It was four days before the wedding, and Mateo wasn’t supposed to spend the night with his fiancée. Chanel and Mecca would be leaving on a 6 a.m. flight to Hawaii, and the next time he would see her again would be on the afternoon of their wedding.
However, Mateo didn’t want to be away from her for so long. He wanted to hold her and kiss her lips, touch and caress her face, hold her hand, and just stare at her.
Chanel had looked incredibly beautiful when he’d left the apartment that morning, and he was rushing home to see her off. Originally, they’d wanted to miss each other—some cloak and dagger type of setup.
He’d called and told Chanel that he was coming to her tonight instead of staying at the hotel. He wanted one more moment with her. They talked dirty to each other for a moment. It was an exciting time. They couldn’t believe they would be husband and wife in a few short days. For Chanel, it felt surreal.
“I love you,” he proclaimed.
“I love you too,” she happily replied.
***
Charlie paced around the bedroom looking impatient. A few days had gone by, and she wanted to know when they were going to rob Chanel and her man. Charlie wanted to get back on top. She wanted the finer things in life by any means necessary, even if it meant taking from her little sister and putting her in harm’s way.
She kept listing off her demands to God.
“Make sure you take her engagement ring and her earrings. Oh, and I saw that bitch’s closet, and it’s stuffed with furs and a bunch of nice shit that she won’t wear. Make sure you get all her shit. Don’t leave her with a fuckin’ crumb. Take her shoes, clothes, everything!” she demanded.
“Yo, we ain’t about to walk out that bitch wit’ just trash bags of clothes for you. Any trash bags we got, that shit gonna be filled with cash and jewelry,” God exclaimed. “Shit, this ain’t a fuckin’ shopping spree for you. You can’t wear her shit anyway. We ain’t tryin’ to get caught.”
Charlie knew that she couldn’t wear any of her sister’s clothing. She didn’t want Chanel to have it, though, after they took from Mateo and killed him. She would rather toss all of Chanel’s belongings in the trash than to have her own little sister out-dress her.
“Then destroy that shit, God. You fuckin’ hear me? Fuckin’ throw bleach on all her shit—burn that shit or sumthin’,” Charlie uttered with absolute scorn pouring from her voice.
God looked at Charlie like she was this parasite all of a sudden. The contempt she had for Chanel was unreal. What did she ever do to her? She didn’t want him to harm one hair on her head, but she wanted him to take everything from her and destroy it. God had done a lot of grimy shit over the years and he would continue to do so, but this was Charlie’s little sister. She was a good girl who was naïve and nice and wanted to please everyone. God somewhat liked Chanel, even though she always gave him the cold shoulder and an odd look.
Why be extra cruel? he thought.
He didn’t care that his behavior
was abhorrent because she wasn’t blood. If he had a brother, he would never do such a thing to his blood.
However, Charlie felt that she was doing Chanel a big favor by setting them up a few days before her birthday. She felt that getting robbed and losing her man violently on her birthday would be extra cruel. Wouldn’t it?
She did have some kind of heart. She thought so, anyway.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
It was a balmy night with a full moon shimmering in the sky. Four more days and Mateo was going to be a hitched man. He was excited about the date. He was excited about becoming a one-woman man—an honest and married man. He was excited about having their honeymoon in Hawaii, and he was excited about their wedding night, when he would finally have Chanel sexually. He was willing to wait until they got married to experience something special, and Chanel was special. He didn’t want to treat her like some regular whore or bitch. Chanel deserved a ring on her finger.
Mateo remained upbeat as he drove home to spend one more night with Chanel before she and Mecca headed to Hawaii. It was a beautiful night, and he was living a beautiful life.
Mateo made it a habit to always check his side and rearview mirrors to make sure he wasn’t being followed. He was a cautious man, knowing he lived in a dangerous world with wicked people, and he always took extra precaution with his safety and his woman’s, along with the safeguard of his finances. He was satisfied that he wasn’t being followed. But God and Fingers didn’t need to follow him home because they already had his location.
Mateo had already made arrangements and bought a larger condo apartment in a more affluent area of the Bronx. He and Chanel would move in as soon as they came back as husband and wife. The building had tight-knit security with CCTV cameras and a doorman, and it was near a police station. He wanted his new bride to be safe at home. While they were off in Hawaii relaxing, sunbathing, swimming, and having sex, he would have a moving crew and an interior designer come to the new condo to put everything in order. He had it all planned down to the letter.
Mateo parked on the block and climbed out of the vehicle. He observed his surroundings and there appeared to be no abnormalities in the area. Everything looked copasetic. With a concealed .38, he made his way toward the building. He punched in his code to get into the main door and made his way toward the elevator. Alone and composed, he stepped inside the elevator and rode it silently to his designated floor.
“Four more days,” he said to himself.
He already had his luggage packed and the arrangements made. The only thing everyone had to do was get to Hawaii via plane.
Before Mateo could step off the elevator, he felt the presence of two shadowy figures charging his way, and before he could react and remove his .38, they accosted him inside the elevator. God brought the butt of the gun across Mateo’s face, spewing blood and right away dazing him. Fingers quickly threw duct tape over his mouth to keep him silent.
“You wanna die tonight, muthafucka?” Fingers said into his ear.
It was a bold move, attacking him in a public building. He had neighbors, but it was late, and the two goons knew what they were doing and when and where to confront him. Most of the scuffle took place inside the elevator, away from any neighbors’ eyes and attention.