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“How did your talk with Pastor Moore go?”
“It went good. He’s a nice guy.”
“Yes, he is. But you need to do what’s right, Danielle. I know you love YB, but do not let him upset you. If he wants to leave and do wrong in his life, then that’s on him, but you have to care about yourself. You need to think about your baby and consider the advice Pastor Moore gave you. You are not alone, Danielle. I’m here and the church is here for you,” Wendy proclaimed.
Danielle nodded.
Wendy continued to talk and Danielle listened intently. Wendy was just like her mother, Mrs. Joseph—loving, caring, and full of wisdom. It felt like Danielle had a second chance in life when God replaced Mrs. Joseph with her daughter, Wendy. She was such a blessing for Danielle.
“Look, I want you to come down to the shop tomorrow morning. I’ll braid your hair for you and we can continue this talk. But get some rest and think about it.” Wendy gave Danielle a kiss and a hug.
Danielle smiled.
She walked Wendy to the door and watched her walk into the elevator. When she was gone, Danielle let out another deep sigh and decided to get some sleep for the night.
The building was quiet and the radio was playing Mary J. Blige. She listened to Mary sing her heart out while she put the dishes away.
She rubbed her belly again and walked back over to the window to peer down at the streets again. She imagined seeing YB walking inside with flowers and candy in his hands, hurrying up to the apartment to apologize to her for his sudden departure. Then she chuckled to herself ’cause YB wasn’t that type of dude to bring flowers and candy.
Danielle finished and then went to get some much-needed sleep. Then, maybe she’d go to the police. Maybe she did need to let go and involve the police in her situation. She knew Harlem was still out there, and she kept having visions about Crown. She had a deep concern that maybe he wasn’t dead—and she knew that he had men who wouldn’t stop hunting her until they found her. She wouldn’t be any good to her baby if she and YB were both dead.
Danielle kept having these recurring dreams about Crown coming and she was scared. She was taking a chance at doing the unthinkable by going to the police, but in her mind, she had to. She had to do something different with her life. She couldn’t keep running and worrying about Harlem or whoever coming after her. She sighed, hoping that she wouldn’t regret her decision.
She needed to come clean with herself. It was hard to do, but she knew that in order for her to truly start out in a new life—one without conflict and deception—she had to come clean with her past.
49
It was two in the morning when YB and Ray-Lo drove across the G.W. Bridge. There was no traffic, and even from a distance the city was so bright and alive with movement.
YB had no time to sleep. He tried to call the apartment but got no answer. That worried him. He told Ray-Lo to hurry, fearing that they might be too late. He feared that Danielle could already be dead.
YB checked the ammunition in his gun quickly and was satisfied that everything was in working order. He knew that he hadn’t been gone for too long, only a day or two. But those four days had been enough time for Harlem to destroy his whole family starting with Magic.
The car raced down the Major Deegan Expressway doing eighty miles per hour. YB kept calling his home, hoping that Danielle would pick up the phone. Unfortunately, there was still no answer and that made him furious.
“Hurry this shit up, Ray-Lo,” YB exclaimed.
“Nigga, I’m trying! Shit, it ain’t like we in a Porsche,” Ray-Lo shot back.
YB stared out the window, trying to keep tears from escaping and trying to be strong. Now was not the time for him start tearing up and getting emotional. In the past year, he had developed a profound love for Danielle. She gave him some insight on what happiness could be, and he wanted to be there for her. He wanted a family away from the streets with a caring woman under his arms, a child to love and raise, and a life away from the drugs and gunplay. He was gradually changing and maturing. YB remembered the advice that Magic once gave to him, and now it was beginning to take root in his heart.
He wanted his life with Danielle to continue and prayed that Harlem didn’t snatch her and the baby away from him. YB gripped the deadly steel in his hand, feeling his heart race. He couldn’t help but shed tears for the lost of his mom, Magic, and his cousin over the past four days. There was a deep fear in him that it would be all over soon. He also feared that he would be too late and Danielle and his unborn daughter would be dead.
YB continued to clutch the fully loaded steel of death and his breathing became heavy. The more he thought about Harlem murdering Danielle he knew he was going to kill Harlem when he got the chance.
“We gonna catch this muthafucka,” Ray-Lo assured YB as they got off at the exit closest to his home.
YB didn’t respond. He continued to stare out the window, crying in silence, missing his family and praying that it wasn’t too late.
50
Crown and Harlem decided to pay Ms. Wendy Joseph a second visit, figuring that in the wee hours of the morning she’d be home.
The dark blue Yukon was parked on the congested block with other vehicles. They returned to the building. The hood was quiet as the cold winter days were nearing, Crown and Harlem got off again on the eighth floor and walked down the hallway to the apartment. They assumed that this woman Wendy had an idea where Chaos was, and they were going to find out by any means necessary.
When they stood in front of the door, they pulled their guns and cocked them back. Crown hoped that Chaos was inside because it would be such a sweet revenge. He looked at Harlem and said, “Do your thang.”
Harlem passed Crown his gun, crouched near the doorknob, and picked the locks in a couple minutes, so as not alarm the occupants inside. He slowly pushed open the door and walked into the dark apartment. Crown followed and closed the door quietly, trying not to alert any of the neighbors of their presence.
