I balled up my fist. If I went over there right now I was going to make a scene by snatching her by that expensive blond weave. He laughed at whatever it was she was showing him before his eyes came up to meet mine. And I don’t know if it was seeing another woman making him happy or the fact that the tramp’s breast was still pressed against his head that caused my eyes to fill with tears.
Angrily, I turned and swiftly made my way out of the banquet hall. I was angry with myself for crying. What was wrong with me! People stared at me as I swiftly made my way through the crowd but I didn’t care. I just wanted to get outside to get some air.
“Yas!” Gabe called as he stormed from the hall, nearly pushing the couple that was going in at the same time out the way. I felt a small rush of pleasure when I saw that he was angry. Thrilled that the smile Mercedes had put on his face was now gone.
“Yas!”
I didn’t slow down. I just hurried toward the door that the doorman was now holding open for me. As soon as the cool air touched my skin, Gabriel grabbed my arm bringing me to a stop.
“What’s up?” He asked. I snatched my arm from him.
“I want you to fire Mercedes!” I yelled not caring that my raised voice attracted several people’s attention. My grandma always said, nobody could do loud like black folks.
The look on his face was a mix between anger and confusion.
“Baby, what are you talking about… fire Mercedes? Why?” I narrowed my eyes at him refusing to believe he didn’t know why. All night I have watched him growl and grump about every man that even looked like they were going to touch me. And here he stood confused.
“She crosses the line all the time!”
“How? What did she do?” I laughed to keep from crying. Now he was talking to me like I was crazy.
“Oh! Okay! You don’t know? Alright then, what she does must be okay! So, I’ll just let men drape their arms on me, and rub my chest, and press their privates against my face!” My rant got away from me, but it was too late when I realized my mistake.
Gabe’s nostrils flared and his whole body stiffened.
Oh crap!
I held up my hands feeling like I was standing in front of Ms. Willie Mae’s bull.
“Gabe, I meant another man’s chest, not private parts. She had her breast pressed up against your face. Of course I didn’t mean the other thing—”
“Boss!” Flint said running from inside of the building. The look on his face brought my words to a halt. “Come with me!” He didn’t wait to see if we followed, he just turned and ran back into the building. Gabe took off behind him, I followed but at a much slower pace than the men who were now sprinting. The shoes I wore required more caution.
My heart raced! Something was wrong. Flint and Gabe ran through the door that led to the stairwell. Kenny and several more of Gabe’s men hurried from the banquet hall and followed through the door, flying down the stairs, heading to the underground parking lot.
I had just reached the landing when I heard a noise that I don’t think I will ever forget. It didn’t sound human. It was a mix between a yell and a growl. I knew it came from Gabe. By the time I made it out the door and began running to where the small crowd of men were gathered, Jerome who was covered in blood was running toward me.
“Go back in Yas!” He yelled.
“Somebody call the ambulance!” I heard Kenny cry out.
“Who did this?” Gabe yelled. “Who did this?”
I had never heard this kind of rage in his voice before. Tears came to my eyes when I rounded the corner and saw him and Kenny on their knees on the ground holding a badly mutilated body in their arms. I knew who it was instantly.
“Mac!” I yelled trying to push Jerome away from me.
“Let me go!” I needed to get closer. I needed to make sure he was alright. Jerome lifted me off my feet.
“No Yas, you don’t want to see that!” But just then Stacy broke through the small crowd that Gabe’s men and hotel security was busy pushing back into the stairwell and began to run our way. Jerome cursed before putting me back on my feet and caught her just as she rounded the corner.
“Mac!” She screamed beating at his arms and chest. “Let me go! Is that my brother?” He picked her up in his arms and carried her kicking and screaming out the garage. I began to approach Gabe but another one of his men caught me, holding me back.
“Give me the keys to your car!” Gabe yelled to one of the twins as he lifted Mac in his arms. His face was a ball of rage and pain.
“Is that his heart?” Kenny whispered still on his knees. We all followed his gaze to the cement beam overhead. And there on the beam was in fact a bloody heart that had been pinned there with a blade.
‘You have something that belongs to me’, was written next to it in blood.
Still holding Mac’s limp body in his arms, Gabe’s gaze that was now delirious from the
