Pink Lips, page 11
Conversely on the opposite side of the path was the lush vegetation of the many trees, with their welcoming shade, and the colorful plants, their heady scent filling the air mixing with the smell of the snow.
As she walked further into the park, she saw benches, painted green to match the foliage, with people sitting on them, some resting, others enjoying a sandwich or hot drink. Once she passed the play area, she noticed the peacefulness and quiet environment she now found herself in, and she felt an inner calm that God’s beautiful creations had given her.
She breathed in deeply, savoring the freshness and perfume of the oxygenated air and it gave her both peace and exhilaration at the same time. She made it to the end of the park, spotting the small birdhouse where V had told her to put the deposit box’s contents. She took the tape out of her clutch and placed it into the empty birdhouse; never stopping her feet from moving as she headed to her car to go see Duke.
• • •
The night was not only dark but calm; the air was crisp, cold and awakening; the trees stiff and frozen-like. The stars could be seen for miles in the pure, perfectly landscaped sky. Snow was a sight from a picture, so perfectly layered by nature, no imperfections except for their own footsteps. The moon so bright it lit up the whole street as though they were carrying a lamp with them.
Kail’s and Choice’s breath looked as though they had just puffed on a cigar as they walked up the four stone steps into the church’s entrance. They opened up the beautiful maroon-colored door as two fonts full of holy water greeted them. To the right was a door leading to the bathroom. To the left was the door leading to the choir loft, which they were standing directly beneath.
They entered another set of doors; the snow boots on their feet leaving little trails of melted snow. Beyond those doors were four columns of pews. There were about twenty rows. It was then two steps up to the altar. Inside the altar table were some valuable relics, unavailable to be seen without special permission from the priest.
Over to the right was the baptismal font, and next to it was the Paschal candle; the candle that is lit during Easter, funerals, and baptisms. Further to the right, there was a statue of St. Agnes, the church’s patroness, and the candle that indicated the presence of the Holy Spirit.
“Is he here?” Choice whispered to Kail as they looked around the church.
“He’s the priest, of course he’s here.” Kail looked over at the confessional area.
They never wondered why V wanted the priest dead and they didn’t care. When he offered them two hundred thousand upfront, they didn’t care if they had to kill the leader of the free world, they would have done it with no questions asked.
“He’s in there,” Kail pointed to the confessional, “stay here, make sure nobody comes in, and I got this.”
“I got you.” Choice headed to the doors to guard them.
Kail entered the white-walled booth and she kneeled before a tiny screen. It was no odor to speak of as her knees touched the soft cloth so the priest could not see her. She couldn’t see the priest, and he couldn’t see her, but she knew he was there. She began praying for what she was about to do.
“In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost,” the priest said as they both made the sign of the cross.
“Bless me, father, for I have sinned,” Kail made the sign of the cross over her head and chest. “It has been a long time since I have last confessed and these are my sins.” Kail continued as her eyes watered. “I am guilty of murder. I am a liar. I steal and do other bad things that I am not proud of, but it is all that I know. No matter how bad I may want to stop committing these sins, I can’t. I’ve tried.”
“Are you truly sorry for these sins?” the priest asked in a nonjudgmental tone.
“Yes,” she whispered.
“You would need to make an act of contrition.”
“Contrition?” she asked as the priest began to pray out loud.
“Your sins are forgiven; you may leave in peace.” A door at the bottom of the confessional opened and an open Bible slid through. “Read that aloud, the highlighted verse.”
Kail sat and looked at the verse: Corinthians 6:9-10. She knew the scripture by memory; she knew all the scriptures by memory. The church was silent for it was only her, the priest, and Choice. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes before she started to read.
“Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.” She opened her eyes and slid the Bible back into the opening.
“And, what does that mean?” he asked.
“I don’t need an intervention.”
“I’m just trying to help.”
“By judging me?” Kail raised her tone.
“By praying for you,” the priest responded.
“Do you remember this scripture from the Bible, priest?” Kail asked him as her grip on her gun tightened. “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye,” she whispered.
“I assure you there is no speck in my eye,” the priest said.
“There has to be something in it.” Kail pulled her gun out of her clothes. “Why else would someone hire me to kill you?” She rose and released her clip into the other half of the confessional. She ran out, opened the door leading to the priest, checked his pulse, and ran over to where Choice was.
“Kail, let’s get the fuck outta here,” Choice screamed with panic.
Sirens blared in the distance getting closer with each ragged breath. The cold night air coursed through Choice’s lungs and dried her already parched throat. Her heart was beating so fast, she was scared it would lead the cops right to them; that or it would burst out of her chest.
Kail let her hands rest upon her knees as she took two deep breaths. In through her nose, out through her mouth, she repeated this until her breathing returned to normal. After wiping away the beads of sweat on her forehead, she took in her surroundings.
The blood pounding in her ear clogging her brain, she ran through the empty pews and launched for the side door with Choice following behind her. They ran down the alley at full speed. Their arms were stretched out in front of them as they ran. They could feel them chasing them; the sound of their heartbeats filled their ears, their adrenaline pumping like ice in their veins.
They were vulnerable; they had never felt so mortal. Kail’s survival instincts, buried deep down beneath the morals and etiquette associated with humanity, were pulsing through her like a second heartbeat. She could not fight or hide. She didn’t know how much longer they could keep running. She could sense them behind her, rapidly catching up to them.
Their pace picked up and they thanked God when they saw the dim shine of a dying street light on the other side of the alley illuminating the car they’d parked. Without ever looking back, they jumped inside and zoomed off before the car could fully accelerate. They drove into the night as Kail realized her gun had fallen along the way.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” she said, hitting the wheel each time she cursed.
“What’s up?” Choice’s heart continued to race.
“The gun.” Kail pulled behind a business and parked. “I dropped the gun.”
Kail sat behind the wheel for a couple of hours as she let the trail run dry. She had never been so clumsy since she started working jobs. She blamed Willow for not being there. She figured that she had snuck off to go see Duke. If Willow would have been there, she wouldn’t have dropped her weapon; Willow would have caught it when it fell.
Kail ran up the stairs of the condo; her vision as red as the devil’s skin. She flung the door widely, letting the doorknob bang into the wall, leaving a hole in the plaster. She wanted to punch Willow for letting a man mess up their hustle, and she intended to do just that as soon as she saw her.
Kail was furious; Willow could see it in her eyes as she walked into her bedroom without knocking. But Kail didn’t want to talk; she wouldn’t. Willow didn’t know what to ask her. If she knew it was going to start a fight, she probably would have closed her door.
“You okay?” Willow asked.
“You would know if your ass wasn’t so far up in that nigga’s ass.” She stopped. Willow could see her eyes get darker. “Are you choosing that nigga over family?”
“No,” Willow swallowed hard, “y’all didn’t need me and besides—”
“I don’t give a fuck if Choice needs you, but I damn sure did,” Kail said as she banged her fist against the door.
“Kail, it’s cool; we’ll go back and find it.” Willow was aware about the gun being left from a phone conversation she’d just had with Choice.
Kail didn’t listen, and she pushed Willow to the floor. Willow swung back around and gave Kail a full blow to the ribs. She howled in torment but still tried to fight her. Willow grabbed her as she tried to talk some sense into her. Sparring was one thing, but they had never had a fistfight in their life; especially over money.
“Step back, Kail; I really don’t wanna hurt you.” Willow licked her lips, her voice was dry and her brown eyes were blazing.
Willow stood up as she pointed her gun that she’d grabbed off her nightstand forward; the tip of the gun directly aimed at Kail. She knew she probably wouldn’t be able to talk sense into Kail with only her fist. She was past the point of talking.
Willow backed away a couple of steps, the cold wind blowing through her hair as if it was trying to calm her down through the cracked window.
“That’s enough, Kail; come on, let’s think this through,” Willow whispered.
Kail felt like Willow was treating her like a little girl. Her tone was implying she expected Kail to do whatever she said, with no hesitation whatsoever. Willow had lowered her gun. A mocking grin had formed on her face, the sort of grin you’d give a child when you wanted them to do something.
That thought sickened Kail; how could she think of her like that, like a child willing to do all her work? She looked out the window and saw a bird fly through the gaps between the branches, being free as what she wanted to be from Willow’s pity. Kail took a breath and tried to think of a way to get past Willow. She glanced over at her momentarily; she’d started to walk over to her, the sickly grin still plastered on her face, her arms parted slightly as if she were asking for an embrace.
Willow was off-guard and Kail took the opportunity.
Kail put her hand on the top of the gun and quickly snatched it away, quicker than she ever had done before. She bit her lip and charged at Willow like a ravenous wolf chases a lamb. Before she knew it, she heard the sound of Willow’s flesh being pierced, and the bullet from the gun was locked loose in her shoulder, her crimson blood splattered up, staining the pure white carpet.
Kail bit her lip harder as it started to shake. The harsh reality had just sunk in. Did I just shoot Willow? she thought. She looked down at her; her eyes were cold and dark and her face was an eerie pale. Kail’s eyes then flashed to the gun and Willow’s shoulder, then back up, then down again.
“Kail,” Willow murmured, placing her hand on her shoulder blade, “why?” She grunted as she tore the bullet out of her flesh, blood oozing down her chest.
Kail opened her mouth, but no words would come out; she felt numb all over. Willow forced her gun out of Kail’s hand and dropped it to the ground with a metallic thud. Kail’s body started to shake as Willow drew another gun. Her eyes were blazing again like sparks, and she could see the lust in her eyes. She’d never felt so hated in her life.
“I’m sorry,” Kail whispered, stepping back slightly. She took a jerked breath and picked up the other gun off the slightly blood-spattered carpet.
“Sorry?” Willow snapped, her grip tightening on the handle of the gun, so tight her knuckles had turned red.
They both stood there with the gun deep in their palms. They didn’t say anything; only the sounds of Willow’s pain could be heard and the soft whistle from the ceiling fan above. Kail dropped her gun as a tear fell from her eye. She dashed out of the room, and before Willow could process a thought, the sound of the front door closing echoed throughout the condo.
Fifteen
Evelyn’s heart raced as she closed her eyes while Talvin led her to the secret place he always told her about with promises of taking her one day. He took his hands away from her eyes and she gasped at the beauty. The moon was shining over the enchanting waterfall he took her to six hours away from the place they called home.
Evelyn and Talvin had been creeping for years; it was their little secret. Rock would have them both killed if it ever got out, so she kept it as discreet as possible. She was meek about all of their meetings, even if they were business related. She was his boss, his lover, and as long as he didn’t mix the two, she didn’t mind.
“This is beautiful.” Evelyn ran into his arms.
“It’s all for you.” He cuffed her ass in his hands.
His dark hair shined in the moon’s light and she couldn’t help but take her hands and rub his head. That’s when she saw it. Those azure eyes, just like the sky at midnight so beautiful and dark. She looked deep into them as he bent down and whispered to her three very important words: “I love you.” She didn’t have time to react, for he quickly captured her lips. It was warm, and his lips were soft. Passion burned within the kiss, desire in it, too. Their eyes were closed, both of them savoring the moment. His arms wrapped around her waist and her fingers intertwined with his.
“I have another surprise,” Talvin said, pulling away from her.
“What is it?”
“Let’s keep walking and see.”
Evelyn had never been that deep in the forest. She didn’t know how to respond to the atmosphere. Rock had never taken her on trips like this; she was a virgin to the wild. Every bird call and bush rumble caused her to jump as her senses grew fond of the area.
They weaved through the trees along the forest with Talvin’s memory being their guide. He had roamed these woodlands since a very young age. His family owned the land and he had spent a lot of his childhood there.
Cresting the hill, they broke free of a dense patch of needle leafs that rolled freely down the embankment, a natural landslide that served their purposes more effectively now that it was covered in snow, and sped their escape from the observant gaze of wild animals.
Evelyn followed the constellation with her eyes, allowing it to guide her past the lightly scattered beech and conifer trees that peppered the land along the forest line as she held Talvin’s hand; casting a soft shadow along the gray carpet of snow—beckoning them forward.
The night had always exhilarated her; allowed her a freedom seldom experienced in her station. Behind the cloak of darkness, she could run like the tall-horned stag, waving his white tail in a gesture of peace instead of alarm. Her laughter, breathless and sporadic, was an even cadence that mingled fluently with the nightly chorus sung by the woodland beasts.
As the canopy overhead thickened, their steps grew muffled by the pine needles that blanketed the forest floor; the ground no longer cold beneath her soles. They paused. The trees were much thicker in the lowland territories, and as they looked up ahead, there was a beautiful log cabin.
As they walked into the clearing, they saw the small and slightly abandoned-looking cabin standing right in the middle of it. It looked directly out of a fairy tale as it was covered in snow and there were small icicles hanging from the crooked roof. There was a huge chimney on top of it and as a cold breeze brushed through the woods around them and over the clearing, the smell of pine and wood smoke pinched their noses. It smelled sharp in comparison to the clear winter air around them, but also kind and agreeable. It made them want to go straight into the cabin and warm their hands by the fire inside.
Talvin grinned as the door opened at his will. He grabbed Evelyn’s arm and led her inside as the heat throughout the home hit their bodies. He was happy he had come earlier in the day to set up everything for this very moment. As the door closed behind them, he knew he had made the right decision.
“This is nice.” Evelyn removed her long mink and set it on the old wooden furniture.
“I want this night to be special.”
Talvin lit the candles in the cabin. She could feel his hand running down her back and to her ass. It felt good. As he did this, she moaned and squeezed his head tight in her tiny fists. Her heart was beating furiously; as this was the most passionate foreplay she’d ever had. He rubbed her and then went back up, as she unbuttoned his shirt and he took off his pants.
Talvin could hear Evelyn moaning as he rubbed her soft ass with his fingers. She shuddered as he reached her; it was obvious he was too cold. He could also hear her heart. He reached up to her breasts, cuffing them softly into his palms. He started squeezing them gently as her nipples hardened with enthusiasm.
He took hold of her hand and led her to the sofa. Talvin sat down, longing to feel Evelyn against his body once more. She sat on his lap, holding his face in her hands and kissing him lightly across his cheeks and forehead.
He pulled her toward him, instantly feeling the warmth of their bodies against each other. Evelyn felt his hands grazing, oh so gently, along her thigh, his warm hand against her bare skin underneath her skirt. His hands explored her back and he eventually picked her up and gently laid her down on the old, wooden handmade sofa.
