by M. N. Forgy
Looks like it’s just the trafficking ring, and then my father then.
With Luna in the other room, I take the opportunity to call my father.
He picks up on the first ring.
“Yes,” he answers gruffly.
“I want to meet that guy with the women,” I tell him.
“Why?”
“I shouldn’t have let the last one go, having a woman for myself would be the perfect setup. Plus, I was thinking we could buy one or two to help package some of our lower-end drugs, then we don’t have to pay men to do it,” I go further, trying to get him to trust me and agree.
“That’s what I was thinking when I met him until you went fucking cowboy,” he says aggressively.
I have to bite my tongue to keep from telling him off. Telling him what I really think of the man he is.
“I’m booked with meetings and my hands are full with your mother. I can’t meet him for a while,” Father informs.
That won’t do.
“I can handle it. Set it up for me,” I tell him.
The line goes quiet as he mulls it over. “Okay, I will. But if you blow this deal, you’re out on your ass. This is your last chance!” he informs with a sharp tongue. “Your absence the last few days has had me look like a fool as it is.”
“Yep. Just text me the time,” I say through gritted teeth. I hang up, needing off the line before I blow this whole fucking thing.
I hate that man. I hate him more than anything in the world. He’s a disgusting pig, and for him to be alive and representing the DeAngelo family is a fucking mockery.
16
Luna
Dressed in some jeans and my hoodie, I walk out of the room finding Romeo standing next to his chair, his hands leaning behind him. His face is pulled tightly as if something is bothering him.
“What?” I ask him, coming into the room farther.
“So, I got some news on your foster parents.”
My heart slows as if its beat will drown out his words and I won’t be able to hear. Pulling my hair out from inside the back of the sweater I wait and listen.
“They moved to Texas and can’t be found. They’re probably dead somewhere, unclaimed in a morgue,” he informs. My brows furrow at the news, my hands turning into fists. They were at the top of my hit list, they were the ones who acted like a family only to get me to my eighteenth birthday and sell me into a back of a van. If anyone deserves to die, it’s them.
“How about we go out for dinner tonight? Grab a bite to eat and I’ll show you Central Park?” Romeo suggests, walking this way.
I’ve seen Central Park, but it’s been a long time. I could use some fresh air right now because I’m feeling a little defeated not being able to take the souls of the people that sold me into slavery.
Putting on my new tennis shoes, I meet Romeo by the front door and we head to the elevator, and back to the main lobby. Jannet is behind the desk reading a book, but she looks up and gives me a wink as we walk by, not going toward the garage this time but out the front double doors. Outside, the fresh smell I was looking for is replaced by exhaust fumes, cigarettes, and a slight scent of food.
“Don’t let this bring you down, I have a meeting in the works with the boss that runs the trafficking ring you were in,” Romeo informs and this catches my attention.
Putting my hands in the pocket of my hoodie, I look at him for more information.
“I’m hoping to meet the same people tomorrow. You, me, Kieran and Gideon will meet them, take the boss hostage until he takes us to the place he kept you, and we will kill them all,” he says matter-of-factly, shrugging as if it’s no big deal.
Looking forward as we come to the middle of Central Park, I think about all the men who hurt me, grabbed me by the arm and threw me around like a ragdoll, refused me water when I thought I was going to die. Tomorrow is my payback.
“So, what are you going to do when this is all over?” Romeo asks, taking me away from the imaginary blood bath inside my head.
“Um, I dunno. Maybe get a crummy job with a boss I hate. Find a shitty place to live.” I look at him and see wrinkles on his forehead. “I know it doesn’t sound like high end goals but it is to me.”
“Well, finding a place to live is going to be hard and costly. You could—"
“Find a roommate, that’s a good idea,” I interrupt him. He closes his mouth and gives a small smile. Wait, was he going to suggest something else? Surely he wasn’t inviting me to stay. I mean, I’ve never lived on my own, found out who I am by myself. If I move in with him and fall in love like that, we’ll just resent each other six months down the road. Right?
The bowing of trees creates a canopy over us as we continue to walk and talk. The smell of air becoming cleaner, and fresh. I still can’t help but stare at every passing person, and watch my surroundings. I wonder if I’ll ever blindly stroll through the park without having to look over my shoulder.
“What will you do?” I question, wanting the attention off me. I know him and I have gotten close and I want us to stay close but I don’t know if that will be an option for Romeo. He’s a hard man to figure out. He’s hot and cold, and unreadable at times. When I walked into his life, he was alone and happy that way. Going back to his old ways, he might decide being done with me is for the best.
“I still gotta figure that out. I’ll know soon though,” he informs quietly. He lifts his arm and points in front of him. I follow his direction and see a hotdog stand. I haven’t had one of those in forever.
“Yes!” I smile and follow him over to the smell of steamy pork.
The man behind the cart grins with yellow teeth, his denim blue hat matching his overalls.
“Two. One with just ketchup and.” He looks to me, waiting for me to tell the man what I want on mine.
“Oh, I want everything,” I tell the guy, and he loads mine up with ketchup, mustard, relish, and onions.
Romeo pays the man and we continue to walk, eating our hotdogs. Another person walks by us with a dog and I stare at it. I want a pet.
Thunder crackles above us, and I look up to the sky, seeing just a hint of gray clouds through the trees, a plunge of darkness takes over Central Park.
Taking another bite, we both stop.
“Maybe we should head back,” Romeo suggests, sensing the same thing I am.
Rain is coming. Walking back, I finish my hotdog and wipe my hands on my jeans. It was so damn good. I should have gotten two. The way I’ve been eating, I know I have to have been putting on weight.
My mind goes back to tomorrow, curious who will still be left in the ring when I get there. The thought of pistol-whipping the women who gave me a hard time tempting.
The clouds open up and rain comes pouring down. Romeo grabs my hand, and we both run, sprinting toward the apartment. We run through moving traffic, not caring if the walk light is lit or not and make it inside the lobby doors in minutes. Holding my arms out, my shirt looks like an entirely different color. I look up at Romeo finding him soaking wet, just as I am. He laughs and so do I.. We head toward the elevators, his shoes squeaking across the lobby floor. Just as the doors shut, Romeo throws me up against the wall and kisses me passionately. Both of my hands on his wet face, I kiss him back, wrapping my legs around his body. We barely make it to the apartment before we start tearing each other’s wet clothes off one another.
Just because I want to get out there and live a life I’ve never had, doesn’t mean Romeo is going to forget about me, does it? Because this feels like goodbye sex. I can’t explain how I know, I just do.
Romeo
My phone dings multiple times, waking me from my sleep. Pulling my arm out from under Luna’s naked body, I grab the phone and squint as the screen lights up.
It’s Dad.
Same place. At dusk.
I text Kieran and Gideon the same thing and drop the phone back onto the nightstand and curl into Luna. The clock is ticking, and I don’t want to think about it. Kiss
ing the back of Luna’s neck, the sweet smell of her skin, I wrap my hand around her flat stomach and circle her soft clit with my thumb. She stirs awake and I pull her on top of me, wanting one more taste before the job comes and this is over.
17
Romeo
Sitting at the kitchen table after breakfast, I dig out all my ammo and prepare for today. Luna sits beside me, watching me quietly. There’s a tension in the air, one I’m surprised she’s aware of. When Kieran and I would do a job, we would remain silent as we prepared, as if we were silently praying and focusing. Luna doesn’t say a word while she watches. It’s as if she was born for this way of life. She respects the dark energy surrounding us, preparing us for the hunt.
Before we know it, it’s time to meet the devil.
Luna dresses in a black shirt and jeans, wearing the new shoes I got her. In the elevator, we both watch the numbers lighting up each floor we pass. Inside the lobby, we cut to the door that leads to the garage and get into my Navigator. Pulling the black matte gun from my holster, I hand it to her.
“You sure you want to do this?” I ask her, making sure she doesn’t want to back out.
She hits me with those green eyes and takes the gun from my palm.
“I’m sure.”
Heading away from town and toward Brooklyn. I drive us down a recognizable seedy street, I remember it from last time, away from more lights and people, and down the same dark rabbit hole.
My Navigator rocks back and forth as we turn off the road and onto gravel, darkness crawling all around us and eating any light the street lamps may offer. Driving under the bridge with spray-painted symbols all over it, I hear Luna inhale. She recognizes this place. I notice Kieran and Gideon’s car parked just ahead, and then there’s the van and the car that carries the man in charge of the whole trafficking ring. I never did catch his name before. I pull up right behind the van, allowing my lights to shine through the back window. Parking, I give Luna one last look before getting out, this could be the last time one of us sees the other. She leans over and kisses me on the mouth, and I relish her soft lips against mine. This might be the last time we are together. Pulling back, we both get out. Walking away from my car and getting closer to the others, Kieran and Gideon’s headlights shine enough light for me to see the boss get out of his car. He’s wearing a long tan coat, with a scarf around his neck, the men behind him in dark slacks and white button-ups, just like last time.
He smiles, clasping his hands as if he was praying.
“I see you liked my girl.” He smiles, looking at Luna like she’s a prized pig.
Raising my gun, I point it right at him. That’s all it takes for me to want to kill him. His girl? She was never his!
“Enough with the small talk, where is your ring?” I grit through clenched teeth, and two sounds of gunfire go off, Kieran and Gideon shooting the bodyguards in cold blood.
The boss screams, frantically holding his hands up like a fucking pussy.
“You no kill Joba, I’ll do whatever you want.” He weeps, his native tongue so thick it’s annoying.
Luna takes the opportunity to go to the van, a perplexed look on her face as she opens the doors. I can hear the women cry and startle from here.
“Go!” she shouts. The women sit there, shocked. She reaches in and drags one out. “I said fucking go. This is your chance!” she repeats, and the women start wailing and jumping out of the van. They scurry into the night like little ants.
My gun still aimed at Joba, I shove it into his head harder.
“Get into the van,” I gnash, a beast I try to keep locked up is coming out to play tonight. I can feel myself losing control.
“Wait, let’s think about this,” Joba says, trying to bargain with me. My eyes narrow in on him, and I step up into his space, glaring down at him.
“If I think about this a second longer, you die here under this bridge, you piece of shit.”
Closing his eyes, he speaks another language and slowly slides one foot toward the van. Letting up on my gun, I allow him to climb into the now empty seats. The driver of the van looks at us with worry on his face. His hair is long and beard even longer. Kieran climbs into the passenger seat, looking at the driver with a menacing look, a gun in his hand.
“Take us to the ring. Now,” Kieran tells him, pushing his gun into the side of his head.
“Just do it!” Joba hollers with panic.
Luna
Driving into the darkness away from the city, I don’t recognize anything as we head toward the ring. It’s so dark not even the moon is shining. I can’t take my eyes off of Joba. He’s so small and a weakling of a man. How the hell did he become head of such a thing? My hand itches to grab his scarf and strangle him right here, to hear him cry and wail so loud it drowns out the women I’ve listened to every night for the past four years.
Gideon follows close behind us, until lights just ahead make the pit of my stomach sit uneasy. There it is. Hell. An old shoe factory left abandoned, now turned into an underground slavery.
We pull up to a chain-linked fence with barbwire along the top, lights shining down from the roof to help escort us into the garage, we slip inside without a problem. All the guards must be inside. The driver pulls the van right into the area where the cage sits with most of the guards. Hunched down so my head doesn’t hit the roof I open the doors and jump out, the smell of body odor and piss bring me back. Romeo pushes Joba out at gunpoint.
A man wearing dark cargo jeans, a sweater, and a black scarf wrapped around the bottom of his face comes up to Joba with an unreadable look, confused at what is going on. I recognize him instantly, he’s one that makes the girls blow him for extra food and water. I just called him freckled face guard because that’s all I ever saw of him.
Raising my gun, I aim and shoot. A bullet lodges right into his skull, and it also alerts the other guards of who the fuck is here.
The sound of a gun going off in the van has me quickly looking behind me finding Kieran getting out and adjusting his tie, the driver now leaning against the driver’s door, blood all over the window.
The girls scream, some of them jumping on the side of the fence yelling for me to save them. Gunfire goes off, the sound of bullets ricocheting off the metal of the building. I duck behind the van, trying to see where it’s coming from.
“By the side of the cage, there are two men who sit there and play cards,” I tell Romeo, and he takes a breath, stands, and walks out.
He fires his gun left, then right. Kieran comes out of God knows where and begins to shoot behind him and beside him. They both look like something out of a movie with their gun holsters and suits, shooting the bad guys without a worry that they might get hit with return fire. The smell of blood and gunpowder overtakes the sick women in the cage and I notice I’m still hiding behind the van. Now is my chance to free them.
Still ducking so I don’t get noticed, I go behind the van and sprint to the cage where they keep a door locked with a deadbolt. Raising my gun, I shoot it, and it falls off to the concrete with a thud. I open the gate, and women come sprinting out, nearly running me over, others hide in the corner unsure of what to do. This is all they’ve ever known and don’t know where to go. I was one of those women not so long ago. Going inside, chills ride up my back, my eyes sweeping to where my cot used to be, I can’t believe I’m back inside voluntarily. The ground is wet, probably from piss, there’re blankets wadded up on the floor where women were trying to keep off the ground, and empty jugs of water. I pass a crate holding a bottle of pink nail polish. I frown, thinking about what that cost a woman.
A moan has my neck snapping to the left finding an old lady in the corner. She’s scared to death. Walking to her, I squat in front of her.
“You’re free. You can go,” I tell her softly.
Grabbing the hand of an elderly lady, I help her toward the opening of the cage.
“Go, run. Go to a shelter, but get that GPS out of your arm first!” I info
rm her. Her old wrinkled face looks back at me with sympathy, I could see her being someone’s grandma, maybe she is, and if so, now she can get out and go bake cookies with them.
Just as the smoke clears and everyone is dead, the women are freed, I notice Joba trying to climb back into the van.
How the fuck did we miss him?
Aiming my gun, my nostrils flare and my lips purse. I fire my gun hitting him right in the back. He falls to the ground and I hurry over to him. Stepping over his body, my legs straddle him. He stares up at me, his small black eyes and thick eyebrows clean of any dirt or sweat. I bet he goes home and showers in hot water every night, not even thinking about the women suffering here. I spit on his face, and kick him in the ribs with my shoe.
He cries, and it fuels my anger even more. All the times I cried and they laughed. The pain I felt and they didn’t care. Raising my gun, I slam it into his nose and it gushes blood. I fall to my knees, one hand on the floor next to his head, and I continue to bash his face in. Over and over and over. Until he doesn’t move, and his face is unrecognizable.
Out of breath, I sit back and scratch my face, spots of blood making it itch. Glancing to my left, I find Romeo pinning a man up against the fencing of the cage, holding a knife to his face.
“Aww, what’s wrong? Here, let’s turn the frown upside down!” Romeo says in a maniacal voice, and he presses the head of a knife I haven’t seen before into the man’s mouth, slicing the corners of his lips up into his cheek. Giving him a Glasgow Smile. He laughs as the man screams, his legs kicking out from under him, his arms trying to push Romeo back but he’s unsuccessful. Letting the man drop to his ass, Romeo looks at me and my heart skips a beat. It’s then that I see those maddening eyes, the ones I saw the day he was admitted to the state hospital. My other half.