by S. L. Walker
RAVEN
I opened up my eyes to the buzzing of Angel’s pager in the middle of the night. It had been going off for a minute and she was sound asleep. She told me she had told her mom she was staying the night with me, but the way her pager was blowing up had me feeling like Angel wasn’t telling me something.
“Angel, pleeease call your mom baaack,” I moaned to her, covering my ears with my pillow. Angel grunted and went back to sleep. Then my pager buzzed on my night stand. I rolled over to the green light shining off the display. I leaned over and looked at the number. It was Treach. What the hell?
I looked below at Eva and Angel in our spare sleeping bags knocked out. Did he really want me to call him now? I struggled out of bed with my pager to use the phone, tiptoeing over Eva and Angel. I crept out the door and the house was silent as night. Deon and my dad’s door were both closed; but didn’t mean they were sleeping. I snuck on the house phone and called the number back.
“Yo,” a voice came on.
“This is Raven returning your page,” I whispered as loud and as soft as I could, peeking over at the hallway.
“This DJ,” he said, sounding funny.
“Oh, whats up? You do know it’s in the middle of the night right?” I whispered.
“Can y’all get here tomorrow around noonish instead of the night? Treach has business,” he asked me. His tone was more mellow than normal.
“Uh, yea, all of us?” I asked him still peeking over at the corner.
“Yeah,” he answered.
“Fine,” I told him hanging up the phone. It was too late to bug Victoria, so I made it a point to tell her first thing in the morning. I know Angel or Eva wouldn’t like the news. They both had their own things going on and having to deal with Treach would sure add to their stress.
I needed to start planning our out.
VICTORIA
“Thank you for inviting me here,” I smiled at Lance. He had taken me to a small bistro on his side of town. I hadn’t even heard of a bistro. It was vintage, small, and private. It had small glass red tables with red cushioned seating. We sat at an intimate table where we sat close together. The lights were dim enough to almost make you feel as if you were out for the night, but it was early in the afternoon and he soon had to leave me to go to work. Lance worked once a week with a little league flag football team. He had wanted to see me and you best believe I made a dash to the mall. I had on an oversized Dolce & Gabbana pine green sweater and black tights. I had even bought some matching emerald earrings that glistened. I curled my hair and fluffed it out and made sure I smelled like cinnamon sugar.
“You like it?” He asked me, biting into his sandwich.
“Of course,” I flirted with him. “Too bad we couldn’t spend more time together,” I eyed him, drinking a sip of my water. He blushed.
“You know you can always come along and watch. They are pretty cool kids.” He looked me in my eyes. He knew I was falling for him already.
“Maybe I will,” I accepted his invitation.
“You got to show me a spot in St. Charles. I’m sure there are some places I haven’t been to before,” he told me.
“Um, yeah, of course,” I struggled to say.
“We shopped all day yesterday and I still feel like I don’t know about you the way you know about me,” he said. He was right. I let him tell me all about himself. I asked him all the questions. I wasn’t a good liar, but I sure was about to be. I knew his dad was a county sheriff and his mom was a sit in nurse at the old folks home in his neighborhood. I knew his brother was a senior and played football for their same high school. I know his favorite color is red, his favorite food is burgers, he got braces when he was seven, he loves comedy and hates liars. I kept promising myself that I’d tell him. I’d find a way to be honest with him before it was too late. But he made me happy. He made me feel special and a part of me thought that it was because of who I faked to be.
“Um, well, my mother owns her own clothing boutique on the East side,” I lied.
“Oh, really? That’s damn cool. What about your dad?” He asked, his eyes lighting up as he kept eating.
“He’s a well-known painter. He travels a lot. Not really in our lives,” that part I did tell him was the truth.
“I’m sorry, if I brought up anything you didn’t want to talk about,” he apologized. I guess he saw my daze; thinking about how my mom had to deal with my dad in court soon.
“Yeah, um,” I didn’t look at him. He caught the hint and looked at the time on his cell phone.
“It’s about time for me to go. Can I call you later?” He smiled.
“Yeah, duh!” I laughed but in the back of my head I knew I was wrong. I watched him be a perfect gentleman. Flagged the waiter down, paid, took my hand, hugged me and watched me hop on my bike and pedal away.
I only got a few blocks before I saw Kaitlin standing in front of a large hotel door. She had on an elegant long red button up jacket with black high heels and stockings. She had a ton of makeup on her face and her hair was tied up in a sleek bun. She looked like she could have been going to a party.
“Kaitlin!” I waved at her as I rode up to her on my bike. She looked around startled. “Hey,” I finally stopped to her.
She backed up a bit. “What are you doing over here?”
“Girl, I was going to say the same thing about you! You going to a party? You look good,” I smiled at her. “We haven’t seen you at school, we got worried. You got a job?” I was asking her so many questions she didn’t even have time to answer them. A black limo pulled up next to the curb.
“I’ll talk to you later, k?” She shoo’d me away and stepped away from me. The driver of the Limo got out and opened the back door. Lila eased her way out taking the Limo drivers hand followed by an older Caucasian man; who reminded me of Bruce Willis. Lila’s eyes connected to mine and I was sure she remembered me from the warehouse. She smirked as the Bruce Willis man took her arm in his.
“Come Kaitlin,” she said to Kaitlin. Kaitlin didn’t even look at me, she just followed Lila and the man into the hotel. I hopped off my bike and leaned it against the hotel wall a little further from the door. Luckily, I looked a little decent so me walking into the hotel wasn’t a shocker to the front desk person. I caught a glimpse of Kaitlin, Lila and Bruce Willis’ twin turn a corner. I scurried after them, making sure I didn’t get noticed. They stopped at what looked like a small conference room. Two suited men nodded and opened the door for them to enter. I squinted to get at least a small look at what was going on. The conference room seemed packed with only men. I noticed a small sign that read:
Closed for a Private Event
“Excuse me?” A young Caucasian man scooted past me. His eyes admired me up and down with lust; all he was missing was a lick of his tongue and a mating call. I frowned at his over the top eagerness as he continued towards the room. The two men in suits nodded again and let the man in, closing it behind him. What the fuck was going on?
I was about to give up my curiosity when a young Indian girl, possibly Punjabi, exited the hallway bathroom. She was flossed in a long elegant gold laced dress that flowed all the way to her feet making a mermaid tail. You couldn’t even see what kind of shoes she had on her gown was so long. Her hair was in a neat bun similar to Kaitlin’s and she had henna tattoos all over her hands and created a tiara shape on her forehead. She was absolutely stunning. Then another girl, African American with caramel skin, exited the bathroom behind her, not as elegant, but she wore a short black sleeveless dress. The hem had been sliced to reveal half a thigh, the material looked really skimpy and her long legs looked incredible in her black strappy stilettos. The men opened the door for them.
I looked down at my plain sweater dress and had an idea.
There wasn’t much I could do, but luckily I had extra makeup and stuff with me anytime I went to see Lance. I added some green eyeshadow and red lipstick to my face, fluffed my hair out more, got rid of my tights and l
otion my legs; happy that my high knee boots covered up to my calf. I tied up the sweater dress at the bottom to make it shorter and add a flirty effect to my thighs. I looked nowhere near like the girls, but maybe they weren’t expecting only elegance. I walked out of the bathroom and held my head up high, strolling towards the two men in suits. I felt myself getting nervous. If I didn’t have to say anything, I would get in with a breeze. They looked at me up and down as I stopped at the door. I tried not to look them in the eyes but I locked eyes with one of the men who gave me a questionable look, but without actually questioning me, he opened the door and let me in. Surprised and thankful, I nodded at him and walked in as if I belonged there. Dozens of men stood in front of me like buffalo on the North American plains. I gasped at there being no women in site. Men walked by me with their eyes burning holes through my Dolce & Gabbana dress. One man even walked by and let his finger slide across my face. I desperately looked for Kaitlin; even the young girls who had just entered.
“Hey sexy,” A Caucasian man old enough to be someone’s grandpa stood next to me. I respectfully excused myself as I pushed through the small crowd of men, frantically looking for another girl.
What the fuck was happening?
I pushed through perverted gazes and unwanted touches, deciding that leaving was the best idea.
“Mhhmmm!” A woman cleared her throat on the microphone. I looked up to see Lila standing on a small mounted stage. I scooted over into a private corner where drinks were being served and thanked God the attention was no longer on me. All the men were now making their way closer to Lila.
“Thank you all of for coming! Tonight is a special night. And ten of you lucky men will be going home with 10 of my finest. Well…they are all fine, but the finest girls in Baltimore you ever did see,” she playfully laughed. Lila sashayed across the stage, smiling and winking at the wolves in front of her. “Without further a do…let me introduce you to my kittens!” She shouted. On que, Foxy Brown’s Gotta Get You Home song played as all ten girls entered out of a door, all dressed in 6 inch heels and beautiful dresses, from gowns to party dresses. Each girl had their hair in a bun but all had their own unique style. My heart pumped when I saw Kaitlin second in line right after the Indian girl. They each stopped next to Lila in a single file line. I noticed their smiles were fake and practiced. The men shouted and howled like rabid dogs, panting at the young girls who hadn't even reached 18 yet. I shook my head in shock at all of the men. It had to be at least 50 of them in here.
“Let’s not waste anytime, shall we?!” Lila grinned at the sex driven fools. She nodded to the back of the room where there were guards standing at each corner of the room and the exit. Another hefty guard came and stood right by her; I remembered seeing him at Treachs’, he was one of the bodyguards that accompanied her.
The music turned down a little lower as Lila began, “This is Mya! She is full East Indian! Her kisses taste like rich Kulfi! You know what that is!” She pointed to the men. “Her skin is soft like butter and she loves to cuddle! She is one of my new girls, so she is very shy! So whoever gets her needs to be gentle!” Lila advertised Mya like she was a new car. Mya turned around letting the men gawk over her beauty.
“She starts at $500! Can I get $500?!” Lila shouted out, holding Mya by the hand.
“$600!” One man shouted in the crowd.
“$650!” Another one shouted.
“$750!” Someone shouted in the distance.
“Do I hear a $760?!” Lila spoke on the mike.
“$780!” The first man shouted.
I watched the men battle over Mya. I leaned further into the wall behind me as to not get noticed. Even the bartender was in a daze at the excitement that was going on. There were shots of tequila already poured lying on the table. I took a shot out of anxiety and slid it back on the table.
“Sold to the gentleman in the Armani suit for $1000!” Lila squealed. “Come up and claim your Kitten!” A heavyset Caucasian man in his 40’s walked up and gently took Mya by the hand. One of Lila’s guards joined them and escorted them towards the back.
My heart couldn’t stop racing. Kaitlin was really here and she was next.
What the fuck was she thinking?!
“This is Kaitlin! Another new girl of mine!” Lila introduced her, taking Kaitlin by the hand. Kaitlin looked scared as all hell. Her eyes skimmed the room of freaks. I wanted to run up there and save her. I wanted to snatch her by the arm and get her out of here, but she was here for a reason.
“Kaitlin is 17, gentleman! Full African American and born in Dallas Texas! She has southern hospitality like no other! She cooks, cleans, and obeys fellas! My lovely Kaitlin starts at $700! So, can I get $700!” Lila yelled out. Not as many men went for Kaitlin like they did Mya, but enough to get her for $1200. The mid 30’s African American brother slid his way past the other men, taking Kaitlin by the arm. He looked way too dapper and handsome to be auctioning for young girls, but I guess that’s why they say you can’t judge a book by its cover. The same guard who escorted Mya had returned to escort Kaitlin and her new buyer. I took another shot of tequila before creeping my way behind them, trying not to get noticed. In the background, Lila was on girl number three.
CHAPTER 23
“Dude, did you really tell your mom you stayed at my house?” Raven grew angry at Angel when Angel’s pager buzzed over and over. Raven had already caught the girls up except Victoria who she was about to dial up right then.
“No,” Angel sighed, silencing her pager. Eva was dressing in one of Raven’s pink and grey zipper hoodies. Angel had grabbed the closest thing she could while she was leaving her house which left her in some old blue jeans and a white turtleneck top.
“You really need to let her know where you are. She’s going to start calling our folks, Angie,” Eva said to her.
“Fine, I’ll call her after you talk to Tori,” Angel pouted. She sat in front of Raven’s mirror brushing the curl naps out of her hair. She was still mad and really had nothing to say to her mom, but she knew her mom loved her and was probably thinking the absolute worse. She was surprised she hadn’t called any of the parents by now, or the girls. She checked her face where her mom had left a nice quarter sized bruise.
“Hey! Tori, what are you doing?” Raven said to Victoria on the other end of the phone. Victoria had just made it home from the hotel Kaitlin was at. She didn’t make it past the door Kaitlin went through. The guards instantly stopped her and practically kicked her out.
“Treach wants us to meet at his spot at 12. Can you meet us there? Eve and Angie are already with me,” Raven said, looking at each of the girls as confirmation.
“Awww, man Raven, seriously?!” Victoria moaned almost wanting to cry. Lance had made her forget all about the bullshit and this new information she had on Kaitlin left her even more nervous. “What is it?”
“We don’t know, might be another job, can you go?” Raven wasn’t really asking her but more confirming that she’d be there. Victoria looked down at her silver and gold Guess watch, it was around 11am already. They were pushing it.
“Yeah, I’ll meet y’all,” she said, depressingly. Raven hung up and instantly gave the phone to Angel.
“Get to calling,” Raven nudged at her. Angel finished putting a ponytail in her hair and snatched the phone from Raven. She started to walk out the room.
“Ahh! Nah! Call her in here. I want to make sure you talk to her and I don’t need my dad knowing what’s up,” Raven pointed for her to stay in the room. Angel rolled her eyes again and sat on the bed. Eva took over the mirror, throwing her own hair in a quick ponytail, eyeing Angel from the mirror.
“Angel!” Angel’s mom answered within the second ring, startling her.
“Hey,” Angel said, softly looking at Raven.
“Oh my God! Are you at Ravens’?! Baby! I am so sorry!” She yelled through the phone so loud both Eva and Raven could hear her sobbing.
“Yeah, I stayed here. I’m sorry to
o, mom,” Angel struggled to apologize back. She could hear the agony in her mom’s voice.
“No, no, I shouldn’t have ever put my hands on you baby girl! I will never do that again okay?! Come home so we can talk, okay?” She practically begged Angel.
“Ok, I’ll be home soon,” she told her, not exactly aware of the time.
“Fine, fine. I am so sorry baby. I love you, okay? I am just glad you’re okay. Come home soon,” her mom said.
“Love you too,” and she hung up. The girls could tell Angel was having a hard time with her mom putting her hands on her. Hell, she was having a hard time period with everything. Raven hated that she had to drag her back to Treach. Raven wished she could make it all go away right there, but she got them in it, it was going to take some real planning to get them out.
“Aight y’all let’s go,” Raven looked at the nightstand clock reading almost 11:30a.m. Eva and Angel sighed at the same time. Raven threw on her hoody and they headed to the warehouse.
Treach’s place never changed no matter what time of day it was. When all of the girls arrived a big grin spread on his face. He was playing pool in the corner when they walked in the door.
“Guess it’s no surprise none of them mother fuckers are in church,” Eva sassed under her breath. Victoria laughed while Raven head nodded Treach walking towards them. Angel caught eye contact with Treach and he bit his lip towards her, she quickly looked away, following after Victoria.
“Ladiiiiieeeeees!” He yelled as he walked up to them. “In my office please!” He motioned his hand to lead the way. One of Treach’s goons scurried behind Eva and entered in his office with them. Like clockwork, Treach pulled out some glasses to take shots out of and poured each of them a drink; even his goon.