by Ashley Snell
The lyrics to the song made her think about Free. She was lucky to have him in her life, and even though they had just been through hard times, she could see the light shining at the end of the tunnel. She would sacrifice herself for her man any day that he needed her to, and that’s exactly what she had done. A fake chick would have left him high and dry when he was at his lowest, but Six was one of the few real ones. She stood by her man and did what she had to do to be his rock. I’m so glad that he’s in my life. I would do anything for that nigga. He’s my baby, and I love him.
Her thoughts distracted her the entire way home. Relief washed over her when she finally pulled up to her crib. She hit the alarm on her car just before she walked into the house.
“Oh my God,” she stated in shock as she looked around at the flickering candles that were burning inside her home. She dropped her purse, and a smile blessed her face. Free thinks he slick. This must be the surprise he was talking about.
“Free! Baby, why didn’t you tell me you was coming home early?” she called out. She went into the kitchen and retrieved a bottle of wine, grabbing two flutes and pouring them as she walked up the stairs, her voluptuous ass moving from side to side. “You really outdid yourself, babe! I love all the candles,” she said.
She walked into her bedroom and didn’t see Free inside. Setting the glasses on the nightstand, she looked around in delight. Quickly she pulled her shirt over her head, leaving her in only a black Victoria Secrets bra and her skin-tight Skinny jeans with heels. Six pulled her hair out of the ponytail it was in and walked over to her vanity and took a seat. After spraying on perfume, she began to brush her hair. Suddenly the sound of R. Kelly crooned throughout the house, and she smiled when she heard footsteps coming up the stairs.
“Baby, come in here. I’ma put it on you tonight…. You earned it,” she cooed seductively. She saw his reflection in the mirror. All she could see was his sexy midsection as he walked behind her. “Damn, baby, you been working out, nigga,” she teased, noticing that the cuts in his stomach were more defined. He came near and when he was directly behind her he put his hands on her neck, causing her to close her eyes as he massaged gently. “That feels good.”
His grip grew tighter, and Six winced in pain. “Damn, babe, that’s kind of rough,” she complained as she opened her eyes. Suddenly he leaned over in her ear, revealing his face in her mirror, and her eyes bucked in fear.
Her heart instantly collapsed into her stomach and a single tear slid down her cheek. She knew that she was in trouble; there was no way she was going to get out of this. Her fate was in his hands. She had crossed him, and she knew that he was not the forgiving type—in fact, he was the torturing type.
“What up, bitch? Guess who’s back?” Twin asked menacingly through clenched teeth. A cloth-covered hand swiftly covered her mouth as he grabbed her in a chokehold and snatched her backward out of the chair. She could barely breathe as she tried to inch her fingers between his forearms to relieve the pressure around her windpipe.
“Ahhhh!” she screamed as she kicked and contorted her body in an effort to get away from him. Six smelled a strong chemical on the rag, and as she inhaled the strong vapor, her body became weak. She felt her eyelids close. Please God, was the last thought that crossed her mind before she slipped into unconsciousness.
Six’s eyes opened slowly, and her head felt as if it weighed a thousand pounds as it fell to the side. The room spun as she tried to focus. She blinked her eyes lazily, trying to make everything come into clear vision, but nothing worked.
“Help me,” she whispered.
“Nobody’s coming, bitch,” she heard Twin reply. “You thought you could get away from me…steal my money and run away with another nigga?” he asked, sounding like the devil himself.
Twin roughly snatched her jeans off of her body. He panted like a crazed dog, and Six tried to slap his hands away but her body was so weak. Her limbs felt so heavy that she could barely move her arms.
“What did you give me?” she uttered as she struggled. Twin laughed at her and ripped her panties to shreds.
“I’ve been waiting a long time for this, bitch. When you stole my money I looked all over the fucking city for you. Nobody had seen or heard from you until I saw you parading around on CNN with that nigga Brick. Imagine how good it felt when I was sitting at home minding my business and your face popped on the TV screen,” Twin stated as he began to unbuckle his belt.
“Aghh,” Six moaned as her eyes rolled back in her head. Her body was not her own, and she could not control her reflexes. She knew that whatever he had drugged her with was deadly. She could feel the strength leaving her body. Twin smacked her across the face, and Six’s head twirled in the direction of the hit. Her neck was like noodles as she pushed at Twin, uselessly wrestling to get him off of her. She was so high that even her tongue felt numb and she had a hard time even forming the words to protest.
“I’ve been on you for the past year. Watching your every move,” Twin stated as he took one of the wax candles and spread the lips of her vagina, pouring the melted hotness all over her clit.
Six’s eyes bulged out of her head in horrendous pain, but all she could do was moan and arch her back slightly. Please God, help me. He is going to kill me, she prayed. Six closed her eyes and inhaled slowly, trying to calm the burning sensation between her legs as Twin continued to talk.
“It’s been hard to get close to you, Six. You always had somebody around you. The one time I thought I had you, I snuck into your house, but you weren’t home…. But guess who was home, Six?” he asked as he kneeled beside her so that they were face-to-face.
The sight of Twin disgusted Six, and she used all of her remaining strength to spit in his face. Twin calmly wiped the saliva out of his eyes and smiled. “Your father fought back the same way, bitch, but that didn’t stop me from killing him either. You’re gonna die tonight.”
Tears flooded Six’s eyes when she heard that Twin had murdered her father. “Why?” she asked as the tears rolled down her cheeks and her head lay limply on the bed.
“Why?” Twin asked mockingly. “Because you crossed me and revenge is sweet. You ruined my fucking life over that money, bitch. I owed that paper to a nigga, and when I couldn’t pay up, he took my debt out on my moms and my sister. So that’s why. You signed your own death certificate when you took my money.”
He began to remove his jeans while staring lustfully at Six. She could see from the look in his deranged stare that he had a horrible death in mind for her. She wanted to tell him that she would give him back the money. She wanted to say that she was sorry for what she did, but as her drug-induced fatigue grew stronger, she could not bring herself to speak. Her world went white as her eyes continued to roll in the back of her head.
“First, I’ma wear this pussy out. It’s been a long time, Six. You might as well kiss the devil before he takes your life,” Twin stated. He climbed on top of her and roughly pried her legs open, then shoved himself forcefully inside.
“Ow,” Six whimpered as her head rolled weakly to the side and her eyes continued to roll around in her head. “Please stop,” she cried weakly.
Twin raped Six and in his mind her whimpers sounded like moans of pleasure. As he looked down into her face, he could see that she was high out of her mind. The combination of heroin and rat poison he had given her was slowly torturing her. He smiled as he saw her pupils turn completely white and her mouth fall open. Twin continued to sex her as his moans of passion filled the room.
Focus, Six! she urged herself as she felt Twin moving in and out of her, stabbing her to death with his tool. She opened her eyes and out of the corner of her eye she could see a shadow reflecting off of the walls as someone moved in the hallway. Free! she thought frantically. Please, baby, I need you! her mind screamed. She opened her mouth to call out to him, but the only sounds that came out were moans and grunts. Twin was so busy humping away that he didn’t notice that someone else was creeping
into the room. Six reached out her hand just as Free entered the room.
“Ahhhh,” she cried out as tears ran down her cheeks. For a split second Free paused in shock as his eyes met hers. He took in the scene before him, and she could see the hurt in his eyes as he misinterpreted the scene before him. She tried to make her lips move to call out to him.
Free, help me!
“Bitch, you fucking this nigga?” he screamed as he pulled out his pistol from his waistline.
No, Free, don’t! Please, it’s not what it looks like! she screamed in her head.
Pow, pow, pow!
He loaded Twin up as he approached the bed enraged, the bullets sending Twin flying off of Six. Tears poured from his eyes as he witnessed the woman he loved more than anything fucking another man. He snapped as his adrenaline sent him into a crazed rage.
“Bitch, you fucking this nigga?” he asked again as he approached her. Six stared up into Free’s eyes as tears rolled down her face.
Please, Free, no! she thought desperately as she closed her eyes.
“I loved you, ma…you love this nigga?” Free asked, crying hysterically as he stared down at Six. He wiped his nose and said, “I’m not giving you to another nigga. I love you too much, ma.”
Six opened her eyes. Talk…say something! she thought. She watched helplessly as Free loomed over her with the gun. Her lips quivered as tried to speak. “Free,” she whispered desperately.
Free leaned over, his tears wetting her face as he kissed her cheeks. There was so much red on the sheets from where Free had blown Twin away. Blood on Free’s hands…blood on his shirt, his shoes, blood in his eyes. The sound of his heart breaking could be heard only by Six as her eyes pleaded with him.
He kissed her once. “I love you, Six.”
He kissed her twice. “Forever,” he stated.
He put the trigger to her temple—bang!
Then turned it on himself—bang!
Kiss! Kiss! Bang! Bang! It was the ceremony he performed before he took his own life. It was the most complicated love story ever told.
Epilogue
Three Weeks Later
A pulsating pain shot through Six’s body as she slowly opened her eyes. The room was dark, and she was unaware of her surroundings. Beep, beep, beep, beep! The steady tone of the machines around her was all that could be heard. The small sound seemed so loud inside her head. Each beep made a sharp explosion go off inside her brain, causing her great pain. Her eyes darted wildly around the room as she searched for something familiar. Where am I? What happened? she thought frantically as she tried to move her body. Her lungs felt deprived for air as she struggled to breathe deeply. She wanted to sit up, she wanted to scream for help, but her body would not cooperate. No matter how hard she tried, she was unable to move. Her throat felt like it was on fire, and her heart rate increased dramatically as fear gripped her body. Beep, beep, beep, beep! The sound of the machines intensified, and she heard the sound of people rushing into her room.
“Is she all right? What’s happening to her?” Six heard Big Lou’s voice, and her eyes scanned the many faces that were surrounding her bed as she tried to locate him.
“I’m sorry, sir, you have to wait outside. You can see her once we’ve stabilized her.”
“Is she okay? Just tell me what’s happening!” she heard Big Lou demand, his voice frantic with worry.
“Free!” she cried out. His voice was the only voice that she didn’t hear. He was the one that she needed right now. Where is he?
“I need her calm. Her body is in shock,” one of the doctors instructed. Six watched as a young nurse filled a syringe with fluid and injected it into her arm.
“No! Free—I want to see Free!” Six cried in a raspy tone. Her voice was almost inaudible. Her body was weak, but she still fought against the hospital staff as she begged to see her man.
“Look at my hand and count down with me,” a doctor stated.
“Five, four, three, two…” before he even got to one Six felt her eyelids close involuntarily, taking her to a temporary sanctuary of peace.
Six opened her eyes and immediately sensed the figure who was sitting in the chair beside her bed. She couldn’t move her head to see who it was, but she could feel him watching her.
“Free,” she whispered, her voice cracking.
“Free’s not here, Six. It’s me, Big Lou,” he whispered as he stood up so that she could see him. “You had me worried for a minute, sis.”
“Where is Free? What happened to me? I feel like I can’t breathe. Why isn’t he here?” she asked.
“You don’t remember anything? You don’t remember what happened?” Big Lou asked her in bewilderment.
“No, where is he, Lou?”
Before Big Lou could respond, a middle-aged black man entered the room. He was wearing a long lab coat with blue scrubs underneath. Big Lou was grateful for the interruption. He didn’t know how to tell Six that Free was dead.
“Six Jones,” the doctor stated as he walked up to her bed. He took off his stethoscope and placed the cold metal to her chest. “You are a very lucky young woman.”
“What happened to me?” she asked the doctor. The doctor’s face immediately expressed confusion as he looked toward Big Lou.
“She doesn’t remember,” Big Lou answered the doctor’s question before he could even ask it.
“Well, Ms. Jones…” the doctor started. He was hesitant to inform her of her condition. “You were shot in the head. You are extremely lucky to be alive. That’s why you are having such a hard time moving and breathing. During the shooting, a part of your brain called the cerebellum was injured. A part of the brain stem that controls your breathing was also injured. The massive head trauma that you have sustained has caused you to become immobile.”
“I’m paralyzed?” Six whispered with tears in her eyes. She stared up toward the ceiling as she tried to process what the doctor was telling her.,
“Not exactly. The damage is not permanent. But your body has to learn how to function again. That’s why you are hooked up to the breathing machine. Your brain is not sending the correct signals to the rest of your body. You can’t breathe or move on your own yet.”
“Where is Free? I need him?” she said as her tears began to flow. She gasped for air, struggling to breathe.
“She doesn’t know?” the doctor asked as he looked toward Big Lou again.
“I can’t tell her, yo’,” Big Lou said as he gripped Six’s hand and tears began to well in his own eyes.
“Tell me what?” she asked. “Where is he? Big Lou, where is Free?”
The doctor excused himself so that he could give them some privacy.
“Six, he’s gone. He shot you, then he turned the gun on himself.”
Six didn’t respond. She stared at Big Lou as tears streamed endlessly down her face. He can’t be gone. He told me he would never leave me. Why would he do this to me? Free, I need you. Her body shuddered as she thought about the death of Free. He had been her best friend and her heart. She couldn’t find any words to describe how she felt; her heart was numb.
She closed her eyes, and images of Free entered her mind. The entire scene instantly came back to her as she played it back in her head. She could hear the blast from the gun in her ears. She could feel his pain as he asked her repeatedly, Do you love this nigga? Do you love this nigga? Six saw the spark from the barrel of the gun as Free pulled the trigger. “Oh my God! Big Lou! Oh God! He can’t be gone. I can’t do this without him. I need him,” she cried. Tears of despair stained her cheeks as she lay helplessly in the hospital bed. “How did this happen? Where is he? Big Lou—”
“He’s gone, Six…he’s gone,” Big Lou said as he held her hand.
“I just want to be alone,” she stated as she closed her eyes.
Big Lou nodded slowly. “All right. I’ll be right outside if you need me.”
“Big Lou…when is his funeral?” Six asked before he stepped out.
&
nbsp; “You’ve been in a coma for the past three weeks. The funeral was two weeks ago.” He waited for her to reply, but when she didn’t, he walked out of the room.
She couldn’t stop the tears from escaping from her eyes. She was deeply hurt by Free’s death. Her soul ached unbearably as she tried to imagine her life without him in it. How did we get here? How did I let this happen? Six stared at the ceiling and gripped her bedsheets as she thought about her tragic lost.
She heard the door open, but she closed her eyes to avoid being bothered. “I just want to be left alone,” she said.
“I want to leave you alone, ma, but there’s something about you that keeps calling me back.”
Six’s eyes shot open in disbelief when she heard his voice. “Britain?” she stated with a quiver as she looked at him as if he might disappear before her eyes.
“Yeah, it’s me…shh, just relax. You don’t have to say anything. I’m here,” he replied as he grabbed an ice cube out of the bucket on the nightstand and placed it to her chapped lips.
Six stared into his eyes. Nothing about him had changed. It had been over a year since she had last seen him. The last time they had interacted she had crossed him, but there was no larceny in his heart. His gaze was still as loving and gentle toward her as it had always been.
“Why are you here?” she whispered.
“Because I love you,” he answered. “Money can be replaced, Six—you cannot. I’m just upset that it had to come to this for me to realize that. I should have never let you walk out my door. I would have kept you safe.”
Six didn’t know how to respond to him. He was so forgiving…. Any woman would be lucky to call herself his lady, but Six belonged to Free. Britain was just a beautiful distraction and a horrible mistake. She had stolen his heart without giving hers to him in return.
“I’m sorry,” she stated.