Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Chapter 17
A month later
“So, you’re not going to put us in extremely frou frou dresses that we can barely walk in, are you?” Ashley asked Janae.
“Or something we can’t ever wear again? Because I like to get a little bang for my buck…just ask Brandon,” Danielle asked as she, Ashley, and Janae had lunch one Saturday afternoon just having a little girl talk. They had been shopping all day looking for color schemes and ideas for Janae’s wedding. Danielle had never seen Janae so happy and she was so glad to see her friend that way as they ate pizza at Fugaro’s.
“Oooh…you’re nasty,” Ashley replied.
“Yeah, but that’s nothing new. So, what do you say, girlie? Am I gonna have to walk down the aisle looking like something off of a parade float or what?” Danielle asked as she sipped her drink.
“No, I wouldn’t do that to yall. Don’t worry, I’m not going put you in teal or something like that,” Janae said with a grin.
“Good looking out, and by the way? I don’t want to look like a bottle of Pepto Bismol or the color of gangrine walking down the aisle either, so let’s make sure we don’t go there, shall we?” Danielle asked.
“I guess I can handle that. So, we’re thinking of next spring, but I don’t know when. Isn’t that cool?” Janae asked excitingly.
“Yes, it is. I’m so happy for you, honey,” Ashley replied.
“Umm humm…yeah…me too,” Danielle mumbled as she picked up her fourth slice of pizza.
“You’re pretty hungry, huh Dani?” Ashley asked.
“Yeah. I didn’t eat anything for breakfast and you two know how important breakfast is to me. When a chic doesn’t get a crossainwich, look out!” Danielle replied.
“Why didn’t you eat breakfast?” Janae asked.
Danielle chewed for a minute then winked devilishly at Janae. “Because I was eaten for breakfast.”
“Thanks for sharing that with us,” Ashley replied.
“You’re welcome. Besides, I can’t stop the boy from getting his nourishment,” Danielle replied smiling.
“Uh, uh, uh. Is that all you two do is bone?” Ashley asked.
Danielle tilted her head to the side to think about what Ashley just asked. “Yeah, pretty much. Come to think of it, I really didn’t eat much dinner, thus the reason I’m so hungry. Brandon kind of kept me up last night…if you know what I mean?” Danielle implied, raising her eyebrows up and smiling at her friends.
“We know, Dani…and I thought Ashley and Jamie were freaks,” Janae said about Jamie Simon, Ashley’s insanely gorgeous boyfriend.
“You’re one to talk, Janae. Do you remember what I heard when I called the other morning. Um Taylor stop I gotta answer the phone…hello…oh hey, girl (hang up the phone, baby) Yeah, uh huh,(hang up the phone, babygirl) ooh…uh huh, sure that’s cool. We can…oh…yeah we can do that and then…oh…oh…shiiiit and the next thing I know I hear you moaning shit, shit, shit, and all I hear is dial tone,” Danielle replied as Janae smiled.
“Well…my baby wanted some quality time with me…that’s all,” Janae said.
“And it sounded like he got it,” Danielle said smiling at her friend.
“Hell yes, he got it. It’s like he’s insatiable,” Janae replied as Ashley laughed.
“Bullshit! You two go at it like animals in the wild all the time and it’s not all Taylor’s fault,” Ashley replied.
“I didn’t mean to imply that it was all his fault, but seriously…every time he’s near me lately, all he wants to do is have sex. I don’t think I can keep up. I mean, the other night when we were at Scorpio’s, he followed me into the ladies restroom, locked the door and just tore me up,” Janae said.
“You liked it didn’t you?” Ashley asked.
“Oh yes! I’ve never really done it in a public place before and the way he looked at me when he went to town was priceless,” Janae said.
“So, Nay has a little freak in her?” Ashley asked.
“Get it straight…Nay’s got a lotta freak in her and her man likes it. Besides, it got me this and my fine ass man. But lately, I’ve had to turn him down because he’s been wearing me out so much. I don’t know what’s gotten into him?” Janae asked.
“It’s a primal thing,” Danielle replied.
“What are you talking about, Dani?” Janae asked.
“Oh, here we go. Her pseudo psychological bullshit. If you’re gonna do it, please don’t give us any of your vague analogy shit. We’re really not in the mood,” Ashley said with a grin as Danielle kissed her middle finger and showed it to her.
“Primal?” Janae asked.
“Yeah…it’s like he gave you the ring, he’s definitely staked his claim, you’re really his now, and now he’s truly trying to brand you. Oh and he’s also trying to knock you up…wants to plant his seed as many times as he can until it takes root, you know?” Danielle said as Ashley shook her head.
“I’m on the pill, Dani,” Janae said.
“Well we know that ain’t 100%…and he knows that. I’m telling you, Taylor wants a little Taylor running around,” Danielle said.
Janae smiled. “So do I. That wouldn’t be a bad thing, not at all,” Janae said with a smile, thinking about a little curly haired boy with large, hazel eyes that looked just like Taylor.
Ashley and Danielle shook their heads as they watched Janae sip her drink. “Well, let’s get through this wedding first before we start looking for baby names and buying Dr. Spock books,” Ashley replied as they all agreed then Danielle decided to move on to a new subject.
“I concur. Man, I wish I could see the look on that bitch’s Delia’s face when she finds out that they’re broke. You know she deserved what happened. Hell, if you ask me, she got off light,” Danielle replied as Ashley nodded in agreement.
“I absolutely agree. Have you decided what you’re going to do with the dealerships?” Ashley asked as she took a bite out of her sausage, chicken and peppers pizza slice.
“Yes. I don’t want them, so Taylor and Cameron are going to sell them for me. I’m going to use the money to open my own dance studio, maybe give some financial relief to some of the girls that Delia said that Lawrence molested. The rest, I’ll do a trust for my niece and nephew and save, I guess. I just don’t want to have anything more to do with it, you know what I mean?” Janae asked as her friends nodded in agreement.
“We feel you. You’ve dealt with all the crap concerning your, and I say this loosely, parents long enough. You just want to let go and move on and if anyone deserves to be happy, it’s you and your sister,” Ashley stated, smiling at her friend.
“Thanks Ash,” Janae replied back. There was a moment of silence until Danielle spoke.
“Still, I would love to see the look on that heffa’s face when she realizes that her coochie ain’t gonna be in Gucci no more,” Danielle replied as Janae and Ashley nodded in agreement and continued to eat.
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Returning home from a week long spa trip was delightful for Delia. She loved the pampering and attention that she received and was well rested and relaxed as she drove up to her home. Something odd occurred while she was gone. Lawrence hadn’t called her all week, which she was glad for and her credit cards were being declined left and right. She would have to discuss with Lawrence why her credit cards were declined the last few days of her trip. She knew that the dealerships weren’t doing that well, but that never happened to her. Luckily, she had a spare in her name for emergencies and that seaweed wrap and the male escort that she purchased were things that she had to have. As she pulled her gold Lexus into the driveway, she was shocked at what she saw.
Maybe a dozen or so federal agents were taking things out of her home and placing them into a moving truck. Delia hurriedly ran up to the door and walked inside.
An agent stopped her as she walked through the door. “Ma’am, I’m going to have ask you to stay outside.”
“But this is my house…why are you taking my things?” Delia asked, as she switched her white Chanel bag to her other arm.
“Are you Delia Bromwell?” the agent asked the pretty, older African-American woman.
“I’m not telling you anything until I see some identification,” Delia replied.
“No, I need to see yours. May I see your identification please?” Delia sighed as she dug into her bag and pulled out her license which was encased in a matching wallet. When the agent was satisfied, he pulled his ID from his back pocket. The wiry man with the brown hair and watery blue eyes flashed his ID to her and she looked at it. Agent Douglas Stanley. He looked like a damn Douglas, she thought as she looked away.
“Would you mind joining me in the dining room? There are few things you need to know,” he replied, going against proper protocol. He motioned to one other agent to come into the room and decided to disclose a few truths that he was sure she was not aware of. He led Delia into her dining room and sat across from her at the mahoghany dining table.
“I’m Agent Douglas Stanley and I guess you don’t know why we’re here, so I’ll tell you. First things first…do you know where your husband is?” he asked.
“No. When I left for my spa trip, he was at one of the dealerships. He hasn’t called me all week,” Delia stated honestly, which for her was a grand feat.
Agent Stanley inherently knew that the woman didn’t know where her husband was and that he hadn’t contacted her because they pulled his phone records. But, he had to ask. “Mrs. Bromwell your husband has been a very busy man, thus the reason for our visit. Your home and assets are being seized by the federal government due to your husband and some rather shady business dealings. He owes about $10 million dollars. I take it that you have no clue about the tax evasion and money laundering through his dealerships, do you?” Agent Stanley asked. Delia shook her head no and he shook his head knowingly.
“Of course you didn’t know. The wife never knows. She just spends the money…she doesn’t care where it comes from,” he replied.
“How dare you….,” she began but Agent Stanley interrupted her.
“Don’t feel embarrassed. I’ve been doing this for so long that I’ve heard every story in the book. I hope you had sense enough to put something away for a rainy day because this house, all your joint bank accounts, the cars that were in his name, the house in the Bahamas and Florida…,” Agent Stanley stated as Delia stared at him, totally bewildered.
“What house in the Bahamas and Florida?” Delia asked in a daze.
Agent Stanley sighed. Wives should have been more intelligent when they dealt with these rich guys, but the majority of them weren’t. As long as they were able to shop, they didn’t care about the particulars. These women needed to become more involved with their finances and stop letting their husbands take the reins. It was sad, but he saw it everyday. “There’s more. Seems he was doing a lot of gambling and was heavily involved with the Carlotti Crime family and owes them money. So, if we don’t find him before they do, he’s probably a dead man. And if we find him, he’s going to jail for a long, long time.” He stared at her face and continued to enlighten the bewildered Mrs. Lawrence Bromwell.
“Mrs. Bromwell were you aware that this house had a second mortgage? Your husband took one out seven years ago,” Agent Stanley replied.
“That son-of-a-bitch told me that the house was paid for. Bastard!” Delia exclaimed. How dare he lie to her and do this to her, she thought.
“And the dealerships…he sold those to Caldwell Industries months ago, so we couldn’t get to those. I take it you didn’t know that he did that either?” Agent Stanley inquired.
Delia clutched the pearls at her neck as her fingers flitted nervously against them. He sold the dealerships to Caldwell Industries…Caldwell Industries…Tavin and Janae’s Caldwell’s? No, it couldn’t be! What the hell?!
"Caldwell Industries? My daughter is married to one of them and the other is dating one? Are you sure you got that right?" Delia asked.
"Yes ma'am. Boy, your husband did a doozy on you, Mrs. Bromwell. I'm sorry," Agent Stanley replied.
“You're sorry! How do you think I feel?! Everything I have is no more and you're sorry?!"
"Hey, I'm not the one you should be yelling at, but you have no clue where he is so you can't can you?" Agent Stanley asked.
Delia narrowed her eyes at the man. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Hey, what about my cars? Can I take one of them?” Delia asked pleadingly.
Agent Stanley sighed. He knew the Lexus was 6 years old and was in her name. But the Mercedes sports car and the truck had already been tagged and bagged by the US government.
“We’ll allow you to take the Lexus since it’s in your name alone,” Agent Stanley replied as she felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her. What was she going to do? She had $12,000 in her personal account that she decided to open five years ago because she didn’t trust Lawrence, $2,000 in cash that she currently had in her wallet and her emergency credit card that was in her name alone.
“Can I please get some of my clothes? Please? They are mine. What’s a few clothes have to do with anything? Please?” she asked, never feeling so desperate in all her life.
Agent Stanley shrugged his shoulders after a few minutes, feeling sorry for the woman and said, “Sure…if they’re any left. But you have 15 minutes, so I suggest you hurry. You have to come with us. We’re not finished with our questions,” he replied as he went back to giving orders and watching the movers and other agents take the Bromwell’s priceless paintings and artifacts out of their home.
“Why? I already told you that I don’t know where he is and I had no knowledge of his business dealings,” Delia replied.
“But you did know about his gambling problem didn’t you?” Agent Stanley asked. Her silence said it all. Of course she knew. She just decided to turn a blind eye.
“Just as I suspected. Time’s ticking, Mrs. Bromwell. You might want to hurry,” Agent Stanley said, going completely against protocol. Usually the wives were taken and questioned immediately, but he felt sorry for her. She really didn’t know what her husband was into, besides the gambling. He was sure that she didn’t know about the Carlotti connection. He could read people and she definitely didn’t know.
As Delia ran up the stairs and into her closet, she glanced around at what was left. Good, they hadn’t really touched anything in her closet. She opened up two large Louis Vuitton suitcases and two duffels and moved with the speed of light. Where was she going to go? What was she going to do? She could go to New Orleans after the questioning, stay at one of the hotels there and figure out what she was going to do? She had been keeping the lines of communication open with her soft hearted daughter Janae. That was her only option. Delia then grabbed her cell phone and dialed Lawrence on her speed dial. Who in the hell did he think he was?! She decided to leave him a message that he would never forget.
“Times up, Mrs. Bromwell. Take her to the office,” Agent Stanley replied as two of his agents escorted Delia Bromwell out of her confiscated home.
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“Lawrence, you muthafucka! How could you do this to me, you limp dick bastard?! The feds took the house, froze all the accounts…everything!! I did everything for you. I covered up and paid all those little girls that you molested and raped off and I never told anyone! We had an agreement, Lawrence! You be good to me with the money and I’d help you, but no more! I’m going to tell them all about your pervert ass and maybe some shit that I can make up! I lost my kids because of your stanky ass and this is how I get repaid?! You and your sheisty ass dealings are causing me grief! What am I supposed to do? I have nothing and I’ll make sure that they know all of your dirt, you muthafucka!”
The large man with the long, black hair and the dark brown eyes laughed at the message that he played for Lawrence Bromwell from his cell phone. He looked at Mr. Bromwell as he sat, beaten, bruised and tied to a chair with his head down, whimpering from the pain of the beatings they had been giving him over the last couple of hours.
His associate, a shorter man with short, dark brown hair and blue eyes by the name of Anthony Carlotti smiled. “Oooh…that’s the missus, huh? She sounds pissed! She sounds as if she wants to tear you a new one. The feds caught up to you, huh Bromwell? I’m not surprised. You were never really smart with money. That’s too bad. You tried to run when you still owed us that mil? That wasn’t very smart. And you like fuckin’ little girls? Shit, you are a pervert. Oh well. Too bad the feds won’t get to you first. You would have been better off. Louie, tenderize him a little bit more and then discard him. Since we only got $400,000, we have to make up for it some kind of way,” he stated to Lawrence Bromwell who was whimpering please and give him more time.
“Times up, Bromwell,” Anthony replied as he walked out of the room and heard knuckles hitting flesh and cracking bones. Anthony walked to the limo that awaited him and dialed a number into his cell phone. “Yeah, it’s done. Tell Nichetti he definitely got what was coming to him and we’re even. Besides, it was a pleasure. He was a real prick. Yeah, I know. His body will surface in a few weeks…maybe a month. That’s the way pops wanted it. I’m on my way to the airport so pass the message on to pop, Nicky. Yeah. Okay. Bye.”
Anthony Carlotti leaned his head back into the plush leather of the limo and smiled. Yeah. Lawrence Bromwell got his just desserts.
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“Yeah, those figures aren’t right. They’re off by 2 million dollars. No, Tell Nolan to redo them, and let me see them before he sends them. We have to get the correct figures to ParkerCorp right away. Thanks,” Taylor said as he looked at the paperwork on his desk. It had been a really long week and he hadn’t really spent much time with Janae, but he planned to rectify that tomorrow evening.
Fifteen minutes passed as he worked on the things that were in front of him and his secretary buzzed him to tell him Janae was on the other line. He smiled immediately and answered the call as he stared at the photograph of her on his desk.
“Hey, cutie pie, I was just thinking about you. How’s your day going? Really? Tell them I said to stop working my future wifey so hard. You know, I had an excellent morning thanks to you. Yeah. No, I’m knee deep in work, and I got a million fires to put out, but I’m still riding the high from our wake-up call. I’m making you blush? Good. You know I like that. My mom said it was cool to do it at the house? Cool. You still want to have the wedding outside? That’s fine with me,” Taylor said as he heard three raps on his door, then saw Cameron and Donovan Tarrington, Cameron’s best friend walk into his office. He gestured them to come in as he continued to speak to Janae. Cameron and Donovan sat in the chairs opposite his desk. Donovan and Cameron smiled knowingly at his conversation.
“What do I think of kiwi and keylime? For dessert? Oh, as an accent color? Baby girl, first of all, what’s an accent color? Oh…okay. Um, second of all, I don’t know the difference between kiwi and keylime. The only thing I know is that they’re both green. I do care, baby, but I’m a dude. I’m simple. Red is red and green is green. Yes, I want you to have a beautiful wedding, but I’m outside of my realm with this color shit, sweetheart. Just as long as there’s no shit brown and puke yellow, we’re cool. I’m not making fun of you, but…I trust you. Whatever you decide is cool with me. Yeah. I promise. Alright. I won’t be home until after 8, so I’ll see you then. You want me to bring home anything? Cheesecake. Alright. Extra strawberries. I know, Nay. Okay. I love you too, baby. Later,” Taylor said with a grin as he hung up the phone. He leaned over and shook hands with Cameron and Donovan.
“Wassup, D! Long time no see,” Taylor said, still grinning.
“Yeah, it’s been about a month since I whipped your ass in poker and took your dough, so I guess it’s been awhile. You actually getting married, Taylor?” Donovan asked a smiling Taylor.
“Yep. Gotta snatch her up while I can,” Taylor said.
“Poor Janae. I told her what she was getting into, but for some reason, she’s crazy about his ass,” Cameron stated.
“Yep, she sure is. So you can say what you want. I got that on lock,” Taylor said still grinning. Cameron and Donovan shook their head.
“So it seems. Um, Taylor we’ve got something to tell you about Bromwell,” Cameron replied, referring to Lawrence Bromwell.
Taylor sat up. “You’ve definitely got my attention.”
“The feds moved in on him last week and seized everything. Seems that besides gambling with the Carlotti’s, he was money laundering and cheating on his taxes,” Cameron replied.
“So they’re like completely broke?” Taylor asked.
“Yeah. But there’s more, T,” Cameron replied.
Donovan looked at Cameron. “The Carlotti’s owed my cousin Carmine Nichetti a huge favor, so they took Janae off of their radar, because you have to know, they were gonna target her if they didn’t get their money and they handled Bromwell…and not in the best way either, if you know what I mean.”
“He’s gone, Taylor. You know what I mean?” Cameron asked as Taylor sat back in his chair and sighed. He felt such a sense of relief that he fell all the way back in his chair. He knew he couldn’t tell Janae. Hell, he shouldn’t tell her. She would find out soon enough and when she did, no matter what her reaction, he was going to be there for her.
“Yeah, that’s what I did, too. Listen, we just wanted to let you know what happened and we were on our way to lunch. You wanna come?” Cameron asked.
Taylor looked at them, then pressed his speaker, telling his secretary that he was leaving for lunch.
“Hell yeah. Are you paying?” Taylor asked as Donovan laughed.
“You cheap little shit…yeah, I’m paying,” Cameron replied.
“Besides…the news you just gave me is cause for celebration, don’t you think?” Taylor asked.
“Yeah, I do. Come on, cheapskate, let’s go,” Cameron replied as they walked out of his office.
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A week later
“So, how long are you going to be rehearsing today?” Brandon asked as he watched Danielle get dressed. She pulled on a white Henley and light blue jeans and those high heeled Manolo Blahnick Timberlands and was pulling her hair back into a ponytail in the mirror in his bedroom bathroom. Brandon pulled his gray suit jacket on and watched her finish dressing.
“Until about 1pm…why do you have something in mind?” Danielle asked as she walked out of the bathroom and walked over to Brandon, placing her arms around his neck. Brandon smiled as he kissed her on those beautiful, full lips of hers softly, then his lips left hers to plant kisses on her neck, right next to her ear.
“As a matter of a fact, I do. I wanted to play hooky with you. I was going to reschedule my last few meetings so we could spend the afternoon together. How does that sound?” Brandon asked he inhaled her soft scent and kissed her silky, dark neck.
“Mmmm,” escaped softly from Danielle’s lips as she smiled and ran her fingers through Brandon’s short dark hair.
“I guess that sounds good to you?” he asked, now planting kisses along her jawline.
“That sounds wonderful to me. First, I want to see a movie, gorge myself on nachos and Raisinets,” Danielle said.
“What else?” Brandon asked from her neck.
“Then, after the movie snacks wear off, I want some pizza. After that, we can get in your Jacuzzi. You can be the pirate and I can be the booty that you’re searching for,” Danielle said as Brandon grabbed her ass in his hands and laughed.
“You’re something else, Danielle. Alright, that sounds like a plan. But, we’re going to be late if we don’t move, so get a move on woman,” Brandon replied as he lifted his head from her neck and looked into her eyes. She was so beautiful, he thought as he kissed her on the lips, then walked over to the corner to grab his briefcase.
“Yes sir. Babe?” Danielle asked.
“Yeah?” Brandon asked.
“Do you think we have too much sex?” Danielle asked as she turned off the bathroom lights and walked out to grab her duffel bag.
Brandon looked at her like that was the stupidest thing she could have ever asked him. “Dani, why are you asking me that? I mean, you know I’m going to say no. I’m a man. I could never have enough sex.”
“I mean, is sex the only thing that’s holding us together?” Danielle asked. Brandon sighed, looked at his watch and held out his hand. Danielle took it and they walked out of the apartment, into the elevator and to his car in the garage. Brandon opened the door for her and walked around to the driver’s side, put the key in the ignition and pulled the car from the garage.
Danielle was waiting to hear what he had to say. She knew he loved her and she knew she loved him, but she didn’t want sex to be the main factor in their relationship. Brandon looked over at her and knew that pretty little head of hers was thinking about how he was going to answer her and he sighed again. He grabbed her left hand and kissed the knuckles, and proceeded to drive down the street.
“Dani, you know that I adore you, don’t you?” Brandon asked.
“Yes,” she replied, staring at his handsome profile as he drove.
“And you know that I’m insanely, physically attracted to you. I can’t get enough of you,” he replied.
“Ditto for me,” Danielle answered as he snuck a glance at her before placing his eyes back on the road.
“I’m just telling you that when people feel the way we feel about each other and have off the chart sex drives like we do, then, it’s okay. What I’m saying is, it’s not just the sex that’s keeping me in love with you. It’s you and your charm and your quick wit and your selflessness. I don’t want to hear you doubt my feelings for you again, alright?” Brandon asked as he lifted her hand again and kissed it once more. Danielle smiled and kissed him on the cheek.
“Okay. Oh, I almost forgot. I’m meeting Janae at the store down the street from the studio. You can just drop me there,” Danielle said as they neared the street.
“Okay. So, I will see you at 1:15pm. You pick the movie,” Brandon said as he pulled in front of the small store on the corner. Brandon leaned over and smiled at her.
“That sounds like a deal. Now give me a kiss so I can get out of here,” Danielle replied with a grin as Brandon’s lips descended upon hers to kiss her. There tongues glided along each others softly and sweetly and when the kiss ended, Danielle’s eyes were still closed. Brandon kissed her on her eyelids.
“Those damn kisses of yours do it every time. Alright, I’m outta here. Love you,” Danielle said as she pecked him on the lips, pulled her duffel over her shoulder and opened the door.
“I love you, too, baby. Be good,” he replied with a grin as she closed the door.
“Aren’t I always?” she asked.
Brandon narrowed his eyebrows at her and said, “Babe…do you really want me to answer that?”
“No. Bye,” Danielle said as she winked at him and walked into the store. Brandon waited until she was inside, then he pulled away from the curb, on his way to the office.
A few minutes went by as Danielle shopped in the store, waiting on Janae. Inside the store, Danielle grabbed an apple juice and two bottled waters and a pack of Juicy Fruit gum. When she passed the potato chips, she couldn’t resist. She was a junk food junkie…always had been, always will be.
“I need some Munchies and some Cheetos…maybe a Snickers bar too,” she replied as she heard a ruckus going on in front of the store. Danielle heard her cell phone go off and she grabbed it and said, “I’m here. Where are you? Ten minutes away. Okay, girlie. Bye,” and when she turned the corner, she looked up saw a man with a gun panicking who turned to her. Then, all she heard was a loud bang, she felt something hot hit her in the chest and then all she saw was blackness.