He squatted on the limb like a mighty bird of prey. That old dark duster of his blowing in the wind behind him. My young mind could not comprehend him. Was he a man? An Angel? How did he get up there? Hell, how was he going to get down? I didn’t have to see him in action to know it was something deadly about this dude.
“If you can’t stop me, how in the world do you think you can stop He who created me? And I assure you, He created beings way more dreadful than I.”
“Everything you have come from the Ancient of Days. So he gives, so he takes away. You think you are invincible?” He chuckled.
“What? You think that you’ve made it to this point in your life all on your own? Open your eyes boy and see that you have been favored!” He came to a stop facing me.
Favored! If I could I would laugh in his face. Although, it appeared as if he was always there, he must’ve been blind if he thought my life was favored. I wanted to kill him for taking away my control. After living with a father who beat the sh*t out of me for breakfast, lunch and dinner, I promised myself that I would never let anyone take away my control again.
“But alas, your mercy has come to an end.” He continued.
“If you don’t submit and accept your responsibility as a warrior who was created to serve others, then everything you hold dear, you will lose. You have been gifted with a precious jewel; a jewel that is not impressed by your wealth or your strength. To maintain this jewel, you will need to learn the nine things she needs to thrive; love, happiness, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, dependability, gentleness and most importantly for you, self-control. Without either of these, you will lose her.”
As suddenly as he came, he went; his long black coat billowed in the wind behind him.
When he was out of sight, whatever hold he had on my muscles released.
Breathing heavy, I began to pace; needing to let out the rage that had awakened in me and was now being confined inside my body. Opening and closing my fist, the thirst to destroy something was nearly blinding.
No matter what he said, I controlled my own destiny! I will not be dictated to! I will not bow to another’s will! I am my own man and nobody was going to take that away from me!
A few minutes later I stood gazing down at my knuckles that were covered in blood. Lifting my head, I took in the brick wall in front of me or shall I say the gaping hole in the brick wall in front of me.
Stumbling back in shock… I hadn’t even been aware I was punching the wall. Needing to see the proof of it again, I lifted my shaking hands and took in my busted knuckles. I felt like I was losing my damn mind! I hadn’t seen or felt anything but rage. I had not been aware of what I was doing. Just like the night my father died—
Stop! You letting this dude f*** with your head! Get your sh*t together Gabe! Don’t let that dude get in your head. You good just the way you are! Look at the empire you’ve built. Look at the empires you’ve toppled. Nah baby, you’ve come too far to let this chump get in your way. Go find your girl and stop acting like a p****!
I straighten my jacket. Hell yeah! I was trippin’!
“Yasmin!” I whispered. The caress of her name on my lips instantly quieted the rage of the beast that lived within me.
I’m coming for you sweetheart! The shadow man was wrong. I didn’t need to become a chump to keep her. She will bow to my will because I have the balls to make her.
* * * * *
Yasmin
With hands that shook, I dialed Shanice’s number. She picked up on the second ring.
“Hello!” She yelled in the phone due to the fact that she was at work and obviously somewhere where the music was being played loud.
“Hey, it’s me!”
“Oh, my God! Yasmin! Girl, where are you?” The music was getting lower so she was probably walking toward the dressing room.
“I’m on the train.”
“What—” She began but I cut her off.
“I need someplace to go.” For the hundredth time I looked behind me and around me, expecting Gabriel or one of his men to appear out of nowhere. There was no doubt in my mind that he was going to hurt me. I saw it in his eyes.
“Okay… go to my place, I’ll meet you there!”
“But aren’t you at work?”
“Girl please, I’ll just tell Shugga something came up. She’ll get over it. I’ll see you there!”
By the time I got to Shanice's my nerves were shot. Every noise caused me to jump. I lifted my hand to knock on the door but before I could it swung open, and she reached out to pull me in. But her hand froze midway.
“What the hell!” She all but yelled.
“Shhh!” I told her, stepping in closing and locking the door behind me. The first thing I did was kick off those shoes. I couldn’t think clearly with my feet in such pain. Then, I began to pace as my mind raced trying to calculate all I had seen this night. Gabe had killed a man… at least I think it was a man.
Oh God! I couldn’t even begin to let my thoughts go there. Over the last few weeks I had managed to convince myself that some of the things that happened the night I killed Mayor Davenport was just my over active imagination getting the best of me. Like that strange voice he spoke in as he was dying.
And yet, the man Gabriel had killed tonight spoke in the same voice. I put my hand to my mouth to
