Chapter 3

“Reyanna, can I ask you a question?” Dream Kennedy took off her Chanel glasses. The sun was at its peak scorching raining down on her and the short lady standing in a line at Roosevelt Park to get balloons. “What the hell are we doing in a line with a bunch of two-year-olds? And where did you get so much money to spend?” over three hours before getting here they were shopping in the most expensive and unaffordable stores. Ava bought even more overpriced jewellery which she had sent back to her home at Miss Vittoria's place.

Avalyn didn't care how odd they looked. Two women over twenty years old did look odd standing in a line for toddlers but her caring switch had turned itself off. She's getting that gas balloon and no amount of glares from these moms will stop her.

“Why the hell did you take the lipstick and run off for the night? Vittoria took ninety percent of the money I made that night and the previous nights.” Ava eyed her tall friend.

“It's a stupid lipstick and it wasn't even all that.”

“But you took it and lost it.”

“Stay mad.”

“Stay in line, we're almost at the front!” she eagerly shook her leg, standing akimbo in the long line. “I can't wait to have that balloon.”

“Oh grow up already. Childish bitch,” Dream rolled her eyes. “might as well just call me your mom now.”

“Quiet!” Ava glared. They got to the front of the line and paid for a red heart balloon, Ava's eyes beamed as she walked away with it. The vibrant colour contrasted her equally vibrant hair, they made her medium pale skin glow. The grown woman ran away from her friend to stand by an oak tree in the clearing, her floral blue and white dress flaring when a strong gust of wind passed. She took her phone to snap awkward selfies.

‘𝑯𝒐𝒘 𝒅𝒊𝒅 𝑰 𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒖𝒑 𝒃𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒉𝒆𝒓? 𝑹𝒆𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒆,’ Dream walked on the cobblestone path to meet her friend. Wearing ripped jeans, sneakers and a cropped tank top. Proudly showing off her various tattoos ranging from a howling wolf to a roaring dragon. Her ash grey hair fell over her shoulders like a waterfall, and her silver eyes—bright yet cold—captured the girl's every movement. ‘𝑺𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒊𝒅𝒏'𝒕 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒔𝒘𝒆𝒓 𝒎𝒚 𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏. 𝑺𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒔.’

“Hey fatass!” she yelled, earning several glances her way. Ignoring them, she chewed her gum and slid her hands into her back pockets.

Ava turned around, darkly staring at the woman in the middle of the path. “Fuck you,” she mouthed.

“I always knew you were gay for me. Sure!” Dream jogged over and jumped on her back. They took multiple pictures that way. Their effulgent smiles in the photos are a reminder of one of the happier moments of their lives spent together.

“Aren't you going to answer my question? Where'd you get all this money, Rey?” Dream called her by her fake Christian name. “Vittoria took almost all your earnings—”

“Because of you.” she reminded.

“Now that's just verbal abuse. Is that how you treat your mother?” she feigned heartbreak.

“Look, Starlette, I just...became an informant to the cops. That's how I got the money,” Ava knew if she told Dream the truth she'd go bonkers. “That's all.”

“Oh. That's not too bad. Thought it was worse like you stole from the Mafia or something.” she chuckled. If only she knew that's exactly what Ava, or Reyanna, as she knows her, did. “Let's head back to the mansion, twilight is falling.”

Both women took ubers back to the mansion they reside in. They live there alongside the other workers because of the excessive killing. Today, Illinois is the most populated state with the highest death toll. The majority of those killed victims, often by gang violence, are women and young girls. Sadly, they often reappear decapitated or have their throats slit, and they never show up alive. Miss Vittoria Singh's Home isn't just a mansion for call girls, prostitutes and strippers, it's a haven. A shelter for so many women that have nowhere to go, to call home, and no one to call family. While her temper displeases many, her name in the streets is as pure as it could get.

Ava and Dream arrived home, alighting from the car simultaneously to walk into the three floorage building. Ava still had her balloon in her hand, and as giddy as a child she skipped to the front door.

Dream could only smile seeing her friend so happy. A moment so rare it happens every blue moon. But as soon as she got to the door it swung open, merely missing her face, both of them who were now on the porch stopped wondering who the hell opened the door so violently. The person who came out shocked both.

Ava accidentally let go of the balloon, it flew into the air stopping at the ceiling. She was too short to get it down. But there's no time to worry about a balloon. “Came back for more, stupid asshole?” it was the same man from that night, the person she had bumped into ending in an argument.

Seeing him now in the day. She couldn't help but admit to herself how handsome he was. Soft features that made him appear boyish but with sharp lines to back them up, hypnotic brown eyes and black hair pulled back in a gel comb over.

“Let's finish what we started—” two razor-sharp knives magically appeared in his hands, and he moved to her with fire in his eyes. “I'll make you pay for everything you said that night. No one will save you—Starlette?” for the first time he noticed the presence of her best friend. “Starlette? Is that...is that you?” his brows raised in surprise.

“Run!” Dream grabbed Ava and made a run for it but the man was faster. He didn't grab Ava, he grabbed her and pulled her back. “Ah! Renzo!”

“Renzo?” Ava looked at Dream, “You know this pussy?”

“I'm not even going to acknowledge your existence. You picked the wrong fucking Don to steal from and you'll pay for it with your life. Let's see if your tongue is gonna save your ass,” the guy whose name is Renzo, as Dream had called him, threw her on his shoulder and they disappeared to the back of the mansion.

Not even two seconds later Ava was chasing after her friend, before she could get to her men poured out from the mansion coming her way fast. Reluctantly she had to stop, her fist up and ready to punch anybody who dared touch her. The first man that tried to seize her was kissed by her right fist, her knee connected with his groin and her elbow slammed into his cheek to knock him down. The next man attacked her from the back, grabbing her hands and keeping them behind her but she jumped up and over his body forcing him to release her. She dropped to the ground and swung her feet to kick him off his, when he was down she jumped up and stomped in his face. The men soon realized this girl wasn't going down without a fight so they pulled out guns to stop her.

They genuinely thought she'd freeze but she spun around and blasted down the driveway but smashed into something that sent her body flying back to the ground. The impact had her rolling on the concrete holding her nose, which is hopefully not broken.

From the home of exclusively women, the owner of the estate ran out. Her heels clacked against the floor and her chest bounced as she did.

“No! Stop! We had a deal! I begged all of you to leave my girl alone! Let her go, please!” Miss Vittoria screamed, her Russian accent thick and authentic. Tears ran out her eyes knowing the fate of the girl she considered a daughter. “Please! Don't take her from me! I'll pay it back! Every penny!”

“Boss said he wants her head mounted on his wall. Whatever the boss wants he gets. She's going to die whether you like it or not, woman.” an arrogant man from the group in full black said.

“Then let me talk to your boss,” mascara tainted her pale cheeks, “let me speak to Godfather Bloody.”

The men sneered. “He's right down there. And as you can see, she's already met his acquaintance.”

Horror flashed across the woman's face. Her eyes travelled from the men down the driveway, and of course, near the towering gold gates was her top dancer on the ground seemingly knocked out.

Ava was in a daze alright, but she wasn't unconscious. 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒍? 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒅𝒊𝒅 𝑰 𝒓𝒖𝒏 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐? 𝑾𝒉𝒚 𝒂𝒎 𝑰 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒆? 𝑼𝒏𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒆, 𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒎𝒆 𝒂 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒌! She slowly recovered, she sat up and touched her aching nose bridge. Whatever she ran into was no different from a concrete wall, it was solid. Her body bounced off it like bullets bouncing off the bullet-resistant glass. Ava soon gathered herself and stood up, holding her forehead which also had pain ringing in it. Once she got to her feet she looked to see the gate or wall she slammed into but met a torso instead.

A well-dressed one at that. The girl's vivid turquoise eyes ran from a navy blue Armani suit jacket possessing golden buttons, crossing over a silk blue tie and a crisp white collar to a finely defined jawline. Her gaze lingered there until it got to pink lips pressed in a straight line, temptingly kissable lips, they forcefully tore away from there and went over a straight pointed nose to stop at soul-piercing electric-blue eyes.

Gobsmacked, she took a few steps back. Firstly, the height difference was unbelievable. She was like a child compared to this exquisite specimen of a man. Secondly, just what is his body made of that made her bounce off him as if he was a rubber wall or something. One thing is for certain though.

His glare was spine-chilling.

And from what she can tell he was the type of person who naturally had a poker face. And apparently, he's the man she stole from that night.

𝑰, 𝑨𝒗𝒂𝒍𝒚𝒏 𝑴𝒐𝒏𝒓𝒐𝒆, 𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒖𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒅.