Pink Lips, page 9
She made it to the door to her father’s room. She knocked twice but no answer. Without waiting for a response, she opened the door and then closed it fast at what she saw. A frown covered her face as the door opened and a member of the staff rushed out while fixing her clothes.
“Nasty,” Evelyn said to the worker as she scurried down the hall.
“You should have knocked, baby,” Vinny said as Evelyn entered the room.
Vinny’s face was serious with lines of worry, tears, happiness and joy outlining his cloudy dark eyes. Stubble crossed his chin and lip as if he hadn’t shaved for lack of time or incentive, yet there seemed to be lightness about him as the corners of his mouth lifted into a small smile. His short, light-gray hair played along his forehead as he stood up to greet his daughter.
“How you doing, Evelyn?” He kissed her on the cheek.
“I’m good, Poppa,” she said as she took a seat. “And, seeing as you’re getting special treatment from the staff, I would say you’re doing well, too.”
“I have to live, baby.” He sat on his bed. “I have needs and I shouldn’t even be in this fucking place,” he said angrily.
“I know, Poppa, but if not here, then a funeral home.”
“To think that Vincent Mancini would be hiding from a coon.” He hung his head. “The shame my ancestors must be feeling.”
“Poppa, you can sulk later.” Evelyn set her purse down. “Rock’s daughter is alive.”
“Melee’s back?” he asked.
“Not Melee, she’s still missing. I’m talking about Willow. You remember his wife and child, that you ordered the death of? Well, Willow just showed up at my club.”
“Why did you let her leave alive?” He reached on his nightstand and grabbed his Scotch and a cup.
“It was my life or hers,” Evelyn spat. “She brought someone with her to hide in the shadows that had a mark on me, so I didn’t have a choice.”
“Sounds like someone who has Rock’s genes,” he said as he poured a cup. “I don’t like the bastard, but he thinks every move out before he goes into something. If this is his daughter, then she got it from her Poppa.”
“That’s the problem. What if she knows about Rock?”
“You’re the daughter of Vincent ‘Vinny’ Mancini, the most notorious godfather to ever live. Don’t ever show fear, especially to a monkey. And besides, what makes you so sure it’s her?”
“She looked just like Melee.” She grabbed the bottle of Scotch from him, taking a shot to the head straight from the bottle.
“It probably is her,” Vinny admitted as he stood up. “I knew she was alive when she and Anoki showed up in Hawaii. I didn’t tell you because I handled it. I told your Uncle Gino to get rid of her and he did.”
“So Willow lived?”
He nodded his head yes.
“That’s not all,” he looked at Evelyn, “there’s another daughter that Rock doesn’t know about. When Anoki was shot, she was pregnant, and when she was saved, so was the baby she was carrying. Anoki’s sister, Mahina, who is the woman your Uncle Gino married, raised them and they have been a part of The Pink Lip Bandits ever since.”
“So not only do I have to deal with one of Rock’s offspring, but two?” Evelyn held her hands up above her head. “What the fuck am I going to do? These girls were a part of an organization that killed for a living. They know the game.”
“Evelyn,” Vinny raised his voice, “no matter what your last name is now, you have Mancini blood through your veins. Take care of those two fast, because if you don’t, it will be trouble for you down the line. Trust me.”
“Can Uncle Gino give you some information on them?” she asked, walking toward the door.
“He could if he wasn’t dead.” He took a sip of his liquor.
“Dead?”
“Gino, Mahina, and twenty others were killed at their wedding reception. They were shot in the middle of the event and no one knew until it was almost over.”
“Silencers,” Evelyn whispered to herself. “Wait; was Melee one of the bodies they found?”
“No, I’ve already checked. All of the girls that died were wearing pink lipstick and none of them were her.”
“So they killed everyone associated with the organization and moved here to Philly? But, for what?”
“Whatever it is, they want it bad.” Vinny poured another round of Scotch.
“I’ll talk to you later,” Evelyn said, rushing out of the room and pulling out her cell phone, her heels clicking loudly from her walking so fast and hard.
“Talvin,” she huffed into the phone as she paced down the long hallway to the exit. “I have a job for you, so be at the spot in thirty minutes.”
Evelyn got into her car and sped off leaving snow melted behind her from the exhaust. She had to end the reign of Willow and her sister before it started. She had to put them six feet under before she was the one in a casket. She only used Talvin’s skills for extreme jobs, and now knowing their reputation, he was the perfect person to put a bullet in their heads.
Thirteen
Willow glanced over at Kail and Choice; all three of their lips branded with pink lipstick. She gave them a sly smile as she carried her bags onto the escalator that led to the second level of the mall. They had been shopping all day to get Choice’s style in line with their own and the task was more difficult than they’d expected.
“See, it’s easy.” Kail smirked as they stepped off the escalator.
“Y’all spend crazy money on clothes,” Choice said, referring to the thousands she’d just witnessed them spend.
“You have to spend in order to look how you should look,” Willow said as they made their way into a shoe boutique. “Why should we have to shop at the dollar store when we can shop where the hoes who got real cash can shop?” She held up a six thousand-dollar shoe in Choice’s face. “If you had a choice between a steak and a cheeseburger, what would you choose?”
“The steak,” Choice responded.
“Exactly, and with clothes that concept is even more enforced. No one wants clothes from a thrift store; they get that shit because they have to. Let us show you that you don’t have to.” Kail grabbed the shoe and handed it to the sales associate. “Can I get these in a size…what size are you?” She looked at Choice.
“I’m a seven, but I didn’t bring that kind of dough.”
“Seven,” Kail said to the sales associate. “I got you, Choice.”
“These are six thousand-dollar shoes.” The sales associate looked at Kail in shock.
“Did I ask you the fucking price?” Kail asked, raising her voice. “I can see, bitch, I know what they cost. I didn’t ask your seven-dollar-an-hour-making-ass shit, so just go get the shoe, come back, and don’t say shit else.”
“I’m sorry,” she said as she ran off to get the shoes.
“I hate when these motherfuckas act like you don’t belong here.” Kail looked at other shoes.
“You see that shit?” Willow said to Choice, referring to the sales associate. “See how they treat us when we come to these stores to spend money? Now, how do you think it feels to walk out of here in a shoe that none of these hoes that work here can afford?”
“It would make me feel good,” Choice said as they all started to laugh.
“Is your name Willow?” a girl who looked no older than sixteen asked as she approached them.
“Who wants to know?” Kail looked at the girl.
The white girl wore heavy black lipstick. Her hair was cut in a short boy cut and her pants were big at the bottoms. Chains hung from the loops on her belt line and fell onto the skulls that were stitched into her pants.
“I have something to give you.” She handed Kail the envelope.
“Yo, who the fuck was that?” Choice asked as they watched the girl walk out of the store.
“I don’t know.” Willow grabbed the envelope from Kail’s hands.
“Ma’am,” the sales associate said as she returned with the shoes, “I can ring you up over here.”
“Didn’t I tell yo’ ass not to speak?” Kail said, walking to the counter.
“Open it,” Choice told her as she stood next to her.
Willow ripped at the edges of the small cream envelope as curiosity possessed her. She didn’t know who the envelope could have been from, but she was certain to find out. She took out a white piece of paper that was stuffed neatly inside and unfolded it. She held it up, looked at the front and back of it, and read the small paragraph.
“I have a job for you. I know who you are and what you do. Call this number from an unmarked phone and I will give you all of the details, V.” Her eyes skimmed over the number as she memorized it before tearing up the letter.
“Who is V?” Choice asked.
“A potential client.” Willow walked up to Kail as she finished her transaction. “That envelope was a job.”
“From who?” Kail handed the expensive shoes to Choice.
“Someone named V. He or she knows who we are, and what we do. They want us to call the number on the envelope from an unmarked phone,” Willow said as they left the store.
“Do you think it’s a job or is someone playing with us?” Kail asked, her adrenaline pumping at the thought of doing a job.
“Let’s find out.” Willow cut through the food court to escalators, throwing the torn pieces of paper in her hand in a random trashcan.
“What if it’s a setup?” Choice asked with a nervous tone.
“Don’t worry,” Kail told her as they stepped outside of the mall, “Willow will know.”
Willow led them outside to the payphone that was inside a small opening surrounded by plastic. She held her hands out for someone to give her quarters as shoppers passed them left and right. The sounds of the cars’ tires in the parking lot fighting with the snow could be heard as Choice placed three quarters into the palm of Willow’s hand.
Willow stood there with the door to the payphone nearly shut to drown out the sounds from the busy mall parking lot. She put the quarters inside of the payphone and dialed the number as she mouthed each number with her lips. She let the phone ring as the breeze from the cold joined her inside of the booth.
“What took you so long to call?” V asked after picking up the phone.
“The job,” Willow said, cutting the small talk from the conversation.
“Strictly business,” V said from the other end of the phone. “I like that.”
“The job,” Willow repeated with a good mind to hang up.
“It’s an assassination job. I need someone dead by the end of the night.”
“Payment?”
“You will find one hundred thousand dollars under the driver’s seat of your car.”
“It will get completed.” Willow took the phone away from her ear to hang up.
“Wait,” V said, causing Willow to put the phone back to her ear. “Don’t you want to know how I know about you?”
“If it will change how much money we get for this job, then maybe. But, seeing as I already got payment, how you know me doesn’t matter. It won’t change the fact that you do know me and what I do.” She hung up the phone.
Willow walked past Choice and Kail to get to her car. It didn’t sit well with her to know that someone that she didn’t know had been inside of her whip. She had to see if the money was there. She looked around her as she felt herself being watched.
“So is it legit?” Kail asked, catching up to her.
“Let me see something and I will let you know.” She hit the alarm to her car.
Willow put her purse and bags in the seat as she reached down to feel underneath it. She pulled a medium-sized envelope out as she turned around to show it to Kail and Choice. She opened up the envelope as she revealed its contents. One hundred thousand dollars, and a small piece of paper with a name, a photo, an address, and other information peeked through the opening.
“Assassination, one hundred thousand.” She looked at Kail and Choice.
“By when?” Kail looked inside at the money.
“Tonight,” Willow answered as she closed the envelope and tossed it in the seat.
“Let’s get it,” Kail said with a smile.
“Choice, we will get you up to speed on the way to the crib to switch out cars,” Willow said as Choice nodded.
“Switch cars?” Kail put her bags in the backseat. “We can just go work this now and be done with it.”
“Kail, someone was in the car. Whoever this person is we don’t know. They could have bugged the car or anything. Let’s be smart. We get in this car, keep our conversations mild, and once we get to the house, we will get Choice up to speed on the plan we use for all of our assassinations.” Willow got inside of the car.
“You right,” Kail agreed as she went around the car to get in. “I wonder what this Tony cat did to deserve this.”
Willow sped off after Kail and Choice got into the car. She didn’t trust this V character, but she knew that she needed him just as much as he needed her. If she did enough jobs for him, then the name of The Pink Lip Bandits would spread, and word of mouth was the only way to promote their kind of business.
• • •
Willow, Kail, and Choice staked out the address that V had given them on the paper. They had been outside of the building observing for two hours and their target had been in and out of the building multiple times. They waited for their chance to make their move. When they saw him not coming out after another hour had passed, they knew it was time.
“We have the element of surprise.” Willow got out of the car, Choice and Kail following her lead. “He doesn’t know he has a hit on him, and by the time he realizes it, he will be dead.”
“One shot from each gun,” Kail said to Choice as they crossed the street to get to the building.
Willow glanced wearily at the dull gray cement walls, knowing that she would commit a murder inside. The bright flowers outlining the walkway seemed to droop a little more. The ivy fighting to find purchase on the smooth walls had lost their spirit due to the snow. Willow scuffed her heel on the perfectly trimmed green grass that had snow recently shovelled from it as they made it to the entrance of the building.
Willow pulled her jacket tighter around her, as if seeking warmth from the unforgiving leather. She buzzed a random button at the entrance and waited for someone to respond through the wholly white-colored intercom box that had all of the apartment numbers.
“May I help you?” a voice chimed through the intercom.
“We’re here to see a friend, but we forgot what apartment he’s in.”
“Do you have a name?” the voice asked.
“Tony, but we wanted to surprise him; it’s his birthday, so please, don’t tell him that we’re here,” Willow said while the door slowly swung open.
“You got it, and please enjoy your friend’s birthday.”
“We sure will,” Willow said as they entered the building.
Kail led the way in her thick, navy blue trench coat, with bronze-colored buttons that ended just above her waistline. Underneath the long coat was a large black skirt that billowed around her in the cold, winter air. A red scarf was wrapped tightly around her neck, the tails of the scarf dripping down to her thighs. Her wide brownish-green eyes reflected the gentle harmony of the season as small flakes of snow had fallen onto strands of her long, lovely hair.
Choice was next in line—her new six thousand-dollar heels felt good to her feet as she walked behind Kail. Her stomach was flipping like flapjacks on the grill at a diner, but the money she’d seen earlier motivated her to shake it off. She had never made thirty thousand dollars in one night and the thought of it made her eyes twinkle. She was used to making three thousand dollars a night and now that she could keep her clothes on, there was no way she was going to mess up the opportunity to get paid real money.
Willow was last in line; she was the back man. In her mind, she was the smartest and if something went wrong, with her in the back she could easily think of a plan to get them all out of there safely. All of the assassination jobs they had ever done were two-people jobs, but now with Choice, it gave them that extra security.
Kail slowed down as planned. Choice passed her, leaving her and Willow around a corner from their target, Tony’s apartment. They watched as Choice knocked on the door. They grabbed two baseball bats from in front of the door where they were standing. They checked her face for any signs of nervousness, but to their surprise, she seemed to have it together.
“Do you think she can pull it off?” Kail asked, never taking her eyes off Choice.
“She better,” Willow watched Choice bang on the door again, “this is her one and only test.”
Tony wrinkled his nose at the sound of the door. As a precaution, he pulled out his pistol, and made his way toward the wooden door. He peeped out of the peephole and when he saw a beautiful woman on the other end, he opened it with a hurry, hiding his gun with a part of the door as it opened.
“Can I help you?” he asked.
“My friend needs help moving some furniture next door and she told me a strong-looking man stayed next door.” Choice bit her bottom lip. “I was hoping you could give us a hand.”
Choice was no stranger to getting men to do what she wanted. Although she had a man, before him she had dudes from the hood wrapped around her fingers. Seducing a man was in her genes and it was something that she did well.
“I would love to,” Tony said, looking her body up and down. “Let me put something up and I’ll be right out.”
Choice waited as Kail and Willow made their move and stood on each side of the door. Things were going exactly how Willow had planned. If things continued to go smoothly, they would be out of the building in less than ten minutes. The door opened, and Willow and Kail swung the baseball bats at Tony at the same time with all of their might, sending him flying backward.
