Dirty Little Angel

Harlem removed his pen light and looked around the neat and modestly furnished apartment.

They crept toward the bedroom, trying to be as

quiet as possible. Crown’s heart raced; he was so close to feeling vindicated. The hallway to the bedrooms was long, with pictures of family and friends lining each the wall.

It was a two-bedroom apartment and when Crown entered the master bedroom, he saw Wendy lying in bed, sound asleep. Harlem walked in and startled a woman waking up in the middle of the night. He smiled, ready to get to work.

51

When Ray-Lo finally pulled up to YB’s building, he didn’t give Ray-Lo a chance to put the car in park. He jumped out and raced through the lobby and up the stairs, fearing the worse. Ray-Lo quickly followed.

When YB got to his floor, he pulled out his gun and rushed toward the apartment. His heart beat faster and faster with every passing second. He gripped the steel in his hand tighter and tried to prepare himself for anything.

He unlocked the door and pushed it open. The apartment was dark and quiet and he assumed that Danielle was in the bedroom, asleep. Then he was scared that he might be walking into a trap. Could Harlem and Crown already be here? He carefully searched each room and saw that she wasn’t home.

“Shit,” he muttered, dropping his gun to his side and plopping down on the bed.

Ray-Lo burst into the bedroom and YB quickly raised his gun and almost fired. Lucky for him, he didn’t have an itchy trigger finger. Ray-Lo was startled.

“What the fuck, Ray-Lo?” YB exclaimed.

“Damn nigga!” Ray-Lo shouted. “She ain’t here?”

“What the fuck you think?”

YB looked around the apartment, trying to find any indication of foul play but the apartment was clean. He checked the closet and saw that Danielle’s clothes were still there. Everything seemed normal.

“What now?” Ray-Lo asked.

YB began to think. Where would she go? Where would she be? He remembered her friend Wendy. If Danielle wasn’t home, then surely she was spending the night over there. They had to hurry and find Danielle, because there was a good chance that Harlem and his peoples were already in New York.

“C’mon,” YB said, rushing out of the apartment.

Ray-Lo just shrugged and followed his friend. They hopped back into the car and raced toward Wendy’s place.

52

“Bitch, you ain’t gotta make this shit so fuckin’ hard! Where are they?” Crown yelled as he continued to punch Wendy in the face.

Harlem stood by and watched the show quietly. He let Crown get his hands dirty with the beating. Wendy was stoic. The beating was painful, but she refused to give up her friend. She kept praying and telling herself that the nightmare would end because she was in God’s hands.

Crown stood over Wendy’s beaten body. “C’mon, bitch! We can end this now. She stole somethin’ from me and I want it back. This don’t have to be your beef. I just want an address.”

“May God have mercy on your poor, miserable soul,” Wendy said to them.

“Shit, this bitch and her fuckin’ religion is pissin’ me off!” Crown said. “Bitch, right now, your life is in my hands. I am God!”

Wendy looked up at him with disgust. Both her eyes were blackened, her face was bruised, and her bedroom was in shambles. Harlem and Crown had ransacked everything.

“This bitch ain’t tryin’ to talk, Crown. Shit, she would have done so by now,” Harlem said. “You want me to handle her?”

Crown scowled at Harlem and then turned his attention back to Wendy. “Listen, bitch,” he threatened, “it ain’t a game right now. We will fuck your shit up right now if you continue to be stupid. Now, I wanna know where the fuck is Chaos and YB?”

Wendy just stared at Crown. Her spirit was far from broken and the fight in her was strong. “I will pray for your soul,” she replied calmly.

Crown wanted information on Chaos and was angered that he couldn’t get it out of this woman. He hit Wendy in the head with the butt of his gun, spraying her blood against walls, the bed sheets, and the carpet.

“It hurt, don’t it, bitch!” Crown gloated.