down in her soul. Unforgiving, she used the anger to fuel her drive.
This moment was Deedee’s and it was clear that from this point on there would be no turning back. Deedee knew the police would come. She knew that there would be questions and a criminal investigation. But where was all that when this punk was mauling me? This is my sweet revenge, she thought going from Coco’s chilled demeanor to the look of confusion on Sophia’s face.
TWO
Sophia turned her head as she felt Eric’s arms encircling her tightly. There were so many questions she wanted to ask but became confused when she felt the security and looked into his brown eyes. She really did not know where to begin. Her turmoil was temporarily allayed when the realization that they both survived triggered tears of relief.
Eric kissed away Sophia’s tears as she wiped her hands across his. Sophia was curious over what had happened but right now she was just happy to be alive. She refrained from asking Eric any questions but kept them in her mind. She would find out what had caused all this later.
“You’re okay, Eric?” Sophia managed to finally ask.
“Baby, how do you feel? Should I call a doctor?” Eric asked and touched his fiancé’s face. He stared at her waiting for an answer. She still looked dazed. “Maybe I should just go ahead and get you to a hospital?” Sophia sensed that he was concerned but she would worry more if she left his side.
“No, honey, I don’t need to go anywhere. Kamilla? Is she alright? She’s not moving at all.” Sophia’s grip on Eric became tighter. He saw the worried and confused look she wore underneath the tears her questions brought. Eric hugged her again. He knew it wasn’t a good look for either of them.
“We’re gonna ride through this one, baby. We’re gonna be alright,” he said in an attempt to console the woman that he loved.
Eric knew that his actions or reaction to the rape of his niece had triggered this outcome. It was something he would have to live with. He had made the pact with Busta to have someone rubbed out. It was now clear to Eric that things had not gone as planned. Eric felt that he had to call Busta and let him know about the situation. Lil’ Long was bleeding to death in his living room. Eric held Sophia and felt the fear in her. His thoughts were now on high volume.
“I don’t see either of them moving. Do you?” Sophia asked inching closer to where Kamilla’s body lay. She leaned over closer to get a better view, all the time holding tight to Eric. “Kamilla? Kamilla? Oh God, I think she’s dead. We’ve got to notify the police,” Sophia cried. Her mind was in a whirl and she did not know what to think or even where to begin. She looked around at the others and their faces registered equal turmoil and confusion.
“Five-oh is probably on their way already, yo,” Coco said. She looked at Deedee, gun pointed and still staring at Kamilla’s distorted body. “Yo, Dee, we better get rid of these burners. They’re hot. We’ve got to stash ‘em, yo,” Coco said gripping the arm of her friend.
Deedee seemed completely mesmerized by the whole thing as she turned to Lil’ Long. Coco pulled herself even closer to the girl. “What da deal, yo? You wanna finish him off?” Coco quietly asked but Deedee paid no heed to the question. She stood awestruck staring at Lil’ Long as he writhed in pain. “You’re either gonna help him or finish him.” The girl still did not respond. “Deedee,” Coco said, “wasn’t this the bastard that you said raped you, girl?”
Coco appeared to have ignited an emotion. For one beat, it appeared as if Deedee not only wanted to pull the trigger but to do it over and over again. Maybe she would have but Coco quickly added, “I think five-o is right outside the door, yo.” Coco could not pry the gun from Deedee’s grip. “We’ve got to get rid of all this heat. Five-oh will be here shortly, Dee.”
“Can you hear the sirens?” Eric asked. The room fell silent.
“Yep, I can,” Coco assured him. “Five-Oh is definitely on their way, yo.”
“It probably sounded like a war zone up in here.” Eric walked to the window, peeked then said, “Goddammit, one of my kind. Nosey neighbors already called the police.”
The others in the room gaped as the reality of the moment became pressing. There was still the matter of two bodies and some guns. Eric thought about it for a second before adding, “All right, listen up real quick-like. This is how we’re gonna do it. Pass all