by David Weaver
“Teddy. Let’s get her back in her cell, it’s a fight in the 9 unit!” An officer yelled as he ran down the hall. Quickly, he released Milan and whisked her back to her cell. He was thirsty for some action, and breaking up a fight meant that someone had to go to solitary confinement. The ladies in solitary confinement are usually the ones that ended up pregnant, and he was definitely one of the many men contributing to the madness.
“Hurry up!” He hollered at Milan as he fumbled for his key. He wanted her to hurry up and get in her cell so that he could join the action. When she was finally inside, he looked at her and her cell mate and gave them a sinister smile. He briefly imagined a threesome with the two beautiful women, but he would have to think about that later. The officer locked the cell door and took off running.
“What happened Milan!?!” Vicky yelled as she watched the strange body language of the officer and the intense disgust written across Milan’s face.
Milan rarely let her feelings be voiced, but at that moment, she needed someone that would listen to her in her time of distress. She shook her head and sighed. She stared at her cellmate, a woman who was seemingly a naturally naïve individual. She had known from day one that the woman wasn’t a real criminal, and had probably been set up by someone who was obviously craftier. She felt sorry for her situation every day that she woke up and saw her.
Milan knew that she was locked up for some very serious reasons, and they were all deserved. With all of the people that she had killed in her lifetime, she was surprised that she hadn’t been charged with any of them. So with that, she felt as if she shouldn’t have to do so much time for those lesser crimes. She took her boots off and got into her bunk. Her cell mate was pacing back and forth in deep thought, waiting on her to respond.
Milan lay back against the rock solid pillows wrapped in bed sheets. She closed her eyes, took another deep breath, and began.
Treasure
Treasure was in love.
But it wasn’t a love like all others; it was a love written in blood and passion. It was a love that existed on the cusp of danger. It was as if 5 had been patterning his life in this way so that when Treasure came along, she would fit right in. It seemed that Treasure had gone through so much drama in her life, so that when 5 came along, all of her suffering would cease. All of her woes would be gone.
Treasure and 5 had done everything together. Almost…
Whenever he mentioned the types of jobs he had to do, she never flinched, judged him, or even voiced her opinions. This made him love her even more. But at the same time, she knew that she had been holding out on him by not letting him know her areas of expertise. She was as much of a killer as he was, but he knew nothing about it. He only thought that her and her crew of girls were on a one-time setup mission, and that was that.
If he had only known that she had escaped from prison, and was one of the most wanted women in the universe, there was no telling what he would say or do in response. She had intended to tell him in the beginning, but it seemed that with each passing hour, she found herself falling deeper and deeper in love with him. The deeper she fell in love, the more she realized that she didn’t want to risk losing his love.
Three months into their relationship, she figured that she would just tell him about The Lipstick Clique and accept his response, no matter what it was. She felt that they were in a place of growth and that their love was so strong that it should be able to endure any obstacles as long as they were true.
But the moment she planned on bringing it up, he had a surprise of his own to share.
“Treasure baby… let’s move out of Columbus. Me and the Dirt Mob have been living on the road for years now, and Columbus, GA was only a pit stop for us. We can’t afford to stay in one city too long. Our lives depend on it, you know.”
Treasure was speechless. The only reason that she was going to be honest about her situation that day was because she felt that it was time for her to leave Columbus, GA. But since he had already put it on the table that he wanted her to leave with him, there was no need for her to say anything. She smiled at 5 and wrapped her arms around his solid body. She inhaled his existence, and it felt so good going into her lungs, that she never wanted to release it.
“Baby, what’s wrong? And what was it that you said you had to tell me?”
Treasure exhaled. It felt so good; it was as if the release of air massaged her entire soul. “Nothing is wrong 5. Everything is good. In fact, I have never in my life been happier than I am today. It’s funny how everything happens for a reason. Baby, I love you, and that’s on everything. I’m going to ride or die with you. To Jacksonville or Seattle, to the end of the world and back. As long as I exist, I’m going to cherish you like you do me.”
5 was a cold hearted killer, but he loved just as hard as he killed. He stood there with his arms around Treasure and could sense that she meant every word that she spoke. When he saw the tears in her eyes, he couldn’t do anything to prevent the tears from gathering in his as well. His brothers and his sister had been his entire life. He never thought he would be able to find a woman who would accept him regardless of what he did for a living. He used to lie back in his bed and dream about how that woman would look, how she would act, how she would react.
He realized that the woman he had created in his imagination was still a million dimensions away from the woman who came to him. Treasure was a mystery to him, but he loved the fact that she didn’t make him guess the answers to her complexities. They shared an embrace so complete and intense that it felt like sex. A touch so deep and sweet, an connection so powerful and romantic, that she vowed from that day forward, not to let anyone come between them. She didn’t give a damn if she had to kill his own sister, Danielle, or his own brother, Grimmer. She had already done her best friend, so everyone else was definitely game when it came down to her love for 5.
“Treasure, I just want you to know that I love you with all of my heart. I want you to know that I have never felt this way for anyone and I don’t intend to ever feel this way again about anyone else.”
The moment was like a dream to Treasure. Tears ran away from her as she stood there thinking about all of the hardships in her life that she’d had to endure and persevere through. She thought about the strength that it had taken her to overcome the things she’d had to walk through, and it was as though her mind blacked out. She stood there frozen, with tears flowing. The pressure of life had crushed her coal dark exterior and had revealed the beautiful diamond that lied within.
5 pulled out diamond of his own.
He dropped to one knee and held Treasure’s hand like the true gentleman that he was. “As of right now, I want you to be my wife. I want you to continue representing me the way you do. I mean… I never have any issues out of you. You don’t even ask to go outside of the house. That’s amazing, because most women wanna hang out with friends and go clubbing whenever they get a chance. But you… you’re different. You’re all about me, and trust me baby. I’m all about you too. Please marry me. Please share my last name.”
Treasure was shocked. She couldn’t even think straight while 5 was proposing to her. She was admiring his beautiful cinnamon skin tone, his dreadlocks and the way they framed his face. She was admiring the way his shirt laid across his stiff upper body and day dreaming about how stiff his lower body was. Treasure had always wanted to get married, but she questioned if these were the correct circumstances.
She was a wanted fugitive killer prison escapee. He was an in-demand contract killer who law enforcement didn’t even have on their radar. If she married him that would instantly put him and his entire family in jeopardy. It would put extra pressure on her, because if they ever caught her, she would have to make sure that he didn’t have anything pointing to any murders in the household or car. It was a horrible situation for her to fathom.
But after seeing the tears in 5’s eyes, she knew that she would not be able to deny him. There was no possible way for he
r to tell him no. He was the man of her dreams, and he had told her that she was the woman of his. She took a deep breath and looked him head on. She had loads of questions that she wanted to ask him, and she was sure that he had many questions as well. One of them, she had no choice but to ask before she accepted his proposal.
“5… if I’m going to share your last name, shouldn’t I at least know what your last name is? I’ve never asked you your real name or your last name because I never felt it was my business. But since you’re asking me to marry you, it is now my business to know the new name that I’ll be carrying… so let me have it.”
5 chuckled slightly. “No problem Treasure. Your new last name will be Powers.”
Treasure’s mouth dropped to the floor. She was feeling so lame for having missed the resemblance. 5 looked like a lighter skinned version of Malcolm Powers, the man who ran the Bankroll Squad and helped her out of an extremely difficult situation back in the day.
But then from another angle, he looked nothing like Malcolm Powers whatsoever. Maybe this is a different set of Powers, she thought to herself as she tried to piece things together. She felt dizzy and confused as she stood there trying to process the information that had just been given to her.
She attempted to ask another question, but couldn’t control her balance anymore. She fainted.
Lena
When she first ran away from the crime scene, she didn’t have the first clue as to where she was would lay her head. Her options were non-existent. She was just a clueless child walking around with no money. After walking aimlessly for half the night, she ended up walking into a park that she thought would be vacant. But when she got there, it looked like a migrant community.
There were homeless people walking from tent to tent. Many of them didn’t have tents, so they were lying on steel benches. Lena figured that she too, would try to find a bench to sleep on. She was extremely exhausted, and couldn’t wait to be able to close her eyes and get some rest; no matter where it was at.
She walked and walked until finally, she found a vacant bench in the park. The bench was located about 60 feet away from the nearest tent, so she felt very comfortable there. A wave of happiness flowed over her body when she realized that she would finally be able to lie down. She rushed over to the bench and sat down. She didn’t mind at all that it was hard steel. She was excited about sleeping outdoors for the first time in her life. Smiling, she drifted off to sleep.
Her peaceful slumber was soon invaded. “Lil broad, you gon give me some!” She heard someone say. As soon as she opened her eyes, a man grabbed her arm and held her down against the bench. His body odor suggested that he had not taken a shower in a decade. It was a strong alcoholic smell, but it wasn’t alcohol. It was of a mixture of bodily secretions. She struggled to get away from him, and when she realized that she wouldn’t be able to, she tried to release a scream.
As soon as she made a noise, he took his fist and slammed it into her lip, dizzying her. She was so dizzy and confused that she didn’t even remember or know if she had managed to get her scream out or not. She lay there against the bench in sadness and fright, trying to gather her senses.
When her dizziness and confusion subsided, she realized what was going on. The man was attempting to rape her. He had pulled his pants and underwear down and had managed to get her clothes down to her ankles. She felt a finger touch her private area and almost passed out from anger and disgust. The old man continued trying to pull her leg out of her pants when they both heard someone coming behind him.
Lena lay there with tears in her eyes as she hoped and prayed that another man wouldn’t come and join the sick party that was being forced on her. Please God… If you have to let me go through a rape, at least just let it be one. Please!
A girl a few years older than her, stood holding a baseball bat. “Dad! Leave that little girl alone! You can not just go around trying to have sex with everybody without their permission! Get back in the tent. You are a sickness. You have a sickness. I’m going to turn you in to the authorities, I’m sick of your antics!”
The man reluctantly released the strong hold that he had on Lena and started pulling his clothes back up. He turned around and looked at his daughter. “Tarra! I’m your freaking father for crying out loud! You’re supposed to be on my side. What the hell are you helping a freaking stranger for!?”
Tarra held the bat firm as she stared him down. “Because! You can not continue raping people around here just because they are homeless. I get sick and tired of people coming up to me and complaining about the things you’ve done to them or their family members. You know there are people right now who are ready to kill you!?”
Her father got offended. “So what are you saying Tarra? Are you saying that I embarrass you?”
Tarra pulled the bat back so that if he ran towards her, all she would have to do was swing one good time to keep him away.
“So you wanna fight your father now? You wanna kill me? I swear ever since your mother ran off, you been acting like a carbon copy of that bitch! Don’t you know that she’s the reason we’re out here sleeping in the got damn woods? She was the bitch with the high paying gig. I was the stay at home Dad. That bitch left us to die! And now you wanna emulate her?! You stupid slut, you. Ever since you turned 18, you’ve been acting like her!”
Tarra was getting more and more heated by the second. She was angry that he was putting her business out there for everyone to hear, and also angry because he was making up lies to cover his own sick acts. A crowd was starting to form around the scene, and before she knew it, the girl her father had tried to rape had taken off running. Instantly, she felt bad for the poor girl. She had seen her earlier, when she was looking for a place to sleep, but at the time, she had been too exhausted to reach out to her. The only thing Tarra had wanted to do earlier was go to sleep herself. She had been hustling all day long and she was too tired to do anything extra because of it.
Her father had a venomous look in his eyes as he watched Lena run away at full speed. Then he stared at the crowd like a mad man. “What ya’ll lookin at? What the fuck you all looking at?! This ain’t no got damn show! Get the fuck on! Scattttt!” He screamed frantically. His little arms and long legs made him look like more of a freak show than he already seemed. He swung his arms at a shadow movement, proving to the crowd that not only was he sick, but he was also drunk.
The man stared at Tarra and spit on the ground. “You make me sick you little bitch! You are just another version of that old bitch I married. That hateful, spiteful, disgusting –”
“You liar!” Tarra screamed. “You lying bastard fuck! My mother was a good lady! You drove her away! You ran her away with all of your got damn raping and shit! I was 16, old enough to know better when you raped me last. My mother came in a couple of hours later and looked me dead in the eyes. She asked me! She said ‘Tarra, what is going on with you and your father? Be honest!’ And like a fuckin fool, I said nothing is going on Mom.
You see… I drove her away because I told her a lie! She knew that something was amiss and that I had been covering it up the entire time. She came back in the room later on and told me that she would give me one more chance to confess, and I still wouldn’t tell her! That’s some real bullshit, because since that night, neither of us has ever seen her again! So fuck you! You ruined my life, and my mother’s! If I was her, I would have left too! How the fuck could she compete with her own child having sex with her man? That’s bullshit! And here I am staying with your sloppy drunk ass in the park like I’m your wife and shit. Fuck you! I’m out of here. You’ll never see me again!”
Tarra threw the baseball bat out of reach and started running in the direction that she saw Lena run in. She wanted to help her as best she could. Wanted to get to know Lena and become familiar with her story while simultaneously sharing her own. She wasn’t able to get a job because she didn’t even have a GED. If she could create a friendship with Lena, then possibly they could both
get their act together and make a positive impact. She was sure that the positive things would be far down the line, because life was too real to plan out a dream. Food would need to be in their hands by sun up, and in their hands again by sun down. She needed to know if the girl was really homeless or had just run away from home.
She had many questions for the young girl, and couldn’t wait to start asking them. She ran and ran in the darkness, passing by the tents of the people that she had slept beside and made acquaintance with for a few years now. She ran by the outdoor tents of the junkies, alcoholics, ex-inmates, even a few ex-Senators. Homeless was a circumstance that could happen to the most established people. It didn’t matter if they were white, black, or animals. Life still existed, and as long as she was breathing, she would always strive to do better.
__________
Lena had been forced to grow up quick. She still had naïve moments, but not nearly the amount of naïve moments that an average teenager would have. In order to survive, she had taken Milan’s instructions and mastered them like a professional. But instead of Milan being her leader and teacher, she had simply absorbed Milan’s mindset and now she was the young teacher of the older Tarra.