Taking the Risk by Amaunet Jendayi (read people like a book TXT) 📕

"You are welcome. Tyson never did tell me your name."

Letting go of Maryanne, the young lady steps back, "Aynslee Desiree Geneva Velasquez." She says softly sitting on the closed toilet seat, she places her hands in her lap and looks down at the shaggy white rug. She picks at the curly squiggles coming out of the shaggy rug with her toes. "People call me Aynne or Lee."

Maryanne nods. "That's a pretty name."

"Thank you."

Maryanne gently pulls Aynslee up and helps her into the bedroom. "Well, Aynslee, Tyson would like you to get dressed for dinner tonight. So, you have the freedom of picking your own outfit out."

Seeing the clothes lined up on the bed, Aynslee limps to them and looks at them. There were piles of pretty shirts, cool jeans, a few business skirts, and really cute summer dresses and casual dresses. "Wow." She picks up a lavender colored short spaghetti strapped dress. "This is really pretty. Is this silk too?"

Maryanne nods while Aynslee goes to the full-length mirror and puts the dress up to her figure. "I love it. Can I keep it?"

Confused at the question, Maryanne nods, "Yeah, it's all yours. The clothes and the shoes." Aynslee looks at Maryanne, Aynslee's face glowing with excitement and tears of joy.

Clothes were something that Aynslee wanted as a child, but her mother would always blow the money on drugs and whatever else. She limps to Maryanne, still in some pain, but the excitement overrides that, "Really?"

Maryanne nods again still not really understanding where she was going with this. Aynslee squeals and looks at the clothes on the bed, "I'm going to try them on. Stay here okay?" She snatches a few jeans and shirts and dresses, then quickly hobble-limps to the bathroom.

Maryanne sits on the bed facing the bathroom door waiting for Aynslee to model the clothes.

Tyson Reese

Jogging through a wooded trail and taking in the lovely scenery, his favorite place to jog and think, his mind wonders to the night before. Never has he seen a female under so much stress, before that night.

-Last night--

At work, he leans back in his chair behind his huge black marble desk awaiting for some appointments to come through before he leaves for the day. It was a Friday night, the boy's night ever since high school. They were to meet each other at a new bar called Black Asylum at 9pm. Tyson looks at his watch and the time reads: 8:45pm. He knew that if he were late, he would have to buy the first two rounds of beer. He did not want to do that because the last time he was late, his boys ordered that top shelf beer, and nearly cost him over 3,000 dollars each.

When his phone rings, he jumps and answers it, "Hello, Tyson Reese speaking." He heard whimpering, crying, and sniffling. "H-hello?" He stammers a little concerned, he looks at the caller Id and doesn't recognize the number, then he hears a faint, "help me...he's gonna-." The line goes dead.

He tries to re-dial the number, but the line was dead. Then his cell phone rings causing him to flinch and hit his knee on the under part of his desk. He answers his phone as he then tries to trace the call from the computer that set on his desk, while rubbing his hurt knee, "Hello?"

"Tyson...man. Where are you?" A male's voice squeaks through the speaker part of the phone.

"Lorenzo, something came up," Tyson says his fingers flying as he quickly pulls up a map of where the call came from. His heart beat against his chest as if this is a mission to find out where that call came from.

Lorenzo Wynn is the brawns of the group, always has a different female every night and never settles down with just one. "Something like what, dog? Come on.

"Work-related." He looks closely at the map and realizes where the place is while lying to Lorenzo. "Really? It's a new spot, though. Come on.

Lorenzo's voice already had an annoying squeak to it but when he whines that's what made Tyson want to commit bloody murder.

"Dude, I am serious. Look," He gathers up his things as the location of the address is being printed. "It's really important. Something that I can't get out of. I promise I will try to make it next Friday."

Lorenzo sighs, "Alright, I will tell Dillon, Isaak, and Roderick that.

"Thanks. Appreciate it," he hangs up and hurriedly grabs the paper from the printer along with his bags of papers.

Looking at the map, it had led him into the dangerous streets of downtown Valley. He slowly creeps as other cars zoom past him, in the dead of night. Most of the street lights aren't working and Tyson's high beams needed some serious touch-ups. His GPS beeps indicating that he is at the place, he parallel parks between two very raggedy looking cars and straps up with both of his AF-1s just in case.

He gets out of his car, closing the door and locking it. This place is the splitting image of a childhood hang out, but the houses are boarded up and looks like it's about to be condemned. Next to it the condemned house and stores, there is a musky smelling, dark alley. Being back down here brought back painful memories. Especially this alleyway, he enters the alleyway, finding nothing or anyone; just as he is about to turn around and think that it was all a hoax. He hears a faint, pained moaning sound coming from it. Cautiously, he makes his way down the alley using his flashlight app on his phone to see and having his hand on his gun that is tucked in the back of his pants close to his spine.

"Hello?" He calls out, cautiously walking towards the sound.

The deeper he walks into the very stank alley, the louder the pained moans grew. Reaching the end of the dark, musk and alcohol-smelling alley, he finds no one until he turns to his left by a black dumpster. He looks beside the dumpster and sees the beaten body of a female. He kneels down and checks for a pulse, it was faint but there. He lifts the female off the ground and rushes her to his car.

She begins to swat at his face, but he calms her down enough to make her stop so he could see where he is going. Putting her in his car, he spots two dudes walking down the street, towards him with their guns drawn for some reason.

Tyson knew there was no specific reason as to why they drawn their guns, but Tyson ducked behind his car door as the unknown dudes started shooting. Tyson pulls out his pieces and aims at the first guy and pulls the trigger. With a loud bang, the guy goes down; groaning and his partner takes off running, leaving his partner behind. Fearing that he would come back with backup,

Tyson closes the back door, got in the driver side, and peels out of there.

Stopping at the very top of a rock mountain, he looks out over the town of Quarters. It is so beautiful this time of the morning. His cell phone rings disturbing his personal time to himself. He pulls it out of his pocket as a cool breeze of wind cools him down. "Hello?"

"Hey, it's Maryanne."

Concern hits him, "What's wrong?" He begins quickly walking down the rock mountain.

"Nothing, really. She is showing me the clothes that I picked out for her. She really is a nice young lady, Tyson."

Tyson smiles knowing that Aynslee is and has always been a very nice young lady. Knowing that she is okay, he slows his pace and continues to take in the scenery. He felt anew since he found Aynslee. "Yeah. She is."

"I don't understand how did she end up the way she is now?" Maryanne suddenly lowers her voice to a whisper.

"A few bad choices and the rebellion point takes over when someone tries to tell her right from wrong. She doesn't want to hear it, but she owns up when she is wrong. Also, the upbringing that she was raised in caused her to be one tough cookie. She had a hard time with drugs on and off during a few years of high school and a little through college as well." He nearly trips over a log but catches himself. "Will she be ready for tonight?" He didn't really want to discuss all of Aynslee's business too much.

Maryanne nods, "Yes, she will. But, I don't think she remembers you all that well."

"She will after tonight." He replies with a smirk on his face.

Maryanne whoops, "You are bad." jokingly.

Tyson laughs, "It's not even like that."

"I know. But okay, she is coming back out of the bathroom."

They hang up as Tyson reaches the entrance of the trail, gets in his car. "A lot of bad choices." He repeats to himself as he drives off. "More like no one ever cared about her except her half-sister; Luna." He thinks out loud to himself as he stops at a flower Shoppe, he puts his shirt on that is in the passenger seat and then enters the Shoppe.

There are flowers of all kinds and rarities, the Shoppe smells of dirt and fruit. He smiles at the familiar smell. Tyson looks at some Lisianthus' when an elderly lady of 76 years old; the owner; walks up to Tyson. "Ahh, back so soon, Mr. Reese?"

Tyson flashes a smile at the lady, "Yes, ma'am. But being another reason this time."

"Oh? New lady friend?" The elderly lady playfully nudges Tyson's ribs. Smiling, he rubs his ribs, "You can say that, Mrs. Kina."

"Well...I got some new flowers in two weeks ago." She walks towards the back of the store and Tyson follows. She stops at some yellow golden flowers that resembles a rose, but it was not because the roses are at the front of the Shoppe; being the most bought flower. Mrs. Kina picks up a dozen of the golden yellow flower, hands them to Tyson, and he takes them; examining them. "They are so pretty. What are they?"

"Ranunculus'."

Tyson arches his right brow in question to what she just said. She laughs then starts coughing, "Excuse me."

He places a hand on her back to make sure she is okay. She pats his hand to let him know she is alright. He drops his hand. She continues, "They are Buttercups."

He smells them and smiles, "Wow, I think she'll like these. But, what are those?" He points to some white, pink, and red and some deep green foliage. Mrs. Kina looks to where he is pointing. "Oh," She ambles over to them. "These are Camellias, another new shipment."

"Okay. I would like two Buttercups, three Camellias, four Dahlias, and three Zinnias."

"Good choice." They walk up to the register and Mrs. Kina rings him up. "That would be $10.19." He pulls out his wallet and hands her a Platinum card. She takes it and swipes it, then hands it back to him. "Would you like for my daughter to arrange them for you?"

Tyson didn't even see Mrs. Kina's daughter. He nods. She goes to the back and then is followed up front by a female with