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“Why red?”
“It was Kip’s favorite color, and it’s a celebration for him, right?”
Jessica nodded. “It is.”
“And red is the color of love. We need to show our love for Kip tonight, so we all decided to become unified with red and white. Love and peace.”
Jessica was listening, taking it all in.
Eshon continued with, “I just wanted to thank you, Jessica. I needed this. I miss him so much.”
“I do too.”
Eshon sighed faintly. “Despite what happened wit’ us, I still got love for you, girl.”
It was a vast lie.
“Eshon, you know you my number-one bitch, homes. I always got love for you, too,” Jessica returned.
Another lie told.
The girls smiled in each other’s faces and expressed their forgiveness, but rooted deep inside both of them was unadulterated hatred for each other. Eshon wanted to scratch that bitch’s eyes out and throw her body off the rooftop and watch it fall apart. It took everything she had inside of her not to react violently. She needed to stick to the plan. Jessica would get hers.
Jessica was thirsting for their demise. She saw Eshon and everyone else as a gaping hindrance that needed to be eradicated from her life. Maserati Meek was the only person she cared about. Greed and love had gotten the best of her. Her friendship with Kip’s crew had expired. Jessica felt that she had moved on to better things. And after tonight, there would be no more threats to her relationship with Maserati Meek. Her past would be behind her, her friends would be dead, and she would be free to concentrate on her future with Meek.
Eshon pivoted and made her exit. She had done her part. Jessica believed the lie about the dress code being red and white. Eshon made it emotional and explainable. Her love for Kip was never-ending.
Once the door closed and Eshon was out of sight, Jessica went into her bedroom and picked up her cell phone. She immediately called Maserati Meek. She had to tell him the news about the red and white outfits.
His phone rang several times before he picked up. “Meek, it’s me, baby. I have something to tell you.”
“I’m listening,” he said.
“They all will be wearing red and white tonight, in honor of Kip.”
“Red and white, eh,” he replied nonchalantly.
“Yes, this will make it easier for you to spot them out in the crowd. Right, homes?”
“It will, but you have no need to worry. Relax, eh, because tonight everyone will die no matter what they wear. I can promise you that,” he said coolly.
He hung up.
Jessica felt left in the dark, but she knew whatever Maserati Meek had planned was something sinister. Everyone was going to die. It was guaranteed.
4
The Kid, Devon, and Papa John drove through the Holland Tunnel and entered New Jersey. A few miles away, nestled on the outskirts of Newark, was a Motel 6 where their doppelgangers waited for them. Time was winding down. The men were well groomed, fed, and treated fairly until the day of reckoning. So far, The Kid had made good on his promises to them. He put two hundred and fifty dollars into each of their hands. They’d get the other half when the night was over—though he didn’t expect them to live through tonight.
If Maserati Meek executed his plan, then Kid and his crew would be believed dead and out of harm’s way from the crime boss. The Kid needed tonight’s plan to work. It was a cruel thing, using innocent men as pawns for death so that he and his men could live. But in this world, there were no such things as half-measures. You went all the way—kill or be killed. You moved your queen fearlessly around the board and took what you wanted, or you didn’t survive the game. In Kid’s eyes, the decoys were simple pawns, meant to be sacrificed so the king could live on and rule.
He wheeled himself into the motel room and greeted the men with a smile and a hello. Papa John and Devon stood behind him; each showed friendliness, too. The three men were happy to be there—in a simple room with a bed and bathroom. They were being fed, they had cable TV, and they looked like decent human beings again. The bartender and starving artist had grand visions of making it to the big time, perhaps getting a movie deal. The homeless man was just grateful to have a good meal, warm bed, new clothes, and money to blow on drugs once these shenanigans were over.
“It’s time to get dressed. Tonight is the night,” The Kid said to them. “Y’all excited?”
“Yes,” Henry replied. “After years of being hungry on the streets, this is like paradise to me. Thank you for this.”
“That’s good to know. I’m happy for you,” The Kid replied.
