And moments later, when I straighten and meet Abena’s gaze, neither one of us is smiling.
This time, when I turn around and stride out of the throne room, she doesn’t stop me. No one does. As I clear the doors, my kapteni follow, joining me in the foyer. We all remain silent as the soldiers at the front doors pull them open, and we exit the compound.
“That shit had to hurt,” Maura says, stating the obvious in her airy, cheery voice that belongs to a gotdamn Disney princess, not a murderer.
Penn backhands Maura across her chest, and the freckle-faced, petite redhead winces.
“Well, fuck. Ouch.”
Sighing, Penn pulls a pair of gloves from her back pocket. “What next, Eshe?”
“Let’s meet.”
That’s all I need to say as I jerk on my own gloves and stalk toward my bike. Up until now, we’ve been moving slowly, chipping away at the foundation of Abena’s empire. But the moment she sent the Huntsman after me,slowgot drop-kicked out the window. Fuck slow. We’re moving full force ahead with our plan to get that bitch off the throne. I don’t even need to close my eyes to see my mother’s deep crimson blood staining that sidewalk like an oil spill. And that blood still cries out for justice, for revenge. Those needs follow me into my sleep. Only more spilled blood will appease them. Abena’s blood.
And I’m just the person to do it.
I’m theonlyperson to do it.
Minutes later, the eight of us roll down the isolated obodo road, three of us on motorcycles and the rest in cars. As I pull up to the gate, that reflexive instant of panic flares within me as it’s done since I was sixteen. I’m waiting on the day when those big iron sentinels won’t open, trapping me on this compound.
I don’t know what I fear most.
Being trapped or dying.
But today isn’t that day, and as they slowly ease open, I release a low, heavy breath and hit the throttle, taking off as if demons unleashed from the pits of hell are on my rear wheel.
“I can’t believe that bitch. She’s got to fucking go.” Nef’s flat statement rings in the thick silence of my living room, and from the grim faces on the other six women gathered, they all agree with the sentiment.
I know I sure the fuck do.
I just played the recording that Laura gave me for my Seven, and their reactions match mine. Disgust. Fury. Betrayal.
Just when you thought Abena couldn’t sink any lower, that bitch hit hell.
Kenya raises her hand as if she’s in a classroom waiting to be called on. “So, we taking that ho out, right?”
“Is Lion-O the hottest ThunderCat?” I shoot back.
Kenya scrunches her face. “Nah. That’s Panthro with that big-dick energy.”
I blink. “Get out.”
“Okay, okay.” Tera holds up a hand toward me, palm out. “We have an assassination to plan. Focus.”
I mug Kenya. “I don’t even know who you are right now.” Tearing my gaze away from her, I roll my shoulders. “A’ight. I’m ready.”
For the next hour, we lay out a strategy for tomorrow night.It’s short notice, but we’re all professionals here. Highly motivated professionals.
“Good.” Tera lifts a shot of Patrón to her lips, taking a sip. “Now that’s settled, but we still have the match to get straight. The lineup’s good. We got Dane Graves versus Black Knell as the main event.”
“That’s gon’ be a beautiful fight.” Tyeesha nods her approval, tipping her Sam Adams beer to her mouth. “Both have undefeated records, and their fighting styles are a damn-near-perfect match. The downside? At the end of it, we’re going to be down one good-ass fighter,” she observes with the calm and clinical reason that’s earned her the nickname Doc. Well, reason and the beautiful precision that she uses while performing torture.
She’s not wrong though.
I run Elysian, the underground fight club, that’s just one of my rackets in the family. It’s an equal-opportunity space. People of all socioeconomic and geographical statuses rub shoulders in the waterfront warehouse. Just as anyone, whether born with a silver spoon in their mouth or pushed out of their mother’s pussy in a crack house, can get their ass in the ring and fight. All that matters is money and skill. Because those are the only two things that will keep you alive and winning in Elysian.
Especially since our fights are to the death.
