The Safe House

by Kiki Swinson

  “Make sure we ain’t being followed,” Rich said.

  “I don’t see anybody following us,” Monty assured him after turning his body around and looking out the back window. He even looked into the passenger-side window.

  “Please don’t kill me,” the woman begged.

  “Nobody is gonna kill you, just as long as you do what we tell you to do,” Monty told her.

  “You promise?” the woman asked. She needed some assurance. And I didn’t blame her. She was riding in a car with a bunch of misfits—the same misfits that beat me for no reason; the same misfits that just murdered her husband and their son. So, why should she believe them?

  “Look, I said we weren’t going to kill you. Now shut the fuck up before we change our minds,” Monty told her. But it was all a lie. Before we went into the restaurant, Monty and Rich had already planned to kill everybody in there. “Leave no witnesses,” they said. So, what had changed from then to now? Nothing. They were heartless criminals and there were no changes in that.

  “How much do we walk away with?” Rich wanted to know.

  “So far, I’m close to a grand,” Monty said happily.

  “That’s it?” Rich commented.

  “Yeah.”

  “I thought we had about two to three grand,” Rich said.

  “I thought so too. But what can I say? There were more ones and fives than anything else,” Monty explained.

  “So we killed four people for one grand?” Rich questioned Monty. I could tell that he was getting extremely aggravated. The tone in his voice went from excitement to anger.

  “You’re saying it like that’s a bad thing.”

  “Because it is. I don’t kill people for that kind of money, unless they stole something from me or disrespected me. And in this case, neither one of them has happened,” Rich said.

  “You acting like we’re done. We got one more spot to rob and then we’re good. You are with the lady, and she said that the house we’re going to has most of their money in it.”

  “What if she’s lying?” Rich questioned Monty again.

  “She knows that if she’s lying, we’re going to kill her, so I believe her.”

  “You better be right,” Rich warned Monty as he drove in the direction of the house we went to the night before.

  It seemed like the closer we got to the house, the more fearful I became. I knew I was with four street niggas with guns, but for some reason, I didn’t feel protected. I didn’t think that they were ready to go head-to-head with these men from the Middle East. I just really thought that they were out of their league. But we would see because there was no turning back. Not for me anyway.

  “How much longer do we have to get there?” Monty’s friend Paul asked.

  “What, you gotta be somewhere?” Rich asked sarcastically.

  “Nah, it’s just that this lady keeps farting back here. I keep telling her to stop, but she won’t,” Paul told Rich.

  “I’m sorry. I’m just so nervous,” she spoke up.

  “Look, I don’t care how nervous you are, just stop doing it before I get mad with you and do something mean to you,” Paul cautioned her.

  “Okay, I will stop,” she promised him, and then she fell silent.

  As much as I wanted to feel sorry for this lady, I couldn’t. I couldn’t, because her family had kidnapped my mother and held her hostage. They even cut off her hand and sent it inside of a package and had it delivered to the hospital where I was. How gross and heartless is that? You don’t cut off a person’s loved one’s body part and send it to them. That’s not cool. No matter how you look at it.

  “Yo, dawg, we got one thousand and sixteen dollars,” Monty told Rich after he completed the money count.

  Rich shook his head in a manner to express how frustrated he was becoming. After doing it for about five seconds, he said, “I’m telling you right now, we better come out of the house with at least the forty grand she promised to give us, because if I don’t, I might be the only nigga walking out of there when it’s time to leave.” Rich expressed his anger to everyone in the car.

  The entire car went silent. I would pay a million dollars to read the minds of Jason, Paul, and Monty. There was no doubt in my mind that these dudes were thinking shit about Rich. It wouldn’t surprise me if they were saying to themselves that they’d kill Rich before he’d have a chance to kill them. That was what I would be thinking.

  During the drive, I noticed that Monty had been getting a lot of text messages. It had become so annoying that Rich had to say something about it. “Yo, dawg, who the fuck is texting you like that?” he asked.

  “Some niggas I know from around the way.”

  “Well, tell them niggas you working.”

  “They already know. They just wanna see where we gon’ be done so they can come back and pick up homegirl,” Monty explained.

  I knew that the homegirl he was talking about was me. So I felt that I needed to address the situation. I mean, damn, he just killed three fucking people and I knew he was plotting my demise. How heartless could he be? “I know you’re talking about me,” I got the gumption to say.

  “You fucking right I was talking about you,” he didn’t hesitate to say.

  “You’re one grimy-ass nigga! All you fucking care about is seeing people die. What kind of life is that? And how do you sleep at night?”

  “I sleep very well, thank you. And I’m gon’ sleep even better after Terrell’s cousin do your ass in after I hand you over to them.”

  “You think it’s gonna be that easy, huh?” I was really getting tired of this guy running his fucking mouth. He talked more than a freaking woman, more than a nagging-ass chick during her menstrual cycle. I just wished that someone would help me put this asshole out of his misery.

  “Bitch, I’ll end your fucking life now. Keep running your fucking mouth!”

  “Do you think Rich is going to let you do something to me? I’m his cash cow right now,” I defended my position. I knew the reason I was still alive was because Rich needed me to help him score money and the drugs that Ahmad’s family had. So, whether he knew it or not, I had a little more time to burn. That time would be used to find my mother, and not for him to call Terrell’s family and have them come and drag me to hell.

  “I wish both of y’all shut the fuck up. I’m tired of hearing your mouths. I just wanna hear myself think for a minute,” Rich interjected.

  “She came at me,” Monty tried to explain.

  “Monty, just leave it alone. Let’s take care of this business. After we get what we came for, then I don’t give a damn what y’all do,” Rich told him.

  Hearing Rich tell Monty that he didn’t care what he did after they robbed the house gave me an instant headache. Anxiety in my stomach started rumbling like a volcano. Just for that moment, I couldn’t think straight. I wanted to think of a way that I’d be able to escape Monty’s grasp after leaving that house, but I couldn’t put two and two together. I couldn’t even think about when my birthday was. I was a complete mess. God, please help me.

  26

  DIE BY THE GUN

  When we arrived at the house, Rich pressed the garage opener that was clipped onto the sun visor. After the garage opened, Rich drove the truck inside of it and then closed the garage door behind us. “How many people are here?” was Rich’s first question.

  “Just my mother-in-law and my two children,” the woman answered.

  “Where will they be in the house?” Rich threw another question at her.

  “My children should be in their bedroom asleep. And my mother-in-law should be in her bedroom as well,” she said carefully.

  “You said that the money was in a safe, so where is the safe?”

  “It’s in my husband’s and my bedroom closet.”

  “Okay, now are you sure no other adults are in this house?”

  “No, only my mother-in-law,” she assured him.

  “All right. Now, when we go in there, don’t start
yelling and screaming, because I will blow your fucking head off your shoulders if you do. Now, do you understand?” Rich threatened her.

  “Yes, I understand,” she told him.

  “Okay, now I want you to stay close to me, because I’m gonna be walking behind you, so don’t try no funny shit.”

  “I won’t.”

  “Strap up and let’s get this dough,” Rich instructed the guys, and one by one, everyone filed out of the SUV and followed him and the woman into the house through the garage entrance.

  We entered into the kitchen of the house, and no one was in sight. “Walk slow,” Rich coached her.

  “Okay,” she whispered as she guided Rich, myself, Monty, and the other two guys through the kitchen.

  “Where is your bedroom?” Rich started acting anxious.

  “It’s upstairs,” she replied in a whimpering fashion.

  “I don’t wanna hear that whining shit, so cut it out before I get angry,” Rich told her.

  “Okay,” she said, trying to suppress her sobbing as she continued to lead the way.

  Upon approaching the staircase, Rich instructed the guys to go in different areas of the house. “Jason, I want you to go and check around the rooms down here, just to make sure no one else is here,” Rich told him.

  “A’ight,” Jason said, and then he walked away.

  “Paul, I need you to stay by the front door and make sure no one comes in here without any of us knowing,” Rich told him.

  “Got it,” Paul replied, and walked off toward the front room.

  “Monty, you come with me so we can get this money,” Rich told him.

  “Let’s do it,” Monty said eagerly.

  “What about me?” I asked.

  “Your job is done. We’re here, so I don’t give a damn what you do. Go kill yourself if you want to,” Rich commented, and then he headed upstairs with Monty and the woman in tow.

  “Oh, so my job is done, huh? We shall see about that,” I mumbled to myself.

  After Monty and Rich disappeared around the corner, when they reached the top step, I found a corner in the kitchen and started texting Ahmad. I needed to let him know that he had a nemesis here. Come to the house near Military Hwy. Bring my mama with you. If you don’t these guys said they will kill everyone in this house.

  OK, he replied.

  As I looked at his text message, it gave me an uneasy feeling, even though he had only typed the word OK. I knew what kind of man Ahmad was. He was a calculating and dangerous man. I was sure that when he came, he was going to have an entourage consisting of his family with him. Rich and Monty had no idea what they were going to be up against. I just hoped that they were ready.

  “Bingo,” I heard Rich say from the kitchen. I also heard Monty laughing, giving off a sound like he was the Joker. It sounded evil and frightening.

  “How much do you think it is?” I heard Monty ask.

  “These straps are ten thousand each, so it looks like we got forty grand.”

  “You shitting me! I’ve never seen that much money in my life,” Monty commented.

  “Well, here it is. Forty grand,” Rich emphasized.

  “How much is my cut?” Monty wanted to know.

  “Take this ten grand and do whatever you want to do with it,” Rich insisted.

  “What about Jason and Paul?”

  “What about ’em?”

  “What? Wait. I gotta share my money with them?”

  “I thought you knew that.”

  “Nah, I didn’t.”

  “Well, now you do.”

  “Come on now, Rich, you know that’s not fair. Me and Jason put in a lot of work. We killed those people back at that restaurant. You didn’t have to do a thing.”

  “Nah, I didn’t. But remember, this was my job. I put y’all niggas onto this. If it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t have that ten grand in your hand right now.”

  “Yeah, I know, but let’s be fair about it. I mean, you can at least give up another ten grand and let Jason and Paul split it.”

  “That’s not gonna happen. I’m keeping this thirty grand because I set up this sting and I gotta share it with Mike when he gets out of the hospital.”

  “Rich, you know that’s a bullshit-ass excuse, right?” Monty protested.

  “Look, dawg, I’m not gonna stand here and go back and forth with you about this money. I’m keeping this thirty grand and that’s the end of it. Now, if you don’t like it, then do something about it. And if you ain’t gonna do shit about it, then just shut the fuck up because you’re beginning to sound like a bitch!” Rich scolded him.

  “Yeah, a’ight,” I heard Monty say, and then I didn’t hear him utter another word. But I did hear someone else.

  “Sania, is that you?” I heard an older, Middle Eastern woman’s voice say. I rushed to the staircase because I knew this was not going to end well.

  “Yes, Mama, now go to bed,” Sania instructed her.

  “What do you mean, ‘go to bed’? Are you okay? You sound upset.” The woman pressed the issue as she slowly made her way into the bedroom where Monty and Rich were.

  Oh my God, lady, please go back in your room like the woman told you, I thought as anxiety ricocheted throughout my body.

  “I’m not going back into my room until you tell me what’s wrong with you.”

  The next thing I heard was Rich telling the woman to back up. “Who are you? What are you doing in this house?” I heard the woman ask boldly. I was shocked to hear her stand up against Rich and Monty.

  “Mama, stop it. I will handle it. Please go back into your room,” Sania pleaded with her.

  “Put that gun away before I call the cops,” the woman threatened Rich.

  “Mama, please go back in your room,” Sania asked once again. They all were in the hallway upstairs, so I could see everything they were doing.

  “No, she’s not going anywhere. Monty, grab her and take her downstairs,” Rich hissed.

  When Monty reached for her, he grabbed her hard and tried to pull her close to him, but when she jerked her body backward, she used all her weight and that caused her to fall backward down the stairs. “Mama!” Sania yelled as she ran down the staircase behind her mother.

  I stood there and watched in horror as the woman tumbled down the steps toward me. I immediately got out of the way.

  The woman finally landed at the bottom of the staircase, and when I looked down at her, I noticed how she wasn’t breathing. I looked up the staircase at Rich and told them both that this lady was dead.

  Immediately after I announced it, I saw Sania rushing toward us. “Oh my God! You broke her neck.” Sania started crying hysterically.

  Taking another look at this lady, I realized that Sania was right; her mother-in-law’s neck was broken. I could see a huge bone sticking out the side of her neck.

  Rich and Monty ran downstairs and looked at her themselves. But when they bent down toward her, Sania snapped on them. “Get away from her, you fucking killers! You killed my husband, my uncle, my cousin, and now my mother-in-law. You’re fucking monsters!” She was going crazy, swinging at them and trying to fight them.

  After she took the second swing at Monty, Monty lunged back and threw a punch so hard at Sania that when it connected to her face, she flew backward and landed on her back about three feet from where her mother-in-law was lying. Monty hit her really hard. “You know you gotta off her, right?” Rich said.

  “Yeah,” Monty replied, and pulled his gun from the waist of his pants and let off two shots. One hit her stomach and the other one hit her in the chest. I stood there and watched these innocent women get the lives sucked out of them, and it was all for nothing. Okay, their family had something to do with the killing of my cousin, my grandmother, and Mrs. Mabel, but it wasn’t them that pulled the trigger. It was the men. So, why punish them?

  “Mommy. Nanny. Where are you?” I heard a little voice come from upstairs.

  My heart dropped into the pit of my stomac
h after I heard the voice. I immediately looked at Rich and Monty and said, “Please don’t kill those little girls.”

  “If they stay out of the way, then it won’t happen. But if they see our faces, then they gotta go,” Monty spoke up.

  I gave him the nastiest facial expression that I could muster up. He was a low-down, dirty-ass dog. He was the worst nigga that I ever met. Instead of commenting on what he just said, I walked up the staircase and headed in the direction where I heard the little girl talking.

  After I pushed open the door that was slightly ajar, I saw a little three- or four-year-old girl standing in the doorway. She was so freaking adorable. And it hurt my heart when I thought about the fact that she wouldn’t have a mother or grandmother anymore. My heart went out to her more after I thought about the fact that if she and her sibling saw Rich’s and Monty’s faces, then they would kill her. I couldn’t let that happen, so I leaned over toward her and said, “What’s your name?” I asked her.

  “Hamina,” she replied.

  “Well, Hamina, I’m letting you know that your mommy and grandmommy have gone to the store. And they left me here to watch you, okay?” I said nicely.

  She hesitated for a moment and then said, “Okay.”

  “Come on, let’s watch TV in your room until they get back, okay?” I suggested after I grabbed her hand and walked her back to her bed. I saw the television on the TV stand next to the dresser, so I turned it on and then sat on the edge of the bed next to her and waited to see what was coming on. “What kind of television shows you like?” I asked her.

  “I like iCarly, PAW Patrol, and Phineas and Ferb.”

  “Well, that’s what we’re watching,” I replied, giving her the biggest smile that I could muster up. Besides, she didn’t need to know what was really going on downstairs. If she saw her mother and grandmother in the state they were in, she’d probably be traumatized for the rest of her life. I couldn’t allow that if I could help her.

  27

  WE GOT COMPANY

  I heard a car pull up in the driveway of the house, so I stood up from the little girl’s bed and looked out of the window. I noticed that it was a dark-colored car. But I couldn’t tell the make and model of it. “Is that my daddy?” The little girl looked back at me and asked.