Читать книгу 1 Law 4 All - Billy Angel - Страница 23

Kitiona walked down the street towards her new, temporary home. She had rented a third floor flat complete with land line phone next to Azalea Market. The mom and pop market stocked the basic food necessities including fresh fruit and vegetables. She felt the need to stay close to home and having the market next door helped.

She wanted to avoid the guys who followed her and were staking out her Chinatown apartment. The run in with the two thugs at Joe's left her slightly paranoid.

Kitiona walked past her building on the opposite side of the street. She checked to make sure no one was watching her new place.

Paranoia was a new feeling for her. American Samoa had spoiled her. Crime was non-existent there. Everyone was family. In the City, Kitiona had to fine tune her hunting senses. Her survival mode had kicked in and was working overtime.

She walked to the corner, crossed the street and kept going. She turned up the alley and walked to the rear entrance of her building. She started to relax as she climbed up the stairs to her back door. She unlocked the door, glanced back to survey the alley and stepped inside her flat.

Kitiona's flat was about twenty feet wide, side to side. She moved through the kitchen in the back, down the skinny hall, passed the bedroom and bathroom into the living area. She looked out the front windows without disturbing the curtains. All clear, she thought with an audible sigh.

She had to go to the bathroom for some time. After helping the man, she thought about using the restaurant's bathroom. But then she felt obligated to helping him get home safely.

She went to the bathroom and relaxed as she sat for a long minute, head in hands. The pose said it all. What will I do now? She got up and looked into the mirror.

She decided to call he friend Kaia. The land line phone worked and she talked with her friend for a good thirty minutes.

They talked about Kitiona's run in with the two thugs and her new flat. Kaia urged her to come home. Kitiona refused saying, "I must avenge my family's killers."

The conversation ended abruptly. They both realized despite the dangers, Kitiona's family honor was at stake. They accomplished nothing except to communicate their deep friendship. Kaia's soothing voice reassured her support. Kaia ended the call. "We all miss you."

Kitiona walked back to the bathroom and looked into the mirror. Am I crazy, she thought. Then she whispered, "God I need your help."

Kitiona's Eurasian blend of genes left her uniquely pretty. She had long, thick black hair that hung several inches past her shoulders. Her semi-pointed chin revealed her Japanese grandfather. Her full lips and broad nose base were all Samoan. Kitiona's slender five-foot, one inch frame came from the Irish linage on her mom's side.

Kitiona's friends use to call her 'Jade'. They thought she resembled a celebrity named Janel Parrish. Parrish was an American singer, songwriter and movie star. And while Kitiona could sing a little, she was not the actress type.

Kitiona went into her bedroom. She undressed, turned and looked in the full-body mirror on the back of the door. She gazed at the tattoo on her back. She remembered how embarrassed she was when the artist, her uncle, worked on it. The tattoo symbolized her womanhood.

The large tattoo was diamond shaped. The bottom point started deep in Kitiona's butt crack. The design crept up from there and followed an imaginary bikini line to her waist. The borders extended around her sides to points just above the hips. The top point stretched to between her shoulder blades. The diamond contained Samoan symbols and graphics about strength, long life and peaceful children.

Her tattoo had not seen the light of day since arriving in the City. Looking at it now put her back in Samoa. Kitiona fantasized being with her friends at the beach. They would romp around without suits. They all admired her tattoo but none copied it. That was taboo. Kitiona was a descendent from an ancient ruling family.

Kitiona covered her tattoo with a t-shirt and put on a pair of boxer shorts. She went into the kitchen, poured herself a glass of juice, sat at the table. Head in hand, tears watered her eyes.