“What did you do to my mamma?”
“Ahh…no worries, donna. She was questioned and released.”
“Well, what happened? What did my mom do?”
“She was fucking the enemy, and feeding him information about our family.”
Clearly, Luca wasn't one to mince words.
“Oh, okay. Thank you,” she told him, even though she wasn't exactly sure why she was thanking him.
“You're welcome. Goodbye.”
“Bye.”
Tammy disconnected the call and tossed the phone on the bed. She walked over to the mirror and assessed her appearance. Omar had flat ironed her thick hair and secured it in an elegant ponytail that hung long and straight down her back. Then Gail had used a light touch in applying her makeup, giving her a more natural look. Tammy had chosen to wear one of her own designs for dinner. The black, floor-length gown hugged her curves perfectly. The neckline was a modest boatneck, but it draped dangerously low in the back. Tammy shook her head and left the room. She was definitely too overdressed for dinner by the pool.
****
“Where did Tasha go?” Tammy asked as she followed Victoria and Tracy down the path that led to the pool deck.
“I think she went to go pee,” Victoria responded. “She’ll meet us down there. Amy, Mia, and Emily are coming down too,” she added.
“Cool. I could use a fun girl’s night.”
Tammy looked over at the night sea. Even with the artificial light coming from poles designed like Parisian street lights, the water looked black. It was a beautiful night, neither too hot nor too cold. A warm breeze bounced off the sea, and there were a billion stars lighting up the sky.
Once they made it to the deck, Tammy looked around. To her surprise, the deck was completely empty. There was no Amy, no Emily, and no Mia. There wasn't even any food.
“What the fuck?” Victoria exclaimed. “Didn't we tell them to meet us here?”
“I’m sure we did,” Tracy responded.
“Maybe them fools went to the restaurant. Come on, let’s go to the restaurant.”
They followed Victoria across the deck to the doors that led to the ballroom.
“We’ll cut through,” she said as she pulled the doors open and stepped in.
Tammy was dreading going into the ballroom. She had no need to relive her disastrous wedding reception. She’d seen enough blood and bodies to last her a lifetime. But when Tracy entered after Victoria, Tammy had no other choice but to follow.
“Surprise!”
Tammy clutched her chest and screamed at the top of her lungs. Her nerves were already shot to hell, and they had just scared the shit out of her.
“Oh my God. Tammy, are you okay?” Tracy asked, placing her hands on Tammy’s shoulders.
“What is this?” Tammy asked after finding her voice.
“Honey, it’s your reception.”
“Oh…oh my God,” Tammy said through a heavy breath.
She looked around the room, surprised to see all of her family and friends. Everyone was smiling and dressed to the nines in black-tie attire. She took a shaky step forward and looked around the ballroom. It had been transformed. The room was as beautiful as it was before it was trashed, and there wasn't a dead body or a spec of blood to be found. Tammy was blown away.
“H-how did you do this?”
“Girl, you know there ain't nothing this family can't pull off,” Victoria quipped.
