"You're already being presumptuous assuming I'd take her off your hands, TENZ JER'SEY. Do I look like a fuckin' messenger or what? Use your phone and call her yourself."
"But—
ISAAC hangs up the phone before TENZ JER'SEY can say anything else to get under his skin. He owes VINCENT DANZA for assuming this girl is like family, otherwise ISAAC would leave her to deal with the Feds.
With the light traffic, ISAAC reaches the subway station near the casino in no time. Referring to the KASH MANCHESTER background check on her, he scrolls through information on his phone.
The photo of her is a child with inky dark hair and extremely wide green eyes. He looks over some of the summary about her: KYOLINE DIEGO; age eighteen; daughter of ENNA DIEGO and NIKKI DIEGO; lives in her mother's apartment; and part time worker at MANCHESTER LED.
He clicks on the photos of her apartment and cycles through the rooms which are dull until he reaches the photos taken inside her bedroom—and especially the photo that has caught her open closet door.
Because lined up inside are row upon row of sparkling dresses. And he can spot most of them still retain security tags on them.
Sitting in his car, he drums his fingers on the steering wheel as he keeps a close eye out for the girl.
And soon enough, he catches sight of a woman who is different from the rest, running up the station stairs.
She has a stunning face, lustrous black hair, and her gorgeous, curvy body is clad in a short and sparkling gold dress.
She resembles the woman in the photo in the file, and he knows that he's discovered the woman he's been looking for…
Shaking his head, he brings himself back around. He can still smell her perfume in his vehicle. It smells like chocolate mints—sweet and spicy, mixed together.
She's entered the casino and gone out of sight now. And he's questioning why he can't stop thinking of her. After all, it's not like he's ever going to see her again.
KYOLINE DIEGO
KYOLINE continues to get nervous whenever she considers when she was being arrested. Or not getting arrested—or whatever was going on with that man, ISAAC.
She's riding home from the office, and before she can say it, the train comes into her station, and she's beginning the brief walk home. Getting to their apartment building, she finds that she'll have to walk the stairs because the elevator is out once more.
As she enters their apartment and comes home, everything crawls.
The sound of the hard slap echoing through the dirty apartment.
Her sister's screaming voice.
His arm raises again to do it once more.
And the snarl he makes as he gets ready to hit her again.
Her keys and bag drop on the floor.
Her heart is in her throat. "Stop it!" she screams, charging across the room to where DEBORAH has her hand on her face.
She shoves herself in front of XENDER FISH and her sixteen-year-old sister. She won't believe her mom slept with him again. He's a creep and an absolute loser. And no way in the whole world is she going to let him hit her again.
"DAMON and L'OREAL?" she demands DEBORAH, her words shooting out in a breathless whoosh. "Are they safe?" Oh please, oh please let them be okay…
In the bedroom," DEBORAH speaks softly. Thank God. She couldn't stand for any more of them to be injured or to have to see this kind of violence.
XENDER FISH's hand is still raised in the air, his lips curled in a sneer. He slowly lowers his arm and tugs his creased T-shirt down the front of him as he mutters something under his breath. "I'm going to get some beers," he grunts to her mom before he storms out, slamming the door behind him.
She stares at it, her chest heaving and falling with every strained breath. "You allowed him to punch DEBORAH?" she cries to her mother, spinning on her for an instant before turning back to her little sister. She's crying, and her cheek is pink in the shape of a handprint. "She's your daughter!" What.what's wrong with you?
Her mother glances at her but is too high to be logical. Her brow creases. "She said something he didn't like, I think.".