Charm City Part 1 (Welcome to Bodymore Murdaland)

by S. L. Walker

  “It’s clear. But let me go first and I will come back and get y’all,” she said and crept out, closing the door slightly. Angel and I walked over to the door, ready to go as soon as Raven told us. I gave a silent prayer that she wouldn’t get caught. We all held each other by the arm. Raven peaked back in.

  “Come on, it’s clear,” she said, quietly. We crept into the dark filled hallway. The hallway felt bigger than before and at the end were stairs that I imagined Cash appearing above them. We walked slowly behind Raven, my eyes slid over old paintings of what looked like his ancestors. I wanted to walk slow but Raven was leading us quickly. We finally got to the top of the stairs and they were winding down to the bottom.

  “The front door is right there,” she whispered pointing in the direction to the bottom of the stairs. She continued to lead a little more slowly and then we heard footsteps. We all paused stiff as a cockroach when the lights come on. My heart hammered. The footsteps were slow and loud and were getting closer, but we didn’t move. Instead, our eyes pierced at the bottom of the stairs. We were afraid to move. Then a male figure appeared. We could see the top of his bald head.

  “Hello! Yes, how long? Fine hurry up,” he was talking on his phone. It wasn’t Cash, but it seemed to be one of his other goons. Probably here to babysit us. He stood there underneath the stairs unaware of us but all he had to do was look up. Raven leaned further onto the wall to disappear into the shadow. He reached into his pocket and took out a pack of cigarettes, preparing to smoke. He then turned around to where he came from and hopped back on the phone.

  “Hey sexy. What do you mean who is this? This is Beto! What other muchacho you got callin’ you, huh?” He fussed, not paying any attention above his head. He finally disappeared from our site and we heard his footsteps get lower and lower till we couldn’t hear them anymore. That was our sign to go. Raven grabbed Victoria’s arm and we were arm and arm continuing faster than we were before. We were quieter than mice.

  Raven leaned over the last two steps and looked towards where he had walked to.

  “I think he’s in the kitchen,” she whispered to us. The door was a straight shot. All we had to do was go. “You ready?” She asked us all with daring eyes. Now or never. We shook our heads. She stepped down on the last step, taking one more glance to her left and the other to the right; the coast was clear. We tiptoed behind her, gently unlocking the top bolt of the front door and opening it. To our surprise the door made no sound. She opened it just enough for our bodies to glide right out the front. I was last and I closed it behind us just as gently as Raven opened it.

  The Miami air was surprisingly cold, but the breeze felt like heaven. We were on a big land of property looking over a small driveway with only a couple cars in site. It only took us a split second to see the coast was clear and we darted for our lives over the graveled driveway to the grass and into the trees that hid the small house. We panted and heaved, tripping, but never falling, feet burned but never stopping. I felt my hair finally give way and completely let loose in the wind from my wild running. We chased behind Raven letting her lead our escape. We followed her behind a house that the trees led us to. Crickets could be heard and a dog barked sensed us and barked in the distance. We finally came to a roadway and a gas station.

  “There!” She pointed at the gas station and we ran towards it.

  “Call the cops!” I said as we got inside, looking for a phone to use.

  “No!” Raven stopped me. The cashier looked at us like homeless kids. I didn’t realize how it must have looked. A bunch of young teens in cute dresses and outfits with no shoes on and we were sweaty and dirty.

  “Why?” I asked her confused. They were looking for us, we were free. It only made sense.

  “We don’t know who Cash is connected to out here, we need to get home,” Raven pulled us towards the back of the store aisle acting like we were looking for something. My stomach was hungry and all the chips and food was looking delicious. I noticed Victoria out the side of my eye doing what she did best.

  “We gotta get home. How we gonna get home, you got money?” I asked her, knowing we were stripped of everything when we were taken. Raven shook her head and then looked at Angel.

  “Don’t look at me, they took my purse,” She showed her hands.

  “Fuck,” Raven rubbed her temples, realizing we didn’t have any way to get home. By now, Victoria had snuck candy in her bra and panties and I noticed the cashier was getting a bit suspicious of us.

  “Hey, sir,” Angel walked away from us and walked up to the cashier. He was a younger man, maybe in his 20’s, white boy, probably in college, but seemed a bit squarish.

  “Yes?” He leaned on the counter. No one could resist Angel and she knew it at this point. She sashayed over in her once sexy dress now torn at the hem and wrinkled, but she wore it like it was brand new.

  “Me and my friends need to get back to Baltimore. By any chance can you tell us where we can find the nearest bus stop?” She leaned on the counter with him. Her voice seductive. She twisted her fingers in her curly hair and bit her lip; something none of us had seen her do before.

  “You guys are a long way from Baltimore, but, uh, yea there’s a stop just a couple miles up the road off Edward street. You can take that to the Greyhound,” he was gazing in her eyes but then turned to us in the back. Raven and Victoria were five fingering what we could eat and drink, I was pretending like I was reading a magazine.

  “But uhhhh, you sure you want to keep walking, I mean, the walk will get kind of rough with no shoes on,” he looked down at Angel’s bare feet. She looked down and smiled.

  “Oh, that’s just how we like to be. Makes us feel free,” she lied. “But, we are kind of low on cash. If you could help a girl out, I will remember it forever and ever,” she smirked. It didn’t take him anytime to turn into the man we know is in every man.

  “Well, uh, I could give a little somethin’ for a little somethin,” he pervertedly suggested. I could see Angel’s insides, cringe but her face said otherwise. Guess he wasn’t so square after all.

  “Okay,” she agreed without an ounce of hesitation. She looked at me and my eyes asked her what the fuck was she doing? Her eyes said trust me. She walked over to the side of the counter and he joined her like a dummy and opened the small door that locked him in on the other side. He helped her over the small step and smiled.

  “You sure are beautiful. Cute thing like you shouldn’t be out here like this,” he looked at her as she turned around for him.

  “Thank you,” she gleamed. If I could applaud her right now, I would. He then looked at us again but she took his hand and guided him towards the back.

  “Psssst!!” I called on Raven and Victoria. “Let’s get what the fuck we can,” I grabbed some snacks and snatched a bag from behind the counter and stuffed it with them. Victoria and Raven followed behind me.

  “What the fuck is Angel doing? I know she isn’t gonna fuck that boy,” Raven fussed looking towards the door making sure no-one was coming.

  “He was kinda cute,” Victoria laughed taking the candy bars out of her bra and sticking them in a bag. I grabbed some cheap rubber flip flops out of the leisure aisle and slipped them on my feet. Victoria and Raven did the same, grabbing a pair for Angel, too.

  Angel then came out the back with a big smile on her face. She made her way to the cash register and played with it.

  “What the hell Angie! Where’s ol' boy? What did you do?” Raven said excited.

  “Nothing, he's just a little tied up right now,” she grinned devilishly. We all grinned and let out a surprised laugh.

  “Well, got damn Angel!” I cried out. “Bad ass!”

  “We gotta go y’all, if they find out we are gone it won’t be long, they will be trailing us,” Raven rushed us.” “You know how to open that thing?” She asked Angel. Suddenly the register dinged open. Angel snatched all the money out and then turned to look for the video camera to get the tape out. She
ejected the tape and took it with her, running back over to the counter exit.

  “Here,” Raven gave her a pair of flip flops and we all ran out the front door with snacks and money.

  “Oh my God we just robbed a fucking store!” I yelled out. Everything felt like such a rush.

  “Hey, I look at it like we had to do what we had to do,” Angel ran behind me with the money in her hand.

  “How much you get?” Raven asked her.

  “Looks like almost $300,” Angel laughed half counting as we ran.

  “What did you do with him?” Victoria chuckled.

  “Knocked his gross ass out and tied him to the office desk. He won’t be waking up anytime soon,” Angel grinned.

  “Nice!” Raven was thrilled. We all were. I could see us now, finally getting out of here. I imagined running into my mom’s arms, even my dad’s, assuming that now he knew I was gone. I even thought about Professor Heart. Did he know? Did he miss me? Was he worried? A part of me wanted to run into his arms as well. A part of me regretted telling him to stay away.

  CHAPTER 43

  Professor Heart knew nothing about their disappearance. In fact he was in his bed getting a massage by Nicole. His heart was heavy for Eva and he wished it was her giving him a massage and not Nicole, but he was lonely and Nicole was always available. He laid there on his stomach switching the channels on his television while Nicole slowly rubbed her hands up and down his back with massage oil. He finally stopped it on the news giving an update on how cold it would be overnight. Then suddenly the news lady began to talk about an update on four missing girls. Eva, Victoria, Raven, and Angel’s pictures appeared with a number to call if anyone had seen or heard anything more. His mouth dropped and he blinked his eyes a million times to make sure he wasn’t seeing things. He quickly turned the volume up.

  “Hey isn’t that that girl?” Nicole pointed out and stopped massaging when Eva’s picture popped up with a description of her looks. Professor Heart flipped over so fast he sent Nicole almost flying to the floor. “Heeeeyyy!” She yelled, embarrassed. He hopped off the bed and headed straight to his closet.

  “I’m taking you home,” he searched for his sweatpants and hoodie.

  “What? Why?! For her?!” She cried out, folding her hands over her sports bra.

  “Put your fucking clothes on, Nicole,” he pointed at her clothes on the floor. He quickly slipped into his tennis shoes and grabbed a jacket. He couldn’t believe his eyes. He couldn’t believe that Eva was missing. But most off, he couldn’t believe that he was this afraid for her. Everything he had saw, everything that was so secretive with Eva was coming together but at the same time not making any sense. He looked over at how slow Nicole was putting on her clothes. “Now!” he said unbothered by the tears that were falling down her face.

  $$$$

  “Si, Que Paso Primo? What?” Cash had called Tito back, irritated. He didn’t like all this back and forth phone action in between business that he was still conducting but Tito had been blowing him up left and right.

  “Cash, who are these girls that you have? What do they look like?” Tito questioned him. He sat in the truck next to the anxious Manuel. “And the other girl you have on the way there?”

  “Por Que? She belong to someone? She’s Latina, I think. And the other girls look black except one. And one wit green eyes,” Cash was afraid of answering Tito, but he knew his cousin had a good reason.

  “Send a picture to me, por favor, and I’ll tell you,” Tito told him, looking at Manuel who seemed to have the same fear yet hope in his eyes.

  “Send me a picture of who you think it is,” Cash needed his own assurance. Although he knew Tito had no reason to lie to him, if he was going to break this deal with the Jamaicans he needed real verification. Tito hung up instantly and not even a minute later, Zara’s picture popped up in Cash’s message. It was of her and her father standing next to each other on a tennis court. Zara’s hair was pulled back in a french braided ponytail, she wore a plaid skirt and white tennis shirt. Cash looked at the father and knew instantly of Manuel. He almost choked on his own spit. He didn’t even call Tito back but picked up and called his driver, who had Zara.

  “Take her back! Take her back now! I want you to drop her at the Inner Harbor Hotel. Don’t question me, just do it! Comprende?!” He yelled at his driver. “And get my fucking money back from that punto Treach!” And hung up. Cash got his words together before he dialed Tito back again.

  “And?” Tito asked, in desperation.

  “It’s handled, primo. She will be at the Inner Harbor Hotel on Redwood,” Cash’s voice was mild and apologetic.

  Tito sighed with relief. “Thank God.”

  “Tell Emanuel my deepest apologies,” Cash wasn’t afraid of Manuel. He had gone up against real King Pins. Manuel was just like him. Another man out here staying under the radar and hustling. If anything he respected Manuel as a businessman but more so respected his cousin. Zara could have easily been one of his family members.

  “She is like a daughter to me, too,” Tito added.

  “She should be there in a couple of hours,” Cash informed and hung up.

  Tito knew that was all the apology he would get from Cash. At the end of the day, this is what Cash was about. He didn’t ask questions nor did he care who’s daughter, sister, mother, or aunt he was taking. Manuel couldn’t hold back his tears. A part of him wanted to kill Cash. He could only imagine the pain and anguish other parents have gone through before him and for Zara’s friends.

  “Did he say who the other girls were?” He asked Tito. Tito shook his head. “Just mostly black, one Latina, maybe, and one with green eyes.”

  Tito cranked up his car and headed to get Zara. “We will handle that later, right now we need to make sure she is okay.”

  Manuel stared into space as his best man zoomed on the freeway. Treach’s face was the only thing he saw right now, covered in red.

  $$$$

  Cash walked up to his Miami home where he had left the girls, surprised that the door was unlocked. Two of his goons were with him and they instantly saw it too. He motioned for them to be quiet and walked slowly as they all pulled out their guns. He couldn’t help but think that Treach had someone sent there or maybe the Jamaicans somehow found out where he was and decided to take the girls without payment. His mind would not stop racing with scenarios as he crept open the front door as slowly as he could and walked into the house. Cash knew he had enemies and in his line of work he had to be prepared for anything out of the ordinary. He could hear his TV blasting in the living room. He walked towards the living room to see the man who was supposed to be up watching the girls, slumped over with a beer in his hand on the couch. He checked for blood around him assuming he could be dead, but nothing. He then slapped him on the head.

  “Cabron!” Cash yelled.

  The man woke up, startled, dropping his half full beer all over himself.

  “You aren’t supposed to be sleeping!” Cash frowned. “Go check on them!” He ordered his two goons upstairs.

  “Sorry, boss, I got tired,” he fumbled with cleaning up the alcohol he spilled. The goons came running down the stares.

  “Se han ido!” They shouted, pulling out more of their guns from their pocket.

  “What?!” Cash lost it. “What do you mean they are gone?!” He instantly looked at the poor excuse of a guard.

  “I’m sorry, el hefe,” he put his hands up, knowing he had fucked up.

  “Did you not drug them like you were supposed to?” Cash got in his face touching nose to nose.

  “I forgot, they had fell asleep. I locked the door,” he quivered.

  “And yet, somehow, they escaped! We always drug them so they don’t get any bright ideas! You stupid cabron!” Cash pressed his gun on the side of the goon’s temple. “The Jamaicans are already on there way to Miami! They are expecting four girls! And I don’t have four girls! And I just had to send another girl home because she belonged to
my cousins friend!” Cash shouted, outraged. “Find them!” He ordered the two goons. “And call the others! Check every fucking gas station, pay phone, and bus stop in walking distance. They couldn’t have gone far!” He ordered. They darted out of the house.

  “I…I…I am sorry, Let me fix this-” he apologized but Cash was done and put two bullets in his knees, causing him to drop to the floor in agony. Cash left him there crying and screaming, shutting the front door behind him.

  ZARA

  When Cash’s man told me he was taking me back, I wanted to cry with joy, but there was a big part of me that was in so much pain for my friends. I had even questioned the driver to see if he could call Cash and get him to release the girls, but he ignored me. It wasn’t a surprise to me. These dudes were trained well. The only contact with me was to tell me I was going home and that was it. I knew that if I tried anything he might just kill me. My thoughts never stopped racing all the way to the hotel. Two black pick ups were parked and I immediately knew it was my dad. We both hopped out our cars at the same time and I sprinted towards him crying. Cash’s goon sped off.

  “Papa!” I ran into his arms.

  “My love!” He grabbed me and held me tight as ever. Tito, Bandit, and Casey watched us as if it was a scene out of a movie.

  “I’m sorry papa!” I couldn’t stop my tears. I felt so bad for putting my dad through this, but I needed my friends. “Papa, he has Raven! He has them all!” I let him go and pleaded with tears in my eyes. “We have to help them! He’s going to sell them!” I weeped, feeling as if I was their only hope.

  “Shh shhh, my daughter,” he rubbed my head and stood up to turn around to Tito who walked over.

  “Uncle Tito, please! Tell Cash to let them go! They are my friends!” I grabbed onto Tito’s arms who hugged me back. He looked at my dad as if asking for permission to let him try. “Daddy?!” I turned back to my dad. “You can’t just let them do that to them! That could have been me! They had my back at school! I have to have their back! They’d do the same for me!” I grabbed onto my dad's arms angry now that I had to even plead this much. Why was he being so hesitant?!