The relief hit O’Shynn so hard it looked like her knees almost gave out for a second. She covered her mouth with one hand and nodded real fast while her eyes filled up with tears. “Oh, thank God.” Then she looked past me through the window at Carmen laying in the bed. “I gotta see her.”
“You can.”
Malik stayed a little behind her at first with one hand shoved in the pocket of his hoodie while people kept staring. Tone pushed off the wall and looked him up and down before smirking. “Well damn,” Tone said. “This who had my sister flying across the country to Philly? If she did that she came on some crazy shit.”
Malik smirked a little. “She came on her own. That’s bae tho.”
O’Shynn turned around and looked at everybody. “And before anybody say anything, yes. This my man.”
That made everybody look at her, even me because O’Shynn didn’t claim muhfuckas. Keondra’s mouth fell open a little and Tone looked like Christmas had come early ready to have a field day with this information. Malik just stood there trying not to smile too hard, but I could see it all over his face.
“Your man?” Tone repeated. “Oh nah, somebody write this shit down.”
“Tone, shut up,” O’Shynn snapped but she was smiling too.
That was when the elevator doors opened again and this time, Dique came down the hallway looking like he had thrownon the first thing he saw in his closet. He was wearing some black sweats, with a simple white tee and a pair of Gucci slides. He looked tired, but he still had that same cocky look on his face like nothing in the world could ever happen without him showing up to make noise. When he saw everybody standing there, he spread his arms out.
“Where my niece at?” he asked loud enough for half the floor to hear him.
Tone shook his head. “Nigga, lower yo’ voice.”
“I’m excited,” Dique said. “Move nigga.”
Then his eyes landed on Keondra and the whole energy around him changed. He walked right over to her without even thinking about it, grabbed her face with one hand, and kissed her right on the mouth. It wasn’t no quick little peck either. It was a real kiss. The whole hallway got quiet and even Keondra looked surprised when he pulled back.
“Bae,” he said, brushing his thumb against her cheek, “you good?”
Keondra blinked at him like she forgot other people were standing there. “Yeah,” she smiled, I’m good.
Tone looked over at me. “This nigga done lost his mind.”
“I ain’t lose shit,” Dique shot back, pulling Keondra closer against his side. “I hung my player jersey up.”
“You serious?” O’Shynn asked.
Dique looked down at Keondra for a second before he answered. “Yeah, I’m serious. I got my own lil family, I’m good. Plus, these bitches annoying, they losin’ they mind. If I’ma deal with some bullshit it’s gon’ be from my baby mama.”
That shocked everybody more than anything else and they start laughing because Dique didn’t do serious about no female ever. However, the way he kept his arm around Keondra while she leaned into him said everything nobody expected to see, we knew this was real. After a while, things calmed down a littleand they went to get food or drain the main vein before coming back. Tone and Malik disappeared down the hall talking about something. My mama was sitting beside Carmen’s bed rubbing her hand while Carmen looked exhausted but happy. I was standing near the television mounted on the wall in the corner of the room when the breaking news alert came across the bottom of the screen. At first I barely paid attention to it. Then I saw the name:Victoria Blanca.
The news anchor’s voice came through the room.
“Breaking tonight, Colombian authorities have confirmed that cartel leader Victoria Blanca was found dead in one of her private estates just outside Medellín. Early reports are suggesting suicide.”
The whole room got quiet. The television showed pictures of Victoria whether it was pictures of her getting out of black trucks, pictures of her at parties, or pictures of her beside old cartel men. Then it cut to footage outside one of her properties with police tape wrapped around the gate.
“Sources close to the investigation say Victoria Blanca had reportedly been struggling emotionally in recent weeks following increased pressure tied to her family’s criminal empire.”
I didn’t move or blink cause for what. I knew what the fuck I did. I just stood there with my hands in my pockets looking at the television across the room, Carmen looked at me, and O’Shynn looked at me too but neither one of them said anything and they didn’t have to because they already knew. The room stayed quiet for a little while longer before the nurse picked the remote up and changed the channel but by then it didn’t matter because it was done.
Victoria was gone. El Blanca was gone and there were no more loose ends. No more cartel princess. No more wondering if she would get emotional one day and make a move that couldput my family in danger. For the first time in a long time, I felt something close to peace settle in my chest but not completely because my daughter was still upstairs fighting to breathe on her own, but close enough. I walked back over to Carmen’s bedside, lean down, and kiss her forehead while she looked up at me with tired eyes.
“Our daughter here,” I smiled at her.
Carmen smiled back and for that moment, that was all that mattered.
EPILOGUE
Six months later, the Royal estate looked like something out of a movie. The entire mansion had been transformed for the ball with long black carpets stretched across the front entrance while candles flickered inside tall glass cylinders lining the walkway. Gold lights were wrapped around the palm trees outside, making the whole property glow against the Miami night. The luxury cars lined the circular driveway one after another with black trucks service, Bentleys, Rolls-Royces, and Lamborghinis. Every few seconds another valet opened a door for somebody dripping in diamonds, custom suits, or designer gowns.
