One Among Us

by Paige Dearth

  “Hey, sweetheart, you have a lot of questions,” Maggie said, trying to avoid answering them.

  “Well, what happened?” Juju chimed in. “Is Rock coming back to see me tonight? Oh, God, I just can’t lose another finger.”

  “OK, you two, calm down. First, I got Rock to give us three days to come up with the money. So he promised to leave Juju alone for now. We need to figure out what we’re going to do, fast.”

  “So I am going to lose my fingers. Maybe I can run; just leave Kensington and hide,” Juju offered.

  “That’s our plan B, Juju,” Maggie said slyly.

  “What’s plan A?” Seth asked.

  “I’m going to talk to Colby. He came to visit me at Rock’s apartment this afternoon, and I’ve decided to ask him for the money. He’s the only person I can think of who might be able to help us,” Maggie confided.

  “What will you have to promise to get Colby to do that for us?” Juju asked, concerned that Maggie would go too far to help her.

  “Well, we know he wants information about the guys who work for Rock. I’m sure that’s what he’ll want,” Maggie said, as if it wasn’t a big deal.

  “But what if he works for Rock? What if Rock kills ya, Aggie?” Seth asked, alarmed.

  “I don’t think he works for Rock. I don’t know why; I just think he’s the real deal,” Maggie said.

  “What about Joey? When you talked to Rock, did he say anything about her?” Seth asked.

  “I don’t know anything about Joey yet. I didn’t get a chance to talk to Rock about her, but I promise the next time I see him, I’ll ask,” Maggie reported. Then she continued, “I have a feeling that Joey is doing just fine, so stop worrying so much, OK?”

  Seth wouldn’t be able to rest until he knew for sure that Joey was better. An hour later, exhausted from the conversation with Juju and Seth, Maggie walked downstairs and stood on the curb to wait for Armando. She was distraught, wondering if any of them would come out of this alive.

  Chapter One Hundred Ten

  When Maggie got onstage that night, it cheered her up to see Tony and Vincent sitting at the bar. It had been a while since she chatted with them, and seeing them was a welcome relief from the anxiety that had plagued her all day.

  “Hey, guys! How are you?” Maggie asked in a chirpy voice.

  “Well, look who it is, Tone. If it ain’t little Maggie,” Vincent commented.

  “Yeah, how ya doin’, Maggie?” Tony asked.

  “I’ve been good. So where have you two been? I haven’t seen you in a while.”

  “Ya know, here, there; we’re busy men,” Tony joked

  “So tell us, how’s dat asshole, Armando, been treatin’ ya. He givin’ ya any grief?” Vincent asked.

  Maggie wished she could tell them what had happened to Juju and Joey, but she didn’t want to get them upset again. She couldn’t risk either of them saying something to Armando that would piss him off. Maggie was trying to stay on Armando’s good side, especially with their current predicament.

  “Who, him? Ahhh, he’s been fine. I just stay away from him as much as I can,” Maggie lied, trying to sound sincere.

  “Yeah, well, dat ain’t no way to live, little Maggie,” Vincent chimed in.

  “Ya know, there’s a lot of crazy shit goin’ on in this world,” Tony added. “So tell us what cha been doin’ then.”

  Maggie laughed. “I’ve been doing what I always do, working. I take as many shifts as I can get here and then, well, you know, make some more money when I’m not here.”

  Tony and Vincent knew exactly what Maggie was talking about. Emma had told them that Maggie was a prostitute and Rock was her pimp. Emma, a strong-willed, independent young woman couldn’t wrap her mind around what Maggie was expected to do. She had confided in Tony and Vincent that she hoped one day to help Maggie and free her of the life she’d known since childhood.

  Tony and Vincent had been stunned to hear what Maggie did under Rock’s control. She was a sweet young woman—and smart, too. They figured Rock kept control over her by threatening Maggie and the little boy she lived with. The two men had made a commitment to each other that if and when Maggie ever asked for their help, they’d convince the family of the importance of getting involved. Until that day came, all they could do was be nice to her whenever they spent time with her at Doubles.

  As the night wore on, Tony and Vincent were watching the dancers onstage and chatting with one of the bartenders when they heard a woman yelling in the lap dance room.

  Montana came storming out of the room. Then, in the doorway, she turned back and yelled, “Don’t forget what I just told ya, bitch. Ya work one of my regulars again, and you’re gonna be fuckin’ sorry!”

  Maggie tried to leave the lap dance room, but Montana shoved her. Maggie flew backward and thought she was going to fall, but she was caught in midair. Emma had come up behind her. Holding Maggie up, she glared at Montana. “You sure you want to do this?” Emma asked, her emerald-green eyes suddenly turning deadly.

  “Fuck you, whore!” Montana snapped, feeling a tiny bit of fear start to grow in the pit of her stomach.

  As Montana glared at Emma, she could feel herself start to get jittery. There was something in those green eyes, something unrelenting and spooky; it was as if Emma could cut through steel with them. Finally, Montana broke the gaze and walked away.

  “That’s what I thought, bitch,” Emma whispered, just loudly enough so Maggie heard.

  “Thanks,” Maggie said. “I do know how to fight.”

  Emma smiled, and her eyes filled with mischief. “Oh yeah. You know how to fight, huh?”

  “Yes. I’m actually pretty good, too,” Maggie bantered.

  “Oh, I see. Well, maybe you should pull one of your well-planned moves on Montana,” Emma suggested, still smiling brilliantly.

  “Nope. I can’t,” Maggie told her. “If I get fired from here, there’ll be hell to pay. Montana is just annoying. She doesn’t scare me. I’ve stood up to people a lot nastier than her on the streets. You haven’t seen a real bitch until you meet a woman with a quota to meet for her pimp. Those chicks will tear you up if you don’t handle yourself right. So, I just let Montana mouth off because that’s all she really does. She’s a lot of bark but no bite.”

  “Yeah, like a rabid fuckin’ dog,” Emma added.

  The girls laughed, and as they exited the lap dance room, Tony waved them over. “Looks like you two fighters can use a drink,” he remarked.

  Maggie giggled. “We aren’t fighters. We’re just two women who get bothered because all the men want us,” she teased, not believing it.

  Tony looked from Maggie to Emma and back. “Yeah, they do. You’re absolutely right. They do.”

  As Emma chatted with Tony, Maggie couldn’t help but wonder if what Tony said about her was true. If it was, then could it be possible for Colby to want her? She smiled just thinking about Colby until Emma broke into her thoughts.

  “Uh-oh. See that expression on Maggie’s face? That’s a woman thinking about a man she likes,” Emma tormented.

  “Stop. I am not!” Maggie shot back, feeling silly as she heard her own words.

  “Whatever you say, Mags,” Emma continued. “Just remember, if there’s someone you like, and they like you too, well then go for it. Just be careful who you fall in love with,” Emma warned.

  “Yeah, I know what you mean,” Maggie responded.

  But Maggie had no idea what Emma meant. She’d never been in love with anyone before. Sure, she loved Seth and Juju, but that wasn’t the same as being “in love” with someone, as in a man—or in Juju’s case, a woman.

  Don’t get ahead of yourself, knucklehead. Colby is on a mission to break down the prostitution ring in Kensington. Don’t start thinking that he really likes you, Maggie reminded herself.

  Maggie didn’t know it, but at that very moment, Colby was in a restaurant alone, three towns away, fantasizing about Maggie in the same way that she was fantasizing
about him.

  Chapter One Hundred Eleven

  It was the evening of the third day, the day that Rock expected his money. Maggie hadn’t seen Colby since the last time he visited, so there had been no way to ask for his help. It was just before seven thirty at night, and Maggie began to worry because she had to leave the apartment to go to Doubles with Armando. Juju had been crying off and on for most of the day, but once night fell, Juju began to think that maybe Rock would give her more time.

  The hard knock at the door startled the girls. Maggie opened it slowly and saw Armando standing in the hall. “Let’s go,” he ordered.

  When Maggie turned to grab her purse, Rock stepped into the apartment. Without hesitating, he walked over to Juju, pressed her good hand on the floor, and removed her other pinky finger. Maggie watched helplessly as he pressed his weight behind the knife, tearing away the tiny muscles and breaking through the bone. It sounded like small pieces of glass being crushed under a shoe.

  Juju’s screams were deafening. Blood gushed from her finger, and pain shot through her arm. Maggie ran to Juju and quickly wrapped a towel around her hand as Seth stood two feet away, gawking at Juju’s severed finger lying on the floor.

  “I gave you three days. I got nothin’. Tomorrow she loses another finger,” Rock told Maggie.

  Maggie, who was panicked and shaking, looked up at Rock. “We’ll get you the money. Please, Rock.”

  “Pleeease, Rock,” Armando mocked. “Please don’t cut off any more fingers.”

  The two brutes stood in the small space and laughed. “Let’s go, bitch,” Armando said to Maggie. “You’re gonna be late for work. Get your filthy whore ass movin’.”

  Maggie reached into her purse and gave Seth twenty dollars. “Take Juju to the hospital as fast as you can.”

  Maggie turned before leaving the apartment with Rock and Armando. The scene was heartbreaking. Juju was lying on the floor sobbing as Seth tried to get her to stand up. Both of them looked so wrecked and helpless.

  Outside, before getting into Armando’s car, Maggie spotted Colby watching them. For a fleeting moment, she wanted to run to him and fall into his arms. Instead, she pretended not to see him. Right before she bent to get into Armando’s car, Maggie gestured toward the building where she lived. As Armando began to drive, Maggie turned just in time to see Colby sprinting across the street toward Seth and Juju.

  Colby descended on Juju and Seth so aggressively that they immediately panicked.

  “It’s OK. My name is Colby. I’m a friend of Maggie’s. What happened?”

  “Somebody cut Juju’s finger off,” Seth announced, wanting Rock to stop hurting her.

  “Let me help. We need to get her to the hospital fast.”

  Not wanting to waste any time, Colby got them into his car and peeled away from the curb.

  Finally, Juju spoke. “Why are you helping us? What do you want?” she asked weakly.

  “I don’t want anything. I’m just trying to help you, that’s all,” he assured her.

  “Can you help us get money so Juju doesn’t get another finger cut off?” Seth countered, aching inside with worry.

  Juju’s eyes grew wide with fear. She couldn’t go through this agony repeatedly. “I’ll kill myself. It would be better than having to live through what he’s doing to me,” she said, disoriented.

  “No one needs to kill themselves. I’m going to help you,” Colby promised, feeling responsible for defending Maggie and her friends.

  By the time Maggie returned home that night, Juju and Seth were sleeping soundly. Colby had stayed with them just in case they needed his help. When Maggie opened the apartment door, she was surprised to find him waiting for her.

  “What are you doing here? How’s Juju?” Maggie asked, curious about him and concerned about her friend.

  “I took Juju to the hospital and felt like I should stick around with these two until you got home,” Colby explained.

  Maggie exhaled and sat beside Colby on the floor.

  “Thanks for taking care of them. You know, I’ve been thinking. It may be time for the three of us to get out of this town. We have to get away from Rock, from this city…from this hell that we are living in,” Maggie said.

  Maggie had thought long and hard about what to do next. While she was worried about Joey, who still hadn’t returned home, she needed to protect Juju and Seth. She realized that the path Rock was on could cost Juju her life.

  Colby was surprised. “Well, let’s think this through. If you run, there is a high likelihood that whoever did this to Juju will find you unless you get far, far away. How will you do that with no money?”

  “I don’t know. That’s my biggest problem. We don’t have enough money to pay Rock, and we don’t have enough money to get the hell out of here. I thought maybe we could use the little money we have and take a bus somewhere. We could live in the woods somewhere. We’ll figure out something. We have to. This is insane,” Maggie said, as tears spilled down her cheeks.

  “Tell me how I can help,” Colby stated.

  “Ha! You happen to have an extra five hundred dollars with you?” Maggie asked jokingly.

  “Maybe I can help. If you can tell me what happened, then I’m sure I can find a way to come up with the money you need. As long as I know that it’s not for anything illegal,” he clarified.

  “Right, just forget it,” she said, wishing their problem with Rock would vanish.

  “You might feel better if you talk about it. I’m a good listener,” he said, egging her on.

  “I’m sure you are,” Maggie said and smiled.

  “Come on. Give it a shot. You never know,” he coaxed.

  “Juju needs five hundred dollars to pay off Rock.”

  “Is Juju a prostitute?” Colby whispered.

  “No, she’s not a prostitute,” Maggie told him.

  “Well, what does she do for a living?” Colby asked casually.

  “If I tell you what she does for a living, it could be dangerous for us and you,” Maggie shot back.

  “Why? Do you think I’ll tell the police or something?” he asked.

  “I don’t know what you’ll do with the information. I just know I have to protect Juju and Seth.”

  “I will never do anything to harm you or the others. I give you my word,” Colby stated boldly.

  For some strange reason, Maggie believed him. She needed someone who could help get Juju out of this horrible bind. She tossed the options around in her mind: trust Colby or…or nothing. Maggie realized that she didn’t have anything to lose anymore by telling Colby the truth.

  She took a deep breath. “Juju is a drug dealer. She’s been selling since she was a young girl.”

  “Hmmm, that complicates things a bit,” Colby mumbled.

  “See? Exactly,” Maggie responded, annoyed at herself for telling him.

  “Maggie, chill out. I didn’t say I wouldn’t help you. All I said was that it complicates things. So what kind of trouble is Juju in?” Colby asked with a desire to help and gain Maggie’s trust at the same time.

  “Someone swiped five hundred bucks from her. When she told Rock she’d been ripped off, he cut off her pinky finger. Then he told her that she would lose one finger every day until she replaced the money. I talked him into giving us three days to come up with the money. Today was the third day, and she lost another finger,” Maggie explained.

  “Fuck! That’s crazy,” Colby stated. “I need time to think about it. It’ll be OK.”

  “Nothing will ever be OK as long as we stay here. Tomorrow night, he’ll come back and hurt Juju again. I can’t take that chance. She’s all I have, her and Seth. The three of us are the only family any of us has, and I won’t let anyone destroy them without putting up a fight,” Maggie stated bravely.

  “I’ll figure it out,” Colby promised.

  Maggie was surprised. “Are you saying you’ll help us even knowing that Juju sells dope?”

  “I’m saying I’ll try my b
est. In my line of work, I spend time gathering information and feeding it to the appropriate authorities. But I think if you and I can agree to work together, maybe the agency would see the benefit in giving me the money you need,” Colby said.

  “Are you trying to buy information?”

  “Well, technically, I guess I am. But it’s more like a negotiating chip for me to use with the agency,” Colby admitted.

  “And you’ll keep my identity a secret?” Maggie asked cautiously.

  “Of course I will. I’m in the business of helping people, not hurting them. Besides, I’ve grown to like you a little,” he ridiculed and put his strong hand over hers. “I’ll have the money for you in the morning,” Colby said definitively.

  Maggie didn’t look at him. She stared straight ahead at the wall in front of her. Colby could feel her doubt filling the room. She didn’t believe him, and he knew it.

  “Maggie?”

  The sound of Colby whispering her name sent a delicious ripple of pleasure through her entire being.

  “Maggie,” he said again, gently placing his hand under her chin and turning her head to face him. “The money for Rock will be here in the morning. Please…I don’t want you to leave. We have work to do together. We have other kids to save,” he explained. Colby was avoiding the real reason he didn’t want her to leave…he loved the sexual energy between them.

  “What will I have to give you for the money?” Maggie asked.

  “You don’t have to give me anything. I just want to protect you. I want to keep you safe. All of you,” Colby added, looking over at Juju and Seth, who were sleeping.

  “Thank you,” Maggie said in a strained voice.

  “Then we agree that you’re going to stay put for now. Right?” Colby confirmed.

  “Yes, for now. But I can’t promise for how long, Colby. None of us are really living. All we do is exist so that others can make their own lives better. And, after seeing what Rock has done to Juju, I know he is capable of doing worse things to any of us. I’m no different than a slave. I do the unthinkable. I sell myself, my body, and not because I want to. It’s not because I choose to do it. It’s because I feel like I have no way out of this shit,” Maggie confessed.