“No, you can’t. You’re only fourteen. How can you make it out in the streets? You already got in trouble once. You’re still selling drugs. There’s danger all around you. If you go out there in the streets, you might get killed. I don’t want that to happen.”
“Shae, forget the speech,” he interrupted rudely. “I’m here for another reason. I came to tell you what I know about that shooting.” He took a deep breath. “Remember that day the twins had to go to the hospital and you and Dana stopped to pick me up at the store?” Shae nodded and he continued. “That’s when I realized that Dana and Diamond Dog is the same person. Shae, Dana is the one who shot that junkie, Chancey. He’s the big time drug dealer that I sell for.”
“What. How you know that?”
“I started asking questions to some of the guys on the street. You see, we just get the stuff from somebody else. They found out it comes from Dana.” Toby began to pace the room. “How can I turn him in?” he asked, near hysterics. “He’ll kill me. The word out on the street is that he’s looking for me now. I didn’t do nothing. I ain’t take no money or cheat him out of no drugs or nothing. I don’t know what he want, but I ain’t trying to find out.” He stopped pacing abruptly. “I’m – I’m fucked. What if he wants to kill me, too? I don’t want to die, man.” His eyes seemed to beg his sister for help. He counted on her to keep him alive. Hadn’t she protected him for most of his life?
“Toby, you and me are going down to the police station, now,” she said. Even though that wouldn’t be the type of revenge she’d wanted, it would satisfy her. She could turn Dana in now that she had something on him. He’d be behind bars where he couldn’t rape or shoot anyone else.
“But, Shae-”
“No buts, Toby. Let’s go. This is the only way to save you. If they lock him up, he can’t get to you.” He couldn’t get to her either, but she kept that to herself.
“He got connections,” Toby pointed out. “They’ll come after me- and you.”
“We’ll get protection. It has to stop somewhere. Come on Toby. You can’t take the fall for somebody else. You have to tell on him, and you have to do it today.” Toby finally gave in and they went to the police station.
After Toby gave his statement, the police department immediately put out an APB on Dana Russell. It wasn’t long before they caught up with him. News about his arrest spread like a forest fire throughout the projects. The newspapers carried the story, and the local stations broadcasted it on the six o’clock news. Shae and Toby watched the coverage, but they didn’t dare breathe easily. It wasn’t even halfway over. They knew that someone could find them at any given moment. They changed hotels several times to be on the safe side. Once things died down a bit, they began to feel less nervous.
* * *
Shae could sense Toby’s restlessness. They’d been holed up inside the hotel room all week, and he was feeling claustrophobic. He complained that he needed some fresh air. Shae knew of his dilemma but could do nothing about it.
“I guess it’s alright if you go to the store,” she said after watching him fidget with the television, get up and pace the room, then go back to the TV. “We’re out of milk. Just hurry back.”
“Ain’t nobody gonna bother me. You worry too much. I’ll be right back,” he said, putting on a brave face.
“Be careful,” she warned.
“I will.”
Shae heard gunshots five minutes after Toby left, and the blood in her veins froze. Her heart began pounding so rapidly in her chest that it hurt. When Toby burst through the door moments later, she let out the air she’d been holding in her lungs.
“They found me.” Pure terror showed on his face.
“Did you get shot? Are you okay?” she asked frantically, rushing over to him to check.
“I’m gonna die. They found me,” he kept saying over and over. He seemed to be in shock but other than that, fine. Shae smacked him in order to bring him to his senses.
“Get a grip, Toby,” she yelled, shaking him firmly. He gained some amount of control but fear still consumed him. Shae ventured over to the window and peered through the Venetian blinds. “No one’s out there. I think it was just a warning. We have to get moving as soon as possible. We had to leave St. Petersburg altogether.” For some reason, she thought of Bradenton, across the Skyway Bridge. If she could, she’d leave the state. “You got any money?” she asked her brother who still stood in the middle of the floor as if paralyzed.
“N-no,” he stuttered. “Not on me.”
“Damn. Well, we have to go back to the apartment in the projects. All my money is hidden there and we need it,” she said. “We have to go back.”
That got a reaction from Toby. “I ain’t going there, Shae. I’ll be dead. That’s Dana’s territory.” She understood and agreed. Even if Dana’s people weren’t there, there were snitches that would sell Toby out if they saw him. It didn’t matter to them that they’d grown up with him. In the projects, there was no such thing as loyalty, especially if money got added to the equation.
“I’ll go by myself. You just stay here.” She stared at him and their eyes locked. “If I’m not back in an hour, call the police.”
When she left, she heard the deadbolts on the other side of the door click into place. At least Toby would be safe. She wasn’t so sure about herself. She hoped that she’d be able to sneak back into the apartment unnoticed since darkness had fallen. If anyone saw her, she’d go down too. Everybody was out for self.
Once she reached their former apartment, she turned the key in the lock and went inside. She didn’t switch on a light for fear of drawing unwanted attention to the place. She felt her way up the stairs and to her old room. Once inside, she knelt in the corner and lifted the carpet. She felt for the money, but her hands groped emptiness. It wasn’t there. Thinking that in her haste she’d missed it, she felt around again. Nothing.
“Is this what you want?” An evil voice shattered the quietness and sent pure terror through her. Light suddenly flooded the darkened room. Dana stood holding her life savings in his hands. “I got a feeling you’d be back for something. I’m glad I thought to stake this place out after I got released. You must be stupid if you thought I’d stay in jail. Money talks. Bullshit walks. Tonight is my lucky night.” He waved the money in her face. “You got quite a bankroll here. A knot. What did you do to earn it?” he smirked.
Shae remained speechless. Her worst nightmare had become a reality. She was cornered, and Dana would never let her leave with the money.
“I think I have to teach you a lesson,” he said. “Number one: you don’t hide from me. Number two: you don’t snitch on me to the cops. And number three: you don’t use me. You did all three. Guess where that leaves you?” He aimed his index finger and thumb at her in the formation of a gun. “You think you can just write me a Dear John letter and end it? Nah. It don’t work like that. It’s not over until I say so.” He’d been speaking in low tones. Suddenly he yelled, causing her to jump. “You could have had anything you wanted. Anything. Why you had to be such a greedy, stupid bitch?” He threw the wad of money in her face.
“I- I can explain,” she stammered. “It’s not what you think.”
“Ain’t no explaining nothing,” he spat. “Come here. Come here, right now.” She cowered in the corner. “Don’t make me get mad,” he barked. “Get over here. Now.” She stood up on trembling legs and somehow wobbled over to him.
“I’m gonna fuck you one last time. I’m gonna fuck you like you ain’t never been fucked before.” Shae wanted to run, but she knew she wouldn’t be able to get past him. She stared into his twisted face. How could she have ever thought he was handsome? He resembled a wild animal. “Get on ya knees bitch.” He hit her, and she complied. “Turn around.” He snatched her body around roughly and forced her into the doggy-style position. Not taking time to undress her, he hiked her skirt up and shoved her panties to the side. He surged into her from the back. Shae sucked in her breath
from the shock of receiving the length of him. “You been trying to hide this pussy from me? Didn’t I tell you that it belongs to me? Why you make me hurt you, huh? You must like pain. Well, I’ll give you just what you want.” He grabbed her by the hair, yanking it. When she yelped, he slapped her on the ass cheeks and squeezed her nipples painfully. He bit her on the back of her shoulders and neck. He just seemed to go crazy. The more she cried out, the more animalistic he became. He shoved himself into her, howling like a werewolf as he reached climax.
Shae thought it would be over, but Dana wasn’t quite finished. He pulled out of her and put his penis back in his pants. Shae straightened her underwear and stood up. She felt some of his sticky, hot semen oozing down her thigh. She tried to edge toward the door, only to be intercepted.
“Where you think you going? You gonna be sorry you ever crossed me. You might just end up like that junkie I fucked up.” He pulled out a switchblade. “But shooting you would be too easy. You deserve to suffer for that shit you did.” His voice changed, and she knew right then and there that he’d slipped over the brink of sanity. “You just like my mama, that no good fucking whore. She made my daddy kill her ass. He was right to kill that low down, cheating ass bitch.” He nodded madly. “Yeah, he took care of her. He had to handle that. Just like I’m gonna take care of you.” He looked at her and the wild look in his eyes turned into disgust. “You just a high yellow bitch with a lot of fucking hair. You know, ya looks ‘bout all you got going for you. With no looks, you won’t have too far to go.” He snarled at her like a rabid dog getting ready to attack. “I wonder what you’d be like without ya looks. What if I just cut up that pretty, light skin? Huh? Put some marks in it? How ‘bout that? Or ya hair?” He grabbed a handful of it and pulled, causing her scalp to burn. With a move so swift that she didn’t have time to blink, he chopped off a great portion. She screamed when she saw it hit the floor. “Shut up,” he yelled as he continued to yank and cut until nearly all of her hair lay on the floor around her. She trembled in fear when he held the blade up to her face. “You gonna always remember me whenever you look in a mirror,” he said as he brought the knife closer and pressed it against her cheek.
“Please don’t,” she begged.
Suddenly, they heard feet trampling up the stairs. Toby must have called the police. Shae desperately hoped that they’d get to her in time. She didn’t want her face to be cut.
“God, please, help me,” she silently prayed.
“Police! Freeze!” The cops burst into the room, but Dana moved swiftly. She saw pure evil in his eyes as he sliced her across her cheek with the sharp blade. She screamed as she felt the sting of it cut into her flesh. She continued to scream over and over as he stabbed her.
Soon, the police were upon him. They drew their revolvers and had their fingers on their triggers. In the blink of an eye, they would blow him away. He just chuckled insanely as he kneeled on the carpeted floor.
“Arrest me motherfuckers cause she got what she deserved,” he said. To add insult to injury, he spat across the room and the glob landed in her face. “You just like my no good bitch ass mammy.”
Shae drew her knees up and curled into a fetal position. Dana’s spittle mixed with her blood and tears. At that moment, she really didn’t care whether she lived or died. She thought about Toby, Charles, and Chris as she succumbed to darkness.
CHAPTER NINE
It took weeks for Shae to regain consciousness. The strong smell of disinfectants invaded her nostrils, making her want to sneeze. Her throat felt dry and parched. She heard the beeps and clicks coming from different machines and knew she couldn’t be at home.
Where am I? she wondered.
When she managed to peer through slits in her eyes, she saw nothing but whiteness. Doctors and nurses walked in and out of the room. The tubes that ran through her body prevented her from moving. When she tried, she felt excruciating pain.
She opened her mouth to voice her discomfort, but no words came out. A nurse wearing plastic gloves walked over to the bed, lifted her arm, and gave her a shot. She drifted off again. She flitted in and out of consciousness. During different intervals, she thought she saw Toby and the twins, but everything remained hazy. She no longer was certain of anything. She wasn’t even sure if she was still alive.
Three more weeks passed. Finally, Shae opened her eyes. She looked around the room in confusion. It dawned on her that she was in the hospital. Why? Where was Toby? Was he safe? Could somebody come answer her questions?
The memories rushed at her. She heard the gunshots, and she remembered going back to the projects to get her money. Dana had been waiting and he tried to kill her.
She heard someone entered the room and turned to see who it was.
“Welcome back, young lady. You gave us quite a scare,” a round-faced, white nurse chirped. She held a cotton alcohol swab in one hand.
“How long- have I- been here?” Shae managed to get past her parched lips. She wanted a drink of water.
“Do you really want to know?” The nurse rubbed the swab on Shae’s upper arm. “You’ve been here quite a while- five weeks altogether.” She brought forth a needle. “You’re lucky to be alive.”
“Ouch.” The fat nurse had stuck her while she’d been distracted.
“Welcome back kid.” The nurse smiled and placed a bandage over the small puncture. “I bet you’d like a drink.” She held up a cup with water while Shae sipped from the straw. “All finished?” Shae nodded. The nurse returned the cup to the nightstand. “If you need anything, just push the call button,” she advised then left.
Shae stared around the room again as she rubbed her sore arm. A vase of white lilies sat on a nearby table. They were beautiful, and she wondered who sent them. When a medical technician entered to check her vitals, Shae asked her to read the card.
“Pretty flowers,” the young girl complimented. She smiled as she retrieved the card attached and opened it. “It says: These should have gone-” She stopped in mid-sentence.
“What?” Shae asked in alarm. She didn’t like the horrified expression on the aide’s face.
“-on your grave,” she finished in a whisper. The card fell from her hands, fluttering to the floor as she hurried from the room.
After that incident, a security guard stood on post outside the door. Even though the flowers had been removed, their scent lingered. The sticky, sweet fragrance reminded Shae that it wasn’t over. Dana wasn’t finished with her yet.
The day came when all the tubes that invaded her body were removed. Shae sat up in bed and ran a hand through her hair. It hit her that it was cropped short, courtesy of Dana and his switchblade. She put her hands up to her face and gasped when she felt the scar on her cheek. She hit the call button, signaling for the nurse.
“Nurse,” she screamed. “Nurse.” She repeatedly pushed the button when no one came right away.
“What is it?” the bewildered nurse asked when she arrived to find Shae in such a frantic state.
“Bring me a mirror,” Shae demanded.
“But-” The nurse hesitated. She didn’t think the young girl should see the scar just yet. It had recently been stitched and looked worse than it actually was.
“Bring me a damn mirror. Now,” she yelled. The nurse hurried from the room and returned moments later with a medium-sized hand mirror. Shae snatched it and held it up to her face.
“Oh God,” she moaned. “No. No.” A scream came from the bottom of her soul. She hurled the mirror as hard as she could across the room. It shattered into a thousand pieces when it hit the wall.
What she’d seen in the mirror remained permanently etched in her memory. She knew she’d never be the same. Gone was the beautiful girl she’d once been. All that was left was a scarred, grotesque monster. No one would ever want her now. Dana’s evil words taunted her.
“You gonna always remember me whenever you look in a mirror.”
She buried her face in the hospital pillow and crie
d hysterically. She had to be given a shot to sedate her.
Shae settled into a deep depression. She refused to eat and remained unresponsive for weeks. She wanted to die, but they wouldn’t even allow her to do that in peace. Instead, they assigned her to some new physician named Dr. David Michaels. He made her sick. She just wanted him to go away and stop bugging her, but he wouldn’t.
Dr. Michaels knew that he got on his patient’s last nerves. He refused to leave her alone and he forced her to talk, even if it was just to swear. If it meant she’d get better, she could curse at him from sun up until sun down.
LaShae Byrts was one patient that he wouldn’t lose. He’d recognized her potential and worked with determination to make her regain her will to live. If she wanted to die, he was afraid she wouldn’t be doing it on his watch.
His heart went out to the young woman. He’d examined the lengthy patient chart and knew everything about her. It was enough to make anyone want to curl into the fetal position and die. But, Dr. Michaels had decided that would not be an option for LaShae Byrts. He’d give her a little more time to pull it together. If he saw that she wasn’t attempting to recover, he’d step in and intervene.
“Good morning. Rise and shine, Sunshine.” When Shae heard the familiar voice of Dr. Michaels, she groaned. She wanted to pull the sheet over her face. He approached the bed and gazed down at her. “Okay, young lady. I think you’ve been allowed to wallow in self-pity long enough. It’s time you got back to doing some serious living.” The middle-aged, black doctor gave Shae a stern look. “You’re being discharged tomorrow.” He pushed the button on the automatic bed and it raised her up to a sitting position.
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