The Circle: Autumn

by Keisha Ervin

  Suddenly Autumn felt someone approach her from the left. She jumped and gripped her bag where her guns lay. Not today. Keep it fucking moving. Not today. Autumn chanted in her head as she realized it was a dude approaching.

  “You all alone?” a male voice floated into her ear. Autumn rolled her eyes and moved her eyes to the side so she could look out of the corners without turning to face the nuisance talking to her. She was almost blinded by the gold and diamonds on the man’s teeth as he smiled and continued trying to kick it. Right away money crept into Autumn’s mind. It was a habit. She was so used to making dudes out to be victims in her mind as soon as she met them it happened almost automatically now.

  “Are you alone?” Autumn snapped in an annoyed tone, sending his question right back at him so he could hear just how invasive it sounded. Her sarcasm obviously went right over the dude’s head.

  “Naw, I ain’t alone at all. I got a few of my boys over there, but I couldn’t let a pretty one like you slip away without hollering at ya,” the man said with a greasy, Texas drawl. “I’m Treach,” he said extending his hand. Still acting stank towards the dude, Autumn extended her hand in response to his dangling hand.

  “Rita,” Autumn said, giving her alias and shaking his hand. She quickly noticed that Treach had huge, gaudy gold rings on each of his fingers on both hands. That’s some country ass shit right there. Rings on every finger ain’t never been cool where I’m from. Autumn said to herself. She also noticed that all of his teeth were covered in gold and diamond top and bottom grills and he had at least twelve thick, gold and diamond encrusted Cuban linked chains around his neck. Treach had country drug dealer written all over him, so her interest was suddenly piqued. She secretly eyeballed his clothes and noticed his Christian Louboutin sneakers, Maison Martin Margiela jacket and his Gucci t-shirt. Hood rich like a m’fucka. Autumn said to herself. Usual victim get up too.

  Autumn quickly assessed that Treach was the type of nigga she and Fallon would make light work out of robbing when they got together. He was the typical “look at me and my designer clothes and jewelry” type of hustler that wanted everybody to notice him. Usually the dumb shallow ones like that were the easiest to set up for the robbery downfall. All of a sudden, Autumn’s day didn’t seem to be going too bad after all. The one thing she never doubted on this rough journey to the border was her ability to snag a baller and get her hands on his paper or his ride. Her skills were top notch and now her mind was in motion with thoughts of getting her hands on a car so she could make it the rest of the way.

  Autumn knew she had to play hard to get with Treach and do the things she and Fallon had mastered over the years. Being too thirsty or too available was a sure way to run a shallow nigga away because although those flashy dudes always wanted a flashy chick, they were also the quickest to call a chick a gold digger. Autumn wanted to snag Treach, but this will be more challenging because she also had to be careful about being recognized.

  “So can I take you out sometime Rita?” Treach asked, flashing those sparkly teeth again. “Get to know you better?”

  “Nah. I’m not in town for that long. Sorry,” Autumn answered just as her food arrived. She turned towards her plate as if she was totally uninterested in his rap.

  “Let me pay for that Rita,” Treach said, slapping a one hundred dollar bill on the counter. He smiled at Autumn, so she knew he was showing off. She also had noticed him peel the hundred off a pretty thick stack of bills. Autumn rolled her eyes and chuckled.

  “I must look like some of these desperate chicks ya’ll used to out here in the lone star state,” Autumn said sassily. Treach wanted her to notice everything he had and she was surely taking mental notes. The robber in her was saying “get with the nigga and take him for everything that he is holding,” but the fugitive in her was saying “you can’t afford to fuck around with no big Tex ass halfway crook and get caught. You need to get to that fucking border.”

  “Thanks, but no thanks,” Autumn said, placing her own money down on the counter. “I’m good though.”

  Treach seemed shocked at her sassiness, but also impressed with her. Autumn knew shit like that always made these fake ass hustlers go even harder to get a girl like her. It was a proven formula that she and Fallon had tried out hundreds of times and it worked the same every time. Autumn always said she would write a book about how to rob a dumb, hood ass, hustler and get away with it.

  “Independent woman…I like that,” Treach said, rubbing his full beard like he was thinking real hard.

  “You like it or you not used to it? I bet bitches be falling down at your feet. I bet they got you geeked up that you the man out here in nowhere ass Texas,” Autumn said snidely. He wasn’t the finest nigga Autumn had laid eyes on, but he dressed himself up in the finest and hid behind his jewels and clothes enough that Autumn was sure pretty country bitches all over Texas were probably dying to suck his dick.

  “It ain’t even like that,” Treach replied. “I don’t pay them no mind baby girl.” He said. When the words left his mouth they rang like an alarm in Autumn’s ears. He had called her the name that Quinton called her for so many years. It made her both angry and sad at the same time. That was her signal that speaking to this Texas baller had come to an end.

  Autumn wasn’t going to keep going back and forth with him anyway, she had to go. If he wasn’t going to serve the purpose she needed, which was a car, she didn’t have time for it. She shoveled a few bites of food into her mouth, gulped her orange juice, and without much of a goodbye she headed out of the diner without even acknowledging that he was still standing there waiting. Treach followed Autumn with his eyes and nodded his head. She was acting like a tough nut to crack, but he could see right through her fake defenses too.

  Autumn hadn’t even made it half a mile down the road on foot before she heard that familiar Texas drawl. I knew it would work! This nigga is completely taken with me all because I didn’t sweat him.

  “You ain’t get very far now did ya?” Treach called out to her from his Infiniti QX80 truck.

  “You ain’t gonna quit either now are ya?” Autumn said with a fake Texas drawl mocking him. Treach laughed at her, amused by her fiery attitude. It was lost on him that she was beautiful, but looked like she was down on her luck. He knew a chick in distress when he seen one. He could tell she was hiding some pain and running from something.

  “I swear I don’t bite. I’m a nice guy trying to get to know a nice girl. You can’t walk but so far on this road and you damn sure can’t walk on that freeway,” Treach yelled as he inched his truck slowly along to follow how slow Autumn was walking. She could no longer move fast on her throbbing feet and aching legs, but she was damn sure not going to let him know she was in so much pain.

  “Let me give you a ride to wherever you’re going, Rita,” Treach continued. “I’m a nice guy. You got my word. Plus, as tough as you look, I wouldn’t try nothing. I left all my boys behind to catch up to you, so you know I ain’t bullshitting,” he urged.

  Autumn stopped walking, rolled her eyes and turned towards Treach’s truck. She tilted her head and stared at Treach for a few minutes to see if he’d recognize her at all. He was smiling and blinding her with his sparkling grills as usual, but she didn’t catch any glimpse of recognition in his face.

  After some thought, Autumn convinced herself that Treach was clearly a street dude that didn’t look or sound like he watched the news and he damn sure didn’t act like he recognized her as a fugitive. Treach was definitely a drug dealer that much she had already figured out, so maybe this was a sign from God that he was the ride that she needed. Maybe Treach was her way to the border.

  “You coming?” Treach asked, still smiling. “I’m holding up traffic.”

  “A’ight, but don’t try no funny shit because I’m not the one. You will be murked in a minute,” Autumn warned, in a joking tone but dead serious. She had her guns on her and she had also lifted a small steak knife from the diner.
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br />   “Great…I can’t wait to get to know you,” Treach said snidely.

  Once she climbed up into Treach’s truck, Autumn relaxed against the seat. The butter soft leather and cushions felt so damn good to her sore muscles. Her body was thanking her for taking the ride because it would’ve definitely conked out if she had to walk another mile.

  Chapter 8 Almost There

  Autumn was laughing and joking with Treach before she even knew it. She had let her guard down but not all the way. Turned out, Treach was funny as hell with his jokes. Autumn didn’t know if it was his accent, or just his wit, but she found him to be hilarious. He talked about everything from stupid workers, run-ins with the cops, his kids and his baby mothers. Autumn felt like she was at a comedy show, that’s how hard she was rolling with laughter.

  “You laughing, but I’m dead ass serious. These country ass baby mamas will make a nigga wanna cut his dick off and hide it in the Alamo,” Treach joked. “I took longer to pick out my drawers than I did picking bitches to have my kids. I mean all of ‘em is crazy. These bitches make me never wanna cum in a pussy again,” Treach guffawed. Autumn laughed at him.

  “So why you have so many kids then?” she asked through her laughs.

  “Cause a nigga got itchy dick that’s why. It’s like I need to fuck every night…feel me. I was slanging this here sweet meat so much I used to have to look out my curtains before I left my house to make sure a bitch wasn’t gon’ be on my front porch holding a nappy headed ass baby. But, I’m learning my lesson though. I’m tryna find me a settle down shawty that can’t get knocked up,” Treach continued, still joking. “I wants me a sterile bitch…spaded or neutered, like a puppy and shit.”

  “Naw you need to get your shit neutered…get the snip snip,” Autumn replied.

  “Awwww naww, a nigga can’t even think about getting his dick cut on. Ouch! Shit!” Treach said, shuddering at the thought. Then he laughed and so did Autumn.

  To Autumn’s surprise the ride was going well. Did she still have thoughts of how she was going to get this nigga’s car? Yes. But she wasn’t considering blowing his brains out to do it though.

  Treach was mad cool and whenever he started in on his kids and baby mama drama he would have Autumn rolling. Treach eventually switched the conversation to Autumn, which made her shift uncomfortably in her seat. He started asking Autumn questions where she was from, if she had any kids and things about her family life. Autumn was good at making up shit on the fly and that was just what she did. She was honest with Treach about her intentions on getting to the Mexican border though. She figured maybe it would be easier for him to give her a ride, rather than her trying to stick him for her car. He did ask her why she was going to the border. Autumn lied and told him she was half Mexican and that she wanted to reconnect with her family there. The more she spoke to Treach, the more lies she embellished with stories of what she really wished her life could be like. Autumn secretly always wanted a normal life, so she made up answers using the life that she really wished she was living. Treach listened, but he kept his eyebrows furrowed and he kept peeking at her out of the corner of his eye like he didn’t fully believe every part of her story. Something wasn’t adding up for him, but he was going to play it off like he was just happy to be in her company. It still amazed him how easily and fluidly some women told bold faced lies.

  As Treach and Autumn drove closer to the border, Autumn’s insides were churning with anticipation about getting there. Although she hadn’t figured exactly how she would get rid of this gaudy baller, she was still overjoyed. She was doing a victory dance in her head because she felt like she’d won the battle against a bunch of law enforcement agencies who called themselves “turning over every rock” looking for her. Autumn had evaded three road blocks so far and had been in the same room with two different jurisdictions of cops and still hadn’t been caught. Autumn could hear Rain, Fallon and Dayvid telling her now how proud they were of her making it all the way to the border alone without getting caught. She smiled just thinking about them respecting her as a part of the main team and not the baby sister anymore.

  “We ‘bout an hour out Rita,” Treach announced, noticing that Autumn had started nodding on him. “I gotta piss like a race horse so we gon’ stop,” he told her, holding his crotch for emphasis. Damn! Almost there and this nigga wanna stop! Autumn said to herself. She was in a car with a total stranger, so close to the border, and now he wanted to stop, but she wasn’t really in a position to argue. He was driving after all. Autumn was enjoying Treach’s company, but she still didn’t know whether to trust him or not. Treach pulled into a rest stop and threw his truck into park.

  “Shit girl! I gotta go!” he exclaimed, rushing out of the truck and running into the rest stop bathroom. Autumn’s head swirled with what to do. It was like the devil and the angel sitting on her shoulder arguing back and forth about what to do. She looked around the rest stop parking lot and contemplated stealing the truck and leaving Treach behind. That way she could drive herself at least a little closer to the border before he reported his truck stolen. “What to do? What to do?” Autumn chanted, her legs swinging in and out nervously. She was torn because Treach had turned out to be such a nice guy. Leaving him stranded would be grimy but grimy is also what it was going to take for her to get where she was going. Besides, there was nothing grimier than the murders she had already committed.

  Autumn looked down and noticed that Treach had mistakenly left his phone behind in the cup holder between the seats. She saw his screen flashing with messages. Being a nosey girl, she picked up the phone and read the text messages that were coming through. Autumn’s eyes went round and her mouth fell open. She was holding her breath and didn’t even realize it as she scanned the messages.

  “Holy fucking shit. What the fuck are the chances?” Autumn exhaled and mumbled as she read two texts messages from Loe that had her name in it and a picture of her. Autumn clasped her hand over her mouth because she felt like throwing up. How the fuck did Treach know Loe? This nigga knew who I was all along?

  From the texts, Autumn learned that Loe had placed a bounty on her head and he wanted her found before the feds got her. This motherfucker is setting me the fuck up!

  Not sure what to do, Autumn decided that Treach had to die. If not for anything else, he had to die for trying to trap her like that. Thinking quickly, she jumped out of the passenger seat and slid into the back of the truck and got low on the floor. Autumn was smart enough to know that there was no way she could confront Treach head on. He was six foot three inches tall, probably weighed two hundred and twenty five pounds and more than likely was strapped. The Porter brain had kicked in and Autumn made the decision that sneaking Treach from behind was the only way she would be able to get him. She needed the element of surprise on her side.

  Treach returned to the car and looked around strangely, trying to figure out where the hell his car companion had gone. “A’ight. I see how this is now. Shawty must’ve went to piss too…but damn she left my shit running. That was some dumb shit, anybody could’ve came and drove away with my brand new ride. Fuckin’ women…just fuckin’ dumb,” Treach mumbled under his breath. Autumn’s insides were boiling with anger. She could barely keep still lying on the floor, but patience was essential for this type of attack and she knew it. She waited a few minutes. Before she could move in for the kill, Treach picked up his phone. Autumn fell back so she could hear his conversation first.

  “Let me holla at this nigga Loe before she come back right quick,” Treach grumbled as he dialed the familiar number. “C’mon Loe, tell me what’s good with my fucking money,” Treach grumbled while he waited for Loe to answer his call. Autumn was about to get up, but when she heard that, she stayed low. She bit down into her lip so hard that she drew her own blood. Autumn could feel the heat of anger coursing through her veins causing the veins in her head and neck to pound.

  “Aye…Loe. I got the bitch in my car. Yea, I been picked her up on
her trail way back. Bust this bullshit, the little bitch told me her name was Rita and shit and just like you said she tryna go to the border. Said she was Mexican or some shit like that. A’ight, I got her just like you asked….. I mean if you want me to take care of the bitch I can do that. She fucked with Jimmie so I’m good with blowing her fucking brains out. How far is ya’ll? I don’t wanna really take the bitch to the border cuz. I ain’t tryna let them federalies check all up in my shit…feel me? You know I’m allergic to the fucking feds. Alls I want is to turn this little dumb bitch over to you, collect my paper and be good to go. I know this bitch think she a killer and shit, so she real lucky I ain’t put her slick ass on ice by now,” Treach said into his phone.

  Autumn was about to burst inside. She was beyond hot with anger now as she listened to Treach threaten her life. Her mind raced in a million different directions, but one thing that was clear to her was that Treach had to die. There would be no negotiating for his ass.

  Autumn hated to feel like she let her guard down around somebody who turned out to stab her in the back. It was very reminiscent of what she felt about Quinton so that alone was fueling the fire burning inside of her even more. Autumn listened some more to see if she could tell what Loe’s next plan of action was.

  “A’ight, I’ll stall the bitch here if you say you’ll be here soon. If not, I’ll hit you when I make it to the next spot. I must say, this bitch pretty crafty because if I was just any nigga the bitch woulda had me driving her free and clear to Mexico and she ain’t even give a nigga a blow job,” Treach said, followed by a sarcastic laugh. Autumn sucked in her bottom lip and balled her fists so tightly her knuckles ached. The metallic taste of the blood coming from the bite in her lip just fueled her anger even more. In that instance she decided that one more dead body wasn’t going to make or break her.