Pink Lips, page 5
“That’s what the fuck I’m talking about,” Willow said as she tossed a rubber band to Kail to tie her hair up for round two.
Willow closed her eyes as the night air became therapeutic to her. She smiled at how easy their life had become. Filling the shoes of their mother and their aunt, she and Kail were now members of The Pink Lip Bandits. With unlimited money at their disposal, they never knew the meaning of the word struggle and could buy whatever their hearts desired.
Raised by their Aunt Mahina, and her soon-to-be husband, Gino, they had learned the ways of the streets before they were ten. Instead of getting an allowance like normal kids their age growing up, they had to earn it. No matter if it was stealing, drugs, or whatever crooked things Gino asked them to do, they did it without asking questions.
Willow became the brains of The Pink Lip Bandits and Kail became the force. As their deadly combination grew more and more, the money and control they had in the streets grew. Letting their beauty be mistaken for weakness was a price a lot of hustlers paid.
Willow’s and Kail’s names became feared on the islands of Hawaii. They were everything their reputation said they were plus more. People knew if they saw them coming, to go the other way. Wherever you saw the two together, their lips as pink as taffy, you knew they were there on business, and any business done by them ended badly.
Although Mahina filled in for their mother—they’d always wondered what happened to her—she never instilled feelings or emotions in them. She trained them to be cold. She raised them to be the perfect soldiers for the organization and it paid off. Although there were more than twenty girls in The Pink Lip Bandits, Willow and Kail were the only two who mattered to Mahina and Gino. They were making more money than the other girls put together.
“I’m about to beat your ass now,” Willow called as she held her fist out in front of her.
“Wait.” Kail’s cell phone started ringing. She walked over to the railings of the rooftop and grabbed her phone. “It’s Mahina,” she called.
“Answer it,” Willow walked closer, “she’s probably making sure we are there on time tomorrow for their damn wedding.” She shook her head as she sat on the railing.
“That better be all.” Kail hit the answer button. “ ’Cause I ain’t down with working tonight. Hello.”
“What is she saying?” Willow put her ear close to the phone.
“I think she called me by mistake.” Kail looked at Anoki as a familiar voice caught their interest.
“Do yous think they gon’ try to overpower us?” Gino’s voice came booming through the receiver of the phone.
Willow put her finger up to Kail’s mouth, telling her sister to be quiet as she hit the speaker phone button.
“I don’t know,” Mahina said. “But, if they do, we can just take care of them like we did Anoki.”
“Could you kill them like you killed your sister?” Gino asked in a malicious tone.
“In a minute,” Mahina replied as static started to take over the call. “It’s bad enough that their father took over the mafia and we have to listen to him regarding the drug cartel here.” She spat. “If those little bitches ever got from under my control, I’d kill them.”
“But they make us so much money.”
“They are just common bitches from the streets of Philadelphia. We could always find two more bitches like them.”
“You’re right,” Gino agreed as they laughed.
Kail threw the phone over the rooftop in anger. She sat silently, hunched over and with a sense of loss so powerful that her muscles wouldn’t respond to commands. Her gaze was into the far distance, unseeing but fixed on some imaginary future of a life with her mother. Although it was naïve, she had figured her mother had left at will and would return someday.
Willow wasn’t as naïve; she had grieved for the loss of her mother when she was a little girl. She knew deep down that she was dead. The story that Mahina had always told them about their mother leaving to go find herself didn’t make sense to her. Her mother had been taken from the world a long time ago, but she’d never suspected Mahina.
Kail’s throat tightened and a short intake of breath forecast the explosion of emotion, which to date, she had managed to keep buried deep inside. Not any more though, that image of things shared with a love which were not to come, was too powerful and gut-wrenching to be kept in check; the tearing at her soul was too compelling and energetic to be contained. The vision she had began to swim in front of her as tears welled from deep inside and coursed down her cheeks.
All the pent-up hysteria and dread of loss was let loose in a paroxysm of choking and sobbing, so powerful in its intensity that it shook her body until she could barely breathe.
“I want that bitch dead,” Kail said, her voice shaking.
“I know, but calm down.” Willow grabbed her sister’s shoulder. “I feel the same way. How about we give that bitch a wedding she will never forget?”
“I’m down,” Kail agreed as she bit her bottom lip.
They both sat there under the moon thinking of a master plan for revenge. Their lips shined with pink essence as they put together a plan that would end The Pink Lip Bandits for good. They would leave traces of no one affiliated with the organization. The wedding of Mahina and Gino would be a bloodbath like Hawaii had never seen.
• • •
“Ms. Melee Evans?” the stout limo driver screamed, holding up a big sign with her name neatly written on it.
“That’s me,” a woman called out as she handed him her designer luggage.
Melee waited for the limo driver to put the luggage in the back, and open the door for her as her light-caramel skin tone glistened under the Hawaiian sun. Her hazel-brown eyes hid behind her Fendi sunglasses. The lengthy beige Alexander McQueen dress that fitted her body perfectly split up the side showing off her beautiful toned legs. A small breeze made her long, straight hair blow softly as the scent from the peppermint shampoo she used mixed with the natural smells of the island.
She was the kind of woman that gay men went straight for; the kind who could make a man run into walls staring at her as she walked by. The type who you have to take an extra breath between sentences while talking to her. A gaze at her face and you could get lost in a daydream. There was a beauty as pure and captivating as this and she was it.
“Have you been to the islands before?” the limo driver asked as he held the door open.
“Please don’t speak to me,” Melee said as she gracefully entered the limo like she had done it a thousand times. “An acquaintance is with me so we will wait for him. He went to the bathroom.”
“Yes, ma’am,” the limo driver said as he softly closed the door. “What a bitch,” he mumbled under his breath.
The limo door opened and Melee slid over to let her travel partner inside of the limo. Craig Price entered the limo as his tapered faded head scuffed the top cloth of the seat. With skin that was nearly blue, he was the darkest man most people had ever seen in their life. His Evasion sunglasses hid his dark-colored eyes. The opened white Gucci shirt and shorts to match complemented the white loafers that made a home to his feet. He was handsome and his swag attracted every woman he passed.
“Didn’t I tell yo’ ass to wait by the restroom?” he barked, the pearly white teeth in his mouth appearing and disappearing.
Melee ignored his rant as she gazed out of the window at the gorgeous sites.
“You think this shit is a game, but if something happens to you, then yo’ pops would kill me,” he said.
“That sounds like a personal problem.” Melee checked her cell phone. “All I’m here for is to attend my uncle’s wedding, stand in for my family, and that’s it. Just chill the fuck out and we’ll be back in Philly before you know it.”
“You try telling that to Rock.” Craig grabbed her cell phone. “He doesn’t have any understanding behind his baby girl. So look, I don’t give a fuck what you here for. I was asked to watch you so, that’s what the fuck I’m gon’ do. So where you go, I go. You got that?”
“Yes, goddammit,” Melee huffed as she snatched her cell phone back.
“Where to?” the limo driver asked as the window in the middle console let down.
“The Halekulani Hotel on Kalia Road,” Craig yelled.
“I’ll get us there fast.” The limo driver nodded as he rolled the window up.
Melee leaned against the door of the limo with her chin resting on the palm of her hand. She felt like a kid with a babysitter. She was in this beautiful place and couldn’t even enjoy it due to having a constant shadow. She loved her father, but she longed for the day to do things on her own. She felt like she couldn’t even go to the restroom by herself. She was tired of being chaperoned.
• • •
Willow and Kail prepped in the presidential suite with the rest of the bridesmaids as they got ready for the two o’clock English Garden wedding. They stayed calm as they looked at each other, and then out of the window of the Halekulani knowing that it would be their last day in Hawaii. Willow had bought the two first-class tickets, and their plane would leave at the stroke of midnight. There was no turning back now.
“I’m so nervous.” Mahina looked at herself in the mirror; the makeup artist she hired painting her face.
“You’ll do fine.” Willow rubbed her back and looked at Kail for backup, but she simply stood on the balcony of the oversized suite.
“You’ll be okay. It will all be over before you know it.” Kail smiled as she held a half-empty glass of chilled champagne in the air.
“I hope you’re right.” Mahina smiled as she stood up. “It’s time to get dressed.”
Mahina wore a simple gown with crystal and pearl accents by Camille La Vie and the bridesmaids were outfitted in kiwi cocktail-length Alfred Angelo dresses as they entered the carriage waiting for them in front the of lavish hotel.
Mahina carried kiwi-centered pale-pink gerbera daisies with crystal accents in a Victorian silver bouquet holder, and the bridesmaids carried hand-wrapped bouquets of the same flower. Kail was the exception. She was the flower girl in a sense and she carried six long-stemmed flowers. She would give one to each mother and grandmother who stood in for Mahina since she had no living relatives besides her and Willow.
The carriage pulled up to the front of the biggest church in Hawaii. The church was once the mansion of the town’s founder. It had a beautiful garden at the back, so it went perfectly with Mahina and Gino’s theme for their wedding. The driver let the door open for them as they all exited the carriage.
The garden was naturally beautiful, so there wasn’t much in the way of decoration. White wooden folding chairs filled with guests split by a petal-marked aisle awaited. Mahina made her way down the aisle as the bridemaids who had walked seconds earlier waited on the side of the arch. The elderly woman standing in for Mahina held their flowers tightly that Kail had given them as tears formed in their eyes. Onlookers admired Mahina’s dress and countless gasps could be heard aloud.
They all looked in the handmade programs, which included a beautiful Cherokee prayer that was translated for one of the many ancestral touches as the sounds of a harp echoed throughout the garden. Mahina walked into the opening of the beautiful white arch as Gino, who was dressed in an all-white tux with the same flower his bride was holding hanging out of his top pocket, smiled as he leaned up in his wheelchair.
The ceremony began as they exchanged beautiful vows followed by a reading they both loved from a book. The piece was an old Apache wedding vow that Willow knew. Following the ceremony’s end, they were announced husband and wife, and everyone headed to the reception.
• • •
“You got everything packed?” Willow asked Kail as they dipped through the busy streets of the island.
“Yes, we good,” she replied.
“Let’s change.” Willow pulled in front of their condo. “Then we will head there.”
Kail complied as they went upstairs to get out of the bridesmaids dresses. They scurried everything they would need after they got dressed and loaded it in the trunk of the car. Jewelry, clothes, Kail’s car, and other things were all left behind at the condo that would soon become abandoned. The person who cleaned it out would make a grip off of the stuff that they left behind.
They swung in and out of lanes in a rush to make it to the reception. They wanted to make it there on time; every minute counted. Today was the day they would get their revenge and nothing was going to stop them.
Eight
Willow and Kail parked a couple of blocks from the building where the reception was held. Willow rolled down the driver window of her midnight-blue Range Rover as they watched countless people go in and out of the establishment. They staked it out and eyed their surroundings like they did every job they worked.
“I say we go shoot every fucking body.” Kail pulled an AK-47 from in between her legs while rubbing on the barrel with her neon-orange nails.
“Think, Kail,” Willow responded as she leaned in the backseat to grab a box, “we don’t want to make a scene; just get in, kill, and get out.” She opened the box revealing two AAC Evolution 40 suppressors. “Just do what we discussed.”
“Silencers.” Kail reached over and grabbed one. “This is legit,” she said as the cool from the steel shot goose bumps through her skin making her anxious to use it.
“I know, let’s go,” Willow ordered as she opened the door with Kail following.
Their feet paced calmly as they crossed the busy streets. They both held their clutches in their hands, the guns on their person hidden perfectly under their black babydoll Chanel dresses. Their hair flowed well past their shoulders as they approached the greeter at the door.
“Names, please?” the security asked, stopping them.
“They’re VIP,” Mahina said as she appeared through the double glass doors inviting her nieces inside.
Bright lights filled the room like a million fireflies on a cold summer’s night. A band played as waitresses and waiters walked around in black server clothes with top-shelf wine and hors d’oeuvres on their trays. It was a high-society event, and since Gino was over most of the businesses in Hawaii, everyone who was anyone was in attendance.
“You girls look beautiful,” Mahina said as they reached a table filled with small diamonds surrounding the plate settings, “please take a seat.”
“Look at my nieces.” Gino wheeled behind Kail and Willow and hugged their necks from behind. “We have an announcement,” he said as the smell of liquor escaped from his mouth.
“What is it?” Willow asked.
“We’re about to announce it now.” Mahina signaled for Gino to follow her to the stage.
Kail scoped the surroundings to check out the security. It was a habit of hers anytime she was on a job. In three minutes flat, she had counted everyone in the room.
“Thank you all for coming.” Mahina held her wedding ring in the air for all to see. “We are finally married, and since everyone we care about is in the room,” she said as she pointed toward Melee, “including my beautiful niece-in-law that came all the way from Philly.”
“She’s pregnant,” Gino interrupted as he grabbed at Mahina’s stomach.
“This changes nothing,” Kail whispered to Willow as she gulped the wine in her mouth softly.
Everyone in attendance gave their congratulations as a barrage of claps overpowered the soft jazz music that was being played by the band.
“Do it now,” Kail mumbled to Willow as she continued clapping, letting a fake smile take over her face, exposing her beautiful innocent smile.
Willow stood up as the lights from the chandeliers sparkled the diamond tennis bracelet around her wrist. She clapped as she approached the microphone standing next to Mahina and Gino.
“We been with Mahina, and Gino, since we were younger.” Willow turned to them and smiled. “They are the only family me and my sister, Kail, know and we really want to give them something special to show our appreciation. Especially for all that they’ve done for us. So Mahina, Gino, if you two and the rest of our extended family,” she said, referring to all of The Pink Lip Bandits, “could follow me and Kail to the back room, we have a surprise for you.”
“This is going to be good,” Mahina said as she approached the microphone. “Don’t worry; we will share with you guys when we return of what it was.”
Kail stood up as they all headed to the back room of the venue. Kail smiled as Gino’s normal security that followed him everywhere stood still. She had paid them double not to hear or see anything, and it was money well spent. She knew Gino wouldn’t notice because of his intoxication.
Willow closed the double doors of the back room as Kail stood next to her. This was it, this was the moment they had been waiting for, and this was justice for their mother.
“Okay, you guys,” Kail sashayed over to the light switch, “close your eyes and don’t open them until we tell you to.”
They all obliged as the lights went off. Kail tossed Willow the night vision goggles that she had stashed there the night before as darkness filled the room. They pulled out their guns as they saw their targets in a optic green color.
“Surprise, motherfuckas,” Kail screamed as she aimed and shot, starting with Mahina and Gino. Willow joined as a stampede of bullets filled the air.
An eerie silence took over the room as the bullets stopped. Willow and Kail checked pulses with their guns never leaving the aiming position. They had hit heads and hearts, so they knew no one should have been left breathing.
“You ungrateful bitches.” Mahina panted as she crawled toward the door, her nails breaking in the beautiful marble floor as she pulled her weight. “After I took you in, this is how you repay me. Fuck you.”
“No, fuck you, bitch,” Kail said as she stood over Mahina, “and your unborn bastard child. See you in hell.” She released two rounds to the back of Mahina’s head.
