Free Nine Lives: For the Love of Money by Empress Simone

me startling me a little.
    My mind clamored with the right words to say then I said fuck it; I’m going to say what’s on my mind. Number one this wasn’t her house, number two I had been through enough, number three fuck her and her feelings but the most important one was number four, I wasn’t her fucking punk, “I’m sorry. I’m a little confused by this being my house and all. Now, what the fuck is going on and why do you have all these guns?” I asked her.
    “Well miss thang if you must know, when I found out my brother was killed I went to the ammo dealer on Jerome avenue. That’s what took me so long to make my way to you. I knew I’d have to kick ass somehow. If they killed my brother with a gun, then they get dealt with by the gun. Plus, I don’t know how many of them are there. What I do know now is that it seems to be The Overseers work and that can’t go by unpunished. They will get dealt with and so will anybody who stands in my way of getting my revenge. Do you understand?” she asked threaten.
    “Why do I feel like you are addressing that question to me? I mean what the fuck did I do to you?” I asked her.
    “Whatever Lil Bit, just know I mean what I say and say what I mean. The black assassin and The Overseers will get dealt with. Also if I was you, I’d watch that husband of yours. He’s too damn sneaky. Coming in here when you go talk to your momma with his suggestive eyes. But that’s YOUR boo though,” she said trying to be conniving.
    “Yea you are right he is my boo. Now with that said, I’m not letting you go through this alone but don’t ever feel like you can one up me or put down my family. We are all hurting and need to stick together. Now do you understand me?” I asked her with authority.
    “Yep, I sure do,” she said.
    “Good pass me one of those guns,” I said with my eyes glistening from the thought of the power holding a gun would give me.
    “Which one you want Lil Bit?” she asked me.
    “I’ll try out the Beretta Cheetah,” I informed her in awe of the black beauty. She wasn’t too small yet not too big. She was just right and yes, I said she. I decided to call her BB.
    “Great choice,” she said as she picked it up and passed it to me, kissing it goodbye first.  
    I was elated and excited at the same time holding my new secret weapon. I think my kitty got wet. I was feeling like we were the black and latino Thelma and Louise when all of a sudden the house phone rang. I raced into the living room to answer it.
    “Bae, bae, oh my God. They got your mother and Dorah,” Infinity yelled, out of breath, into my ear loudly to the point I thought my eardrum would burst.
    “What do you mean by got them?” I questioned.
    “I’m saying by the time I got to the garage after them they were being shoved into a van. I gave chase while on foot but it was going at such high speed there wasn’t a way to keep up.
    “My goodness, how? How’d this happen? You went out right behind them,” I stammered with tears filling my eyes.
    “Well when I got into the hallway, the elevator doors closed in my face. I had to wait for another one,” he began but by then I hung up the phone in his ear.
    I couldn’t believe his ass could be so stupid. I wondered how during a time like this he could wait for an elevator instead of trying to catch up to his child and her grandmother by taking the stairs to the buildings lower level parking garage.
    It was my turn to cry now and Hazel’s turn to comfort me. She grabbed me around my shoulders as I flopped into the same chair she was sitting in not even an hour ago. She kissed me on top of my head.
    “Lil Bit, what happened?” she asked me.
    “They kidnapped momma and Dorah,” I said sobbing.
    “Damn, a baby? They are putting a baby into this? These motherfuckers have got to be dealt with TONIGHT!!” she exclaimed, got up from her seated position then banged her hand on the wooden coffee table. It wobbled a little but didn’t